Active Outline

General Information

Course ID (CB01A and CB01B)
PSYC D005.
Course Title (CB02)
Introduction to Theories of Personality
Course Credit Status
Credit - Degree Applicable
Effective Term
Fall 2023
Course Description
This course is a survey of major theories and concepts of personality. Topics include Freudian, neo-Freudian, interpersonal, dispositional, behavioral and phenomenological theories.
Faculty Requirements
Course Family
Not Applicable

Course Justification

This course is a major preparation requirement in Psychology and is CSU and UC transferable. It also meets °®¶¹´«Ã½ GE, CSUGE and IGETC requirements. This course belongs on the Liberal Arts A.A. degree. It is an introduction that surveys basic theories and concepts of personality from a variety of perspectives.

Foothill Equivalency

Does the course have a Foothill equivalent?
Yes
Foothill Course ID
PSYC F033.

Course Philosophy

Formerly Statement

Course Development Options

Basic Skill Status (CB08)
Course is not a basic skills course.
Grade Options
  • Letter Grade
  • Pass/No Pass
Repeat Limit
0

Transferability & Gen. Ed. Options

Transferability
Transferable to both UC and CSU
°®¶¹´«Ã½ GEArea(s)StatusDetails
2GDX°®¶¹´«Ã½ GE Area D - Social and Behavioral SciencesApproved
CSU GEArea(s)StatusDetails
CGDYCSU GE Area D - Social SciencesApproved
IGETCArea(s)StatusDetails
IG4XIGETC Area 4 - Social and Behavioral SciencesApproved

Units and Hours

Summary

Minimum Credit Units
4.0
Maximum Credit Units
4.0

Weekly Student Hours

TypeIn ClassOut of Class
Lecture Hours4.08.0
Laboratory Hours0.00.0

Course Student Hours

Course Duration (Weeks)
12.0
Hours per unit divisor
36.0
Course In-Class (Contact) Hours
Lecture
48.0
Laboratory
0.0
Total
48.0
Course Out-of-Class Hours
Lecture
96.0
Laboratory
0.0
NA
0.0
Total
96.0

Prerequisite(s)

Corequisite(s)

Advisory(ies)

EWRT D001A or EWRT D01AH or ESL D005.

PSYC D001.

Limitation(s) on Enrollment

Entrance Skill(s)

General Course Statement(s)

(See general education pages for the requirements this course meets.)

Methods of Instruction

Lecture and visual aids

Discussion of assigned reading

Discussion and problem solving performed in class

Homework and extended projects

Collaborative learning and small group exercises

Assignments

  1. Assigned readings from required text and references
  2. A written and oral group report produced by small (5 to 8 students) collaborative groups using the "case method" to critically analyze and evaluate a problem from within the course selected by the student or instructor.
  3. A research paper that examines a significant contemporary issue or problem in personality psychology selected by the student or instructor. The focus of the research paper will be on the summary, integration, critical analysis and/or synthesis of the theoretical perspectives and/or body of empirical data germane to the explication of the problem or issue examined. The majority of the source material for the research paper must be derived from primary sources and relevant psychological journal articles. The research paper should be 5 to 10 pages in length and follow the style and format of the American Psychological Publication Manual or other standard research paper format.

Methods of Evaluation

  1. Mid-term examinations using a combination of objective, short answer and essay questions to evaluate the student's grasp of the theories, core concepts, methods of inquiry and significant empirical data that comprise the course content. The essay component will require critical thinking and analysis and/or synthesis.
  2. Collaborative group oral and written report. The written and oral group report produced by small (5 to 8 students) collaborative groups using the "case method" to critically analyze and evaluate a problem from within the course selected by the student or instructor.
  3. A research paper that examines a significant contemporary issue or problem in adjustment psychology selected by the student or instructor following the format and guidelines described here. The research paper will be on the summary, integration, critical analysis and/or synthesis of the theoretical perspectives and/or body of empirical data germane to the explication of the problem or issue examined. The majority of the source material for the research paper must be derived from primary sources and relevant psychological journal articles. The research paper should be 5 to 10 pages in length and follow the style and format of the American Psychological Publication Manual or other standard research paper format.
  4. A two-hour comprehensive final exam including multiple-choice questions and an essay component that will require students to summarize, integrate, and critically analyze the major theoretical perspectives, modes of inquiry, and the important core concepts examined throughout the course.

Essential Student Materials/Essential College Facilities

Essential Student Materials: 
  • None.
Essential College Facilities:
  • None.

Examples of Primary Texts and References

AuthorTitlePublisherDate/EditionISBN
Larsen & Buss. "Personality Psychology: Domains of Knowledge About Human Nature". 6th Ed. Columbus, OH: McGraw Hill, 2018.
Fadiman & Frager "Personality and Personal Growth" Pearson, 7th edition 2013.

Examples of Supporting Texts and References

AuthorTitlePublisher
American Psychiatric Association. Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, V. (5th ed.). Washington, D.C: American Psychiatric Association,2013.
Bem, S.L. "Androgyny and gender schema theory: A Conceptual and empirical integration." In T.B. Sonderegger (ed.). Nebraska Symposium on Motivation, 1984: Psychology and Gender. vol. 32. Lincoln, NEB.: University of Nebraska Press, 1985.
Biernat, M. "Gender stereotypes and the relationship between masculinity and femininity: A developmental analysis." Journal of Personality and Social Psychology. 61, 351-365, 1991.
Bugental, J.F.T. The Search for Authenticity: An Existential-Analytical Approach to Psychotherapy. Holt Rinehart & Winston, 1969.
Burger, J. "Personality". 10th Ed. Belmont, CA: Cengage, 2019.
Drenth, A.J. "The 16 Personality Types:Profiles,Theory and Type Development."Inquiry,2013.
Donohoe, J."Husserl on Ethics and Intersubjectivity: From Static and Genetic Phenomenology (New Studies in Phenomenology and Hermeneutics)." University of Toronto Press,2016
Frank, E. "Gender and its Effects on Psychopathology." Arlington, VA: American Psychiatric Publishing, Inc., 2000.
Frankl, V.E. Man's Search for Meaning. Washington Square Press, 1955.r Psychology. New York: Oxford University Press, 1978.
Greenberg,M. "The Stress Proof Brain" New Harbinger, 2016.
Greening, T.C. "Encounter Groups From the Perspective of Existential Humanism." In T.C. Greening (ed.) Existential Humanistic Psychology. Brooks/Cole, 1976.
Halpern, Diane F. "Sex Differences in Cognitive Abilities". 4th ed. Hillsdale, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum, 2011.
Moir, A. and Jessel, D. "Brain Sex: The real difference between men and women." Wise Owl Secret Publishing, 2015.
Magrì, E. and Moran, D. "Empathy, Sociality, and Personhood: Essays on Edith Stein's Phenomenological Investigations (Contributions To Phenomenology)." Springer, 2018.
Rychlak, Joseph F. Personality and Psychotherapy. 2nd ed. Boston: Houghton Mifflin Company, 1981.
Strelzer, J.(editor) "Culture and Psychopathology: A Guide to Clinical Assessment." New York, NY: Routledge, 2017.
Von-Herrmann, F. "Hermeneutics and Reflection: Heidegger and Husserl on the Concept of Phenomenology (New Studies in Phenomenology and Hermeneutics)." University of Toronto Press, 2013

Learning Outcomes and Objectives

Course Objectives

  • Recognize the historical and philosophical background of personality psychology, with special recognition of gender and cultural issues, including the contributions and perspectives of women.
  • Analyze and explain the nature of theory and the methods used of inquiry in personality psychology
  • Compare and contrast the major theories of personality
  • Analyze and evaluate the assumptions, principles and theoretical bases regarding the assessment of personality
  • Compare and contrast the Freudian Neo-Freudian, Behavioral and Humanistic-Existential views of the major psychological disorders and techniques of psychotherapy
  • Analyze and explain gender differences and stereotypes

CSLOs

  • Describe and apply the major personality theories to oneself, as well as to clinical and social cases.

  • Evaluate the assessment of personality.

