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∠ Description (/currentstudents/modules/description/)

Personality and Individual Differences

Module title Personality and Individual Differences

Module code PSY2205

Academic year 2018/9

Credits 15

Module staff Dr Avril Mewse (Convenor)

Duration: Term 1 2 3

Duration: Weeks 11

Number students taking module (anticipated) 200

Description - summary of the module content

Module description

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This module focuses on current and historical understanding of personality and individual
differences. We review the main theories of personality and use contemporary empirical evidence to
explore the complex relationship between personality and behaviour. In-depth examples of the
complexity of individual differences will be provided, and some lectures will focus of personality
disorders and problems assessing and classifying such disorders.

The academic tutorial component of this module provides you with an experiential learning process
that will further develop your understanding of the complex theoretical and conceptual issues
involved in the measurement and assessment of personality and individual differences. In particular,
the tutorial component will provide you with the opportunity to experience projective and objective
personality tests and to further explore the problems associated with diagnosing personality
disorders.

The module can be suitable for interdisciplinary students who have some background in
psychology. PSY1204 Introduction to Clinical Psychology is a pre-requisite and PSY2206 Methods
and Statistics in Psychology is a co-requisite.

Module aims - intentions of the module

The aims of the module are:

• to promote in you a broad and critical understanding of the ways in which personality and
individual differences influence various aspects of human behaviour.
• to make explicit to you the problems and issues surrounding the measurement of personality
and individual differences
• to promote in you a broad understanding of the application of a range of psychometric tests
and of the theoretical underpinnings of such tests.
• to provide you with hands on experience in personality testing and assessment through the
academic tutorials.

Many employers use personality tests to assess the suitability of applicants. This module will enable
you to have insight into such testing and should help you to understand how to best present
yourself in these tests.

Intended Learning Outcomes (ILOs)

ILO: Module-specific skills

On successfully completing the module you will be able to...

• 1. Assess the usefulness of the concepts of personality and individual differences in

accounting for human behaviour and apply these concepts to a broad range of psychological
phenomena
• 2. Illustrate how our understanding of personality and individual differences depends on the
methods used to measure these concepts and the theories employed to frame them
• 3. Describe the application of a range of psychometric tests and the theoretical underpinnings
of such tests

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ILO: Discipline-specific skills

On successfully completing the module you will be able to...

• 4. Illustrate detailed factual and conceptual knowledge of the subject and identify a variety of
ideas, contexts and frameworks
• 5. Review and critically evaluate published work and identify the strengths and weaknesses
of this work, and at a well-developed level structure this literature to present logical and
coherent arguments
• 6. Solve complex problems systematically, think critically and creatively, and appreciate the
complexities of the issues
• 7. Apply essential principles in designing research, and critically evaluate and analyse
empirical evidence, and assess the reliability of empirical evidence using a range of defined
techniques at a well-developed level
• 8. Discuss the wider ethical issues relating to the subject and its application

ILO: Personal and key skills

On successfully completing the module you will be able to...

• 9. Interact effectively within a learning group, giving and receiving information and ideas and
modifying responses where appropriate
• 10. Manage learning using resources for the discipline
• 11. Evaluate your own strengths and weaknesses, challenge received opinion and develop
your own criteria and judgment, and seek and make use of feedback
• 12. Manage and select information and data from a range of sources and develop
appropriate information finding strategies
• 13. Take responsibility for your own learning with minimum direction
• 14. Communicate effectively in the manner appropriate to the discipline and in a variety of
formats
• 15. Identify key areas of problems and choose appropriate methods for their resolution in a
considered manner
• 16. Act with increasing autonomy, with reduced need for supervision and direction, within
defined guidelines
• 17. Manage time effectively to meet deadlines

Syllabus plan

Syllabus plan
The first 14 lectures of this module will focus on our current and historical understanding of
personality and individual differences using evidence from contemporary research and will explore
the complex relationship between these concepts and behaviour. Specific issues including emotion,
motivation, cognitive style, temperament, mood and arousal will be covered alongside consideration
of the main theoretical perspectives. The remaining lectures will provide in-depth examples of the
complexity of individual differences, and of our attempts to work with, around or against these
differences through psychological therapy.

