Course Description:
Professionals study personality in a variety of contexts to better understand the factors that compose an individual’s psychological framework, including feelings, thoughts, and motivations. Students in this course are introduced to the major theories of personality and personality assessment approaches. Students examine research that supports multiple theories as well as basic concepts and principles of the various schools of thought. They also explore and discuss related topics, such as various aspects of psychology, including psychoanalytic, biological, behaviorist, learning, social-cognitive, trait and skill, humanistic, and existential, in addition to individual, cultural, and gender differences in personality. Students consider themes of diversity throughout the course.
The Final Paper
Your topic: You are to select a fictional character from a television show, movie, book, etc. or a real life individual and explain the individual’s “personality” using two (2) contrasting personality theories discussed in this course.
I dint know who to choose so I listed a few
Harry Potter
Donald Trump
Michael Jackson
Or you can pick someone that you are more familiar with.
Your final paper should be between 15 and 20 pages, not including the cover page, abstract, text, and references.
Below are some useful guidelines. This information has been taken from the course syllabus but I have highlighted some important instructions in regards to your final research paper.
Please remember the final research paper must be 15-20 pages not including abstract, cover sheet, and reference sheet.Please ensure you have at least 15 pages of content as you lose points if below 15 pages (not including abstract, cover sheet, reference sheet).
I. Introduction to character with specific examples of the personality.
II. Description of major personality theory A
III. Description of major personality theory B
IV. Describing the person’s personality using theory A
V. Describing the person’s personality using theory B
IV. Summary and/or conclusion.
The following is all listed in the syllabus but I have added here as well:
The references for your final paper are expected to be from the current theoretical, research, and practice literature in the field.
You are expected/required to use Primary Sources and NOT secondary sources in your posts and in you final papers. You should be prepared to supply the instructor with a copy (paper and/or electronic [e.g., .pdf format) of the source that you have used. This provides a foundation for you to demonstrate, and your instructor to verify, your academic integrity.
Using primary sources requires that you think critically about the information and to provide a graduate level discourse. *****Please include a minimum of five primary sources articles in your research paper
You may only use brief quotes (up to one sentence) in your final paper.
• Use of your own words in posts and your final papers helps to demonstrate your understanding of the current and seminal theoretical, research, and practice literature in the field of psychology. Be sure to cite your sources carefully when paraphrasing
Theoretical, research and practice literature sources (professional articles) are best when they are current (published within the past five years) and published in peer reviewed/refereed journals.
You cannot use our course’s textbook for your final paper.This is a research paper so you need to address the research.A minimum of five research articles should be included.
Your final paper must follow APA style format (Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association)
You are expected/required to use Primary Sources and NOT secondary sources in your posts and in you final papers. You should be prepared to supply the instructor with a copy (paper and/or electronic [e.g., .pdf format) of the source that you have used.
you may only use brief quotes (up to one sentence) in your posts, and in your final paper.
Use of your own words in posts and your final papers helps to demonstrate your understanding of the current and seminal theoretical, research, and practice literature in the field of psychology. Be sure to cite your sources carefully when paraphrasing.
Helpful notes
The 8 perspectives are as follows:
1. Psychoanalytic – development of personality is impacted by a system of unconscious impulses and reactions to unconscious drives or desires as derived from the work of Freud.
2. Neo-Analytical/Ego – our internal expectations or masteries of our unconscious motivations define who we are.
3. Biological – our biological components define who we are inherently and shape our uniqueness.
4. Behaviorist – a personal is condition though events that shape and enforce behavior patterns.
5. Cognitive – personality is cognitive in that our thoughts and cognitive processes define who we are.
6. Trait – each of us have a unique construct of skills, traits and predispositions.
7. Humanistic/Existential – it proposes that we define who we are by searching for meaning about ourselves, in a spiritual and purposeful sense.
8. Interactionist – this is a sociological perspective that proposes that the interaction between the individual and his/her environment shapes his/her personality patterns, predispositions and beliefs.
The Big Five theory of personality, there are five traits that are included. They are neuroticism, agreeableness, openness, extraversion, and conscientiousness (Maddi, 2016). Openness refers to the attribute of insight and imagination. Conscientiousness involves goal-oriented behaviors, and thoughtfulness. Extraversion is the opposite of introversion and determines the manner in which an individual looks for pleasure from external activities. Agreeableness refers to the extent with which an individual is likely to agree with the ideas that have been developed or brought up by their peers. The approach has several weaknesses such as requiring people to observe the behaviors of other people. Such observation is often time-consuming and does not guarantee to produce the required results. Another weakness is that they require subjective reports to be produced. These reports measure and assess the behaviors of people. Developing these reports is time-consuming and often perceived to be expensive.