Personality, PSY-140-1

Personality, PSY-140-1 Professor: Steve Rogers, Ph.D. Office: WH 337 Class Time: MWF 2:00-3:05pm Office Hours: MWF: 8-9am, F: 11:30-12:30pm, & by appointment Location: WH 212 Phone: 805-565-6818 Semester: Spring 2015 E-mail: sarogers@westmont.edu Course Goals and Objectives The main objective of this course is to introduce students to the field of personality psychology, including both classic theories (e.g., psychoanalytic theory, trait theory, humanistic theories) and the current research related to modern personality psychology (e.g., cultural differences and influences, Big Five traits, and biological and cognitive processes related to personality). The focus will be on understanding these theories, appreciating some of the debates in the field, understanding personality assessment, and applying this knowledge to one s own personality. Classroom time will be a mixture of lecture, discussion, and applied activities aimed at assisting students in understanding and implementing a variety of personality theories. Throughout this course, students will be expected to: Ø Demonstrate an understanding of the terminology and theories that constitute the field of personality psychology and how these theories guide practice and research Ø Categorize, compare, and contrast disparate approaches to personality, including a constructive critique of the strengths and limitations of each approach Ø Increase self-awareness regarding one s own personality and how it influences one s beliefs and behaviors. This includes challenging existing aspects of oneself and applying various personality theories to the study of one s own personality Ø Develop increased knowledge about the assessment of personality Ø Appreciate the intersection between personality theory and the Christian faith Ø Effectively utilize the APA format and style of writing in specified assignments ******************************************************************************************** Required Texts Jung, C. G. (2011). Answer to Job. New Jersey: Princeton University Press. Olson, M., & Hergenhahn, B. R. (2011). An introduction to theories of personality (8 th ed.). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson Education. One of the following two texts is also required: Hosseini, K. (2003). The kite runner. New York: Riverhead Books. Krakauer, J. (1996). Into the wild. New York: Anchor Books. Recommended Texts 1

American Psychological Association (2010). Publication manual of the American psychological association (6 th ed.). Washington, D.C.: Author. ******************************************************************************************** Reading Assignments Reading assignments may be found in the course schedule. These readings are drawn from the Olson & Hergenhahn (2011) text. Additional readings may be assigned or suggested at the instructor s discretion. You should read the assignment prior to the class for which it is assigned. Exams There will be four exams that will be a combination of multiple choice and short answer essays. The material for each exam will be drawn from the readings and class lectures. Course Projects In addition to the reading assignments and exams, there are three required course projects a counter-personality project, an analysis of the personality of the central character in either The Kite Runner (Hosseini, 2003) or Into the Wild (Krakauer, 1996), and a reaction to Jung s (2011) Answer to Job. Details for each of these assignments are as follows: 1. Counter-Personality Project This project provides an opportunity for you to either explore untapped aspects of your personality or to challenge some of the existing ones. You are asked to engage in an experience or activity that is contrary to the way you experience or perceive yourself. Some possibilities might include acting out a particular role for several days (e.g., acting unusually belligerent, quiet, or outgoing), keeping your room organized or disorganized for a week, attending an event that you would normally find unnerving, engaging in some type of risktaking activity (e.g., skydiving, asking several people out for a date), avoiding all physical contact for a week, etc. The primary criterion is that this activity and the time you spend on it should be something that is deliberately challenging to you and that would typically make you uncomfortable. Your experience will also be heightened if you spend a significant portion of time completing it and if you do not alert friends or family about this project. Please email me in advance to let me know what activity you will be undertaking. Once you have completed the activity, compose a paper reflecting on your reactions to the experience. Describe what you did, how it is counter to certain aspects of your personality, and your reflections and reactions to the experience. Some of the questions that should be addressed are: How did you feel during the experience? What did this experience teach you about your personality, and what did you learn about the nature of personality from this experience? Do you think personality can change, and how much of personality is behavior? The paper should be approximately 8 pages long. 2. Kite Runner/Into the Wild Paper Choose one of these two books to read and then compose a paper that analyzes the central 2