Outline

  1. Recognize the historical and philosophical background of personality psychology, with special recognition of gender and cultural issues, including the contributions and perspectives of women.
    1. History and philosophical background related to the development of personality psychology
      1. The Greek legacy - rationalism, empiricism, idealism, nativism, and mind-body dualism.
      2. The emergence of Humanism as a reaction against Scholasticism of British empiricism, John Locke, J. S. Mill, George Berkeley as providing the basis for the emergence of the scientific method.
      3. Immanuel Kant's epistemology and humanistic psychology
      4. Structuralism, introspection and phenomenology
      5. Functionalism, William James and Humanistic psychology
      6. Gestalt school - emphasis on the whole person
    2. Psychoanalytic and psychodynamic models
      1. Freud and psychic determinism
      2. Adler and the creative self
      3. Jung's emphasis on innate structures and teleology
    3. Behaviorism and humanism compared
      1. Watson's radical environmentalism
      2. Skinner's descriptive and theoretical behaviorism
      3. Bandura's cognitive behaviorism
      4. Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) and behavior analysis (ABA)
      5. Fundamentals of Humanism leading to Positive Psychology
    4. Historical development of phenomenology and existentialism
      1. Franz Brentano and intentionality
      2. S. Kierkegaard emphasis on choice, decision, and alienation
      3. Martin Heidegger and C. Jaspers, formal founders of existential philosophy
      4. Edmund Husserl's phenomenological reduction and the Epoche
      5. Jean-Paul Sartre - existence before essence - choice as the main aspect of human life
      6. Dasignanalysis, Medard Boss and Ludwig Binswanger
      7. John Searle, intentionality, Mind, Brains and Programs
    5. The development of phenomenological methodology
      1. Husserl's phenomenological method Epoche
      2. Phenomenology compared to traditional scientific methodology
      3. J. F. Rychlak and the psychology of rigorous humanism
    6. Existentialism and Humanism
      1. James Bugental's emphasis on authenticity
      2. Rollo May - love and will
      3. Maslow - self-actualization
      4. Rogers - client-centered therapy
      5. Fritz Perls and Gestalt therapy
      6. Victor Frankl, Logotherapy and Man's Search for Meaning
      7. Positive psychology and Martin Seligman
    7. Eastern thought Personality and philosophy
      1. Buddhism
      2. Taoist Philosophy
      3. Hindu
  2. Analyze and explain the nature of theory and the methods used of inquiry in personality psychology
    1. The nature of scientific theory
      1. Empirically based
      2. Systematic and precise
      3. The use of operational definitions of concepts and variables
      4. Testability and verifiability
      5. Falsifiability
      6. Parsimonious, Ocam's Razor
      7. Use of inductive and deductive logic
    2. Observational Methods
      1. Naturalistic observation
      2. Unobtrusive observations
      3. Participant observation, idiographic research
      4. Nomothetic research principles
    3. Case History Method
      1. Biases and selective reporting
      2. Clinical and developmental utility
      3. Limitations
    4. Surveys and questionnaires
      1. Representative samples
      2. Response bias
      3. Questionnaire design issues and problems
    5. Correlational Methods
      1. Bivariate approaches using selection rather than manipulation
      2. Correlation coefficients
      3. Cause - effect relationships
      4. Third variable problems
      5. Multiple correlation and multiple regression techniques
    6. Experimental Methods
      1. Independent variables, dependent variables and intervening variables.
      2. Operational definitions
      3. Problems of confounding
      4. Random selection and random assignment
      5. Placebo effects and experimenter bias
      6. Single blind, double blind and counterbalancing procedures
      7. Between - subjects designs
      8. Matched groups designs
      9. Repeated measure or within- subjects designs
      10. Factorial designs
      11. Single - subject designs
      12. Research ethics - APA ethical guidelines
    7. Statistical Methods
      1. Statistical controls
      2. Descriptive statistics
      3. Inferential statistics and hypothesis testing
