Psychology of Personality

This course introduces personality as a dynamic, organizing system that shapes how individuals experience themselves, relate to others, and adapt to life's demands across contexts.

Moving beyond trait lists and diagnostic labels, the course examines personality through self and interpersonal functioning, attachment and relatedness, and levels of personality organization.

Students explore how personality patterns influence relationships, responses to stress, illness, and change, and engagement with social and institutional systems.

Emphasis is placed on cultural and contextual expressions of personality, developmental trajectories across the lifespan, and the distinction between personality structure and psychiatric diagnosis.

Through theory, research, and applied examples, students develop a nuanced framework for understanding human complexity.