character s personality from one of the theoretical perspectives presented in class. In a sense, you will applying one of the theories of personality to the central character, describing how his story, behavior, relationships, etc. can be explained by this theory. Be sure you explain your conceptualizations and applications clearly; do not assume that I am familiar with the central character or theory of personality. If you are interested, one creative option for this assignment is to imagine that you are a practicing psychologist who is being told the story by the central character, who is seeking your help. After completing his story, the central character looks up at you and asks, What does this mean about my personality? To fully appreciate the theory you are applying, you will also need to use and cite sources beyond your textbook, including journal articles and book chapters about the theory you are using. This assignment should be approximately 10 pages long and will be graded according to an accurate understanding and application of personality theory, reasons/evidence for your selection of the particular theory, depth of engagement/thoughtfulness, and clarity and organization. 3. Answer to Job Reaction Paper The purpose of this assignment is to provide exposure to a primary source written by a central personality theorist, Carl Jung, and to facilitate thinking about the intersection between personality theory and the Christian faith. To complete the assignment, first read Answer to Job (Jung, 2011) and then submit an 8-page paper detailing your reactions. Some students find this a difficult book to digest, so be sure to allow yourself sufficient time to read and understand Jung s ideas. In addition to your own reflections about Jung s book, your paper should address your thoughts about applying personality theory to the identity of God, a balanced depiction of the strengths and limitations of Jung s arguments, and the potential implications of Jung s ideas for the way we understand God and the Christian faith. Grading Criterion Assignment Percent of Total Four examinations 60% (15% each) Counter-Personality Project 10% Kite Runner/Into the Wild Paper 20% Answer to Job Paper 10% Course grades will be assigned on the basis of the total score, using cut-point scores of 90, 80, 70 and 60 for grades of A, B, C and D, respectively (+ and grades will be assigned at the instructor s discretion). Policies: Attendance: Students are responsible for knowing course material and announcements made during normal class meetings. If you miss a class, get notes from one or two other 3

students, compare those notes with readings, and (if necessary) schedule an appointment with me to answer specific questions. According to Westmont policy, students missing more than six absences during the course of a semester may be dropped from the class with an F. You are responsible for making up any work missed by excused or unexcused absences. Digital Etiquette: This is hopefully self-evident, but you should turn off your cellphone and/or other devices (ipods, etc) before you enter the classroom. If you bring a laptop to class, it should only be used for taking notes pertinent to the class discussion and lecture. If you check your email, browse the web, play World of Warcraft or other games, update your Facebook status, text or Tweet friends, or work on assignments for other classes, your mental absence will be counted as a physical absence. Such activities not only distract you, but they also distract anyone around or behind you. If you often seem distracted by what s on your laptop screen, I will ask you to put your laptop away. Late work: Assignments other than exams are due at the beginning of lecture on the day specified in the attached schedule. Assignments turned in after these times incur a 10% per day penalty. Academic Honesty: All students are expected to subscribe to the highest ideals of academic integrity. Any form of academic dishonesty will be dealt with as severely as allowed by the college, most likely a grade of F in the course and recommendation of dismissal from the college. Academic dishonesty includes, but is not limited to, plagiarism, cheating, and falsification. Please refer to the College s policy on Academic Honesty. Plagiarism: You are responsible for knowing the entire Westmont College Plagiarism Policy, which is available at: http://www.westmont.edu/_academics/pages/provost/curriculum/plagiarism Students with Disabilities: Students who have been diagnosed with a disability (learning, physical or psychological) are encouraged to contact the Disability Services office as early as possible to discuss appropriate accommodations for this course. Formal accommodations will be granted for students whose disabilities have been verified by the Disability Services office. These accommodations may be necessary to ensure your full participation and the successful completion of this course. Confidentiality: Due to the possibility that confidential material may emerge within class sessions, it is essential that we be ethical in our treatment of others and uphold the highest principles of confidentiality. Respect the trust of your classmates by maintaining strict confidentiality of all discussions occurring within the class. 4

Take your Professor to Lunch: One of the things I value the most is the opportunity to develop relationships with students. The classroom environment does not always allow for more personalized attention or one-on-one exchanges, but I am always open to getting together for coffee or lunch. Feel free to take advantage of the Take Your Professor to Lunch passes that the Office of Campus Life makes available. 5

Tentative Schedule Date Topic Reading Assignments Exams/Papers 1/12 Course review, Introduction 1/14 What is Personality? Chapter 1 1/16 1/19 Martin Luther King, Jr. Holiday 1/20 Psychoanalytic Paradigm: Freud Chapter 2 1/21 1/23 Projective Testing 1/26 Psychoanalytic Paradigm: Jung Chapter 3 1/28 1/30 Sociocultural Paradigm: Adler Chapter 4 2/2 2/4-6 No Class Work on Counter Personality Project 2/9 Harry Stack Sullivan 2/11 Exam 1: Chapters 1-4 2/13 Sociocultural Paradigm: Horney Chapter 5 2/16-17 Presidents Holiday 2/18 Fromm 2/20 Sociocultural Paradigm: Erikson & Chapter 6 Object Relations 2/23 Trait Paradigm: Allport & Murray Chapter 7 Counter Personality Paper 2/25 2/27 3/2 Trait Paradigm: Catell, Eysenck, Big 5 Chapter 8 3/4 3/6 3/9 3/11 Exam 2: Chapters 5-8 3/13 Learning Paradigm: Skinner Chapter 9 3/16 3/18 Learning Paradigm: Dollard & Miller Chapter 10 3/20 Learning Paradigm: Bandura, Mischel, Rotter Chapter 11 3/23 Answer to Job Paper 3/25 3/27 Evolutionary Paradigm: Buss Chapter 12 3/30-4/6 Spring Recess 4/8 Existential-Humanistic: Kelly Chapters 13 4/10 Exam 3: Chapters 9-12 4/13 4/15 Ellis & Beck 4/17 4/20 Existential-Humanistic: Rogers Chapter 14 4/22 4/24 Existential-Humanistic: Maslow Chapters 15 Kite Runner/Into the Wild Paper 4/27 4/29 Existential-Humanistic: May Chapter 16 5/7 Final Exam 12-2pm Chapters 13-16 6

