Assignment: Reflecting on How Your Personality Evolved

“Know thyself.” This simple but profound advice is famously attributed to Socrates, the Ancient Greek philosopher. Socrates may have been referring to something deeper than personality alone, but understanding the roots of your patterns of thinking, feeling, and behaving is a vital component of comprehending who you are as an individual.

As you begin your study of theories of personality, start by applying the initial knowledge and insights you gain to your own personality. For this Assignment, you will analyze your personality and the influences that have specifically shaped how it has evolved.

To prepare:

• Review this week’s Learning Resources.
• Consider the factors in personality development that apply most specifically to you.
• Reflect on experiences in your life that offer examples of influences that have shaped your personality. Pay particular attention to the influence of culture.
• Consider how this course can help you further understand your personality.

By Day 7

Submit a 2- to 3-page paper that addresses the following:

• Explain factors in personality development that have had the most influence on you and describe key personal experiences that explain your thinking.
• Identify examples of ways that the culture in which you were raised (e.g., your racial or ethnic heritage; characteristics of the region you are from; social class; and so on) has influenced your personality development.
• Identify at least one aspect of your personality that is not (fully) explained through the factors you have described and briefly explain your rationale for choosing this aspect of you.
• Explain the value of better understanding your personality to preparing for the career you would like to enter, and give your reasoning.

Although this Assignment has elements of a personal reflection, you must demonstrate your understanding of the week’s topics. Be specific and provide examples.

Note: Support the responses within your Assignment with evidence from the assigned Learning Resources. Provide a reference list for resources you used for this Assignment.

Submission and Grading Information

To submit your completed Assignment for review and grading, do the following:

• Please save your Assignment using the naming convention “WK1Assgn+last name+first initial.(extension)” as the name.
• Click the Week 1 Assignment Rubric to review the Grading Criteria for the Assignment.
• Click the Week 1 Assignment link. You will also be able to “View Rubric” for grading criteria from this area.
• Next, from the Attach File area, click on the Browse My Computer button. Find the document you saved as “WK1Assgn+last name+first initial.(extension)” and click Open.
• If applicable: From the Plagiarism Tools area, click the checkbox for I agree to submit my paper(s) to the Global Reference Database.
• Click on the Submit button to complete your submission.