PSYCHOLOGY 324-002: Personality Theory SPRING 2014 Instructor: Todd B. Kashdan, Ph.D. Day: Tuesday and Thursday Office: 2048 David King Hall Time: 10:30-11:45 Phone: 703-993-9486 Place: Innovation Hall 208 Office Hours: 10am on Monday or request appointment Website: toddkashdan.com This course is designed to give students an overview of current research and debate in the field of personality psychology. This is a survey course, which provides a wide-ranging overview of current topics in personality psychology. Expect cutting edge theory and research in relation to evolution, culture, genetics, emotion, self, health and well-being, and personality disorders, while providing a solid foundation in the traditional areas of trait psychology, assessment, development, goals, and motives. Assigned Readings and Lectures: Class participation is critical. By participating in class, you are engaged in the learning process, assessing the ideas presented, and shaping the focus of the class. Class becomes more dynamic, interesting and rewarding when students actively share their ideas, objections, critiques, and questions. You are expected to come to class having read the assigned material and be prepared to make comments, raise questions, and offer opinions on the comments of others. Quality is far more important than quantity. Although I will lecture, a large portion of time will be devoted to discussion. I will periodically check to see whether articles have been read. Failure to read them will affect your grade. We will read from one text (with other readings listed below): Personality Psychology: Domains of Knowledge about Human Nature (2013, 5th Edition) by Randy J. Larsen & David M. Buss. Exams Exams take place in the same room and at the same time as lecture. We do NOT have a cumulative final exam in this course. You will have four tests throughout the semester. To give you an opportunity to learn how tests are conducted in this class, the exams will increase in value from 40 points to 50 points (exams 1 and 2 will be worth 40 points; exams 3 and 4 will be worth 50 points). The exams will use a multiple choice or short answer format and will take place during the same time and place that class is normally held (see above for specific dates). Each examination will cover lectures and reading assignments for the period immediately prior to the examination, and no overall comprehensive examination will be given. You are responsible for all of the relevant material covered in the assigned reading as well as the lecture material, unless otherwise noted. Students often ask: “Is it more important that I read the book or study the lecture notes?” Our answer: “No. It is equally important that you read and study your lecture notes.” If you are planning to miss an exam for a valid reason, you need to contact the instructor in advance and will need to provide written documentation that explains your absence at the conflict exam (see below for more information). If you miss an exam without a valid excuse, you must contact the instructor within 1 week to have the opportunity to take a single make-up exam with a 20% penalty. If you fail to contact the instructor within 1 week of missing the exam, you will not be allowed take the make-up exam. Conflict Exam For those who missed a regularly scheduled exam(s) with or without a valid excuse, a conflict exam time will be scheduled during finals week during the scheduled final exam period. Only those students who present an officially documented written excuse (i.e. Dean’s letters, court order, valid medical documentations, etc.) and who notified the instructor in the appropriate time frame (1 week) will be allowed to make up an exam without penalty. Students who do not have a valid excuse (e.g., oversleep) or arrive late (e.g., after someone has already turned in an exam) will still be allowed to take the conflict exam, but will receive a 20% deduction in the exam score. The conflict exam is the only way you will be able to make up an exam that you may have missed, and it will be given only during finals week during the scheduled final exam period. The make-up exam given during the conflict exam may be of any format the instructor chooses, including short answer, essay format, multiple choice, or some combination therein. Listserv: All students should join the class listserv to obtain course related information and participate in dialogue about the course. Similar to class discussions, quality is important (not quantity). Despite the medium, it is still an academic environment (e.g., be mindful of what and how you post, whether you want to send it to 50 people or backchannel). Spam and solicitations, ad hominem attacks, disclosure of personal emails without permission, unrelated topics, etc. are not acceptable (unless prior approval from me). Failure to consistently follow guidelines will lead to removal from the listserv. Information about subscribing, posting messages, reading archives, etc. is available at the website: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/personkashdan You should receive regular emails and not the digest feature (as the digest feature will prevent you from getting attachments). Your emails should be sent to the email account you check most regularly. Grades: Your grade will be determined by the average of your exam scores. This will count for 80% of your grade. 