Identity Paper Instructions:
Brieifly explain the Nature vs. Nurture controversy. A. NATURE 1. Briefly explain the Biological Perspective (genetics) (p. 18) � What is your genetic makeup? (Start with the obvious; sex, body size, hair/eye color) � Are there any diseases? � Tendencies (right/left brain)? http://brain.web-us.com/brain/braindominance.htm � Special abilities (athletic, artistic, etc...) that run in your family? 2. Briefly explain the Trait Theory of Personality (p. 322) Which of your personality traits did you inherit? -Catell: 16 personality traits -Eysenk: Introvert/Extrovert -The Big Five Personality Traits B. NURTURE 1. Neo-Freudians Briefly explain the "Neo-Freudian" aspect of the psychoanalytic approach. Briefly explain the following neo-freudian psychologists theories and apply to yourself with a specific example: a. Carl Jung - Define Collective Unconcious - Define Archtypes - Briefly explain the term Persona and give a personal example of your persona b. Karen Horney- Social Relationships (parent-child relationship) c. Afred Adler: Ineriority-Complex 2. Learning Theory Briefly explain the Learning Approach and Behavioralism.(p.332) Briefly explain the following psychologists theories or terms: a. John B. Watson: Conditioning b. B.F. Skinner: Reinforcement /Socialization c. Albert Bandura: Social Learning Theory List the five most significant reference groups which have helped shape your life and influenced your personality. Which of their attitudes have you internalized? (Reference Groups /Affiliations)Back to Top
A. Briefly Explain the Humanist theory. Define your morals, values and personal philosophy when answering the following questions. (Concentrate on the intrinsic). PART A: Carl Rogers: Briefly explain Rogers theory in terms of: -self concept -congruence, -self esteem -positive regard. 1.Define Real Self: a. Explain Cognitive Consistency. Give two specific examples in you life where you have exhibited /experienced cognitive consistency. b. Explain Cognitive Dissonance. Give two specific examples in you life where you have exhibited /experienced cognitive dissonance. 2. Define Ideal Self: Give three examples of what your perfect self would look like? 3. Define Fully Functioning Individual. What are two changes you could make toward becoming a fully functioning individual? PART B: Abraham Maslow: Briefly explain Maslow's Hierarchy of Human Needs. In separate paragraphs, explain each Maslow's five levels and what percent of needs you have met and not met at that level. Give specific examples for each. a) Percent of needs met b) Percent of needs NOT met:Back to Top
A. ACHIEVEMENTS: List your past achievements in terms of the twelve categories listed below. Make sure to list only your actions or behavior which have contributed to your growth in each area. DO NOT list what someone else has done or anything negative. Give specific examples. 1. Happy family life: 2. Intimacy: 3. Friendship: 4. Good health: 5. Peace of mind: 6. Serving others: 7. Material success: 8. Education/Career achievement: 9: Creative expression: 10. Personal growth: 11. Spiritual awareness: 12. Dedication to a social cause: B. GOALS: For each of the following, list FOUR goals (2 intrinsic + 2 extrinsic). Give the first immediate step you can make to achieve these goals and the subsequent steps you will need to take in the future to be successful at reaching these goals. 1. ONE YEAR: 1. Intrinsic: 2. Intrinsic: 3. Extrinsic: 4. Extrinsic: 2. 5-10 YEARS: 1. Intrinsic: 2. Intrinsic: 3. Extrinsic 4. Extrinsic: 3. 30TH Bday/LIFETIME: 1. Intrinsic: 2. Intrinsic: 3. Extrinsic 4. Extrinsic:Back to Top
PART A: Strengths: Write a paragraph to describe your strengths (min 5 strengths). PART B: Weaknesses: Write a paragraph to describe your weaknesses (min 4-5z) Weaknesses can not exceed your strengths. PART C: Briefly explain Freud's Defense Mechanisms. Define each one and give a specific example when you have used it. (p.326) PART D: Psychoanalytic Self Analysis: Briefly explain the psychoanalytic theory. 1. Freud's 5 stages of psychosexual development: Briefly explain and give personal examples of your current personality traits and how Freud would say they illustrate your early childhood development Stage 1: Oral EX: a. Explanation: (identify conflict; lack of resolution leads to what personality traits) b. Personal Application: 2. Erickson: Briefly explain Erickson's eight stages and where you fall in each stage. For future stages (6-8), make a prediction where you will fall and why. Stage 1: Trust v. Mistrust: a. Explanation: (how does a child develop trust or mistrust b. Personal Application:Back to Top
V. SELF ASSESSMENT AND ADJUSTMENT
