09 Jul Personality Theory Final Paper

Personality Theory

[WLOs: 2, 3, 4, 5] [CLOs: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5]

For your Final Paper, you will identify and synthesize the concepts and constructs of personality theory that you find to be the most accurate and appropriate in explaining personality and development.

Throughout the course, you have engaged, probed, picked apart, and evaluated the thinking of a large number of theorists who wrote during different historical periods from different disciplinary, paradigmatic, and ideological perspectives. Based on different realms of human experience, the theorists moved toward a fundamental understanding of a single topic and fundamental question: What is the human personality, and, more generally, what makes us what we are as individuals and as a species?

You have already begun this task by identifying what you feel are the most compelling concepts in the first four of the seven theoretical models covered in the course during the Week 3 Primary Concepts assignment. You will continue that process in the first part of this Personality Theory Final Paper by identifying what you find to be the most compelling concepts in the remaining three models. Then you will continue that assessment by synthesizing the concepts of personality that

• Best explain the roles of heredity and environment.
• Provide the best means of assessing personality.
• Provide the best theoretical explanation for your personal journey of personality development.
• Provide the most useful applications for you as a scholar and professional.

Your paper should be organized according to the following scheme, with sections organized under the following APA-formatted headings. Address the following specifications for each heading. (For instructions on writing proper headings and other document elements, see the Writing Center’s .)

In your paper, include the following:

Introduction

Start your paper with a general, academic introduction to the topic of theories of personality.

• Explain what you plan to cover and the direction your paper will take.

Major Concepts

In Week 3, you identified what you considered to be the most important concepts from the psychodynamic, the neurobiological, the cognitive, and the trait models of personality. In this section of the Final Paper, you will present a concept from each of the remaining three models—behavioral, interpersonal, and self-psychology models.

For each of these three concepts:

• Apply a proper APA heading to separate the section.
• Describe the concept.
• Identify the theorist associated with the concept.
• Provide a rationale for why the selected concept is the most applicable from that model.

Keep in mind that the object of this assignment is to identify and discuss a specific concept from each model and not to focus on just one model or provide overviews of the models per se.

The Roles of Heredity and Environment

In this class, we have explored the roles heredity, the environment, and epigenetics play in the development of personality. In this section,

• Synthesize your views on how heredity and the environment affect personality development.

Assessment in Personality Theory

In this section, reflect on the various methods for assessing personality that have been presented in this course, and select one that you feel is most useful.

• Describe briefly the assessment method that you believe is most useful in assessing personality.
• Justify your selection of this method.

Personal Applications

In this section of the paper, reflect on your personality and address the following items:

• Identify which of the seven models best explains your developmental journey.
• Provide at least one specific example of an element or elements of your personality that are explained by your selected model.

Career Applications

In this section, consider how you can use the knowledge from this course as a professional, addressing the following item:

• Explain how you can use the knowledge you have gained about personality development to help achieve your career goals.

Conclusion

Provide a brief conclusion, addressing the following:

• Summarize the ideas presented in your synthesis of, and reflection on, personality theory.

The Personality Theory Final Paper

• Must be eight to ten double-spaced pages in length (not including title and references pages) and must use proper APA headings with all document and citation formatted according to  as outlined in the Writing Center’s  resource.

• Must include a separate title page with the following:
  • Title of paper in bold font
    • Space should appear between the title and the rest of the information on the title page.
  • Student’s name
  • Name of institution (University of Arizona Global Campus)
  • Course name and number
  • Instructor’s name
  • Due date
• Must utilize academic voice. See the resource for additional guidance.
• Must include an introduction and conclusion paragraph. Your introduction paragraph needs to end with a clear thesis statement that indicates the purpose of your paper.
  • For assistance on writing  as well as , refer to the Writing Center resources.
• Must use at least six scholarly sources in addition to the course text and other required sources to support your conclusions, including at least one scholarly source for each substantive section.
  • The  table offers additional guidance on appropriate source types. If you have questions about whether a specific source is appropriate for this assignment, please contact your instructor. Your instructor has the final say about the appropriateness of a specific source for a particular assignment.
  • To assist you in completing the research required for this assignment, view  tutorial, which introduces the University of Arizona Global Campus Library and the research process, and provides some library search tips.

• Must document any information used from sources in APA Style as outlined in the Writing Center’s  guide.
• Must include a separate references page that is formatted according to APA Style as outlined in the Writing Center. See the  resource in the Writing Center for specifications.

1. First of all, you do not need to write anything about the four models that we dealt with in the Week 3 Assignment. Secondly, please keep in mind that the following is needed for each of the models: (a) identification of the theorist, (b) identification and a detailed description of the concept, (c) a connection needs to be made between the concept and personality development, and (d) a clear statement and a detailed (comprehensive) rationale about why the chosen concept is most appropriate for the model of personality needs to be included. Starting your rationale with a sentence such as the following will be helpful: This concept is the most appropriate for this model of personality because…
2. For the section on heredity, the environment, and epigenetics, be sure to discuss epigenetics at length. Also, be sure to discuss heredity and environment as well. Finally, make certain to apply all of them to personality development. 
3. For the question about assessments, please refer back to the Week 1 Assignment to refresh your memory about the types of assessments that exist. Note that an instrument, such as the MMPI, is not an assessment method.
4. For the discussion about personality development, be sure to state the model of personality. It would be good to also discuss a concept that comes from within that model of personality to illustrate how that model of personality explains your personal journey.
5. For the discussion about how you can use the knowledge you gained about personality development to help achieve career goals, be sure to state your own career goals and to discuss them at length. 
6. Be sure to use scholarly sources throughout your entire paper. This can sometimes mean the difference between a “proficient” and a “distinguished” rating.
7. Be sure to submit your work to Turnitin before submitting it for evaluation.

For your final paper, the location of concepts are as follows:

(a) From your chapter on the behavioral model of personality…

Do not use theories from Chapter 5.1 and 5.2 (e.g., Pavlov, Skinner, etc.) as these theorists did not have a behavioral theory that applies to personality.

Do use concepts from Chapter 5.3: Theoretical Models Applied to Personality and 5.4 is okay, too.

From your chapter on the interpersonal model of personality…

Do not use theories from Chapter 7.1, but do use information from 7.2

From your chapter on the self-psychology model of personality…

Do not use theories from Chapters 9.1 and 9.2, but do use information from 9.3

(b) The link to the video, which might be helpful in understanding the differences between concepts, theories, and models follows: