Theories of Personality Syllabus
Class: PSYC 345 Theories of Personality (3)
Time: T/Th 1:35 – 2:50
Final: T - 12/12/06 – 1:00 – 3:00
Location: GRPS 2
Email: khummel@vanguard.edu
Fall 2006
Professor: Karen J. “KJ” Hummel, Ph.D.
Phone: 714-556-3610 x3651
Office: School of Psychology
Office Hours: T/Th 12:00–1:30; T 3:00–5:00,
Th 4:00 – 5:00, and by appointment
DESCRIPTION OF COURSE:
A review and critical evaluation of the major personality theories and their supporting evidence.
PREREQUISITES:
General Psychology (PSYC 103) and Developmental Psychology (PSYC 320)
COURSE FULFILLMENT:
This course meets elective upper division requirements for psychology majors and upper division
elective units for all other majors.
TEXT:
Friedman, H. S., & Schustack, M. W. (2006). Personality: Classic theories and modern
research (3rd ed.). Boston: Allyn & Bacon.
COMPUTER RESOURCES:
General computer resources
All students will have access to PCs and Macs in campus computer labs. You will have
access to word processing, spreadsheet, database, internet e-mail, and internet web browsing
from all PCs and Macs.
Web Resources
There are a vast number of resources available online for personality research and testing.
Below are just a few of the many that exist for your exploration:
Personality Information and Research:
http://www.vanguard.edu/faculty/ddegelman/amoebaweb/
http://www.ship.edu/~cgboeree/perscontents.html
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Personality Test Sites:
http://www.psychtests.com/tests/career/coping_skills_r_access.html
http://www.psychtests.com/tests/personality/lc_access.html
http://www.stressless.com/stressquiz.cfm?CFID=218616&CFTOKEN=77439541
http://www.intp.org/tests.html
http://www.humanmetrics.com
http://www.similarminds.com
http://www.helpself.com
http://www.keirsey.com
LEARNING OBJECTIVES:
The Student will gain a general understanding of:
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the study and science of personality psychology.
many of the various personality theories.
the importance of evaluating theories for their strengths and weaknesses.
how to apply theory to “real life.”
issues surrounding self-concept and identity.
gender and cultural issues.
correlation and experimental methods.
the role of the family in personality development.
the role of peers in personality development.
Christian perspectives on personality development.
VANGUARD UNIVERSITY'S EDUCATIONAL TARGETS & COURSE GOALS:
1. Intellectual Engagement
• Students will learn to think critically and evaluate evidence from research conducted in
the field of personality psychology.
• Students will be exposed to several theoretical models that have been developed for the
purpose of understanding human personality development, including cognitive,
behavioral, biological, social-cultural, and spiritual perspectives.
• Students will choose a personality to explore, and examine it based on three of the
perspectives listed above.
2. Spiritual Formation
• Students will consider the role that spirituality plays in the development of the healthy
personality.
• The student will become sensitized to the role of the church and the church community as
a source of support for the spiritual development of the healthy individual.
• The student will learn about issues of integration of psychology and the Christian faith
and will intentionally look at personality psychology "through the eyes of faith."
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3. Professional Excellence
• Students will develop an understanding about personality development and communicate
their personal positions through critical reactions to public media-generated sources of
related information and to information originating from professional publication.
• The student will learn to read and critique primary source material.
• Students will write an APA style paper, integrating several theoretical perspectives.
4. Socio-Cultural Responsiveness
• Students will learn to appreciate cultural diversity by considering personality psychology
principles across gender, ethnicity, and culture.
• Students will learn to appreciate cultural diversity through exploration of diverse cultural
norms and expectations.
• Students will learn to appreciate differences of race, ethnicity, gender, and age within the
Biblical vision of inclusiveness and the equal value of all people.
5. Responsible Stewardship
• Students will gain an awareness of and an appreciation for the importance of the family
system and other meaningful relationships for the healthy development and maintenance
of the individual, as well as for the greater good of society.