A. ASSESMENT 1. Stability: According to Hans Eysenck's Personality Dimensions(p.324), What percent of your top ten listed traits are stable and unstable? Discuss the impact of unstable traits on your mental well-being. 2. Personal Wellness: Using your Personal Wellness questionnaire as a guide, discuss your personal state of physical wellness (handout) 3. Stress Level: Using the stress symptom checklist and the Social Readjustment Rating Scale (p.389) discuss your current stress level and its impact on your mental and physical well- being. 4. Personality Type (A,B,C): Discuss your personality type and explain the impact it has on your mental and physical well- being http://psychology.about.com/library/jv/bljv_pers.htm 5. Locus of Control: Is your locus of control Internal or External? Discuss the implications of your results. http://www.dushkin.com/connectext/psy/ch11/survey11.mhtml. B. ADJUSTMENT Refer to POSITIVE COPING STRATEGIES handout to address the following areas: 1. Physical and Lifestyle Changes 2. Emotional Strategies a. Self Nurturing Activities: Make a list of ways to take care of you. (Min 2 each) -daily -weekly -monthly -annual b. Assertiveness: Identify skills you currently have and skills you will need to develop to become more assertive (Worksheet) 3.Cognitive Strategies Mistaken Beliefs: List five mistaken beliefs you currently hold and give TWO affirmations for each mistaken belief you have listed. (Worksheet) 4. Philosophical/Spiritual StrategiesBack to Top
POSITIVE COPING STATEGIES FOR STRESS
Physical and Lifestyle Strategies -Abdominal breathing and relaxation -Low-stress diet -Regular Exercise -Down time(including �mental health days) -Mini-breaks (5-10-minute periods to relax during the day) -Time management (appropriate paving) -Sleep hygiene -Choosing a nontoxic environment -Material security Emotional Strategies -Social support and relatedness -Self-nurturing -Good communication -Assertiveness -Recreational activities (�playtime�) -Emotional release -Sense of humor�ability to see things in perspective Cognitive Strategies -Constructive thinking ability to counter negative thinking -Distraction ability to distract yourself from negative preoccupations -Task oriented (vs. reactive) approach to problems -Accept (ability/cope with setbacks) -Tolerence (ability to accept human weakness) Philosophical/Spiritual Strategies -Consistent goals or purposes to work toward -Positive philosophy of life -Religious / spiritual life and commitmentBack to Top
Nurture Your Inner Child on a daily basis: Inner Child: The following list is helpful to many people who suffer from anxiety disorders or depression. By performing at least on or two items from the list every day, or anything else you find pleasurable, you will grow in the important skill of becoming a good parent to yourself. You have no nothing to lose but your sense of insecurity and inadequacy-nothing to gain except increased self-esteem. 1. Take a warm bath 2. Have breakfast in bed 3. Take a sauna 4. Get a massage 5. Buy yourself a rose 6. Take a bubble bath 7. Go to a pet store an play with the animals 8. Walk on a scenic path in a park 9. Visit a zoo 10. Have a manicure or pedicure 11. Stop and smell some flowers 12. Wake up early and watch the sunrise 13. Watch the sunset 14. Relax with a good book and/or soothing music 15. Go rent a funny video 16. Play your favorite music and dance to it by yourself 17. Go to bed early 18. Sleep outside under the stars 19. Take a �mental health day off� from work 20. Fix a special dinner just for yourself and eat by candlelight 21. Go for a walk 22. Call a good friend�or several good friends 23. Go out to a fine restaurant just with yourself 24. Go to the beach 25. Take a scenic drive 26. Meditate 27. Buy new clothes 28. Browse in a book record store for as long as you want 29. Buy yourself a cuddly stuffed animal and play with it 30. Write yourself a love letter and mail it 31. Ask a special person to nurture you (feed, cuddle, and/or read to you) 32. Buy yourself something special that you can afford 33. Go see a good film or show 34. Go to the park and feed the ducks, swing on the swings, and so on 35. Visit a museum or another interesting place 36. Give yourself more time than you need to accomplish whatever you�re doing (let yourself dawdle) 37. Work on your favorite puzzle or puzzle book 38. Go into a hot tub or Jacuzzi 39. Record an affirmation tape 40. Write out an ideal scenario concerning a goal, than visualize it 41. Read an inspirational book 42. Writ a letter to an old friend 43. Bake or cook something special 44. Go window shopping 45. Buy a meditation tape 46. Listen to a positive, motivational tape 47. Write in a special diary about your accomplishments 48. Apply fragrant lotion all over your body 49. Exercise 50. Sit and hold your favorite stuffed animalBack to Top
