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Jack Bauer, PhD
Department of Psychology
University of Dayton
Dayton, OH 45469
(937) 229-2617

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Psychology Department

College of Arts
and Sciences

PSY 499/499H:
Intentional Self-Development

Taught at Northern Arizona University

Fall 2003
MWF 9:10 – 10:00
du Bois 28

Syllabus
Required Texts
Course Objectives
Grading, Assignments, etc.
Schedule

Required Texts
Csikszentmihalyi, M. (1997). Finding Flow
Deci, E. L. (1995). Why We Do What We Do
McAdams, D. P. (1993). The Stories We Live By
Wilber, K. (2001). Integral Psychology

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Course Objectives
This course surveys contemporary theories and research on how people intentionally guide the development of their own lives. Psychology tends to portray the individual as a product of the external forces of biology and society. Yet a growing body of evidence is outlining the individual’s contributions to his or her own development, personality, and life course.

This course views meaning and happiness as two facets of the good life and as two overarching aims for intentional self-development. We will explore how people strive toward meaning and happiness in the present (by creating optimal experiences), in the past (by constructing meaningful life stories), and in the future (by deliberate life planning). We will then probe stages of development that lie beyond what is commonly experienced by most people, according to research. The course emphasizes how you can use all this information to cultivate a more meaningful and happy life.

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Course Grading, Assignments, etc.

Journal. The journal is designed to get you to think about the course topics in a real sense, as they operate in your everyday life. The journal is divided into three parts, corresponding to the first three major sections in the course: Optimal Experience, Life Stories, and Life Planning. You will receive instructions on how to write the journal at the beginning of each course section. There are no requirements as to the length of each journal entry; quality here means more than quantity. You do not need to make daily entries in the journal, but on average you should make more than one entry every three days.

Essays. The essays are designed to help you gain useful information about your journal, and thus about the practical application of theory and research. Each of the three essays require you to summarize and integrate the journal entries within a particular section, as well as to integrate those entries with theory and/or research from the reading. You will receive instructions on the requirements for each essay at the beginning of each course section, along with the journal instructions. Essays should be 4-5 pages.

Final Paper. The final paper is designed for you to develop an in-depth understanding of a personally meaningful aspect of intentional self-development. The final paper offers you considerable latitude in choosing a topic. You might want to explore a personal interest of yours from the perspective of intentional self-development. You might want to develop your own theory of a specific aspect of intentional self-development. You might want to write a topic paper on a specific aspect of intentional self-development that you want to learn more about. I encourage you to be creative in selecting a topic, while keeping in mind that the paper must also be grounded in established theory and/or research. The final paper should be approximately 15 pages.

Participation. Classes will involve lecture and discussion. Research shows that individual development is actually a collaborative endeavor; we learn about the world and about ourselves by interacting with others. Your participation in class will contribute to an overall higher level of understanding for the class as a whole. I encourage you to ask questions, even ones you think might be stupid...at least to start off.

Reading. You will be expected to read the relevant material before class so that you can contribute to an enriching discussion. I encourage you to think of reading and participation as a responsibility for the benefit of others, in addition to yourself.

Assistance. Please let me know if you would like any form of help in this class. Feel free to call or email me for an individual appointment, or stop by during my office hours.

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Course Schedule

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