Human Personality
CO 739
Reformed Theological Seminary – Charlotte
Spring 2015
______
Professor:
Dr. Jeffery S. Forrey
Email:
Required Texts:
Ewen, Robert B. An Introduction to Theories of Personality, 7th ed. New York: Psychology Press, 2010.
You are responsible for chapters 1-4, 8-10, 12, 14, 16-17.
Grudem, Wayne. Making Sense of Man and Sin. Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2011.
You are responsible for chapters 2-6.[1]
Grudem, Wayne. Making Sense of Salvation. Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2011.
You are responsible for chapters 5-9, 11-14.[2]
Course Overview & Purpose:
Theories of personality try to capture what is stable and unique about people’s psychological make-up. As an outgrowth of such theories, different personality assessments have been developed as ways of characterizing the test-takers, either for counseling or professional-development purposes. Occasionally, people experience pervasive and long-lasting problems in understanding themselves and their relationships, which the mental health community labels “personality disorders.”
In this course we will survey some historically prominent secular personality theories, a few popular personality assessments (associated with their original theoretical orientations), and a couple of personality “disorders.” We will critique these theories and concepts from the perspective of a biblical anthropology (the doctrine of humanity as created, fallen, and redeemed). We also will consider how biblical counselors might address some significant issues and questions raised by the secular theories, assessments, and therapeutic strategies.
Course Structure & Requirements:
(1) Pre-classroom work: Prior to the week of classes you should have read the assigned portions of the textbooks. For the chapters in Ewen’s text, you should take notes on the terms and concepts that you think capture the distinctive elements of the theories being described.
(2) Classroom work: During the week of classes, we will spend our time analyzing and critiquing prominent secular personality theories, assessments, and “disorders.” We will use lectures, small group activities, case studies, and a simulation to accomplish this. We may also use video footage to illustrate concepts discussed in class. Active participation is expected in all small-group and large-group discussions. Participation throughout the week will be worth 50 points.
Prior to discussing a personality theory, you will take a brief open-note quiz based on your reading of Ewen’s text. The notes that you will be allowed to use for each quiz will be one-page summaries of each theory that you bring to class with you. These one-page summaries should be typed in a commonly used 12-point font. You will turn in the one-page summary (or summaries) with your quiz. The quizzes will be designed to test your grasp of the theories. They might also contain a question or two based on ideas from the Grudem texts that are significant for assessing the theories, although theological evaluation will not be a focus of the quizzes. Collectively, the quizzes + your one-page summaries will be worth 100 points.
Here is a tentative schedule of the topics and activities for the week of classes. They numbered consecutively because some may be carried over to the following day of the week. (There will be lunch breaks and other breaks throughout each day!)
DAY / ACTIVITIESMonday, 8:00 am – 5:00 pm / (1) Introductory ice-breaker
(2) Introductory lecture: What is “personality”? Why are we studying and evaluating secular personality theories?
(3) Small group discussion & debriefing: Biblical terms & concepts for understanding human nature
(4) Quiz: Freud’s Psychoanalytic Theory
(5) Lecture/Large-group discussion: Biblical/theological evaluation of Freud’s theory
Tuesday, 8:00 am – 5:00 pm / (6) Quiz: Jung’s theory & Adler’s theory
(7) Small-group case study discussion: Using Freud’s, Jung’s or Adler’s theory
(8) Lecture/Large-group discussion: Biblical/theological evaluation of Jung’s theory & Adler’s theory
(9) Quiz: Erikson’s theory
(10) Lecture/Large-group discussion: Biblical/theological evaluation of Erikson’s theory
Wednesday, 8:00 am – 5:00 pm / (11) Small-group case study discussion: Trait theories
(12) Lecture/Large-group discussion: Are trait theories sufficient?
