Prior to beginning work on this assignment, review Chapters 1 to 10 from your textbook, assigned in this course from Lecci (2013).
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 who we are as individuals and what we are as a species?
We have now covered all of the seven major psychological models that serve as frameworks for understanding personality. Each model has several theorists and numerous concepts that describe personality. That is what theories are—collections of related concepts meant to explain development. In this final paper, you will analyze these concepts to determine which you think are most useful and applicable. In this final assignment, you will
Identify one concept from each of the seven models and identify the theorists associated with that concept that you think offer the best explanation for personality development from that model.
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, review the University of Arizona Global Campus Writing Center’s APA Style Elements.)
In your paper:
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
Present a concept from each of the seven models.
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.)
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 Theories final paper
must be 10 to 11 double-spaced pages in length (not including title and references pages) and formatted according to APA Style as outlined in the Writing Center’s APA Formatting for Microsoft Word resource.
must include a separate title page with the following in title case:
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 (The University of Arizona Global Campus)
course name and number
instructor’s name
due date
must utilize academic voice.
Review the Academic Voice 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 Introductions & Conclusions and Writing a Thesis Statement, refer to the Writing Center resources.
must use at least 6 scholarly, peer-reviewed, and/or credible sources in addition to the course text.
The Scholarly, Peer-Reviewed, and Other Credible Sources 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.
To assist you in completing the research required for this assignment, refer to this Quick and Easy Library Research 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 APA: Citing Within Your Paper guide.
must include a separate references page that is formatted according to APA Style as outlined in the Writing Center.
Refer to the APA: Formatting Your References List resource in the Writing Center for specifications.
Carefully review the Grading Rubric for the criteria that will be used to evaluate your assignment.
