COMSATS University Islamabad Lahore Campus

1 Course Title Personality Theories - I

2 Course Code PSY210

3 Credit Hours 3(3,0)

4 Semester FA19-BPSY-A/B

5 Resource Person Ms. Samreen Shahzaib

6 Supporting Team Members None

7 Contact Hours (Theory) 3 hours per week

8 Contact Hours (Lab) Not Applicable

9 Office Hours 08:30 am to 04:30 pm

10 Course Introduction

Personality psychology has been blessed with an array of creative thinkers, whose
insights have been of immense value in helping us understand how personality
originates, develops, and functions. Although all of the theories covered in this
text have certain strengths, not surprisingly each of them also has its limitations.
The phenomena encompassed by human personality are simply too complex and
diverse for any one individual to unite them in a single, coherent theoretical
framework; thus, no one theorist can ever hope to construct a completely
adequate theory of personality. The goal instead is to create theories that are ever
more adequate or scientifically useful. Therefore, researchers continue to test
hypotheses from the various current theories in an effort to validate, extend, and
improve them. Some seek to construct new theories; for them, the current theories
serve to stimulate new creative efforts.

Course Objectives and Description:

To examine, in depth, specific theories under each of the major psychological models of
personality and examine each theories concepts and principles, their explanation of personality
development, their assessment techniques, and their application to treatment of psychopathology.
Students will be able to articulate the major concepts and principles of each personality theory
discussed in the class and in the text. Students will be able to articulate each theories assessment
techniques and the theories approach to the treatment and understanding of psychopathology.
 Course Outline/Contents

Week Topic of Lectures

#

Psychology of personality
a. Introduction to the Discipline
Week b. Meaning of personality
1& 2 c. Meaning of theory
d. Measurement of Personality

The Psychoanalytic Legacy; Sigmund Freud

a. Bio graphical sketch
Week b. Basic concepts
3, 4&5 c. Personality structure
i. Three interacting systems.
ii. Personality development
iii. Five sequential stages.
iv. Personality dynamics
v. instincts/anxiety/catharsis and anti-catharsis
vi. Defense mechanisms
d. Application of psychoanalytictheory; Dream analysis paraphrases
e. Psychotherapy
Critical evaluation
Week Personality’s ancestral foundations: Carl Jung:
6, 7 & a. Biographicalsketch
8 b. Basic concepts: Conscious and unconscious; Archetypes, Personality
typology Personality development
c. Further applications: Dream analysis; Psychopathology;
Psychotherapy
d. Critical evaluation

Overcominginferiorityandstrivingforsuperiority: AlfredAdler
a. Biographicalsketch
Week b. Basic concepts:
9, 10 I. Developingsocialfeelings:society;work andlove
& 11 II. Style of life; future goals vs. past events; overcoming
inferiority
Strivingforsuperiorityandsuperioritycomplex;Familyinfluence
on personality development
c. Further applications: Dream analysis; Psychopathology
Psychotherapy
d. Critical evaluation
 Neo Freudians
a. Karen Horney
Week i. Basicanxiety
12, 13, ii. Copingbywayof10neuroticneedsmovingtowards,or against, or
14, & away from people
15 iii. Development of an idealized vs. a real image of self
iv. Claims, shouldandDefensemechanisms.
b. Harry Stack Sullivan
v. Empathy
vi. Anxiety and security
vii. 3 modes of experience
viii. 6 stages of Development

c. HenryA.Murray
ix. Definition of need
x. variety of needs
xi. Strength of needs and interactions Environmental press
xii. Thema

d. Erik Erikson
xiii. Psycho-social stages of personality development
xiv. Identity crises

14 Course Assessment
The assessment of this module shall have following breakdown structure

First Sessional Test 10%

Second Sessional Test15%

Quizzes/Assignments 25%

Terminal Examination 50%

The minimum pass marks for each course shall be 50%. Students obtaining less than 50%
marks in any course shall be deemed to have failed in that course. The correspondence
between letter grades, credit points, and percentage marks at CIIT shall be as follows:

Grades Letter Grade Credit Points Percentage Marks

A ( Excellent) 4.0 90and above
A- 3.7 85-89
B+ 3.3 80-84
B (Good) 3.0 75-79
B- 2.7 70-74
C+ 2.3 65-69
C (Average) 2.0 60-64
C- 1.7 55-59
D (Minimum passing) 1.3 50-54
F (Failing) 0.0 Less than 50
Note: The marks to be assigned to students shall be in whole numbers and are not same as
followed in the annual system of Lancaster University.

Recommended Books

Theories of Personality [10th Ed.]

Authors: Duane P. Schultz, Sydney Ellen Schultz
Publisher: Wadsworth Publishing; (2012)
Theories of Personality [10th Ed.]
Author: Richard M. Ryckman
Publisher: Wadsworth Publishing; (2012)

An Introduction to Theories of Personality [7th Ed.]

Author: Robert B. Ewen
Publisher: Lawrence Earlbaum Associates; (2010)