Writing Assignment -- PSY 307
Select either yourself, a famous person, or a fictional character as the subject of the assignment. (Your choice.)
Your job is to analyze your chosen person -- let's call her/him X -- in terms of the different schools of thought discussed in class, applying insights from each school of thought to that person's life story. Answer the questions below. The result should be a well-structured paper of approximately 10 pages. Argue your case and document your conclusions based on classroom material from the lectures, text, and supplementary readings. Your grade will be based on the extent to which you can demonstrate an understanding of, and an ability to apply, course concepts to the specific individual you chose.
Preliminary Considerations -- about 1 page
Summarize the story of X's life in about one page, covering the highlights of X's story from a broad-brush, bird's-eye perspective. Who is/was X, what was X's life about, what were the main turning points of X's life? The purpose of this section is to help a reader who hasn't heard of X, or who doesn't know who s/he is, to get a mental "framework" for what follows. Adopt a "case study" approach or format, sticking to the "bare bones" basics. Analysis of these facts will come later (see below).
Unit 1 (Introduction) -- about 1 page
Discuss the extent to which X's life is/was historically embedded, the extent to which s/he was influenced by idiographic considerations of history. Show in your answer that you understand what historical embeddedness means and why it makes a difference (if you think it does). You might want to utilize the Strauss/Howe model in your answer.
Unit 2 (Dispositional school) -- about 1 page
Analyze X's personality in terms of Jung's model of personality typology, including a discussion of the hierarchy of functions and a discussion of how these appear in X's life story (developmentally). Cite evidence in support of your conclusions. What implications might these elements have, or how might they help explain aspects of X's story?
Unit 3 (Psychodynamic school) -- about 1 page
Identify aspects of X's story that can be explained in terms of psychodynamic concepts such as personality structures (id, ego, superego); defense mechanisms; or anaclitic identification. Comment in detail, citing evidence in support of your conclusions. What implications might these elements have, or how might they help explain aspects of X's story?
Unit 4 (Behavioral school) -- about 1 page
How might X's story be explained in neo-behaviorist terms, utilizing the concept of reciprocal determinism? Cite evidence in support of your conclusions. What implications might these elements have, or how might they help explain aspects of X's story?
Unit 5 (Phenomenological school) -- about 1 page
Discuss how concepts of congruence and semiotics might be used to analyze X's story. Cite evidence in support of your conclusions. What implications might these elements have, or how might they help explain aspects of X's story?
Unit 6 (Cognitive and biomedical school) -- about 1 page
How might lecture material on brain physiology (such as the five "emotional brain regions" discussed in lecture), and/or material on sociobiology, be used to analyze X's story. Cite evidence in support of your conclusions. What implications might these elements have, or how might they help explain aspects of X's story?
Unit 7 (Noological school and PPM) -- about 1 page
How might Frankl explain X's story in logotherapeutic terms? What suggestions might Frankl make to X based on this perspective? Cite evidence in support of your conclusions. What implications might these elements have, or how might they help explain aspects of X's story?
Unit 8 (Integration) -- about 1 page
Summarizing X's story, which schools of thought appear to offer the most promise in understanding X? Why? Outline a specific point of view and defend it, showing that you understand the advantages and disadvantages of the different schools of thought. How eclectic (or not) is your position? Why?