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Revision 3 closed September 13, 2006, replaced by current version.
Delivery mode: Individualized study or grouped study. Online-enhanced.
Credits: 3 - Social Science
Prerequisite: PSYC 289 and PSYC 290 are strongly recommended.
Centre: Centre for Psychology
PSYC 356 has a Challenge for Credit option.
Course Web site
This course surveys the field of personality from a scientific perspective. It examines four general approaches to understanding personality, namely the psychoanalytic, the dispositional, the environmental, and the representational. The key theorists and concepts associated with each perspective are highlighted, along with the strengths and limitations of that approach.
Part 1: Introduction
Unit 1: Overview
Unit 2: Methods of Personality Research and Assessment
Part 2: The Psychoanalytic Strategy
Unit 3: Introduction to the Psychoanalytic Strategy
Unit 4: Freud's Psychoanalytic Theories
Unit 5: Post-Freudian Perspectives
Unit 6: Applications and Limitations of the Psychoanalytic Strategy
Part 3: The Dispositional Strategy
Unit 7: Introduction to the Dispositional Strategy
Unit 8: Evolution of the Trait Concept
Unit 9: The Biological Approach
Unit 10: Applications and Limitations of the Dispositional Strategy
Part 4 The Environmental Strategy
Unit 11: Introduction to the Environmental Strategy
Unit 12: The Behavioral Approach
Unit 13: The Social Learning Approach
Unit 14: Applications and Limitations of the Environmental Strategy
Part 5 The Representational Strategy
Unit 15: Introduction to the Representational Strategy
Unit 16: The Phenomenological Approach
Unit 17: The Social Cognitive Approach
Unit 18: Applications and Limitations of the Representational Strategy
Part 6 Epilogue
Unit 19: Commonalities and Continuing Controversies
To receive credit for PSYC 356, you must submit all the course assignments and complete them to the satisfaction of your tutor. Students must achieve a composite course grade of at least “D” (50 percent) and a grade of at least 50 percent on the final examination. The weighting of the composite grade is as follows:
5 Quizzes (4% each) | Case Study Assignment | Research Paper | Final Exam | Total |
---|---|---|---|---|
20% | 20% | 30% | 30% | 100% |
To learn more about assignments and examinations, please refer to Athabasca University's online Calendar.
Liebert, R. M., & Liebert, L. L. 1998. Liebert & Spiegler's personality, strategies and issues. (8th ed.). Pacific Grove, CA: Brooks/Cole.
Liebert, R. M., & Liebert, L. L. 1998. Testing your understanding: Practice tests for Liebert & Spiegler's personality strategies and issues. (8th ed.). Pacific Grove, CA: Brooks/Cole.
Serebriakoff, V. 1996. Self-scoring personality tests. New York, NY: Barnes & Noble.
The course materials include a study guide, a student manual, and an assignment manual.