Personality Theory

6.1 Discussion. Did I?

Getting Started

Sometimes it is prudent to take a step back from daily life and look at the bigger picture. To do this, it is helpful to imagine yourself at the end of your life. Looking back on our lives, we can gain perspective on what is really important. Trapped in the hectic pace of life, we may forget what things will last and what things are only temporary and fleeting. So now, take a moment and reflect on your journey thus far. What kinds of things have you done or are you doing that will last? What kinds of things do you do that serve only a temporary happiness, a fleeting sense of enjoyment, or a shallow form of existence?

Upon successful completion of this discussion, you will be able to:

· Articulate the experiences in life that are lasting.

Resources

· Bible

· Video & Transcript: Did I?

Background Information

When you look back on your life, you will quickly see how time truly flies. Where did all the days go? Where have all the years gone? Questions will arise. “Did I serve enough?” “Did I really stop and hear others?” “Did I forgive often and love much?” These are worthy questions, questions of the true hero, and questions that foster purpose and meaning in life. Moreover, these are questions that bring about an inner character, a character that is forged by the strong hand of God and shaped meticulously by the graceful movement of the Holy Spirit in our lives. Reflect on this phrase and answer the question, “Did I . . . ?”

Instructions

1. Review the rubric to make sure you understand the criteria for earning your grade.

2. Watch the video,  Did I?  (3:19 min)

a. Transcript of the video .

3. Navigate to the threaded discussion and respond to the following:

a. What have I done thus far in life that helps others?

b. What would I like to do more often to help serve others better?

4. Your initial post is due by the end of the fourth day of the workshop.

5. Read and respond to at least two of your classmates’ posts, as well as all instructor follow-up questions directed to you, by the end of the workshop.

6. Your postings should also:

a. Be well developed by providing clear answers with evidence of critical thinking.

b. Add greater depth to the discussion by introducing new ideas.

6.4 Assignment. Are You Type A or Type B?

Getting Started

We often use a form of shorthand when we classify people as being either a Type A or Type B personality. A Type A person is typically characterized as competitive, organized, and even aggressive. A Type B person is typically characterized as more relaxed and easy-going. Of course, these are broad stereotypes, but they also give us a reasonable way to categorize certain personality traits.

While Type A persons tend to get a lot done, they are also prone to being workaholics. Their relentless quest to achieve can cause them to focus on the accomplishment of tasks at the expense of important relationships in their life. They’ve also been known to be at higher risk of health problems such as heart disease because they turn the stress response on more frequently than Type B persons.

Type B persons, in comparison are not lazy; they work at a more consistent rhythm that depends less on bursts of energy and more on consistency. They are less at risk for certain health problems, such as heart attack, but more prone to certain mental problems, such as depression or anxiety, and substance abuse issues when compared to Type A persons.

In this final assignment of the course, you are asked to take what information you might have about Type A and Type B tendencies and choose the one you think best describes your life and possible health risks along with any changes you wish to make.

Upon successful completion of this assignment, you will be able to:

· Assess personality type A or B and the associated health risks.

Resources

· Textbook:  Personality Psychology: Understanding Yourself and Others

· Article: How Your Personality Type Affects Your Health

Background Information

Before you begin this assignment, first read Chapter 15 in the textbook and also read the article “How Your Personality Type Affects Your Health.” You will get the most out of this assignment if you are honest about your work habits and personal preferences.

Instructions

1. Review the rubric to make sure you understand the criteria for earning your grade.

2. Read Chapter 15 in your textbook.

3. Read the article  How Your Personality Type Affects Your Health .

4. In your assignment, respond to the following:

a. Which of the two personality types best characterizes you? Explain with examples from your life.

b. Do the health or lifestyle risks associated with your personality type concern you? Explain.

c. What, if any, changes would you like to make to lower your risk of future health complications?

5. Your submission should be 400 to 500 words in length.

5.1 Discussion. The Forest of Tree

Getting Started

In John 17:23, Jesus prays to the Father in heaven, “I in them and you in me—so that they may be brought to complete unity. Then the world will know that you sent me and have loved them even as you have loved me.” What kind of unity is Jesus speaking about in this passage? What kind of love? Many of us have felt the love and kinship of family and the closeness of friends. But have we ever really experienced the kind of relationship that can be described as “I in them and you in me….?” Perhaps loving our neighbor as ourselves means so much more than putting others first or caring about the welfare of others. Perhaps loving others means truly understanding that we are one with everyone around us. When they hurt, we hurt. When they win, we win. Perhaps it is knowing that what happens to others has a direct impact on our own lives. We love others because we are ‘one’ with others. We love others…as ourselves.

Upon successful completion of this discussion, you will be able to:

· Describe a time when you felt “at one” with others.

Resources

· Bible

· Video & Transcript: The Forest of Tree

Background Information

Are you a loner? Do you want to spend time away from others, do things your own way all the time, work by yourself, and otherwise do all you can to keep from interacting with those around you? When was the last time you felt “at one” with others? When was the last time you felt the sheer joy of being on a team, working in a group, sharing a time of worship with others of like mind and heart? Our Lord prays that we will experience the type of oneness he has with the Father, that we will learn what it means to really come together as his Church, His body, his spotless bride.

Instructions

1. Review the rubric to make sure you understand the criteria for earning your grade.

2. Watch the video,  The Forest of Tree  (2:45 min)

a. Transcript of the video. .

3. Navigate to the threaded discussion and respond to the following:

a. Describe a time when you felt “at one” with others.

b. How often do you feel a part of something much larger than yourself?

