Final Project Personality Theories

© 2014. Any unauthorized reproduction or distribution of this material is prohibited without express written permission. Students are expected to maintain the integrity of the assignment by refraining from reproducing or posting the assignment or their completed work where it can be viewed by current or future students.

COURSE OBJECTIVES

Upon successful completion of this course, the student will be able to:

1. Explain the principles of the study of personality

2. Analyze how personality theories apply to adjustment and personality deviations

3. Differentiate methods of assessment used within the context of personality theories

4. Apply major personality theories to case studies

CASE DESCRIPTION

For this project, you will introduce a well-known figure as a case study subject, select two or

three personality theories, and then use the theories to analyze your subject and create a well-

researched case study. The paper (suggested length of 8-10 pages) should cite references and

be formatted according to APA style.

PROJECT INSTRUCTIONS

You will start your case study by selecting and researching a well-known figure to be your

subject. Then, you will choose two or three personality theories. From the perspective of the

selected theories, describe any influences on the development of your subject’s personality, the

definitions of human nature in relation to your subject, and how assessment should be

conducted on your subject. Finally, include a theoretical explanation for adjustment issues that

your subject may have faced or could face based on the assessment of his or her personality

from your selected theories.

Your case study should address the following points in detail.

1. Select a well-known figure from the following list to be your subject:

a. Cesar Chavez

b. John H. Johnson

c. Steve Jobs

d. Aung San Suu Kyi

e. Eleanor Roosevelt

f. Condoleezza Rice

g. Mother Teresa

h. Elie Wiesel

Final Project Personality Theories

© 2014. Any unauthorized reproduction or distribution of this material is prohibited without express written permission. Students are expected to maintain the integrity of the assignment by refraining from reproducing or posting the assignment or their completed work where it can be viewed by current or future students.

2. Introduce your case study subject.

You should discuss your subject’s family history, childhood experiences, adult behavior,

and experience as a public figure or in the media. You will need to conduct outside

research on your subject to adequately examine these aspects. Be sure to cite all

references in APA format.

3. Select two or three personality theories and explain your choices by outlining the

basics of each theory.

The personality theories you select could include the following:

a. Psychoanalytic approach

b. Neopsychoanalytic approach

c. Lifespan approach

d. Trait approach

e. Humanistic approach

f. Cognitive approach

g. Behavioral approach

h. Social learning approach

4. Clearly link examples from your subject’s life to the theories you are using.

Be sure to address the following in your analysis:

a. Describe four or more influences on your subject’s development of personality

from the perspectives of the two or three theories you chose. You should explain

how various factors have impacted the development of your subject’s personality

and that impact should be directly linked to a theory. For example, in the

psychoanalytic approach all experiences before the age of five could be

influences on the subject’s development of personality.

b. Analyze human nature from the perspectives of your selected theories as it

applies to your case study. Consider the questions of human nature and apply at

least two of these questions to your subject. For example, if the psychoanalytic

theory of personality is selected, then the question of free will versus determinism

could be applied to the subject in terms of Freud’s views on this question. Some

examples of questions of human nature are:

i. Free will vs. determinism

ii. Nature vs. nurture

iii. Past vs. present

iv. Uniqueness vs. universality

v. Optimism vs. pessimism

Final Project Personality Theories

© 2014. Any unauthorized reproduction or distribution of this material is prohibited without express written permission. Students are expected to maintain the integrity of the assignment by refraining from reproducing or posting the assignment or their completed work where it can be viewed by current or future students.

c. Using two or three examples from your subject’s life, discuss how you would

conduct assessment on your subject during these selected time periods from the

perspectives of your theories. Explain the assessment techniques and instruments

that you would use and how you would ensure that your selected methods of

assessment would address the three principles: standardization, reliability, and

validity.

d. Explain adjustment issues that your subject may have faced or could face based

on your assessment of his or her personality. Pick three or four issues that pertain

to your subject and explain the theoretical causes as well as how these issues

would be viewed and explained from your selected personality theories. For

example, if using Erikson’s lifespan theory, you could describe the way in which

the character in the case is handling the developmental conflict of the stage he or

she is in. Adjustment issues could include:

i. Stress

ii. Frustration

iii. Aggression

iv. Conflict

v. Decision making

vi. Self-image

5. In a concluding paragraph, compare the analyses of your subject from your selected

theories.

After comparing the selected theories, explain which theory or theories are most

appropriate for analyzing and assessing the subject in your case study.

PROJECT SUBMISSION

1. A title page is not required for project submissions. Because evaluators do not see student

names when reviewing student work, it is important that students not include any personal

identifiers in their project submissions.

2. If your project requires a video, you should post the video to a free video hosting site

like www.youtube.com, www.photobucket.com, or another free web hosting site. The

following website maintains a list of video hosting sites: http://www.videohostings.com. In

the written materials that you submit as part of the assignment, you should include the title

of the video and a link for the evaluator to use to grade your submission. Please make sure

that the privacy settings on your video are set to allow third parties to view it.

Final Project Personality Theories

© 2014. Any unauthorized reproduction or distribution of this material is prohibited without express written permission. Students are expected to maintain the integrity of the assignment by refraining from reproducing or posting the assignment or their completed work where it can be viewed by current or future students.

3. When you are ready, click on the Upload Files button in the Project tab of your course to

submit your assignment. Your project should be graded within 7 days. Please contact your

instructor if this is not the case.

4. Your assignment will not be returned to you, so keep a copy for your files.