(13) Quiz: Rogers’ theory & Maslow’s theory
(14) Small-group case study discussion: Using Rogers’ or Maslow’s theory
(15) Lecture/Large-group discussion: Biblical/theological evaluation of the Humanistic Perspective
(16) Quiz: Skinner’s theory & Bandura’s theory
Thursday, 8:00 am – 5:00 pm / (17) Small-group case study discussion: Using Skinner’s or Bandura’s theory
(18) Lecture/Large-group discussion: Biblical/theological evaluation of Skinner’s theory & Bandura’s theory
(19) Lecture/Large-group discussion: The Biological Perspective: What effect do the brain & the genes have on personality development?
(20) Small-group case study discussion: Personality “disorders”
(21) Lecture/Large-group discussion: Conceptualizing personality disorders
Friday, 8:00 am – 1:00 pm / (22) Simulation: “I Need Counseling”
(23) Large-group discussion of simulation
(24) Lecture/Large-group discussion: Counseling strategies for personality “disorders”
(3) Post-class paper: Within four weeks following the week of classes, you will email me a final written project. It will be an 8-10 page (2000-2500 word) assessment of a case study in which you compare and contrast multiple personality theories. In addition, you will analyze the case study using appropriate biblical and theological concepts. The case study options will be provided at the end of the week of classes. This paper will be worth 100 points, evaluated according the rubric and writing guidelines attached to this syllabus.
GRADING RUBRIC FOR ASSIGNMENTS
(90-100%) / AVERAGE WORK
(70-89%) / BELOW AVERAGE WORK (< 70%) / POSSIBLE POINTS
Comprehension of Course Material / The submission demonstrated a firm grasp of the relevant theories, concepts & strategies under consideration: No significant misrepresentation of the ideas or their use by the authors being reviewed. All assignment instructions were followed / The submission demonstrated an elementary grasp of the relevant theories and concepts under consideration: e.g., some misunderstanding of the ideas or their use that could lead to a misleading presentation. Or some assignment instructions were not followed. / The submission demonstrated such misunderstanding of the relevant theories & concepts under consideration that no accurate presentation could be given. / 40
Reasoning & Development of Arguments / The submission demonstrated: no significant flaws in use of logic (weakening the value of the paper), clearly articulated conclusion(s), & well developed substantiation of the conclusion(s). / The submission demonstrated some logical error(s) that lowered confidence in the argumentation or did not substantiate key points supposed to lead to the conclusion(s). / The submission demonstrated extensive logical fallacies or lack of good substantiation so that the conclusion(s) were not credible. / 40
Writing Standards / The submission demonstrated good use of standard English grammar & spelling & included a consistent use of a citation system with no more than 5 violations of the “Common Mistakes.” / The submission demonstrated violations of English grammar or spelling (up to 10 violations of the “Common Mistakes”) which made the submission challenging to understand and/or inconsistent use of a citation system. / The submission demonstrated such repeated violations of English grammar or spelling and/or incomplete citations that a reader could not grasp the intent of the paper or its sources. / 20
Total Points / 100
COMMON MISTAKES IN ASSIGNMENTS
Below are correctives to common grammar and style mistakes I find in students’ writing.
Problems with Commas and Semicolons
1. Use a comma with the next-to-the-last item in a series of three or more items.
2. Place commas and periods within quotation marks, but place other punctuation marks outside of quotation marks.
3. Use the semicolon for (a) separating independent clauses[3] within a compound sentence that does not have a coordinating conjunction or (b) separating lengthy items in a series where commas are used already within the items themselves.
4. In a compound sentence with two independent clauses, join the independent clauses by either a semicolon or a comma + “and.” In a compound sentence with more than two independent clauses, separate all the clauses by a semicolon except for the last one, which should be separated by a comma + “and.” For example:
INCORRECT: My mother went to Washington and a tour guide took her through the Smithsonian Institute. [Here there are two independent clauses; that is, each part of the sentence could stand alone as a separate sentence.]
CORRECT: My mother went to Washington, and a tour guide took her through the Smithsonian Institute.
