Psychology of Personality
Fall 2009
Marlowe C. Embree, Ph.D.
M W F 2:00-2:50 p.m.
Textbook:
Funder, David C. The personality puzzle. New York: W. W. Norton, 2004.
General Syllabus Information -- VERY IMPORTANT. This information is part of the official syllabus for this course. It includes important details about how to earn your grade. Please read carefully!
Important note: Though I've tried to edit carefully, some of the online Web notes may make reference to "extra credit" projects. These are no longer in force. I am not offering "extra credit" as such, but see below for a way to earn part of your grade by means of something other than traditional exams.
Course Outline:
The numbers below refer to lecture units (Web notes), not to text chapters. See the text reading guide for information about using the textbook in this course.
Course Outline:
Course outline:
UNIT ONE: INTRODUCTION
Wed. 9/2 Introduction
Fri. 9/4 Paradigms and schools of thought
Mon. 9/7 Labor Day - No Class
Wed. 9/9 Historical embeddedness
Fri. 9/11 The mind-body problem and the person-situation debate
Mon. 9/14 Psychology and the academy
Wed. 9/16 Evaluation of theories; four data types
UNIT TWO: DISPOSITIONAL SCHOOL
Fri. 9/18 Traits, states, and types
Mon. 9/21 The Big Five and the "source metaphor" concept
Wed. 9/23 Jung's theory of personality types
Fri. 9/25 Personality dynamics in Jung's model; physiological correlates
Mon. 9/28 Cattell and the 16PF
Wed. 9/30 Profile analysis
Fri. 10/2 The narrative approach
UNIT THREE: PSYCHODYNAMIC SCHOOL
Mon. 10/5 Basic assumptions
Wed. 10/7 The structure of personality
Fri. 10/9 Defense mechanisms
Mon. 10/12 Personality development
Wed. 10/14 Personality assessment; neo-Freudianism
Fri. 10/16 Clinical applications
Mon. 10/19 Critique
Wed. 10/21 UNIT EXAM #1
UNIT FOUR: BEHAVIORAL SCHOOL
Fri. 10/23 The behaviorist challenge to personality
Mon. 10/26 Overview of behaviorist approaches
Wed. 10/28 Overview of behaviorist approaches (continued)
Fri. 10/30 Neobehaviorism; reciprocal determinism
Mon. 11/2 Clinical applications
Wed. 11/4 Shaping exercise
UNIT FIVE: PHENOMENOLOGICAL SCHOOL
Fri. 11/6 The client-centered approach
Mon. 11/9 Deconstructionism, semiotics, and ecology
Wed. 11/11 Personality assessment
Fri. 11/13 Clinical applications
Mon. 11/16 UNIT EXAM #2
UNIT SIX: COGNITIVE AND BIOMEDICAL SCHOOLS
Wed. 11/18 Personal constructs and scripts
Fri.11/20 Reality therapy
Mon. 11/23 Brain physiology
Wed. 11/25 Five brain regions and emotionality
Fri. 11/27 Thanksgiving recess - No class
Mon. 11/30 Evolutionary psychology
UNIT SEVEN: NOOLOGICAL SCHOOL & THE POSITIVE PSYCHOLOGY MOVEMENT
Wed. 12/2 The challenge to traditional psychology
Fri. 12/4 Flow (Csikszentmihalyi)
Mon. 12/7 Logotherapy (Frankl) -- see Reading 5
UNIT EIGHT: INTEGRATING THE PERSPECTIVES
Wed. 12/9 Modernism and postmodernism
Writing Assignment Due, In Class
Fri. 12/11 Eclecticism
Mon. 12/14 UNIT EXAM #3
FINAL EXAM
Students may bring one 4" x 6" index card to the final exam ONLY (NOT to the unit exams) on which any desired notes or other information may be written. The final exam is required of all students without exception. Students who fail to complete the final exam will receive an automatic semester grade of F, regardless of prior performance in other course components. (Exception: a documented emergency will be handled by means of a grade of Incomplete. See the general syllabus information for more.)
Earning Your Grade:
Two unit exams, 40 points apiece ................. 80 points possible
If you complete all three unit exams, your lowest exam grade will be dropped.
Personality analysis project ........................... 40 points possible
Click here for details about this project. Due 12/9
Comprehensive final exam ........................... 80 points possible