Theories of Personality

The purpose of this final writing assignment is discuss your " theoretical orientation." You might wonder what is meant by "theoretical orientation" -- In a nutshell- it's the theory to which you find yourself oriented, i.e., the one you think stands above the others as most useful or valid..

This task is not about developing a theory of your own, but rather it's about forming a sort of intellectual commitment to an existing theoretical framework and providing an explanation about why you endorse that theory.  Evaluation will not be based on which theory you choose. Please choose that which appeals to you.

Spend some time thinking about everything you've learned and consider one approach from the book that seems especially valid and/or useful to you.

Please assume the reader (your professor) is already quite knowledgeable about the theory. Do not devote page space to summarizing the theory

Instead, focus on explaining why you are drawn to the theory, what aspects of the theory you agree with and why. Think about its explanatory or practical utility.

Also examine any aspects of the theory with which you disagree, and why you disagree.

You may think of this as "building a case" for the theory, and it would not be inappropriate to include brief accounts of any research findings that support the theory, however, this is not really necessary, and shouldn't be overdone.  **The key task is to present a coherent description of how you've come to favor this theory as a result of your personal experiences and/or worldview. Therefore, a first person narrative style is recommended for this paper.

Papers should be at least 1.5 pages. Save and submit as a word file (.docx)