• The student will learn the importance of developing a lifestyle of personal health and
well-being by examining the ways in which the various aspects of human nature
(cognitive, behavioral, biological, social-cultural, and spiritual) work together to optimize
our functioning as healthily integrated individuals.
• The importance of personal responsibility for self-development (including spiritual
development), and relational interactions, will be emphasized.
GENERAL CLASS POLICIES:
1. Attendance – Attendance is very important and will affect participation points earned.
2. Late Assignments – All late assignments will result in a loss of 5% for being handed in one
class session late, and a 10% loss for being handed in one week late. Except for extreme
circumstances, papers will not be accepted after one week beyond the due date. A student
MUST contact the professor BEFORE class to arrange turning in a late assignment. If a
student does not complete an assignment on-time without first contacting the professor, then
the student will likely receive zero points for that assignment.
3. All papers must be typed.
4. If an assignment is being submitted through email, it is the student’s responsibility to ensure
that the email was received. If the student does not receive a reply from the instructor
indicating that the assignment was received, it is to be assumed that it was not received, and
student must follow-up on turning in the work.
5. IMPORTANT: Work must be ORIGINAL; plagiarism is a very serious offense, will
likely lead to failure of assignment, and may even lead to failure of course. If students
have any questions about what is or is not plagiarism, they should be sure to consult
instructor BEFORE submitting assignment.
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DESCRIPTION OF ASSIGNMENTS:
Theory Application Paper - Choose the personality of anybody you know (person to remain
anonymous) and explain its development in terms of two different personality perspectives
(choosing from the eight perspectives covered in the text). Please be sure to specify which
perspectives (and which theories within each perspective) you are using. In addition, discuss
this personality development from a Christian perspective, focusing on faith development
and spiritual gifts, where applicable. This paper, then, should consist of three various views
of the same personality (including the Christian view). It should be a minimum of 5-7 pages
in content, it should contain researched perspectives from the theories you have chosen (you
may use printed and internet resources, but you should have a minimum of five references,
and at least one reference should be a primary reference – actually written by one of the
theorists whom you are discussing), and it should be written in APA format. Please
remember that it is worth 25% of your grade, and be sure to allot yourself an adequate
amount of time to complete this assignment.
A grading rubric for this assignment may be found on page 7 of this syllabus.
(250 points)
Theorist Book Report – Students are to select a book written by one of the personality
theorists discussed in the text (or by another theorist if consent is given by the instructor).
The theorist may be one related to a perspective that was researched in the personality paper
(above), or one related to a different perspective. After reading the book, students should
write a 3 to 5 page report about their experience and impressions of the book. In addition to
summarizing the main points (30 pts), be sure to address the following questions:
1) Why did you choose this particular theorist?
(10 pts)
2) What interests you about the personality perspective associated with the theorist? (10 pts)
3) What three points in the book were most significant to you?
(45 pts)
4) With which aspects of the book did you agree?
(10 pts)
5) With which aspects of the book did you disagree?
(10 pts)
6) How might you apply this information to your life?
(30 pts)
There will be a total of seven sections, then, including the book summary and the six
questions. Please be sure to include an APA style reference page for the book you choose to
read. (5 pts) (150 points total)
Online Test and Reaction Paper – For insight and education, students will complete an
online personality test of their own choice. Results will be submitted to the professor for
participation points only and will be kept completely confidential. Students are also to
complete a one page reaction paper telling whether or not they thought the test was accurate
and valid and explaining why or why not. (50 points)
Reflection Paper - Students are to write a 2-3 page paper answering the questions:
1) Which theory do you think best explains your personality and why? (100 pts)
2) On which aspect of your personality do you think God may be most calling you to work?
(50 pts) (150 points total)
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Attendance and Participation - Attendance will be taken, and points will be assigned
according to presence in class and active participation in class discussions. (50 points)
Exam #1 – Multiple-choice examination covering chapters one through five. (100 points)
Exam #2 – Multiple-choice examination covering chapters six through ten. (100 points)
Final Exam – Multiple-choice examination covering entire book (Chapters 1-15). (150 pts.)