4. Your initial post is due by the end of the fourth day of the workshop.

5. Read and respond to at least two of your classmates’ posts, as well as all instructor follow-up questions directed to you, by the end of the workshop.

6. Your postings should also:

a. Be well developed by providing clear answers with evidence of critical thinking.

b. Add greater depth to the discussion by introducing new ideas.

6.3 Assignment. Rough Draft of Paper

Getting Started

This assignment is the culmination of many progressive steps you’ve taken in the last two courses. You’ve reflected on your life story, crafted Odyssey Plans, considered your worldviews, and completed three main personality assessments, along with a number of other reflective discussions and assignments designed to help you get a better understanding of your personality and how that learning might be shaped into a story.

In this assignment, you get to bring it all together and put it into a Philosophy of Life, Work, and Personal Growth paper that will include a detailed outline that could be given as a TED style talk. After having watched a few TED Talks and even critiqued one in this course, you should have a pretty good idea of how they are structured.

But, to be clear, you are only creating a detailed outline of a sample TED style talk that may be in the form of a traditional TED talk or may be more like a podcast or another multimedia format. You are not writing out the whole speech, nor are you presenting this talk to anyone. The idea is to help you take your learning from the course and shape it into a narrative that  could be a TED Talk. You are focusing here on the  structure of a good TED Talk. Consider this practice for when you will develop a real TED-like talk that you will deliver in the specialization series and final capstone course. So, follow the instructions carefully and be sure to include each item requested.

Upon successful completion of this assignment, you will be able to:

· Construct a rough outline from their narrative and course learning that serves as the basis for their future TED talk.

Background Information

Though the assignment asks you to create an “outline,” please respond to the prompts in the assignment instructions with fully developed paragraphs that correspond to headings (the bolded text) you insert into your paper. The more detail you provide in each section, the better.

Instructions

1. Review the rubric to make sure you understand the criteria for earning your grade.

2. Using the insights gained from your Assignment activities in Workshop Five and the feedback from your instructor in your check-in, also in Workshop Five, create a rough draft outline of a sample TED Talk by responding to the following:

a. Introduction: How might you introduce your topic in a brief but attention-grabbing way? Write out a sample paragraph.

b. Main message: State the main points you intend to cover in your talk. This is where you can tap into the progression of the hero’s journey. Develop three main points.

c. Importance: Why does this matter to you? Equally important, why should it matter to someone else? Write one paragraph to explain.

d. Solution or impact: What outcome have you experienced, or hope to experience, because of this journey? Write one paragraph to explain.

e. Audio and visual aids: What audio and/or visual aids (photos, music, slides, etc.) would you possibly use to help enhance.

3. Your assignment should be four to five pages in length.

5.4 Assignment. Preparation for Check-In with Instructor

Getting Started

There are two reasons for taking the personality assessments in this course. The first is to help you explore your personality and gain insights into the person you now are and also the person you want to become. The second reason for these assessments is to weave the insights about your personality into a narrative that reflects some important aspect of your life story. It could revolve around a single event or be a combination of many steps that progressively unfolded over time. You also want that narrative to incorporate some of the concepts from the Hero’s Journey. And from that emerging story, you will write a culminating Philosophy of Life, Work, and Personal Growth paper and create the rough draft of a sample TED style talk.

In this assignment, you will do the preparatory work for your final projects by compiling some of the main takeaways from the three main personality assessments from Workshops Three, Four, and Five. As you review the feedback from the assessments and summaries you wrote in your papers, look for insights that could be combined into a theme. Think of the theme as a common thread that runs through each of the personality insights.

Upon successful completion of this assignment, you will be able to:

· Compile a list of main takeaways from the personality assessments for sifting out a recurring theme.

Background Information

The easiest way to approach this assignment is to go back over the findings from each of the three main personality assessments and your story that were completed in Workshops Two, Three, Four, and Five. Extract at least one insight about your personality and your personal story that was meaningful to you and write about this insight in paragraph form, explaining why you found it helpful. Then look for common ground between the three insights that you could form into a theme that will serve as the focus of Part II of this assignment. In Workshop Six, you will use that theme to shape the rough outline of a sample TED Talk.

Instructions

1. Review the rubric to make sure you understand the criteria for earning your grade.

2. Part I: Main Takeaways from Personality Assessments:

a. Review the main personality assessments from the course (from Workshops Three, Four, and Five), and draw out at least one insight from each assessment that you consider important for understanding your personality. The three main tests taken during the course include:

i. 16 Personalities Test

ii. The Big Five Personality Trait Test

iii. The Enneagram Personality Test

b. Provide a paragraph of explanation for each assessment, explaining what was meaningful to you.

c. In a final paragraph, tie together these three insights into a theme that also incorporates your faith journey. This theme will be used in Part II of this assignment.

3. Part II: Shaping Your Story:

a. Take the theme created in Part I and respond to the following prompts:

i. What is the main theme of the story you want to tell about your personality? Why is it important to you?

ii. What about this theme is important for others to know? In other words, how might someone benefit from hearing your story?

iii. What three points, related to your main theme, seem most important to include? Explain.

iv. Review the "What Makes a Hero" video from  2.2 Discussion: Exploring Your Hero’s Journey . Which of the 11 stages of the hero’s journey can you identify from the current version of your story? State these and provide a brief explanation for each.

4. Your submission for Part II should be four to five paragraphs in length and will be used to create your rough draft of the assignment in Workshop Six. Be sure to talk through these ideas when you check in with your instructor in this workshop.