Assignment: Psychology of Personality Research and Well-Being Research Matrix

Research is a critical component of the foundation of psychological theory in general, and certainly has been critical in the development of theories of personality. When consuming research about a research topic, it is important to understand basic aspects of psychological research design, including being able to differentiate between qualitative and quantitative research designs, and to critically analyze, select, and synthesize peer-reviewed articles relevant to your research purposes. 

For this Assignment, you will choose a topic on well-being within a given area of personality theory.  Using the Walden Library, you will research a minimum of three current (5 years or newer) peer-reviewed research articles and organize your article information in a Personality and Well-Being Literature Review Matrix.  A matrix is not meant to hold all of the details about articles found but enough to help you summarize the articles that interest you in the area of personality and well-being. You will then use your research to create a synthesis of the ideas presented.

To Prepare

• From the Learning Resources, download the “Personality and Well-Being Literature Review Matrix” and populate it with the requested information about your three current (5 years or newer) peer-reviewed research articles related to your topic about how a given area of personality can be used to enhance the well-being of individuals.  

Assignment (2–3 pages, in addition to title page and references; 50 points)

Part 1: Personality and Well-Being Literature Review Matrix

Using the Personality and Well-Being Literature Review Matrix, populate the matrix with the following requested information about the three articles related to your well-being topic of interest that is personally or professionally relevant to you and that relates to the connection between a given personality construct and enhanced well-being.

• Research topic
• Article citations in APA format      
• Design of study (e.g., quantitative, qualitative, mixed methods, meta-analysis, case study, etc.)    
• Research questions
• Methodology (e.g., participants, questionnaires, etc.)  
• Results of study      
• Take-home message of the study (i.e., what does this study say about enhancing the well-being of individuals?)

Part 2: Psychology of Personality Research and Well-Being

Using the information in your matrix, write a synthesis of the research about your well-being topic. A synthesis is not a summary of each article. In a synthesis you reflect the various resources by describing the main ideas or themes, covered across the three references.

Be specific, provide examples, and justify your response with citations from the Resources in your Learning Activities or from your search from the literature and/or the Walden Library.