n. a basic characteristic (trait) which pervades one’s personality and dominates a person’s character. Sometimes referred to as a personal trait that leads to a core value, it tends to guide and govern the total behavior of an individual. First defined by U.S. psychologist Gordon Willard Allport in 1936.
CARDINAL TRAIT: “Being the strongest and most influential of all, a cardinal trait overrides and overrules all other traits.”