The Trait Approach to Understanding Personality The Big 5 (OCEAN) is one of the

The Trait Approach to Understanding Personality
The Big 5 (OCEAN) is one of the most researched approaches to the study of personality and is discussed in Chapter 2 on pages 51-54 of your textbook. It describes personality as a function of 5 core traits: openness to experience, conscientiousness, extraversion, agreeableness, and neuroticism.
Start by taking the free personality inventory available at http://www.123test.com/personality-test/ This test will give you a free report (though it does require that you give them your email) that provides information on how you scored on each of the traits. Use your report and the information in the textbook to respond to the following questions (do not just answer the questions; provide each of your responses in a well-constructed paragraph(s) using full sentences). Overall, your paper should be about 3-5 pages in length, double-spaced and type-written, with 1-inch margins and in a 12-point regular font.
1. Briefly describe your personality in terms of each the personality factors on the Big 5 (if you use direct quotes or paraphrasing from your report, be sure to cite the report in your essay). Were you surprised by any of the results?
2. Briefly discuss how accurate you think the report is in describing your personality. You might consider ideas such as the mood you were in when you took the inventory, how “honest” you were with yourself, how others might describe you, etc.
3. Briefly describe at least two other influences on your personality that you think are relevant (e.g., family, culture and identity, generation, current situation). Are they captured by the Big 5? Why or why not?
4. If you were to modify one thing about your personality, what would it be and why?
5. Overall, how useful do you think this exercise was in helping you understand yourself? How did it help you understand the study of personality in the field of psychology? Please feel free to add any other observations that you feel are important.The Trait Approach to Understanding Personality
Grading:
It is important that your written portion is well written, organized and free of major errors (syntax, spelling, etc.). You should take the time to edit your work. It is highly recommended that you do both a spelling and grammar check before submitting your paper!
Grades for the project will be based on several criteria that are summed up in the following rubric. Chief among these are: clarity and conciseness, cohesiveness, level of thought, thoroughness, and synthesis with class material. In general, keep the following in mind:
A: Superior completion of work (14-15 points). Responds to all aspects of the assignment in thoughtful ways. Evidence of excellent integration with course material, the use of relevant examples, and an analysis of the material at a thoughtful level. Writing is organized, clear, concise, and shows insight. Work is turned in on time, is complete, and is relatively error free.
B: Satisfactory completion of work or superior effort towards completion (12-13 points). Generally fine work, but weaker in some aspects as compared to superior completion of work. This is most evident in the writing, which may not be as organized, clear, or concise. A B-level paper might also be described as competent, but not as insightful as an A-level paper.
C: Adequate completion of work or effort towards completion (10-11 points). Drawbacks in one’s work are present that may be evidenced by weaknesses in two or more of the following areas: superficial development of the topic, poor organization and presentation, late or incomplete assignment, moderate grammatical and technical errors in writing.
D: Minimal completion of work or effort towards completion (9 points). Shows significant errors in writing and little understanding of the assignment.
F: Unsatisfactory completion of work or effort towards completion (less than 9 points). Unacceptable work with several major deficiencies. Plagiarism and/or cheating will result in a grade of F and a report to the University Office of Student Rights and Responsibilities.Grading:
It is important that your written portion is well written, organized and free of major errors (syntax, spelling, etc.). You should take the time to edit your work. It is highly recommended that you do both a spelling and grammar check before submitting your paper!
Grades for the project will be based on several criteria that are summed up in the following rubric. Chief among these are: clarity and conciseness, cohesiveness, level of thought, thoroughness, and synthesis with class material. In general, keep the following in mind:
A: Superior completion of work (14-15 points). Responds to all aspects of the assignment in thoughtful ways. Evidence of excellent integration with course material, the use of relevant examples, and an analysis of the material at a thoughtful level. Writing is organized, clear, concise, and shows insight. Work is turned in on time, is complete, and is relatively error free.
B: Satisfactory completion of work or superior effort towards completion (12-13 points). Generally fine work, but weaker in some aspects as compared to superior completion of work. This is most evident in the writing, which may not be as organized, clear, or concise. A B-level paper might also be described as competent, but not as insightful as an A-level paper.
C: Adequate completion of work or effort towards completion (10-11 points). Drawbacks in one’s work are present that may be evidenced by weaknesses in two or more of the following areas: superficial development of the topic, poor organization and presentation, late or incomplete assignment, moderate grammatical and technical errors in writing.
D: Minimal completion of work or effort towards completion (9 points). Shows significant errors in writing and little understanding of the assignment.
F: Unsatisfactory completion of work or effort towards completion (less than 9 points). Unacceptable work with several major deficiencies. Plagiarism and/or cheating will result in a grade of F and a report to the University Office of Student Rights and Responsibilities.