All students must complete a paper in which they apply the principles of a personality theory discussed in class to explain something about themselves such as: a) how they feeling in certain situations, b) choices they made or did not make, c) how they think in certain situations, or how they acquired certain attitudes or beliefs, or d) why they do what they do in certain situations, or e) why they feel, think, and do what they do in certain situations.
A good paper will first, describe the behavior/emotions in question, and second, discuss why you feel/think/behaved this way from the perspective of a particular personality theorist or theory. The latter (and most important part) will necessitate your identifying the theory you will use and identifying the concepts you are using as you go.
Projects will be graded based on: 1) How accurately and artfully the psychological principles from the theories are applied; 2) How well-written the papers are: word usage, paragraph and sentence structure, organization, grammar, spelling, and syntax all contribute to (or detract from) the paper grade. The paper must be typed, double-spaced, with a font no larger than 12 point (Times New Roman) and be six full pages (MINIMUM, in order to receive a Passing Grade), excluding title page, abstract, and reference. You must include at least three references from peer review journals that empirically support your information. EXACT REFERENCE SOURCE OF THE INFORMATION MUST BE CLEARLY AND CORRECTLY SHOWN WITHIN THE BODY OF THE PAPER. The explanation must be given in the student’s own words.
The paper must be written following the procedures and guidelines of the most recent edition of the Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association.
CITATION/References:
• DO NOT QUOTE!!!
• (Name, 2020) or (Name & Name, 2020)
• Can use examples like: Researchers have pointed out…
• Peer review journals
This paper should be presented in five sections:
1. Title Page (Cover) I can do this myself.
2. Abstract (150 words, about yourself, theory, application)
3. Self Observation. Describe the pattern of behavior, feeling, or thinking that you wish to explain in your behavior. This paper is about you: why you do what you do, think what you think, and/or feel how you feel. (2 Pages) – I am Chinese American, from a family of immigrants. My parents and I came to the states when I were 3 years old. I grew up in New York. (Use your imagination to write about my personality).
4. Psychological Theory. Name the theory or theorist whose ideas you believe offer a reasonable explanation for the pattern of behavior, feeling, or thinking. (2 Pages) – The theorist I want to use is Karen Horney.
5. Application. Using logic, explain how the principles from the theory account for the pattern of behavior, feeling, or thinking you described at the beginning of the essay. As you go, you will need to define and describe the principle(s) that you are using to explain the pattern. (Strengths/Weaknesses) (2 Pages)
6. Reference Page
7. First pages of the original peer-review articles