This assignment calls for you to employ what Gordon Allport (1968) called systematic eclecticism. Prior to beginning work on this assignment, review the section entitled “Convergence of Theories: Eclecticism, Integration, and Unification” in Chapter 1 of your text.
In this paper, you will complete the assignment which you began in week three and create your own theory of personality development by synthesizing the concepts and constructs of all the theories that seem most accurate and appropriate to you and by using those concepts to reflect on your own personality and development.
Research a minimum of eight scholarly sources related to these concepts in the Ashford University Library to support your statements in the paper. Popular websites and your textbook may augment, but they will not count toward, the minimum number of sources needed for the paper. The following content and headings must be included in your paper.
Please visit the Ashford Writing Center for guidance on how to format headings in APA Style. Also, please take note of the suggestions provided for the length for each section in the instructions below.
Instructions:
Provide a general introduction to the topic of theories of personality. Explain what you plan to cover and describe the direction your paper will take. This section will not feature a heading, and it will be approximately two to three paragraphs.
Major Concepts
In this section, you will present the seven specific concepts identified from the seven models you think best apply to the study of personality in distinct subheadings. For each concept, identify the major personality model from which the concept was taken as well as the theorist associated with that model. This completed section will be approximately four to five pages.
Excluded Concepts
In this section, present the concepts you have chosen to exclude in your theory of personality development. Reflect on the basic assumptions that define personality and identify three specific excluded concepts from any of the theories studied in the course. For each of the excluded concepts, provide a rationale explaining the various aspects of the concept that make it unsuitable for your use. This section will be approximately one to two pages.
The Differences between Healthy and Unhealthy Personalities
Describe the basic differences between healthy and unhealthy personality, based on the concepts that you have chosen to include and exclude from your theory. This completed section will be approximately one page.
The Roles of Heredity, the Environment, and Epigenetics
Provide your analysis of the roles heredity, the environment, and epigenetics play in the development of personality. Discuss how heredity and the environment might affect personality disorders. This completed section will be approximately one page.
Assessment and Measurement of the Theory
Reflect on the major concepts you have selected for inclusion and provide a brief description about how those concepts are measured and/or assessed. Review the assessment sections of each chapter and discuss those measures you think are most applicable and effective. This completed section will be approximately one page.
Self-Reflection
In this section of the paper, review the self-reflection you wrote in Week One of this class and describe how and in what ways your views have or have not changed. Analyze your Week One self-assessment using the concepts that you have included in your integrative theory and describe how your theory explains your personality. This section will be approximately one page.
Provide a brief conclusion that summarizes the ideas presented in your integrative theory of personality. This section will not feature a heading and it will be approximately two to four paragraphs.
Allport, G. W. (1968). The person in psychology: Selected essays. Boston, MA: Beacon Press.
The Integrative Personality Theory paper:
- Must be eight to ten double-spaced pages in length (not including the title page and references page) and formatted according to APA style as outlined in the Ashford Writing Center.
- Must include a separate title page with the following:
- Title of paper
- Student’s name
- Course name and number
- Instructor’s name
- Date submitted
- Must use at least eight scholarly sources in addition to the course text.
