Character, narcissism, and the rarity thesis
It is almost on a daily basis that we use talk about character traits to explain and predict behaviour. 'John is a reliable guy, I'm sure he will help us move on the weekend, ' or 'Anna is shy, I doubt she will come out for karaoke'. We say that the reason Gary insulted my daring haircut is that he is rude. We choose a brave man to go on the dangerous mission. We need a friendly person to work at our new shop. And when gentle Sarah suddenly snaps at her boss, we might say she acted 'out of character' in order to maintain a continued understanding of her and an ability to predict future behaviour. Character attributions underwrite both our explanation of a person and justify our prediction of their future actions. This view of character fits with what has come to be called the 'folk view' of traits.1 The folk view is not a systematic doctrine, but seems to be fairly representative of an understanding held by many in everyday discussions of character. The account states that traits are both stable over time, that there is a 'core of consistency', defining the true nature of a person, and that behaviour is primarily explained and motivated by character traits.2
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