Personality Traits - Hardcover

'The Matthews and Deary book is refreshing in that it provides an up-to-date summary of what has been happening in journals concerned with the scientific study of personality ... I have had considerable difficulty in finding a personality text that I can recommend to students ... and this is the best I have found to date.' Personality of Individual Differences

' ... brilliantly clear, well-balanced, and well-judged'. Professor Robert Plomin, Institute of Psychiatry, London

'This book by two of the UK's most respected individual differences researchers really hits its target. Experts will find little to complain about in terms of its detailed and comprehensive coverage, while students will find its layout and presentation a great aid in introducing some of the most exciting and broad ranging modern research ... I fully recommend this as a text for undergraduate and post-graduate personality courses. As a reference, it would sit usefully on most psychologist's book shelves if they are interested in individuality, its bases, and applications.' Dr Timothy Bates

Personality research has been transformed by recent advances in our understanding of personality traits. This book offers a comprehensive and accessible survey of research on traits. It discusses how they are defined and measured, and shows that they are central to personality. The authors review the origins of traits in biological and social processes, and their consequences for cognition, performance and mental and physical health. Contrary to the traditional view of personality research as a collection of disconnected theories, Personality Traits presents an integrated account, linking theory-driven research with applications in clinical and occupational psychology. Personality Traits is an essential text for students of personality and differential psychology, and also provides researchers and practitioners with a coherent, up-to-date overview of this important area.