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Assignment 1: Discussion—Television Character
Television provides us with many interesting examples of interpersonal and neurotic behaviors. In this assignment, you will delve into the life and actions of some of your favorite television characters and analyze them using Horney’s coping strategies.
Interestingly, Horney’s three coping strategies for one’s neurotic needs correlate very well with three of Adler’s different personality types:
Horney’s moving-toward strategy—Adler’s getting or leaning type
Horney’s moving against—Adler’s ruling or dominant type
Horney’s moving away from—Adler’s avoiding type
Using Horney’s theory of coping with neurotic needs with three different interpersonal orientations, select a TV program of your choice containing a character that Horney would identify as exhibiting neurotic behaviors. As you watch a full episode of this show, focus on this character and tally each instance of moving-toward, moving-against, and moving-away behavior.
Research Horney’s theory using your textbook, the Internet, and the Argosy University online library resources. Based on your research, respond to the following:
Discuss this character’s neurotic needs and trends.
What do you think has happened in his/her life that has led to these behaviors?
In addition to general life events, how has gender and culture influenced the character’s neurotic needs and behaviors?
How do these interpersonal orientations impact the way this character interacts with others and develops relationships?
Write your initial response in 4–5 paragraphs. Apply APA standards to citation of sources.
Assignment 1: Discussion Rogerian Therapy
Similar to Freud, Carl Rogers developed his theory from his extensive work with his patients. However, unlike Freud, he believed that people are typically healthy; being mentally healthy is the normal state. Although there are unhealthy people, they are not the norm or what one has to accept and live with throughout one’s life. Furthermore, Rogers believed that each person has one primary motivation—to realize his/her full potential or to be self-actualized. Finally, he posited that neurosis stems from incongruence between one’s real self and one’s ideal self. He applied this to his theory of counseling in the development of three therapeutic criteria that he felt were both necessary and sufficient to help the patient. These three qualities are now the foundation for modern person-centered therapy.
The three qualities that form the foundation of Rogerian therapy are empathy, congruence, and unconditional positive regard. These will be relatively easy to express for people you naturally like but can be difficult to express for people whom you do not like nor agree with.
Imagine that you are a psychologist working with a population of individuals that tend to be more difficult to work with, such as sex offenders, elderly patients with dementia, or mentally challenged children. Use the Internet, Argosy University library resources, and your textbook to research the concepts of Rogerian therapy and respond to the following questions:
Realistically, do you think it is possible to be congruent and to extend empathy and unconditional positive regard to these clients in a psychotherapeutic context? Why or why not?
How do you think clinicians practicing Rogerian therapy would approach these concepts for these clients?
How might Rogerian therapy be a helpful strategy for these clients?
Is it possible these concepts of Rogerian therapy could hinder treatment?
Write your initial response in 4–5 paragraphs. Apply APA standards to citation of sources
Assignment 1: Discussion—Environmental Factors
In this assignment, you will have a chance to discuss a topic that brings personality theory together with social psychology. Dealing with unhealthy groups like gangs or cults is an important issue in social psychology. However, you cannot fully address this issue if you do not first understand personality development and how one’s personality affects the choices that are made. Specifically, you will look at Skinner’s behavioral perspective on personality development and discuss how that theory can play a role in this issue of unhealthy groups.
Bob is an adolescent who grew up in a gang-infested part of a large city. His parents provided little supervision while he was growing up and left Bob mostly on his own. He developed friendships with several kids in his neighborhood who were involved in gangs, and eventually joined a gang himself. Now crime and gang activities are a way of life for Bob. These have become his way to identify with his peer group and to support himself.
It is relatively easy to see that Bob’s environment has played a large role in his current lifestyle. This coincides with Skinner’s concept of environment being the sole determinant of how personality develops. Skinner believed that if you change someone’s environment and the reinforcements in that environment, you can change their behavior.
Use the Internet, Argosy University library resources, and your textbook to research Skinner’s concept of the environment and answer the following questions:
If you were to create an environment for Bob to change his behavior from that of a gang member to a respectable and law-abiding citizen, what types of environmental changes and positive reinforcements would you suggest and why?
What are some interventions that are used in the field currently? Are there any evidence-based programs that use these environmental and reinforcement interventions?
Write your initial response in 2–3 paragraphs. Apply APA standards to citation of sources
Assignment 2: Myers-Briggs Type Indicator
Over the years, trait theory has been increasingly used by corporations in hiring and in career counseling. Research has shown that certain combinations of personality traits fit well with different career paths. Thus, personality trait tests for specific jobs can be predictive of both success and satisfaction. Understanding your own personality-trait combinations can give you great insight into your own strengths and weaknesses. With this understanding, you can work to grow your strengths and minimize your weaknesses.
In this assignment, you will explore your personality using a personality test and then analyze the results.
Part 1
First, explore your personality preferences by completing Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MTBI). The full version of the test can only be administered by a trained professional; however, there are many online informal versions of the test which you can find on the Internet. You can search for the test using any one of the following keywords:
Personality test + Myers-Briggs typology
Myers-Briggs test
Record your four-lettered personality type after completion of the test and use the Internet to interpret your personality type.
Part 2
In this part of the assignment, you will write a research paper that analyses your results. Do the following:
Mention your four-letter type and the URL of the Web site where you took the test.
Discuss whether this type accurately represents what you know about yourself. Examine the four spectrums and explain your answer thoroughly. Substantiate your agreement or disagreement with real-life behavioral examples.
Analyze what you consider the strengths and the weaknesses or challenges of this type. List three strengths and three weaknesses and provide a rationale for each.
Evaluate why this test could be a valuable tool for an employer.
Analyze how a clinician may use this test as a tool for promoting meaningful interventions in treatment.
Summarize what you have learned about yourself through this exercise.
Write a 3–4-page paper in Word format. Apply APA standards to citation of sources. Use the following file naming convention: LastnameFirstInitial_M4_A2.doc.
By Wednesday, August 12, 2015,
Assignment 1: LASA 2: Analysis of a Personality
For this assignment, you will have a chance to put into practice all you have been learning throughout this course. You will analyze the personality development of one of the theorists studied in this course from three different theoretical perspectives.
Choose one of the theorists you have studied this term. Use your textbook, the Internet, and the Argosy University online library resources to research the life history of the theorist.
Do the following:
Describe the major life events of the theorist that you feel influenced his or her personality development.
Describe the cultural influences that had an influence on the chosen theorist’s personality development.
Analyze this person from Freud’s psychoanalytic perspective.
Analyze this person from two other theoretical perspectives studied in this course, except for the trait perspective.
Summarize and present your critical opinion about how well (or not) these theories explain the person.
Write a 5–7-page paper in Word format. Apply APA standards to citation of sources. Use the following file naming convention: LastnameFirstInitial_M5_A1.doc.
By Monday, August 17, 2015, deliver your assignment to the M5: Assignment 1 Dropbox.
Course Project Grading Criteria and Rubric
