|
PSYC
410: Theories of Personality Gary S. Gregg OU403-E people.kzoo.edu/ggregg/ Fall, 2017
|
|
This seminar will study theories of
personality development and structure, focusing on three levels of personality
organization, and the genetic, social, and cultural factors that shape them, and
on stage models of life-span development.
In addition to studying theories and personality assessment methods,
students will (1) create and evaluate a measure of a personality trait, need,
or motive, (2) synthesize their own theory of personality, and (3) conduct an
individual “case study” of personality development.
Core Reading
McAdams, The Person (text)
Hall, Lindsey, & Campbell, Theories of Personality
(text)
Syllabus
|
Section
I |
Topic: Personality Theory |
|
|
Topic |
Reading |
Wk
1 Tues.
|
Introduction Levels of Personality Organization |
McAdams,
“What Do We Know…”
|
Wk
1 Thur.
|
Levels of Personality Organization:
“genotypic” & “phenotypic” Attachment & Aggression |
McAdams,
Ch. 1 pp. 21-28 24 – 31 LeVine, Culture, Behavior &
Personality excerpt McAdams, pp.50-66 52 -
69 |
Section
I |
Personality
Traits |
|
Wk 2 Tues.
|
Traits: theory and measurement Traits: H. Eysenck |
McAdams,
Ch. 4 pp. 106-154 112–152 Hall & Lindsey, Ch. 9 pp. 360 -
390 |
Wk
2 Thur.
|
Traits: The “Big Five” Traits
as “types” |
McAdams,
Ch. 5 pp. 155-203 153 – 199 |
Wk
3 Tues.
|
Traits: Continuity & Heritability Traits as adaptations |
McAdams, Ch. 6 pp. 205-251 201 – 245 |
Wk
3 Tues.
|
|
Paper due: psychobiography topic & preliminary
bibliography |
Wk
3 Thur.
|
Needs & Motives: Henry Murray & others |
McAdams,
Ch. 7 pp. 279-300 275 – 297 Hall
& Lindsey, Ch. 6 pp. 221 - 267 |
Section
II |
Psychodynamic Theories & Life-Span Development |
|
|
Topic |
Reading |
Wk
4 Mon.
|
|
Paper
due: trait study |
Wk
4 Tues.
|
Freud |
Breuer
& Freud: “Anna O”
"Psychical Mechanism of Hysteria" McAdams, Ch. 7 pp. 255-271 249 - 265 |
Wk
4 Thur.
|
Freud |
Hall
& Lindsey, Ch. 2 pp. 30 - 73
|
Wk
5 Tues.
|
Jung Adler |
Hall
& Lindsey, Ch. 3 pp. 78 - 121 McAdams, Ch. 11 pp. 451-457 452 - 459 Hall & Lindsey, Ch 4 pp. 122 – 139 McAdams,
Ch. 11 pp. 458-462 459 - 464 |
Wk
5 Thur.
|
Erikson |
Hall & Lindsey, Ch. 5 pp. 173 – 218 McAdams, Ch. 9 pp. 350 - 371 Erikson,
Eight Ages of Man [sic]
|
Wk
6 Tues.
|
Gender development State theories |
Chodorow: “On the Reproduction of Mothering…”
Helson et al, "Is There Development Distinctive to Women?" |
Wk 6 Thur. | State Theories | Horowitz, “States and State Cycles”
Gregg,
“States and Selves”
|
Section
III |
The Study of Lives |
|
|
Topic |
Reading |
Wk
7 Mon. |
|
Paper
Due: theory |
Wk
7 Tues. |
Life-Span Development Psychological Biography |
McAdams,
Ch. 12 pp. 480-510 485 – 518
Elms, "The Psychologist as Biographer" Schultz, "Introducing Psychobiography" |
Wk
7 Thur. |
Psychological Biography |
Schultz, "How to Strike Psychologcial Pay Dirt" Runyan, "Van Gogh's Ear" |
Wk
8 Tues. |
Psychological Biography |
Ogilvie, "Margaret's Smile" McAdams, "Bush the Leader" |
Wk
8 Thur. |
Culture and Personality |
Doi,
Anatomy of Dependence excerpts Matsumoto,
Unmasking Japan excerpts |
Wk
9 Tues. |
Culture
and Personality |
Chua, “Why Chinese Mothers are
Superior”
|
Wk
9 Thur. |
Dialogical Self |
McAdams, Ch. 11 pp. 462-466 464 –
468 |
Wk
10 Tues. |
Psych Biography Presentations |
|
Wk
10 Thur. |
Psych Biography Presentations |
|
Final time |
|
|
The Seminar
The
course will run as a graduate-style seminar with student-led discussion aimed
at: (1) understanding the theories and
research we read, (2) constructively criticizing them, and (3) evaluating their
applications, moral & political implications, and aesthetic qualities.
For
each reading, I’ll ask one student to prepare a brief commentary to lead off
our discussion. To help us have
high-quality discussions, I’ll ask all students to write and bring to class
“talking-point notes” for each reading, that can be
used to add points to those covered by the lead-off discussant, and raise
additional questions. (I occasionally
will collect the “talking-point” notes, to help track how students are understanding and reacting to the readings.)
I
also will provide background information on many readings, concepts, and
studies, and we sometimes will break into small-group discussions or research
working-groups.
Assignments
The
course has three assignments. Please
regard each as a major project, in which you demonstrate your understanding and
mastery of the material we study and ability to critically synthesize and apply
it.
1. Trait research
project: define a
potentially-important personality trait, develop a measure of the trait, and
collect data to assess its reliability and validity. The group or individual paper will be an
APA-style research report with introduction / literature review, methods,
results, and discussion sections.
2. Personality Theory: outline and argue for a theory of personality
based on selection from and/or synthesis of the theories we study, and on
additional reading about at least one theory.
3. Psychological
Biography: study an individual
life – an historical figure, writer, artist, celebrity, etc. -- using available
sources, and analyze his/her personality development and organization using
theories we have studied.