For this assignment, you will select one behavior of interest of yourself or someone you know well, and then select two personality theories to explain that behavior.
Content:
• Brief introduction to the purpose of this paper (1/4 to 1/3 page)
• Brief (in 1/2 page or less) description of a specific behavior or pattern of behaviors (i.e. smoking, exercising, dating patterns) of either yourself or someone you know well. The description of the behavior should be separate from the introduction to the paper.
• Use two of the approaches to personality psychology covered in this class (Trait, Biological, Evolutionary, Psychoanalytic, Humanistic, Behaviorism, Social Learning) to explain this behavior.
o In one paragraph, explain why you chose the two approaches in terms of why they are more useful than other approaches for explaining the behavior. This could be because they focus on important aspects of the behavior better than other theories, or because they allow you to examine the behavior from quite different perspectives.
o For each approach, include 1) a brief description of that approach, 2) how the approach would explain the origin or purpose of the behavior, and 3) how likely the behavior is to continue based on that approach.
• End with a conclusion about the level of understanding gained from the two approaches or new insights you have gained about this behavior.
Requirements:
• The paper should be typed, double-spaced, and 5-7 pages in length and must be in APA format.
• When referencing information from the text book and articles, be sure to cite and quote correctly (use the tools in the Files tab to assist you with this!). Plagiarism will result in outcomes such as earning a grade of 0 on the paper, being required to re-write the paper, and/or failing the class (depending on the extent of the plagiarism).
• You do need to use references beyond the text book and assigned articles. If you choose to use additional references, these references must be properly cited and a reference page must be included with the paper.
