Using Psychology to improve our lives

Step 1:

Pick an issue/concern/area in need of improvement/ personal challenge/area in interest of

self-discovery you personally have. S

ome examples include; substance abuse, grief, controlling your

temper, communicating in your relationships, improving a relationship, becoming more assertive, eating

disorder, body image, increasing your self-esteem, breaking a habit, having more patience, depression,

motivation, dysfunctional family, coping with a trauma, abuse, anxiety, divorce, sexuality issues,

adjustment to college, increasing self-discipline, improving your attitude, developing tolerance,

improving your sleep habits, goal setting, etc). Your topic must be psychological in nature. Ex: if you

chose how to lose weight, it must focus on the psychological issues of losing weight (goal-setting, staying

motivated, relationship with food, etc.) not the physical aspects of losing weight (exercising, dieting,

etc.).

YOU CANNOT USE STRESS OR PROCRASTINATION AS YOUR TOPIC.

Step 2:

Research your topic

(i.e., locate and read books, magazine articles, journal articles, etc) on your topic

to learn more about it. Depending on the topic you chose, you may find information that discusses how

this problem evolves, what are some of the symptoms, how does it affect peoples lives, what are

some ways to overcome or improve on your problem, etc. You must use at least

four sources. The

websites below may help you think about a topic and locate some sources.

helpful websites:

http://www.psychwww.com/resource/selfhelp.htm

http://psychcentral.com/

Step 3:

Write a 4 page paper discussing why you chose this topic, what you learned from each of the three

sources, and conclude with how you will use this information to help yourself.

YOU MUST CITE YOUR SOURCES WHEN YOU USE THEM IN YOUR PAPER AND YOU MUST INCLUDE A

BIBLIOGRAPHY OF THE SOURCES YOU USED!

If you do not use any sources, you will automatically receive a zero. This is a RESEARCH paper. Do not

just tell me your story. If you do not cite your sources in the body of your paper, you will get a grade

of zero! You can use MLA or APA style (I prefer APA)