Biographical Study Project Details
Throughout the semester you will be forming a personality study on one person that will serve as a case study throughout the semester. By the end of the semester you should have a final paper that is a completion of analysis of your subject’s personality that is based on the theoretical perspectives you will study throughout the course. You may choose a contemporary figure, historical figure in which there is context for you to derive your analysis. This means there must be published material about your subject.
Given the focus of the course on “normal” personality structure and development, the ideal subject would not necessarily be someone whose outstanding characteristic is some form of psychological disorder; on the other hand, several of the theories we will look at in this course do focus largely on the nature and origins of anxiety and maladjustment. The most fundamental criteria as you choose a subject would be that (a) the person should be of genuine interest to you, (b) there should be a good, book-length biography or autobiography available to serve as your primary source, and (c) your subject should be a complex person psychologically—i.e., someone about whom there are interesting questions to be addressed. The list of possible subjects (e.g., people in politics, the arts, entertainment, business, science, etc.) is practically endless—but do keep in mind the importance of starting with a book that does an effective job of revealing your subject’s complexities. Please note the role of this assignment in the overall structure of the course. Make sure that you have your subject’s story in mind prior to encountering many of the theoretical perspectives we will study in class, which will allow you to reflect on the connections as you encounter ideas from the various theories. You will be expected to use at least three biographical sources (which may be include articles and books) in your final paper. It is wise to choose a book as one of your sources as there is more complete detail about a given biographical subject in a book. This means that the process of selecting a subject is an important one and should be started immediately. Note also that you may need to purchase the biographical book—both because you don’t want to limit yourself to what’s available in the library, and because you’ll want to have the book in hand throughout the semester. Online booksellers are a great place to search and buy biographical books. It might also be helpful to browse at local bookstores.
To help you form your biographical study project, you need to complete a preliminary prospectus. This prospectus will be a part of your final grade for the project and should be completed by April 15th 2023. This prospectus should be at least two pages long. Summarize key characteristics of your subject’s personality and pose questions that you will be attempting to address in your theoretical analysis over the course of the semester. As you work through each theory, explore how you can apply this to your subject. Set up your theory intentions and for your prospectus, explore at least one theory. You can provide more detail on this first theory as you work through your paper, but having at least two theories should be helpful in planning your study project. That doesn’t mean you need to have all of the details about the theories right now, just some basics so you have a good idea about the direction you taking based on the type of theories chosen. The textbook has theorists and their theories of personality for you to explore what the theories are.
Your final paper, due November 19, 2022, will be at least 10 pages in length (not including your title page or reference page), and will use multiple theoretical perspectives from this course to analyze your subject’s personality.
Expectations:
Develop a taxonomy of your subject. Since you cannot directly observe your subject, you will have to use inductive and deductive reasoning, verification of traits and behaviors through readings, and analysis through inventories and scales (though technically, you are being hypothetical taking the scale on their behalf). Make sure you explain their actions, personality and behaviors through the lens of the theories you have learned in class.
A good way to approach this would be to divide your paper into subheadings by theory as you relate the theory to your subject. A good rule would be to focus on five or six theories to complete your paper.
Paper should be in APA format, double spaced, font of 10 point or 12 point, (at least) ten pages, have a title page and reference page (not included in your page count total). You do not need an abstract but you do need a title page.
Outline for your paper
Title Page
Introduction of your subject and why you chose this subject – this is a thorough summary that works as a lead-in to the body of the paper. Introduce the subject of your biographical study. You should provide a general biography of who this person is including history as well as anything current (if not a historical figure). You should also include why this subject was of interest to you. Make sure you provide a good lead-in from the introduction into the body of the paper.
I highly recommend using subheadings for this paper. It provides a good breakdown of the theories you use for your subject.
For each of the following (subheading) theories, explore your subject through the lens of the theory. If you do a scale or inventory related to the theory for your subject, do not include the inventory/scale, only provide the outcome in your theory discussion.
For the paper, you should explain what the theory is first, and then relate the theory to your subject. Consider why you chose this theory to provide greater insight into your subject’s personality. If you did a scale or inventory like the one’s provided this semester, you can explain how you used this scale or inventory based on what you know of your subject. Do not include the actual inventory or scale in the paper, just the outcome, if used.
Theory One
Theory Two
Theory Three
Theory Four
Theory Five
Conclusion – this should be a good summary of the theories as a way to conclude your paper. Make sure you wrap up the totality of your theories and your subject into a well-formed conclusion.