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DESCRIPTION OF EVALUATION:
Students in this course will be evaluated by the College’s 4.0 grading system. You should refer
to the Student Handbook for further details on the grading system.
The following criteria will be used in determining the student’s grade:
Assignment
Two Exams @ 100pts each
Final Exam
Points
200
150
Due Date
10/10/06, and 11/9/06
12/12/06
Online Test Analysis
50
10/17/06
Theorist Book Report
150
10/26/06
Theory Application Paper
250
11/21/06
Reflection Paper
150
11/30/06
Attendance/Participation
50
Each class meeting
TOTAL POINTS:
1000
GRADE SCALE
Points
Letter Grade
Significance
Grade Point Average (GPA)
930—1000
900—929
870—899
830—869
800—829
770—799
730—769
700—729
670—699
630—669
600—629
0—599
A
AB+
B
BC+
C
CD+
D
DF
Exceptional
4.00
3.67
3.33
3.00
2.67
2.33
2.00
1.67
1.33
1.00
0.67
0.00
Above Average
Average
Below Average
Failure
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CRITERIA FOR THEORY APPLICATION PAPER
PSYC345 – Theories of Personality
Writing Presentation
™ Grammar
™ Neatness
™ Clarity
WRITING CONTENT
™ Factually Correct
™ Covered all content areas
™ Clarity of content
APA Format
POSSIBLE
POINTS
50
References
™ Source variety
™ APA Format
™ Appropriate Number
TOTAL
30
150
20
250
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POINTS
EARNED
THEORIES OF PERSONALITY CLASS SCHEDULE – FALL, 2006
DATE
8/31/06
TOPIC
Introduction to Class
ASSIGNMENT DUE
None
9/5/06
What is personality?
Chapter 1
9/7/06
Assessment and Study of Personality
Chapter 2
9/12/06
Psychoanalytic Aspects
Chapter 3
9/14/06
Psychoanalytic Aspects
Chapter 3
9/19/06
Psychoanalytic Aspects: Video
Chapter 3
9/21/06
Neo-Analytic and Ego Aspects cont.
Chapter 4
9/26/06
Neo-Analytic and Ego Aspects cont.
Chapter 4
9/28/06
Case Study Analysis
Attend Class
10/3/06
Biological Aspects
Chapter 5
10/5/06
Biological Aspects
Chapter 5
10/10/06
EXAM #1
EXAM #1: Chapters 1-5
10/12/06
Behaviorist and Learning Aspects
Chapter 6
10/17/06
Cognitive and Social-Cognitive Aspects
Chapter 7 / Online Test DUE
10/19/06
Trait & Skill Aspects
Chapter 8
10/24/06
Video - Traits
Attend Class
10/26/06
Humanistic and Existential Aspects
Ch. 9/ Book Report DUE
10/31/06
Humanistic and Existential Aspects cont Chapter 9
11/2/06
Case Study Analysis
Attend Class
11/7/06
Person-Situation Interaction
Chapter 10
11/9/06
EXAM #2
EXAM #2: Chapters 6-10
11/14/06
Christian Aspects of Personality
Attend Class
11/16/06
Christian Aspects and Class Discussion
Attend Class
11/21/06
Video - Gender
Theory Application DUE
11/23/06
Thanksgiving HOLIDAY
None
11/28/06
Male-Female Differences
Chapter 11
11/30/06
Stress, Adjustment, & Health
Chapter 12 / Reflection DUE
12/5/06
Cultural and Ethnicity
Chapter 13
12/7/06
Final Exam Review
Complete Study Guide
12/12/06
FINAL EXAM – 1:00 – 3:00
FINAL EXAM: Cumulative
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PSYC 345 THEORIES OF PERSONALITY – INFORMATION SHEET
NAME:
BOX #:
PHONE:
E-MAIL:
MAJOR:
CLASS (JR., SR., ETC.):
HOBBY:
SCHOOL-RELATED FEAR(S):
MOST IMPORTANT TRAIT IN PROFESSOR:
ANYTHING YOU THINK USEFUL FOR ME TO KNOW:
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