Cardinal Traits

Our personalities are composed of central and secondary traits. These are traits that make up the core foundation of our personalities and the latter is related to our preferences, attitudes, and situational behaviors.

Cardinal traits, however, are rare. A cardinal trait is usually the trait that dominates our lives and how we are identified. These traits are tied to an individual's personality that the person almost becomes synonymous with that quality. For example: Einstein = Genius; Machiavelli = Ruthlessness.