Discussion: Creating Your Own Theory of Personality

First, introduce yourself to the class. Include your major and anything you would like to share about yourself. Then address the prompt below.

In this module, you will begin to explore the psychological study of personality. As you begin this course, you likely have a lot of thoughts and reflections about your own personality and the personality of others. Before we dig into the work of prominent theorists, let’s begin by creating a theory of personality.

For your initial post, create your own theory of personality. By theory, we mean a set of interrelated principles based on your observations and experiences. The questions provided below will help you shape your answer. Your theory should be about 6 to 12 sentences and include examples or observations about yourself or others to back up your assertions. Address the following questions in your theory:

How can you observe personality?
Does nature or nurture play a larger role in personality development? Justify your response.
What is the value of studying personality in yourself and others?
Is personality changeable? Does it shift over time? Does it depend on the situation?
Next, describe how studying personality connects to one of the following programmatic themes:

Self-care
Social justice
Emotional intelligence
Career connections
Ethics
Remember to respond to two peers while being respectful of and sensitive to their viewpoints. Consider advancing the discussion in the following ways:

Post an article, video, or additional research to reinforce a peer’s idea or challenge them to see their point from a different perspective.
Engage in conversation with your peers around their theory of personality. Consider asking a question or sharing your own personal experience.
To complete this assignment, review the Psychology Undergraduate Discussion Rubric. You will also need:

Programmatic Themes PDF
Norms of Practice for Online Discussion PDF
Ethical Usage Practices PDF