Understanding Yourself

Name: Understanding Yourself
Rating: 3.3 (14 reviews)

Using major theories of personality to create a happy and satisfying life

Created byDr. Don J. Sharpsteen

Last updated 3/2019

English

What you'll learn

Perspectives on what it takes to live a satisfying, well-balanced, and happy life
Key elements of major personality theories that relate to your well-being

Course content

5 sections • 43 lectures • 5h 44m total length

The Basic Premise5:27
What is it that personality psychologists do? And what makes them think they can do it?!
Experimental Research12:40
Got a theory? Want to test it? Do an experiment.
Correlational Research12:47
Can't do an experiment? Do a correlational study.
Statistical Significance20:07
Lump Together, Or Tease Apart 11:01
What's the best way to characterize "personality"?
The Big Five (or Whatever)4:20
What do the "Big Five" do?
Factor Analysis (part 1)12:57
Part 1 of a two-part video explaining how a statistical procedure called "factor analysis" can help identify basic traits.
Factor Analysis (part 2)5:30
The second part of the factor analysis video.
Factor Analysis Illustrated33:47

An Overview of Sigmund Freud's "Psychoanalysis"8:55
Dozens (at least!) of Freudian ideas have become part of everyday conversations and our shared understanding of what people are like.
I Got Needs, and I Got Choices 10:40
We want things.
Too bad.
Fear Is The Big Bugaboo 6:24
There's so much to be afraid of. And pardon me for ending a sentence in a preposition.
Irrational Behaviors Resolve Conflicts3:48
Resolving conflicts the wrong way, illustrated.
Fantasy is Nice (But it Isn't a Cheeseburger)8:25
Hiding from reality can't be good.
Habits Fill the Emptiness Inside (part 1)10:55
Unsatisfied needs lead to unsatisfying substitutes. And that leads to habits. Here, in Part 1, oral and anal habits are covered. Yeah, you read that right.
Habits Fill the Emptiness Inside (part 2)6:44
The second part of the "Habits" video covers genital habits. Yeah, you read that right, too.
Your Stuff'll Come Up Anyway 2:52
Too...much...pressure.
Sharpsteen's Motto 3:04
Why be thoughtful? Why be flexible? And what is "good mental health"?

Every Good Drama Involves Conflict 3:03
Carl Jung said that life is "a complex of opposites." What does that mean, and what would it have to do with your behavior?
Motives And Instincts (as Jung Sees Them)4:47
Instincts prod you into developing opposing aspects of your...self. And that means you face some choices. How so?
Making Decisions 6:47
Figuring out what to do involves making three separate choices. The choices you make reflect your "psychetype." So, what's yours?
Character (part 1)6:37
The 'psyche' is a busy place. In this video, the four components of your self are introduced, and your collective unconscious is discussed (or is it "our" collective unconscious?).
Character (part 2)5:01
The second part of the "Character" video. This time, ego, persona, and shadow.
Balance, Grasshopper 4:17
What's 'balance', anyway? And what would be so bad about not achieving it? What's so good about having it?
Why Is There Imbalance?4:48
Balance is supposed to be a pretty natural thing. So why aren't we all in balance?
Getting Balanced 5:58
Uncomfortable? Get balanced.
Sigmund And The Other Carl 5:39
Putting Carl Rogers' Self Theory into perspective.
Three Selves 3:53
Three options. So?
Congruence 5:10
Potatoes.
An Overview of Kelly's Personal Construct Theory2:57
A quick look at the general idea behind George Kelly's theory.
Personal Construct Theory 12:51
A concise presentation of Kelly's theory. Any questions?

A Trait Is As Good As A Bunion To A Gene 5:00
It's kind of simple: Genes don't build traits.
The $64,000 Question 3:56
It was a game show in the '50s.
It Ain't Much. Or is it?5:59
Differences. It's just about differences. That's not nothing, but it might not be what most people would want it to be.
How Evolution Works 4:30
The conceptual basis for evolutionary psychology.
The Contexts Of Mating 12:34
Evolutionary didn't happen this morning.
Short, Long, Man, Woman14:16
Well,...this'll explain a lot.
Attachment Theory 9:30
Over the past couple of decades, there's been more research on attachment than...anything else in personality psychology.
Attachment Styles 11:18
People differ in their attachment-related behaviors.

Requirements

None

Description

Simply put, your personality is the choices you make. All major theories of personality identify what it takes to make choices that will create a happy and satisfying life, but each does it from a different perspective. These videos have been culled from ones used in a Personality course that I taught for nearly 30 years, and describe those theoretical approaches to understanding the choices you make. Find the one that grabs you, and put it to use improving your life, your work, and your relationships.

For those who'd like to take a more rigorous look at the science of personality, the first few sections of the course explain how research in personality is done and some of the issues that come up when doing that research.

Who this course is for:

Those who are looking for ways to create a happier, more satisfying life for themselves
Anyone interested in knowing more about what drives human behavior
Anyone taking (or preparing to take) courses in Introductory Psychology, Personality, Motivation, and related topics

Understanding Yourself

What you'll learn

Explore related topics

Course content

Personality in Perspective -- What it is and How it's Done9 lectures • 1hr 59min

Got 'Personality'? Not Everybody Thinks So4 lectures • 25min

So Many Choices -- Internal Psychological Dynamics (part 1)9 lectures • 1hr 2min

What? More Choices?! -- Internal Psychological Dynamics (part 2)13 lectures • 1hr 12min

Recent Big Themes in Personality8 lectures • 1hr 7min

Requirements

Description

Who this course is for: