Individual Differences

• Credit value: 15 credits at Level 5
• Convenor: Dr Michael Mallaghan
• Assessment: a one-hour in-class test (40%) and 1500-word take-home essay (60%)

In this module we introduce you to different theoretical and practical approaches to individual differences and psychological disorder. Lectures from practitioners will illustrate the practice of therapy for psychological disorders, contributing to your detailed knowledge of models of psychological disorder and providing a detailed understanding of approaches to personality. We will also consider issues in relation to the measurement and understanding of intelligence.

Indicative syllabus

• Approaches to personality and intelligence
• Medical models and the biology of disorders such as schizophrenia, anxiety and depression
• Gender differences in psychopathology
• Introduction to systemic, cognitive-behavioural and psychodynamic approaches to psychopathology

By the end of this module, you should be able to:

• understand principles underlying different approaches to defining and explaining individual differences and psychological disorders
• describe and explain different treatment strategies for psychological disorder
• evaluate the rationale behind different approaches, including considerations of treatment outcome
• understand some of the practical aspects of therapeutic intervention
• understand different approaches to conceptualising individual differences and personality
• understand critical issues in the conceptualisation and measurement of intelligence and personality.