Syllabus for Psychology 331 - Psychology of Personality

Introduction
In this course we will be surveying a variety of different approaches to the study of personality, including psychoanalytic, trait, biological, social, humanistic-phenomenological, cognitive, and behavioral or learning viewpoints. For each of these different approaches we will be examining one or more characteristic test or more of assessment. Our emphasis will be on seeing how theory, research, and assessment are interrelated for each different approach, and how all three follow from a set of characteristic assumptions specific to that viewpoint.

Exams & Assignments
There are three exams, each consiting of 40 multiple-choice questions and a choice of two out of three essays taken from a set of study questions passed out at the beginning of each study section. At the student's option, instead of taking the 3rd exam, you may write a term paper on a topic from list of selected topics provided in class. In the event that a student misses an exam, it is expected that the student write the term paper as a substitute. Make up exams are given only under exceptional circumstances. Details provided in class.

Additionally, a set of three "observations" or "logs" applying the theories and research projects discussed in class to your own experiences or observations made of other people. In these "observations" you must develop some background theory or research that we've discussed, then describe your specific incident or experience (e.g. a dream, current event, a past memory, etc.), and then show how you would account for or interpret that experience in terms of the theroy or research you described. These "logs" are greaded in terms of how well the theory is developed, how appropriate the theory is for explaining you obeservation, and how insightfully you apply the theory. Three logs are required, a forth may be turned in for extra credit.

Periodic "quizzes" are administered to provide a means to the professor of assessing the class' understanding of the discussed material and a means to indirectly montor class attendance. Three consecutive missed quizzes without a reasonable excuse will result in the dedcution of ten points from your point total.

Grading

Each exam is worth 80 points.
Each log is worth 10 points.

Final grades will be based on the following standard (modified by an assessment of the overall class performance):

A	80-100%
B	60-80%
C	45-60%
D	30-45%
F	less than 30%

Tentative schedule of topics

Introduction: Pinning down the concept and concerns of personality; some case history examples; the role of theory; some basic methods and strategies for studying personality.
Psychodynamic theories of personality
- Psychoanalytic theory, research and assessment
- Some revisions of psychoanalytic theory: Jung and the neo-Freudians; ego psychology; object relations theory and self-psychology
Social-psychological approaches to personality
Trait theory, biological approaches, and personality assessment
- Biological, evolutionary and genetic factors in personality and development
- Some representative trait approaches to personality
- Personality assessment: Strategies of test construction, and some examples of objective personality tests; assessing the validity of personality tests
- Individual differences in needs and motives
Learning or behavioral approaches to personality
- Traditional conditioning approaches: classical and instrumental conditioning
- Social learning or social-cognitive learning theory
Humanistic, phenomenological, and existential theories
- Humanistic and phenomenological theory, research and assement
- Existential theories
Cogintive theory, research and assessment
- Kelly's psychology of personal constructs and the Rep test; the "cognitive" approach to motivation and emotion
- A cognitive, self-regulation alternative: the concepts of schemas and scripts and their application to personality and behavior; goal setting, self-regulation, and the role of feedback
An attempt at integration (time permitting)

Back to Dr. Woll's home page....