fandaal

Second, we have emphasized advances in dimensional, or variable-centered,
approaches to personality classification. These approaches are concerned with systematizing
the enormous differences between individuals. In contrast, approaches
that are typological, or person-centered, aim to develop a taxonomy not of personality
variables but of personality types, and are concerned with the overall structure
of personality dimensions within individuals. Efforts to classify people rather than
variables are still in their early stages of development, although there appear to
be striking regularities in the identification of at least three “types” of children:
resilient, overcontrolled, and undercontrolled (Hart et al. 2003). However, the descriptive
and predictive efficiency and utility of typological versus dimensional
approaches awaits more explicit evaluation (Asendorpf 2003).

http://psych.ut.ee/~nek/isiksus/Caspi%20Roberts%20Shiner%202005.pdf