Theories of Personality

The major personality theorists will be presented sequentially within their cultural and historical contexts. This will provide the students with a broader understanding of the evolution of ideas concerning human nature. Exploration of theories will be limited to those that apply specifically to the practice of counseling. Attention will be paid to the interaction of the individual with the social milieu, the cultural biases within theory and the effect to personal history on theoretical claims.

Learning Goals:

• To expose students to the broad spectrum of personality theory utilized in psychotherapy so that students can both discover an area of personal interest for future exploration and appreciate and understand orientations that differ from their own.
• To give students an overview of the development of counseling psychology through the development of personality theory.
• To help students articulate their own theoretical and pragmatic questions and assumptions that underlie their personal orientation to the process of change in therapy.