20% of your grade will be based on attendance and class contributions. You are expected to attend every lecture and be an active participant in class. Grades are not rounded up; you must achieve the full number of points to obtain your grade. Penalty for not reading the Psych 324 Syllabus: If at any time, a student asks a question that can be answered by reading the syllabus, the instructor has the option of penalizing the student 2 points for each question asked. DEMONSTRATED MASTERY GRADING SYSTEM: Extra credit assignments and quality of participation (in class and on the listserv) will be looked at favorably when there are questions concerning whether test grades adequately reflect a student's knowledge of the material, or when an average falls just below a grade cut-off. Please do not ask me to alter your grades, as I will immediately refrain from acknowledging your request. This process was created as a consequence of watching many of my students and colleagues over the years perform poorly on tests despite class engagement, general mastery of the material, and intense efforts above and beyond the call of duty. Please respect the positive potentiality of this process by not asking me for preferential treatment. Deserving individuals will be acknowledged. The grading scale is as follows for the average score for the five exams (including the final, which is equivalent to 1.5 exams): A AB+ B BC+ C C- = = = = = = = = 93-100 90-92 87-89 83-86 80-82 77-79 73-76 70-72 D+ D F = 67-69 = 60-66 = less than 60 Last Day to Add Classes- January 27, 2015 Last Day to Drop (33% tuition penalty)- February 10, 2015 Last Day to Drop (67% tuition penalty)- February 20, 2015 Additional Course Policies Students with Special Concerns If you are a student with a disability and you need academic accommodations please see me and contact the Disability Resource Center (DRC) at 703-993-2474. All academic accommodations must be arranged through that office. Statement of Academic Integrity In accordance with University guidelines, I will take vigorous action against students who engage in cheating, misrepresentation, or other dishonest practices. Penalties for students found guilty of academic dishonesty will be determined on a case by case basis, in accordance with university guidelines. If you have any concerns about matters of academic dishonesty please see me immediately. Readings To obtain articles, go to e-journals at GMU (the electronic library) and write in the title of the journal article, find the article, and download the PDF file. You will need to purchase the class textbook. Dates, Topics, and Reading Assignments Date Topic 1/20 Intro and orientation 1/22 1/29 Overview of personality psychology Research design and evaluation Personality assessment Larsen & Buss (L&B) Chapter 1 L&B Chapter 2; online readings L&B Chapter 2 2/3 Personality traits L&B Chapter 3 &4 2/5 L&B Chapter 8 2/10 Evolutionary perspectives on personality Behavior genetics 2/12 Exam 1 2/17 Evolution of individual differences Personality Development 1/27 2/19 2/24 Personality Development continued Reading Assignment Notes Review Syllabus L&B Chapter 6 L&B Chapter 8 L&B Chapter 5 2/26 Sex, Gender, and Personality L&B Chapter 16 3/3 Personality and Politics TBD 3/5 Exam 2 SPRING BREAK MARCH 9-15 Date Topic 3/17 Self and self-regulation 3/19 Self and self-regulation, continued Personal strivings and projects 3/24 3/26 3/31 4/2 4/7 4/9 4/14 4/16 4/21 4/23 4/28 4/30 TBA Reading Assignment L&B Chapter 14, Leary article Inzlicht article L&B Chapter 11, Little article Personal strivings and projects, McKnight article continued Personality Strengths Noftle chapter, Sheldon article Personality Strengths, Biswas-Diener continued article Happiness & Well-Being Diener article Exam 3 Personality in the Social World Personality in the Social World, continued Stress, Coping, & Health Personality & Dynamic Systems Looking Ahead Exam 4 Conflict Exam Notes Film: “This Emotional Life” L&B Chapter 15 Fitzsimmons & DeWall articles L&B Chapter 18 Cervone & Fleeson articles TBA Supplemental Reading List Biswas-Diener, R., Kashdan, T.B., & Minhas, G. (2011). A dynamic approach to psychological strength development and intervention. Journal of Positive Psychology, 6, 106-118. Cervone, D. & Shoda, Y. (1999). Beyond traits in the study of personality coherence. Current Directions in Psychological Science, 8, 27-32. DeWall, C. N., Deckman, T., Pond, R. S., & Bonser, I. (2011). Belongingness as a core personality trait: How social exclusion influences social functioning and personality expression. Journal of Personality, 79, 1281-1314. Diener, E., Oishi, S., & Lucas, R. E. (2003). Personality, culture, and subjective well-being: Emotional and cognitive evaluations of life. Annual Review of Psychology, 54, 403-425. Fitzsimons, G. M., & Finkel, E. J. (2010). Interpersonal influences on self-regulation. Current Directions in Psychological Science, 19, 101-105. Fleeson, W. (2004). Moving personality beyond the person-situation debate: The challenge and opportunity of within-person variability. Current Directions in Psychological Science, 13, 83-87. Inzlicht, M., & Schmeichel, B. J. (2012). What Is Ego Depletion? Toward a Mechanistic Revision of the Resource Model of Self-Control. Perspectives on Psychological Science, 7, 450463. Leary, M. R., & Allen, A. B. (2011). Personality and Persona: Personality Processes in Self‐ Presentation. Journal of Personality, 79, 1191-1218. Little, B.R. (in press). The integrative challenge in personality science: Personal projects as units of analysis. Journal of Research in Personality McKnight, P.E., & Kashdan, T.B. (2009). Purpose in life as a system that creates and sustains health and well-being: An integrative, testable theory. Review of General Psychology, 13, 242251. Noftle, E. E., Schnitker, S.A., & Robins, R. W. (2011). Character and personality: Connections between positive psychology and personality psychology. In K.M. Sheldon, T.B. Kashdan, & M.F. Steger (Eds.), Designing the future of positive psychology: Taking stock and moving forward (pp. 207-227).Oxford, England: Oxford University Press.