INCORRECT: My mother went to Washington, she visited the Smithsonian Institute and she saw the President.
CORRECT: My mother went to Washington; she visited the Smithsonian Institute, and she saw the President.
5. Use a colon (:) to introduce clarifying clauses, phrases, or lists.
INCORRECT: James decided to spend his day doing these chores; washing his car, paying his bills, and washing his clothes.
CORRECT: James decided to spend his day doing these chores: washing his car, paying his bills, and washing his clothes.
Problems with Pronouns
6. Make sure pronouns and their antecedents match in number, gender, and person. For example:
INCORRECT: Anxiety will not be overcome if a counselee refuses to apply Matthew 6:25-34 to their life. [Here the pronoun “their” does not match its antecedent “counselee” in number.]
CORRECT: Anxiety will not be overcome if counselees refuse to apply Matthew 6:25-34 to their lives.
7. To avoid unnecessary “gender-biased language,” wherever appropriate, use collective nouns (“humanity,” or “people”) and plural pronouns (“they,” “them,” “their,” etc.). Avoid use of “he/she” or “s/he.” Also avoid exclusive use of either “he” or “she.”
8. Use personal pronouns consistently within a sentence or paragraph. For example:
INCORRECT: Biblical counselors must be careful to use passages of Scripture appropriately. You must “rightly divide” the Word of Truth (2 Tim. 2:15). [Here the first sentence is written in the third person, and the second sentence is written in the second person.]
CORRECT: Biblical counselors must be careful to use passages of Scripture appropriately. They must “rightly divide” the Word of Truth (2 Tim. 2:15).
Problems with Quotations
9. Use block quotations for quotes that will be over 5 lines of text.
10. Do not use quotation marks to open or close block quotations; instead, indent them as many spaces as you indent your paragraphs. Single-space block quotations.
11. Use single quotation marks only within double quotation marks (signifying a quote within a quote).
Problems with Formatting
12. Reserve the use of Latin phrases (“e.g.,” “etc.,” “i.e.,” and so on) for parenthetical comments or footnotes (or endnotes).
13. Use a double space between lines within the body of the paper and between separate bibliographic entries. Use a single space between lines within footnotes and within bibliographic entries.
14. In bibliographies, indent the second and subsequent lines 5 spaces (a “hanging indentation”).
15. Format headings and subheadings consistently throughout the paper.
16. Do not allow subheadings to “hang” at the bottom of a page without at least two lines of supporting text underneath them.
17. Format citations consistently throughout the paper; do not mix citation systems.
18. Use parallel construction of items in lists or series. For example:[4]
INCORRECT: The participants were told to make themselves comfortable, to read the instructions, and that they should ask about anything they did not understand. [Here the first two items in the series are infinitive phrases and the last one is a dependent clause introduced by a relative pronoun.]
CORRECT: The participants were told to make themselves comfortable, to read the instructions, and to ask about anything they did not understand.
19. Capitalize “Scripture” and “Bible.” Do not capitalize “biblical,” “scriptural,” “pastor” (unless it’s used with a particular name, e.g., “Pastor Mark” or “Pastor Smith”), “biblical counseling,” or “biblical counselor.”
20. When you delete a portion of quoted material (a word, phrase, or sentence), you show that with an ellipsis. An ellipsis does not replace the period of the sentence before it.
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[1] The content of this book is taken from Grudem’s larger Systematic Theology: An Introduction to Biblical Doctrine (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1994). If you have this book, you can read chapters 21-25.
[2] The content of this book is taken from Grudem’s larger Systematic Theology: An Introduction to Biblical Doctrine (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1994). If you have this book, you can read chapters 34-38 & 40-43.
[3] An “independent clause” is a clause with a subject & predicate that could stand on its own as a separate sentence.
[4] This particular example comes from Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association, 5th ed (Washington, D. C.: American Psychological Association, 2001), 60.