Perseverative Functional Autonomy Theory Case Study Gordon Allport

Case Study: Allport and Monica Gordon Allport was an evolutionary scientist who explored previously untouched concepts to better understand the human condition. He developed a combination of new terminology and progressive ideas that formed the basis of his view on personality. He advanced the discontinuity theory which suggest that during development an organism experiences genuine transformations or changes (Engler, p. 239). Whether Monica of our case study would agree with this contradictory theory is unknown. However, Monica does demonstrate some core principles of Allport's theory. First, she demonstrates the ability to grow her proprium and move forward. Additionally, she conducts herself in a way that is compatible with the criteria …show more content…
However, Monica is still human and therefore assumes some unnecessary behavior. The concept Allport developed to understand behaviors that are repeated even though they may have lost their original function is perseverative functional autonomy. This springs from the broader term functional autonomy which refers to the idea that adult motivation is not necessarily tied to the past (Engler, p. 243). This would suggest that motives are contemporaneous with behaviors themselves; this was a huge shift from other theorists on the topic. Perseverative functional autonomy is used to explain the behaviors of addicts or those with compulsions or ritualistic/routine behaviors. The provided reading suggests that Monica is almost neurotic in cleaning her home. She says that clutter and messiness bother her and therefore, keeps her home spotless despite having four children. This action is not necessarily to the proprium and is unconnected to it. Rather it is a compulsive or routine set of actions carried on from her previous job as a number cruncher with a credit union. Obviously, cleanliness is important for a home but the case study indicates Monica goes beyond basic disinfecting.