PSY-140 in Relation to Program Learning Outcomes The College and the Department each maintain separate but overlapping list of goals and outcomes for our students. Each psychology course is designed not only to develop the skills and knowledge appropriate to that course, but also to help students develop toward these goals. Although most of our courses are designed to contribute to all of our goals, some courses focus more particularly on one or a few. PSY-140 focuses on the specific departmental outcomes, with the delineated course learning outcomes, checked in the list below: ü Knowledge Base. Our students will be able to articulate both (a) the structure of the academic discipline of psychology and (b) the key elements of content within a wide variety of areas within psychology, integrating them with each other. Students will also be familiar with career/vocation options in psychology and psychology-related fields. PSY-140 s associated course learning outcomes are for students to demonstrate an understanding of the terminology and theories that constitute the field of personality psychology, as well as categorize, compare, and contrast disparate approaches to personality. Scientific Research Methods and Skills. Our students will be able to recognize, describe, and implement a variety of research methods and skills common to the psychological sciences. ü Written and Oral Communication. Our students will be able to write and speak in genres appropriate to the academic discipline of psychology. PSY-140 s associated course learning outcome is for students to effectively utilize APA format and style of writing in specified assignments. ü Values and Character. Our students will value, appreciate, and welcome, through understanding and demonstrative action, a. scientific methods. Students will see empirical, evidence-based methods as essential and as complementary to other methods of knowing. b. ethics. Students will be committed to high ethical standards, including professional, discipline-specific domains and their own personal lives. c. faith. Students will be able to articulate the interactions between psychology and faith. PSY- 140 s associated course learning outcome is for students to articulate the intersection between personality theory and the Christian faith. d. openness to experience. Students will understand the importance and desirability of a diversity of experiences, perspectives, and backgrounds (including ethnic, sociocultural, and gender diversity). They will embrace ambiguity, being comfortable without closure or blackand-white answers, and valuing questions as much as answers. ü Applications. Our students will apply psychological principles, knowledge, and skills to their own lives and to the transformation of their worlds. Domains to which these are applied include: a. personal (personal development, relationships, personal experience, etc.). PSY-140 s associated course learning outcome is for students to increase their self-awareness regarding their own personality and how it influences their beliefs and behaviors. b. community and societal/global concerns and issues. 7

c. integration with other academic disciplines. 8

The psychology department has identified specific, assessable learning outcomes for each of the departmental goals (in parentheses below), and has associated each outcome with a college-wide goal (identified in bold below). Learning outcomes most pertinent to PSY-140 are checked in the list below: ü Knowledge Base: Demonstrate the ability to identify, recognize, or otherwise articulate key elements of content (e.g., core concepts, theories, and individuals) within a wide variety of areas in psychology. (Goal: Knowledge Base) ü Competence in Written and Oral Communication: Write efficiently, creatively, and competently using APA style in both theoretical/review and research report genres. (Goal: Written and Oral Communication) ü Christian Understanding/Practices/Affections: Demonstrate ability to identify important contemporary areas of overlap between psychology and Christian theology and spirituality, and are both affectively positively disposed towards them and inclined towards practicing them. (Goal: Values and Character) ü Critical and Interdisciplinary Thinking: Demonstrate ability to recognize good vs. bad experimental designs, theories, and arguments in psychology, and also reasoning linking psychology to other disciplines. (Goal: Scientific Thinking, Methods, & Skills) ü Diversity and Global Awareness: Engage as active global citizens with an awareness of cultural diversity, one s own culture/s, and the responsibility of self towards others. (Goal: Values and Character) Active Societal/ Intellectual Engagement: Engage as active agents in their local communities, bringing their intellectual and academic abilities and interests to bear on improving the lives of those around them. (Goal: Applications) Creative Expression: Recognize the creative aspects of theory construction, experimental design, application and collaborative work in psychology, and demonstrate such creativity in their own disciplinary work. (Goal: Scientific Thinking, Methods, & Skills). We encourage students to visit the departmental web page and talk with their academic advisors for more information about learning outcomes and goals, and about the structure of our curriculum. 9