Abstract

Lewis R. Goldberg University of Oregon and Oregon Research Institute One important recent finding from the social-psy- quotations cited by Pervin, Buss and Brody equate the chological literature on stereotype formation has been field of personality with the study of individual differ- called the out-group homogeneity effect (e.g., Park, ences, which is no big crime, albeit not a universal Judd, & Ryan, 199 1; Park & Rothbart, 1982). Briefly, definition of the field. Digman, McCrae and Costa, persons tend to see their own groups as diverse and McCrae and John, and Widiger all use some phrase like heterogeneous, whereas they see other groups as more personality structure to refer to the more circumscribed monolithic and homogeneous. Pervin's descriptions of "model of phenotypic personality traits," but one can "trait theorists" remind me of this powerful effect. To understand the reason for this choice when one realizes Pervin, all trait theorists look alike. how awkward it would be to refer to everything in its Indeed, having never been referred to in this way most precise and pedantic form every time one refers before, it dawned on me that many of my fellow co- to it. And Goldberg, who is pleased to