Gordon Allport

High school (ages 12+)
History & Culture

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Step 1 · Read the article

Open the article and read it at the level above. Then answer the questions below in your own words.

https://smallwhale.org/articles/gordon-allport

Write what each word means, using the article.

Do not copy the article. Write two things you learned, the way you would explain them to a friend.

Answers below are taken from the article’s stored facts, so they match what the student read.

1. When was Gordon Allport born?November 11, 1897
2. Where was Gordon Allport born?Montezuama, Indiana, USA
3. What is the career?Professor of Psychology at Harvard University, influential figure in personality psychology
4. What is the key publication?'The Nature of Prejudice' (1954)
5. Who was Gordon Allport and what did he study?Gordon Allport was an American psychologist who studied what makes each person unique. He believed that every individual has a special personality that can be understood by looking at their own experiences and feelings.
6. What is the "proprium" that Allport talked about?Allport called this special part of us the "proprium." It includes the things that give us a sense of identity and purpose, and it develops from a baby's body sense to a grown‑up understanding of themselves.

Idiographic Approach: A research method focusing on the detailed study of individual persons and their unique characteristics.
Proprium: The central, unifying aspect of the self, encompassing all facets of personality and identity.
Functional Autonomy: The theory that adult motives and behaviors can be independent of their original childhood sources.
Personal Dispositions: Unique traits that characterize an individual's personality and guide their behavior.