Any topic (writer’s choice)

Select one behavior of interest of yourself or someone you know well, and then select two personality theories to explain that behavior. Content:

Brief (in 1/2 page or less) description of a specific behavior or pattern of behaviors (i.e. smoking, exercising, dating patterns) of either yourself or someone you know well. The description of the behavior should be separate from the introduction to the paper.

Use two of the approaches to personality psychology covered in this class (Trait, Biological, Evolutionary, Psychoanalytic, Humanistic, Cross-Cultural, Behaviorism, Social Learning) to explain this behavior. In one paragraph, explain why you chose the two approaches in terms of why they are more useful than other approaches for explaining the behavior. This could be because they focus on important aspects of the behavior better than other theories, or because they allow you to examine the behavior from quite different perspectives.  For each approach, include 1) a brief description of that approach, 2) how the approach would explain the origin or purpose of the behavior, and 3) how likely the behavior is to continue based on that approach.

End with a conclusion about the level of understanding gained from the two approaches or new insights you have gained about this behavior.