Humanism and Cognitive Theories

Posted: December 10th, 2013

ARGUMENTATIVE ESSAY ASSIGNMENT – due Friday of week 4
about 6 to 8 pages to include Title page, Abstract page, Body (3 to 5 pages) and References page

Psychodynamic Theories have in common a foundation in unconscious mental and emotional processes. More recent theories emphasize environmental effects, bio-genetic and cognitive processes. Write a carefully structured essay comparing these contrasting views on personality. Which model is best for explaining YOUR personality today? Give examples of reasoning from the psychodynamic way of thinking and two more recent theoretical schools of thought.

Thinking about the assignment as you prepare: Describe yourself from a psychodynamic viewpoint, and also from a non-psychodynamic viewpoint, making explicit use of the concepts and constructs developed by at least two major theorists. Compare how these theorists would gather information to understand your personality, and what sorts of information each would come up with. You may use the assessments provided each week as examples of tools used to draw inferences about personality functioning.

Assignment: Argumentative Essay assignment

1. Using Table 1.1 on page 12 of Engler’s text, choose the philosophical assumptions most in line with your own beliefs. In one paragraph, describe your personal beliefs about personality. Conclude the first paragraph with your Thesis Statement.

2. Give support for your point of view, using concepts from theories that fit your personality well. Use vocabulary and concepts that demonstrate a thorough understanding of each perspective. This will require several paragraphs.

3. Next, present the alternative point of view – the one you find less applicable, and show that you understand it as well. Show how this contrasting school of thought purports to explain personality.

4. Analyze the relative merits of the differing view, and give justification for preferring one view over the other.

5. Conclude with a re-statement of your thesis and recap of how a certain perspective on personality works best for you.

Your Thesis Statement will declare that your personality development is best explained by the Psychodynamic theories or that it is best explained by the more modern theories. (Choose two or more from Behavioral, Biological, Cognitive, and Humanistic theories). Choose to argue for one side or the other, and support your argument with examples for your own experience, the assessments done in class, material from your text, and other professional writings (cited with APA references). You choose which theories to uphold, and demonstrate clear understanding of Both schools of thought. Here are three examples of thesis statements, but you must devise your own.

· Psychodynamic Theories, such as those propounded by Adler, Horney, Jung, Erikson, Freud and Murray provide the most accurate description of how human personality is formed and how it changes.

· Humanistic and behavioral theories, such as those propounded by Allport, Rogers, Maslow, Skinner and Bandura are best at describing and explaining the modern American personality.

· Cognitive and Biological/ Genetic theories (Kelly, Lazarus, Ellis, Cattell, Eysenck are most effective at explaining how personality operates in your experience.

Ideas you might apply in the Argumentative Essay to contrast with psychodynamic views

1. Allport – goals and mature motives or development of the proprium, functional autonomy

2. Murray – what needs and presses drive your personality? Use of TAT

3. Bandura – observational learning, modeling, and reciprocal causation, self-efficacy, self regulation

4. Cattell, Big 5 – Biological constitution – inborn temperament or traits

4. Kelly – discussion of this persons role constructs and REP test

5. Rogers – conditions of worth, positive regard, authenticity

6. Maslow – basic needs and meta needs, Jonah Complex

7. Seligman – positive psychology and personal choice

Do use some quotes, but keep them brief. You may quote your own Personality Profile briefly, but do not copy over more than a few sentences. Do include some quotes from the text or other sources. George Boeree’s website is a good source http://webspace.ship.edu/cgboer/perscontents.html. Also look in our webliography.