Topics and Learning Objectives
X. Personality
In this section of the course, students explore major theories of how humans develop enduring patterns of behavior and personal characteristics that influence how others relate to them. The unit also addresses research methods used to assess personality.
AP students in psychology should be able to do the following:
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Compare and contrast major theories and approaches to explaining personality: psychoanalytic, humanist, cognitive, trait, social cognition, and behavioral.
- Describe and compare research methods (e.g., case studies and surveys) that psychologists use to investigate personality.
- Identify frequently used assessment strategies (e.g., the Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory [MMPI], the Thematic Apperception Test [TAT], Rorschach), and evaluate relative test quality based on reliability and validity of the instruments.
- Speculate how cultural context can facilitate or constrain personality development, especially as it relates to self-concept (e.g., collectivism versus individualistic cultures).
- Identify key contributors to personality theory (e.g., Alfred Adler, Albert Bandura, Paul Costa and Robert McCrae, Sigmund Freud, Carl Jung, Abraham Maslow, Carl Rogers).