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Personality and Individual Differences

Module description

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 on 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.

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 experience of 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

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

Example topics that will be covered include:

• An introduction to personality and individual differences
• The history of personality
• The essential trait approach
• Issues of testing and measurement
• Links between personality traits and behavioural outcomes (social behaviour, relationships, health, performance, happiness, crime)
• Biological and evolutionary approaches
• Personality in animals
• Other approaches to personality, including psychoanalysis, socio-cognitive approaches and positive psychology.
• Personality across the lifespan
• The history of intelligence testing
• Intelligence and IQ testing
• Multiple intelligences
• Psychological disorders, personality disorders and diagnosis
• Psychopathology, including the dark triad
• Other individual differences (e.g. creativity, motivation, vocational interests)
• Revision

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. 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.

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

Details of learning activities and teaching methods

Formative assessment

Summative assessment (% of credit)

Details of summative assessment

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

Re-assessment notes

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.

Indicative learning resources - Basic reading

Core text:

• Burger, J. M. (2018). Personality (10th Ed). New York: Thomson Learning Wadsworth.

Recommended reading:

• 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: https://vle.exeter.ac.uk/course/view.php?id=9365

Key words search

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