Psychology 325

Personality: Theory and Research

Fall 1997

Course Syllabus

Instructor: William B. Scott

Office: Kauke 038 Telephone: ext. 2464 home: 1-216-493-8398

email: WScott ---- Course web page http://www.wooster.edu/psychology/personality/course.html

Office hours: MWF 9:00-10:00 T 1:00- 2:00


Course Objectives:

This course is a survey course. The history and scope of various approaches to the understanding of personality will be covered.

This course is a discussion course. You will be expected to present one side of a debate in class. you will also be expected to contribute to classroom discussion and to make contributions to the Computer email discussion list.

This course is a laboratory course. We will meet on Thursday afternoons for lab sessions. You will develop, execute, and write a report on two full empirical investigations in the field of personality.

This course is a preparatory course for I.S. You will learn how to use a major statistical package on the computer (SPSS), and you will develop skills in analysis and scientific writing that go beyond what you have developed in previous courses.

At the end of the course you should:

  • be familiar with the major theories of personality and have an understanding of them in historical context.
  • be familiar with some of the "sticky issues" and controversies in the field of personality.
  • be aware of the implications and applications of theories of human nature and the methods covered in the course.
  • be able to formulate questions in the field of personality in such a way as to be able to develop empirical methods for obtaining some kind of answer.
  • be better prepared for Senior I.S. in your writing and analytical skills.

    • Class material:

    Allen BP (1997) Personality Theories (Second Edition) Boston: Allyn and Bacon.

    American Psychological Association (1994) Publication Manual (4th Ed.) Washington DC: APA.

    Other readings will be assigned for labs.

    You will need to use your VAX account for this class. If you cannot log onto the VAX, go to Taylor Hall and ask a computer consultant for help.

    Class requirements:

  • Two full lab reports
  • Three examinations
  • Presentation in a debate
  • Attendance and participation

    • Reading and Topic Schedule:

    Do all reading before the date scheduled!

    Topic Date Chapter(s)
    Introduction September 3Chapter 1
    Psychoanalysis September 5 Ch. 2
    Carl G. Jung September 10 Ch. 3
    Adler and Horney September 17 Ch. 4,5


    First Exam September 22

    Sullivan September 24 Ch. 6
    Erikson September 29 Ch. 7
    Fromm October 3 Ch. 8
    Rogers October 8 Ch. 9

    First Lab Due October 10


    Maslow October 15 Ch. 10

    Second Exam October 20


    Kelly October 22 Ch. 11
    Rotter and Mischel October 29 Ch. 12
    Bandura October 31 Ch. 13
    Skinner November 5 Ch. 14
    Murray November 10 Ch. 15
    Cattell and Eysenck November 17 Ch. 16
    Allport November 21Ch. 17

    Third Exam November 24

    Second Lab Due December 12


    DEBATES    :
    Person vs. Situation December 1
    Cognition vs. Emotions December 3
    Aggression December 5
    Personality Testing December 8
    Male and Females December 10
    Debate Topics

    Cognition vs. Emotions -- Does thinking control your feelings? or do your feelings determine what you think?
    Zajonc, R.B. (1980) Feeling and thinking: Preferences need no inferences. American Psychologist, 35, 151-175.
    Lazarus, R.S. (1981) A cognitivist's reply to Zajonc on emotions and cognition. American Psychologist, 37,1019-1024.

    Personality Testing -- Should an individual's future as a student or in a career depend upon the results of a test such as the SAT or MMPI?
    Mattarazzo, J.D. (1990) Psychological assessment versus psychological testing: validation from Binet to the school, clinic, and courtroom. American Psychologist, 45, 999-1017.
    Meehl, P.E. (1957). When shall we use our heads instead of a formula? Journal of Counseling Psychology, 4, 268-273.

    Aggression -- Do people have aggressive motives that need expression or do situational circumstances (such as violence on TV) elicit it?
    Eron, L.D. (1980) Prescription for reduction of aggression. American Psychologist, 35, 244-252.
    Olweus, D. (1979) Stability of aggressive reaction patterns in males: a review. Psychological Bulletin, 86, 852-875.

    Males and Females -- Do psychologists and certain personality theories hold stereotypic views of men and women? Do non-trivial differences in personality exist between men and women? If so, how do these differences develop?
    Block, J.H. (1976) Conceptions of sex role: Some cross-cultural and longitudinal perspectives. American Psychologist, 28, 512-526.
    Bem, S.L. (1981) Gender schema theory: A cognitive account of sex- typing. Psychological Review, 88, 354-364.

    Person vs. Situation -- Various psychologists have taken different views on whether your behavior is determined by something in you, such as your personality, or by the situation you are in. Which is the greater determinant of behavior?
    Mischel, W., & Peake, P.K. (1982) Beyond deja vu in the search for cross-situational consistency. Psychological Review, 89, 730.
    Epstein, S. (1983) The stability of confusion: A reply to Mischel and Peake. Psychological Review, 90, 179-184.

    Back to list of major courses