Optional

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Writing Assignments 2-4 must be in APA format. There are prompts below to pick from. Pick ONE prompt for each of the writing assignments. These writing assignments will be worth 25 points and MUST be in the proper format in order to pass the course. I have included several help links for guidance if you are not familiar with APA formatting. I have included lots of help with APA format. Each paper should be approx. 750 words with in-text citations and at least two sources.

Due dates are posted in several areas in Canvas. Your writing assignments WILL NOT be accepted late, they must be turned in by midnight on the date that it is due. There is a dropbox in the appropriate module. Please note that when you submit a paper into the dropbox it will automatically go to Turnitin. If your paper is plagiarized you will not get credit for it. A match greater than 25% will be in question.

The assignments for this class are to raise personal awareness but remember you must also use references through research. It is very possible to combine research (with in-text citations) when speaking about a personal topic. Please make sure that you answer ALL of the questions posed in the prompt. Please let me know if you have any questions.

CHOOSE ONE OF THE FOLLOWING PROMPTS FOR EACH WRITING ASSIGNMENT

1) This options deals with Chapter Two (Personality). For this assignment choose six people (family, friends, or co-workers) and ask them to write down five personality characteristics that stand out about you. Compare the results. Are there any similarities, how many differences? Do you agree or disagree with their observations? Choose the characteristics that appear more than one. How do you think you acquired those characteristics? Refer to the personality theories in Chapter Two or in outside research to answer this question.

2) Chapter Three discusses “Irrational Beliefs: Ten Doorways to Distress”. If you choose to take on this assignment, I want you to keep a journal for 5 days. In this journal, you are to write down all of the “irrational beliefs” that you experience over the 5 day period. This will take some concentration and some time, but it is worth it to be able to see actually how many times a day you will give yourself negative self-talk that affects your overall well-being. Once you have done this, take ten of the statements that seem to appear frequently and use a “counter-statement” that dispels the irrational belief. For example, “I’m so stupid” – counter statement “actually, I’m no stupid at all, I am a dedicated college student and am doing quite well”. You may research cognitive therapy or therapists to help with the assignment.

3) Chapter 5 deals with developing healthy behaviors. Should you choose this assignment, you will to need pick a behavior that you would like to change. It could be anything from breaking an addiction to eating healthier to studying more. You will need to first describe the behavior that is causing your problems, don’t forget to add the consequences of this behavior, then describe your goal, then describe the steps that you will take to get you to your goal. (You may want to look up some information on Behavior Modification, and/or use the information in the textbook). Your paper will include, a designated problem behavior, a goal, a plan and the results of your efforts in making it a reality.

4) Chapter 6 discusses “Self-identity and Identity Crisis”. You may choose to write about one of the identity statuses that are listed on page 214. Read the four statuses of identity and describe where you are in that dimension and what that means to you. You may choose more than one to discuss. Again, there is research on this to be found from many resources.

5) This option deals with Chapter 7 and the idea of persuasion. Your assignment should you choose this one, is to sit down and watch some television commercials. What are your favorite or most hated television commercials? What techniques do these commercials use to persuade a viewer to use a product? What are the characteristics of the communicators? Of the message itself? Which commercials were more persuasive and why? Use information in the textbook and outside resources to back up your statements. Why did a certain company choose a certain person or type?

6) You may choose to write about one of the psychological disorders in Chapter Eight. Describe the disorder to include symptoms, causes, prevalence, etc. Then pick a form of therapy in Chapter Nine that you believe would be most beneficial to this disorder and describe why you believe this to be so.

7) This assignment involves interviewing others. Chapter ten discusses gender issues. With parental permission, question a child about issues raised in this chapter about early appearance of gender-role stereotyping. Develop a questionnaire and ask the questions to at least three different children. Compare their answers. Make some assumptions on why their answers were different or where they got their ideas. Were you surprised by the answers? Use outside sources to back up or question your results.

8) Chapter Twelve discusses relationships and marriage. This is another interview question. Find at least four people to interview, half married, have divorced. Develop a questionnaire that will help you define what helps a marriage stay together or perhaps how to know when the marriage is over. Be creative in your choice of questions, then analyze the results of your interviewing. Where the people honest? Did they have biases? What did you learn about marriage in this process? Use outside sources to back up or question your results.