Some of the nonverbal aspects of assertiveness include: --Looking directly at another person when addressing them. Looking down or away conveys the message that you're not quite sure about asking for what you want. he opposite extreme, staring, is also unhelpful because it may put the other person on the defensive. --Maintaining an open rather than a closed posture. If you�re sitting, don't cross your legs or arms. If standing, stand erect and on both feet. Face the person you're addressing directly rather than standing off to the side, --While communicating assertively, do not back off or move away from the other person. The expression �standing your ground applies quite literally here. --Stay calm avoid getting overly emotional or excited. If you're feeling angry, discharge your angry feelings somewhere else before you attempt to be assertive. A calm but assertive request carries much more weight with most people than an angry outburst. Try practicing the above nonverbal skills with a friend by using role-playing in situations that call for an assertive response. A list of such situations can be found at the end of the section �Assertiveness on the Spot. Situation you have trouble with assertiveness: __________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________ Practice the above nonverbal skills by using role-playing in situations that call for and assertive response. TIPS for ASSERTIVENESS: 1. Take your time. If you�re the type of person who has difficulty saying no, give yourself some time to think and clarify what you want to say before responding to someone�s request (for example, "I'll let you know by the end of the week", or "I'll call you back tomorrow morning after sleeping on it.") 2. Don't over-apologize. When you apologize to someone for saying no, you give them the message that you're not sure that your own needs are just as important as theirs. This opens the door for them to put more pressure on you to comply with what they want. In some cases they may even try to play upon your guilt to obtain other things or to get you to make it up to them for having said no in the first place. 3. Be specific. It's important to be very specific in stating what you will and won't do . For example: "I'm willing to help you move, but (because of my back) I can only carry lightweight items; "I can take you to work, but only if you can meet me by 8:15." 4. Use assertive body language. Be sure to face the person you're talking to squarely and maintain good eye contact. Work on speaking in a calm but firm tone of voice. Avoid becoming emotional. 5. Watch out for guilt. You may feel the impulse to do something else for someone after turning down his or her request. Take your time before offering to do so. Make sure that your offer comes out of genuine desire rather than guilt. You'll have fully mastered the skill of saying no to others when you reach the point where you can do so without feeling guilty.Back to Top
Circle any of the following beliefs that you have experienced in the last six months: 1. I'm powerless. I�m a victim of outside circumstances. 2. Life is a struggle. Something must be wrong if life seems too easy, pleasurable, or fun. 3. If I take a risk, I'll fail. If I fail, others will reject me. 4. I'm unimportant. My feelings and needs are unimportant. 5. I always should look good and act nice no matter how I feel. 6. If I worry enough, this problem should get better or go away. 7. I can't cope with difficult or scary situations. 8. The outside world is dangerous. There is only safety in what is known and familiar. Like computers, people can be "preprogrammed", and the mistaken beliefs of childhood can become self-fulfilling prophecies. Below are some examples of fairly common mistaken beliefs that tend to influence many people. Following are counterstatements which replace the negative belief with a positive one, much in the way negative self-talk is countered by positive self-talk. Positive statements that counter mistaken beliefs are known as affirmations.Back to Top
Below are examples of affirmations you can use to counter statements from the Mistaken Beliefs Questionaire. Use any that feel right to you or use them as guidelines for making your own. 1. I'm responsible and in control of my life. 2. Circumstances are what they are, but I can choose my attitude toward them. 3. I am becoming prosperous. I am creating the financial resources I need. 4. I am setting priorities and making time for what is important. 5. Life has is challenges and its satisfaction�I enjoy the adventure of life. Every challenge that comes along is an opportunity to learn and grow. 6. I accept the natural ups and downs of life. 7. I love accept myself the way I am. 8. I deserve the good things in life as much as anyone else. 9. I am open to discovering new meaning in life. 10. It's never too late to change. I am improving one step at a time. 11. I am innately healthy, strong, and capable of fully recovering. 12. I am committed to overcoming my condition. I am working on recovering from my condition. 13. I can recover by taking small risks at my own pace. 14. I am looking forward to new freedom and opportunities I'll have when I've fully recovered. 15. I am learning to love myself. 16. I am learning to be comfortable by myself. 17. If someone doesn�t return my love, I let it go and move on. 18. I am learning to be at peace with myself when alone. I am learning how to enjoy myself when alone. 19. I respect and believe in myself apart from others opinions. 20. I can accept and learn from constructive criticism. 21. I'm Learning to be myself around others. It's important to take care of my own needs. 22. It's O.K. to be myself around others. I'm willing to be myself around others. 23. I appreciate my achievements, and I�m much more than all of them put together. 24. I am learning how to balance work and play in my life. 25. 26. 27.Back to Top