  3. Compare and contrast the major theories of personality
    1. Biological basis of personality, Type and trait theories
      1. Early type theories (humors)
      2. Sheldon's Somata type theory, body form theory
      3. Jung's psychological type theory
      4. Raymond Cattel and Gordon Allport's trait approaches
      5. Combining types and traits
      6. Hans Eysenck's Trait theory, and Big Five Trait Theory
      7. The consistency paradox with Trait or Dispositional theory
      8. Enneagram of personality, Oscar Ichazo and Claudia Naranjo
    2. Psychodynamic theories
      1. Freudian psychoanalytic model
      2. Jungian theory of personality
      3. Post-Freudian theories of A. Adler, Karen Horney, and H. Sullivan
    3. Ego Psychology and Object Relations Theory
      1. Anna Freud - The Psychoanalytic Study of the Child
      2. Heinz Hartman - the autonomous ego
      3. Melanie Klein - early object relations theory
      4. Margaret S. Mahler - symbiosis and individuation
      5. Heinz Kohut - Psychoanalytic Self-Theory
    4. Erik Erikson - Psychoanalytic Ego Psychology and the psychosocial perspective
    5. Humanistic-Existential theories
      1. Roger's Person-centered approach
      2. Existential theories of M. Boss, K. Jaspers, J. Bugental and R. May, R. D. Laing
    6. Social learning and Cognitive Behavioral Theories
      1. G. Kelly's personal construct theory
      2. Cognitive social-learning theory of W. Mischel and A. Bandura
      3. Albert Ellis, Rational Emotive Therapy (RET)
      4. Jean Piaget's Theory of Cognitive Development
    7. Cultural and gender differences in personality by M. Mead and R. Benedict
  4. Analyze and evaluate the assumptions, principles and theoretical bases regarding the assessment of personality
    1. Personality assessment
      1. Standardization, reliability, and validity
      2. Self-report inventories
        1. Minnesota multiphasic Personality Inventory (MMPI-2)
        2. California Psychological Inventory
      3. Projective Techniques
        1. Rorschach inkblot test
        2. Thematic Apperception Test(TAT)
        3. Holtzman Inkblot Technique (HIT)
        4. Sentence completion and draw a person test
      4. Clinical interviews
        1. Structured
        2. Unstructured
      5. Direct behavioral assessment, interviewing and observation
    2. Cultural, ethnic and gender biases and prejudices relating to the assessment of intelligence and personality
  5. Compare and contrast the Freudian Neo-Freudian, Behavioral and Humanistic-Existential views of the major psychological disorders and techniques of psychotherapy
    1. History and criteria relating to psychological disorders
      1. Historical treatment and views of "abnormal" behavior
      2. Contemporary views of "abnormal" behavior
      3. Classify mental disorders according to Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders 5th Revision (DSM-V).
    2. Anxiety - based disorders (Neuroses)
    3. Somatoform Disorders
    4. Dissociative Disorders
    5. Personality Disorders
    6. Mood Disorders and Suicide
    7. The Schizophrenia and Delusional Disorders
    8. Causal factors in Abnormal Behavior
    9. Culture and Abnormal Behavior in DSM 5's new classification of culturally related disorder
    10. Comparing and contrast the major techniques of psychotherapy
      1. Classical psychoanalysis
      2. Neo-Freudian approaches
      3. Behavior therapies (CBT) Applied behavior analysis (ABA)
      4. Humanistic-existential therapy
      5. Gender and cultural differences involving prejudice and bias in the conduct of psychotherapy
  6. Analyze and explain gender differences and stereotypes
    1. Gender stereotypes and gender comparison*
      1. Cognitive abilities
      2. Personality traits
      3. Social behavior
      4. Psychological health
    2. Biological origins of gender differences
      1. Brain organization
      2. Hormonal influences
      3. Psychobiology of transexualism and transgenderism
      4. De novo mutations and gene research
    3. Environmental origins of gender differences
      1. Process of gender-role socialization
      2. Sources of gender-role socialization
      3. Gender-role socialization in childhood and adolescence
    4. Traditional gender roles
      1. Role expectations of males
      2. Problems with male role
      3. Role expectations of females
      4. Problems with female role
      5. Sexism
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