PSY1008 : Personality and Mental Health
- Offered for Year: 2024/25
- Module Leader(s): Dr Zachary Petzel
- Lecturer: Dr Tom Smulders, Dr Ellen Marshall, Dr Scott McDonald, Miss Laura Stevenson
- Other Staff: Dr Billie Moffat-Knox
- Owning School: Psychology
- Teaching Location: Newcastle City Campus
Semesters
Your programme is made up of credits, the total differs on programme to programme.
| Semester 2 Credit Value: | 10 |
| ECTS Credits: | 5.0 |
| European Credit Transfer System | |
Aims
To introduce students to personality and mental health. To provide an understanding of the different levels at which personality can be measured and how extremes of behaviour are measured in a clinical context. To inform students about some of the most influential personality theories, and to give insight into how these can be applied to individuals. To provide an introduction to the diagnosis, aetiology and treatment of common psychological disorders from biological, psychological and social perspectives.
Outline Of Syllabus
Introduction to personality, what it is and how we measure it and an introduction to psychopathology, what it is and how we classify it.
Classic personality theories will be covered (e.g., biological, behavioral, social, cognitive, psychodynamic, and humanistic approaches), in addition to how situations and environments may interact with personality (e.g., theories of Mishel and Bandura).
The mental health section of the course will cover the main types of disorders (e.g., anxiety, personality disorders, depression, psychosis) and introduce the main theoretical perspectives used to understand and treat these disorders
Teaching Methods
Teaching Activities
| Category | Activity | Number | Length | Student Hours | Comment |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Scheduled Learning And Teaching Activities | Lecture | 11 | 1:00 | 11:00 | Present-in-person |
| Guided Independent Study | Directed research and reading | 22 | 1:00 | 22:00 | Journal articles, textbook chapters, other relevant resources to supplement lectures and workshops |
| Scheduled Learning And Teaching Activities | Workshops | 1 | 11:00 | 11:00 | Present in person |
| Guided Independent Study | Independent study | 1 | 56:00 | 56:00 | Students’ independent study of course materials and reflection on course topics |
| Total | 100:00 |
Teaching Rationale And Relationship
Lecture material will be used as the main way to impart basic knowledge and to stimulate interest in the topics. The interactive workshop sessions will allow further discussion of concepts taught via the lecture material and give the opportunity for students to engage in course material through taking part in small scale psychological experiments, critiquing psychological theories, and discussing contemporary research. A series of case studies presented in the workshops will also allow students to gain important perspectives of individuals living with a psychological disorder. This will help students to appreciate the difficulties in interpreting and applying material to psychological disorders. It will also provide a springboard to discuss the aetiological and treatment approaches, grounded in real life examples. Use of face-to-face group discussions and classroom polling throughout the course will further facilitates student interactions and provides ample opportunities to practice the type of multiple choice questions used in the final summative assignment (formative practice). The private, independent study time will allow students to carry out in depth review of the information imparted through lecture materials, to consolidate their learning and generate their own views that can be shared with others during in-person workshops and followed up by independent reading.
Assessment Methods
The format of resits will be determined by the Board of Examiners
Exams
| Description | Length | Semester | When Set | Percentage | Comment |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Digital Examination | 90 | 2 | A | 100 | Multiple choice questions (90), unseen, PIP Inspera invigilated. |
Assessment Rationale And Relationship
The examination will assess material from all parts of the syllabus, ensuring that students have a good overall knowledge of the topics. Examination preparation work will take place within the interactive workshops.
If the module is failed students will resit failed assessments in the same format during the August resit period.
Reading Lists
Timetable
- Timetable Website: www.ncl.ac.uk/timetable/
- PSY1008's Timetable