Assignment Instructions:
Compose an essay that addresses the four points below, bookended by a compelling introduction and conclusion. While 1,500 words is established as a goal post, you will likely find that to explore some ideas thoroughly, you will need to go beyond that. But this paper should not exceed 2,000 words. Simply meeting the 1,500 minimum does not constitute a paper that is on par (hitting that number doesn’t mean you nailed it, necessarily. It may, but it may not). It is the execution of the assignment that matters more, so focus on that. But 1,500 – 2,000 are your goal posts.
Upon evaluating all you learned in class, choose the three (or more, but only three are required) perspectives you would like to take with you in your toolkit. For each choice, provide a thumbnail sketch (meaning, a quick but complete summary) of its fundamental tenets. Then, describe your rationale for including them in your toolkit (identifying why it resonated with you, specifically, and supply scientific evidence for each theory’s inclusion as well). Describe how these theories will work together (as a gestalt whole, as Maslow would point out!) to aid in your understanding of human nature. Close this section with a one-sentence description that captures the essence of your toolkit – a motto or mission statement of sorts.
Apply your toolkit to your own personality development. Use it (as you’ve captured it holistically in the above section) to explain how you came to be the person you are. Then, in another paragraph, apply your toolkit to someone (specific – although you don’t have to identify them by name, but you must be thinking of a specific person) in your life who you tend to butt heads with. You must know them well enough to know a bit of their history. Identify the personality traits that cause you all the most contention (on both of your parts) and use your toolkit to describe how that person came to have those traits.
Upon applying your toolkit to this person, how has it, if at all, changed your view on them? Describe how this new perspective informs how you might interact with them in the future. Discuss how applying your toolkit in this way informs your outlook on other relationships as well. If you intended on pursuing a helping profession, how do you think this kind of perspective will shape how you approach your clients? How you help them?
Let’s take things back to Unit 3, when you proposed your “before PSYC 335†personal personality theory. Engage in a thoughtful compare/contrast between the two, specifically identifying the similarities and differences. What are your thoughts? Are you shifting your future perspectives to align more with your new toolkit? Why or why not? What value does this perspective have for you moving forward in your life (be specific and consider domains like homelife, career, academics, and relationships).
