Psychology of Personality
Fall 2008
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 These are no longer in force.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. 9/3 Introduction
Fri. 9/5 Paradigms and schools of thought
Mon. 9/8 Historical embeddedness
Wed. 9/10 The mind-body problem and the person-situation debate
Fri. 9/12 Psychology and the academy
Mon. 9/15 Evaluation of theories; four data types
UNIT TWO: DISPOSITIONAL SCHOOL
Wed. 9/17 Traits, states, and types
Fri. 9/19 The Big Five and the "source metaphor" concept
Mon. 9/22 Jung's theory of personality types
Wed. 9/24 Personality dynamics in Jung's model; physiological correlates
Fri. 9/26 Cattell and the 16PF
Mon. 9/29 Profile analysis
Wed. 10/1 The narrative approach
UNIT THREE: PSYCHODYNAMIC SCHOOL
Fri. 10/3 Basic assumptions
Mon. 10/6 The structure of personality
Wed. 10/8 Defense mechanisms
Fri. 10/10 Personality development
Mon. 10/13 Personality assessment; neo-Freudianism
Wed. 10/15 Clinical applications
Fri. 10/17 Critique
Mon. 10/20 UNIT EXAM #1
UNIT FOUR: BEHAVIORAL SCHOOL
Wed. 10/22 The behaviorist challenge to personality
Fri. 10/24 Overview of behaviorist approaches
Mon. 10/27 Overview of behaviorist approaches (continued)
Wed. 10/29 Neobehaviorism; reciprocal determinism
Fri. 10/31 Clinical applications
Mon. 11/3 Shaping exercise
UNIT FIVE: PHENOMENOLOGICAL SCHOOL
Wed. 11/5 The client-centered approach
Fri. 11/7 Deconstructionism, semiotics, and ecology
Mon. 11/10 Personality assessment
Wed. 11/12 Clinical applications
Fri.11/14 UNIT EXAM #2
UNIT SIX: COGNITIVE AND BIOMEDICAL SCHOOLS
Mon. 11/17 Personal constructs and scripts
Wed. 11/19 Reality therapy
Fri. 11/21 Brain physiology
Mon. 11/26 Five brain regions and emotionality
Wed. 11/28 Evolutionary psychology
Fri. 11/28 NO CLASS -- Thanksgiving break
UNIT SEVEN: NOOLOGICAL SCHOOL & THE POSITIVE PSYCHOLOGY MOVEMENT
Mon. 12/1 The challenge to traditional psychology
Wed. 12/3 Flow (Csikszentmihalyi)
Fri. 12/5 Logotherapy (Frankl) -- see Reading 5
UNIT EIGHT: INTEGRATING THE PERSPECTIVES
Mon. 12/8 Modernism and postmodernism
Writing Assignment Due, In Class
Wed. 12/10 Eclecticism
Fri. 12/12 Contrast and integration
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 12/8
Comprehensive final exam ........................... 80 points possible