Module JXH-3034:
Personality and Individual Differences

Module Facts

Run by School of Human and Behavioural Sciences

10.000 Credits or 5.000 ECTS Credits

Semester 2

Organiser: Prof Tim Woodman

Overall aims and purpose

Do you want to understand what motivates elite athletes and to understand more about yourself at the same time? Then you will love this module! This is a “hands-on” approach to understanding the human condition; who we are, our motivation, and our interactions with others. We will do tasks that psychologists use across all performance domains such as sport, medicine, and business. You will do practical exercises that will help you understand more about yourself and others. These exercises form the basis of the work that the course leaders do with elite sport and business, so you will receive first-hand experience of these environments.

Course content

Delivered by two sport and exercise psychologists who have worked with Olympic performers and coaches, stock exchange businesses, etc., this module will include a variety of “hands-on” exercises that will help us cover a broad array of theories of personality, including: Theories of personality such as psychodynamic theories and derivatives, and different methods of assessment and application, self theories (e.g., self determination, self discrepancy), the Big Five, the Giant Three; specific personality traits (e.g., neuroticism, narcissism, perfectionism, optimism) in relation to performance; body-centre personality theories and their relation to performance and health; "high-risk" sports, including affect/emotion regulation and individual differences in sensation seeking and risk-taking.

Assessment Criteria

threshold

Students will demonstrate an acceptable level of understanding in relation to the theoretical framework that underpins the relevant areas of personality and individual differences. They will provide a fairly superficial account of the main theories and research findings in relation to the question with superficiality combined with some fairly significant errors, omissions, and/or inconsistencies. This synthesis will incorporate some of the relevant areas that were covered in the module. Students will demonstrate understanding in a fairly superficial manner with reference mainly to secondary sources or only basic understanding of primary sources. The written communication style will be acceptable, albeit somewhat unclear in places.

good

Students will demonstrate a good understanding of the theoretical framwork that underpins the various areas of personality and individual differences. They will provide a fairly concise, critical, and accurate synthesis of the main theories and research findings in relation to the question with some minor errors, inconsistencies, omissions, and/or superficiality. This synthesis will incorporate most of the relevant areas that were covered in the module. Students will answer questions in a fairly in-depth manner with sound reference to primary sources. The written communication style will be fairly clear with limited redundancy.

excellent

Students will demonstrate an in-depth understanding of the theoretical framework that underpins the various areas of personality and individual differences. Students will provide a concise, critical, and accurate sythesis of the main theories and research findings in relation to the question. This sythesis will incorporate all or most of the relevant theoretical explanations and empirical findings that were covered in the module. Students will answer questions in a concise, critical, and accurate fashion drawing upon the relevant scientific literature with sound reference to primary sources. The written communication style will be clear, precise and concise.

Learning outcomes

  1. Demonstrate a critical understanding of research findings.

  2. Demonstrate a critical understanidng of different theoretical approaches to sensation seeking and risk-taking.

  3. On successful completion of this module, students will be able to:

    Critically discuss different theoretical approaches to personality.

  4. Demonstrate a critical understanding of the relationship between personality, individual differences, and behaviour/performance.

Assessment Methods

Type Name Description Weight
COMPREHENSION TEST Short-answer questions

15 short-answer questions to demonstrate understanding of module content.

 30.00
COURSEWORK A choice of ESSAY or VIVA

A choice of written coursework or a viva examination to demonstrate critical understanding of the module material.

 70.00

Teaching and Learning Strategy

Hours
Lecture

Teaching and group work where appropriate.

 22
Private study

Reading, taking notes from lectures, and preparation for assessments.

 78

Transferable skills

  • Literacy - Proficiency in reading and writing through a variety of media
  • Numeracy - Proficiency in using numbers at appropriate levels of accuracy
  • Self-Management - Able to work unsupervised in an efficient, punctual and structured manner. To examine the outcomes of tasks and events, and judge levels of quality and importance
  • Exploring - Able to investigate, research and consider alternatives
  • Information retrieval - Able to access different and multiple sources of information
  • Inter-personal - Able to question, actively listen, examine given answers and interact sensitevely with others
  • Critical analysis & Problem Solving - Able to deconstruct and analyse problems or complex situations. To find solutions to problems through analyses and exploration of all possibilities using appropriate methods, rescources and creativity.
  • Presentation - Able to clearly present information and explanations to an audience. Through the written or oral mode of communication accurately and concisely.
  • Argument - Able to put forward, debate and justify an opinion or a course of action, with an individual or in a wider group setting
  • Self-awareness & Reflectivity - Having an awareness of your own strengths, weaknesses, aims and objectives. Able to regularly review, evaluate and reflect upon the performance of yourself and others

Subject specific skills

  • develop a sustained reasoned argument, perhaps challenging previously held assumptions
  • work effectively independently and with others
  • take and demonstrate responsibility for their own learning and continuing personal and professional development
  • self-appraise and reflect on practice
  • develop transferable skills of relevance to careers outside of sport, health and exercise sciences.

Courses including this module

Compulsory in courses:

Optional in courses: