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Psychology 139: Psychology of Personality
Time: Tuesday & Thursday, 10:30 - 11:45
Location: DMH 353
Supplemental URL: https://sjsu.desire2learn.com/
Description
Who are you? How did you become this way? What will you become?
Most everyone asks these questions about themselves, and others, at one time or another. Personality psychologists, through scientific inquiry, provide some answers to these fundamental, yet elusive, questions.
The primary objective of this course is to introduce students to current approaches to the study of personality and personality processes. The scientific study of personality is concerned with understanding and explaining the whole, functioning individual, within their social context. No doubt, this is an ambitious project!
No one scientific approach or perspective can fully meet this goal. Instead, what has emerged in this discipline are a number of different perspectives, each with its own set of strengths and weaknesses. Together, they give us insight into the nature of human nature.
In this survey course you will learn about the major perspectives personality psychologists have developed to answer the above questions. The course begins with a broad introduction to the domain of personality psychology, and considers the scientific tools used to study personality. We then explore the various perspectives developed by personality psychologists (e.g., trait approach, biological approach, psychodynamic approach, etc.). The course ends with an overview of conceptual frameworks and investigative strategies for understanding personality.
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