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The academic tutorial component of this module will provide you with an experiential learning
process that will further enhance understanding of the complexities surrounding the field of
personality and individual differences. In particular, the tutorial component will provide you with the
opportunity to experience projective and objective personality tests and to further examine the
complex issues involved in assessing and diagnosing personality disorders. Measurement issues
will be considered alongside the historical, cultural and social specificity issues involved in
personality and IQ testing. This will deepen your understanding of the complex theoretical and
conceptual issues involved in the measurement of personality and individual differences.

• Personality and individual differences: general introduction

• Psychoanalytic theory (Freudian theory)
• Neo-Freudians
• The Freudian legacy
• Personality trait theory 1 - psychological testing and measurement issues
• Personality trait theory 2
• Personality trait theory 3
• Personality type theory – health and well being
• The person-situation debate
• Biological and evolutionary approaches
• Behaviourist, social learning and cognitive approaches
• Phenomenological approaches
• Intelligence 1
• Intelligence 2
• Personality disorders I
• Personality disorders II
• Personality and crime
• Psychological disorders and individual differences – a transdiagnostic approach
• Social phobia
• Individual differences and psychosis
• Consolidation of learning: review
• Revision

Learning and teaching

Learning activities and teaching methods (given in hours of study time)

Scheduled Learning and Teaching Guided independent Placement / study

Activities study abroad

25 125 0

Details of learning activities and teaching methods

Category Hours of Description

study time

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Scheduled Learning and 18 Lectures

Teaching

Scheduled Learning and 3 Tutorials (3 x 1 hour)

Teaching

Guided Independent 125 Reading and preparation for lectures and

Study examination, researching and writing essay

Assessment

Formative assessment

Form of Size of the assessment (eg length / ILOs Feedback

assessment duration) assessed method

Tutorial 3 hours All Oral

Summative assessment (% of credit)

Coursework Written exams Practical exams

50 50 0

Details of summative assessment

Form of % of Size of the assessment (eg ILOs Feedback

assessment credit length / duration) assessed method

Examination 50 1 hour All Generic

Essay 50 2000 words All Individual

Re-assessment

Details of re-assessment (where required by referral or deferral)

Original form of Form of re- ILOs re- Timescale for re-

assessment assessment assessed assessment

Examination Examination All August Ref/Def

Essay Essay All August Ref/Def

Re-assessment notes

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Two assessments are required for this module. Where you have been referred/deferred in the
examination you will have the opportunity to take a second examination in the August/September
re-assessment period. Where you have been referred/deferred in the essay you will be required to
resubmit the essay. If you are successful on referral, your overall module mark will be capped at
40%; deferred marks are not capped.

Resources

Indicative learning resources - Basic reading

Core texts (pick one of the following):

• Burger, J. M. (2007). Personality (7th Ed). New York: Thomson Learning Wadsworth.
• Funder, D. C. (2007). The Personality Puzzle (5th Ed). London: W.W. Norton and Company.

Recommended reading:

• Kline, P. (1999). The handbook of psychological testing (2nd Ed). London: Routledge.
• Harvey, A.G., Watkins, E., Mansell, W. and Shafran, R. (2004). Cognitive behavioural
processes across psychological disorders. Oxford University Press.

Indicative learning resources - Web based and electronic resources

• ELE page: http://vle.exeter.ac.uk/course/view.php?id=1890
(http://vle.exeter.ac.uk/course/view.php?id=1890)

Module has an active ELE page

Key words search

Personality, individual differences, trait, type, disposition, Freud, psychoanalysis, psychometrics,
factor analysis, personality disorders, therapy, temperament, intelligence, IQ, measurement

Credit value 15

Module ECTS 7.5

Module pre-requisites PSY1204 Introduction to Clinical Psychology

Module co-requisites PSY2206 Methods and Statistics in Psychology II

NQF level (module) 5

Available as distance learning? No

Origin date 01/11/2011

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Last revision date 08/03/2018

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