DEPARTMENT OF PSYCHOLOGY

GOVERNMENT COLLEGE UNIVERSITY

Kachahry Road, Lahore

COURSE HANDBOOK

1 Course Title Theories of Personality (Foundation)

2 Course Code PSY- 1201
3 Credit Hours 3
4 Semester II
5 Course Instructor Ms. Fatima Murtaza
6 Supporting Team Members X
7 Contact Hours (Theory) 3 hours per week
8 Contact Hours (Lab) Not Applicable
9 Office Hours Monday to Wednesday (10:00-11:00 AM).
Will be available on phone, WhatsApp, and
Zoom.
10 Course Objectives
The aim of the course is to acquaint the students to able to
understand different psychological theories concepts in this course and
differentiate between these conceptions. The objectives of the course are as
follows: Develop an understanding of its course contents and evaluate it.
11 Learning Outcomes
i. Able to understand different psychological theories concepts
ii. Practical implications of theories in everyday life
iii. Procedures used for personality assessment
12 Course Contents

Introduction to Personality
Psychodynamic Approach to Personality by Sigmund Freud
Neo Freudians theory of Personality
Alfred Adler’s theory of personality
Karen Horney’s theory of Personality
Humanistic Approach to Personality
Theory of personality given by Carl Rogers
Cognitive Approach to Personality given by B. F. Skinner
13 Outline of Weekly Lectures & Reading List
Week 1.

Introduction to Personality

 Place of personality in history of Psychology.

 different definitions of Personality

Recommended Readings:

 Burger, Jerry M. (2000). Personality, 5th Edition. Wadsworth (Thomson

Learning).
 Duane Schultz, Sydney Ellen Schultz,(1998).Theories of Personality, 6th
Edition, USA.

Week 2 -4
Psychodynamic Approach to Personality by Sigmund Freud

 The life of Freud

 Instincts
 The levels of personality
 The structure of personality
 Anxiety and defense against anxiety
 Psychosexual stages of personality development
 Freud’s image of Human Nature
 Research and Assessment in Freud’s theory
Recommended Readings:

 Burger, Jerry M. (2000). Personality, 5th Edition. Wadsworth (Thomson

Learning).
 Duane Schultz, Sydney Ellen Schultz,(1998).Theories of Personality, 6th
Edition, USA

Week 4-6

Neo Freudians theory of Personality

 The life of Carl Jung.

 Psychic energy
 The development of personality
 The development of personality
 Assessment and research in Jung’s theory.
Recommended Readings:

 Burger, Jerry M. (2000). Personality, 5th Edition. Wadsworth (Thomson

Learning).
 Duane Schultz, Sydney Ellen Schultz,(1998).Theories of Personality, 6th
 Edition, USA.

Week 6-7

Alfred Adler’s theory of personality

 The life of Adler

 Inferiority feelings the source of human striving
 Striving for superiority or perfection
 Style of , Social interests and Birth order
 Adler’s image of human nature
 Assessment and research in Adler’s theory

Recommended Readings:

 Burger, Jerry M. (2000). Personality, 5th Edition. Wadsworth (Thomson

Learning).
 Duane Schultz, Sydney Ellen Schultz,(1998).Theories of Personality, 6th
Edition, USA.

Week 8

Mid-Term Exams
Week 8-10

Humanistic Approach to Personality

The life of Maslow

Personality development: The Hierarchy of needs
The study of Self-Actualization
Maslow’s image of human nature
Assessment and research in Maslow’s theory.

Recommended Readings:

 Burger, Jerry M. (2000). Personality, 5th Edition. Wadsworth (Thomson

Learning).
 Duane Schultz, Sydney Ellen Schultz,(1998).Theories of Personality, 6th
Edition, USA.

Week 11-13

Theory of personality given by Carl Rogers

 Life of Carl Rogers

 The importance of the self
 The Actualization Tendency
 The Experimental world
 The development of the Self in childhood
  Characteristics of a fully functioning person
 Assessment and research in Roger’s theory

Recommended Readings:

 Burger, Jerry M. (2000). Personality, 5th Edition. Wadsworth (Thomson

Learning).
 Duane Schultz, Sydney Ellen Schultz,(1998).Theories of Personality, 6th
Edition, USA.

Week 13-15

Cognitive Approach to Personality given by B. F. Skinner

 The life of Skinner

 Reinforcement and schedules of reinforcement
 Successive approximation
 Applications of Operant Conditioning
 Assessment and research in Skinner’s theory

Recommended Readings:

 Burger, Jerry M. (2000). Personality, 5th Edition. Wadsworth (Thomson

Learning).
 Duane Schultz, Sydney Ellen Schultz,(1998).Theories of Personality, 6th
Edition, USA.

Week 16:

Final Exam
12 Assessment Policy

The assessment of this module shall have following evaluation components:

Response Papers (Semester Work) 20%

Mid Term Test 20%
Final Examination 60%

The minimum pass marks for each course are 50%.

13 Assessment Schedule
Response Papers (each comprising 1500 words, use
reference books, response papers without presentations will
not be accepted).
Semester Evaluations:
i. Written Assignments
Topics: Karen Horney’s theory of Personality
 The life history and the childhood need for safety
of Karen Horney.
  Basic anxiety
 Neurotic need and neurotic trends
 The idealized Self image
 Feminist psychology
 Horney’s image of human nature
 Assessment and research in Horney’s theory

Mid Term Test (8th Week)

i. Open book Quiz 10
ii. Time bound online test 10
Final Semester Exams (17th Week) (Course Review Essay due
on 15th July 2020)
Write 8000-word review of the course.
(Give references, focus on methodological, theoretical,
thematic and comparative aspects of the course).
ii. Open book Quiz 10+10
iii. Written Assignments 20
iv. Time bound online test 20
14. Attendance Policy
 Attendance must be at least 80 percent to be eligible to appear in the final semester
exams.
 In live lectures, attendance will be marked by the teacher.
 For students with limited or no internet connectivity, attendance will be assignment
based. On weekly basis, such students will submit a 3000-word review of the readings to
be discussed in that week.