Psychology of Adjustment (PSYC 2110) will provide learners with information on personal growth and social adjustment as it relates to coping with the demands of everyday life. Topics for lecture include self-awareness, healthy management of stress and emotions, interpersonal relationships, the grieving process, and communication techniques. Methods to cultivate personal growth and effective adjustment within one’s professional field (and to a lesser extent, within one’s personal life) will be presented.

DISCLAIMER: It is important to note that this course is not primarily intended (and will likely not focus on) helping learners deal with their own personal struggles and/or problems, issues, or concerns. I typically facilitate this course in a manner that will foster the development of skills within learners for interacting with others in a way that induces personal growth and adjustment within the other person, primarily within the learners' chosen professional domain with a focus on the helping professions. It would be inappropriate for learners to believe this course to be anything other than this. With this being said, if this course does bring about insight into a learner’s own problems or struggles, then they are advised to communicate those insights with me in private or, better yet, with a practicing counselor or psychotherapist.

After reading this brief course description, it should be clear that PSYC 2110 would compliment the other Psychology course offerings at Columbia State very well. Additionally, PSYC 2110 is a wonderful stand-alone course, surveying a range topics that can be readily applied to one's professional and personal life. Stress has a way of sneaking up on people and if a person is not cognizant of the adverse impact of daily stress, then they will be unable to link psychological and physical deterioration to stressful life events. Learning effective coping and adaptive strategies is key to a successful life and PSYC 2110 may aid learners in knowing these strategies.

Information for Learners Enrolled in My Course:

Required Textbook —

Corey, G. & Corey, M.S. (2010). I never knew I had a choice: Explorations in personal growth. (9th ed.). Belmont, CA: Brooks/Cole.

(Use the ISBN to search for this textbook online or at the Columbia State bookstore)

• The ISBN for this textbook is 9780495602293.

Important Notice Concerning the Columbia State Bookstore: It is the absolute responsibility of the Learner to obtain a copy of the required textbook BEFORE the first day of class. The Instructor WILL NOT be held responsible for bookstore “sold outs”, back orders, shipment delays, or issues with a Learner’s financial aid. If a Learner does not have their required textbook by the first day of class, then it is the sole and absolute responsibility of said Learner to obtain a copy of the required textbook ASAP. The Instructor will not lend out his textbook to a Learner, nor will the Instructor be responsible for directing the Learner to alternative routes toward the required textbook. Class will proceed as tentatively scheduled and all Learners will be responsible for textbook content including readings and related assignments to include exams and quizzes.

Course Syllabi

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Targeted Exam Study Guides

NOTE: The study guides may contain typos and errors (These are homemade study guides). If you have a question about any of the information, contact me sooner than later.

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Authors' PowerPoint Slide Handouts

CAUTION: PowerPoint Presentation handouts are provided to learners as a courtesy—I am not obligated to provide them. Still, learners often feel compelled to write down every word on a given instructor's PowerPoint. So, to cut down on this note-taking behavior, which I believe distracts from real learning, I provide my learners with handouts.

However, I want to make it very clear that PowerPoint Presentations should NOT be used to study for quizzes or exams and PowerPoint Presentations should NOT be used to understand textbook content. PowerPoint Presentations are intentionally incomplete and do not cover everything, or even most of the stuff in the textbook. In my courses, ALL information for quizzes and exams will come from the required textbook—not from PowerPoints and not from lecture/discussion. If you study for quizzes or exams using PowerPoint Presentations only, then you will likely fail the assessment.

Each of the following PowerPoint Presentation handouts are oriented "landscape" instead of "portrait". The landscape orientation allows for better visual clarity and larger font. All PowerPoint Presentations are "as is" and will not be customized for individual learners. If you are viewing these handouts from a computer, it's recommended that you increase view to 100% and hit "CTRL-SHIFT-PLUS" to rotate clockwise.

9th Edition Authors' PowerPoint Slide Handout - Chapters 1-14

NOTE: These are the authors' PowerPoint slide handout. Corey and Corey placed each chapter's slides (Chapters 1-14) into one super slide presentation. Understand that these will likely be modifed by me during the semester. Learners will not have access to my modified slides.

Contrary to popular belief, both success and failure are options. Choose wisely.

In order to maximize success in psychology courses at Columbia States, students are urged to have very good reading, writing, and studying skills. The ability to think critically and reflectively is a plus! (“What is Critical Thinking?”) The topics covered in all of the psychology courses offered at Columbia State can be very challenging, necessitating an excellent study and work ethic.

Don’t be afraid to participate. It is when students actively listen, engage, and participate in a course that authentic learning takes place. Ask questions. Answer questions posed by the instructor. Make insightful, informed comments. If you want to get the most out of your education, then participate in class. (“Class Participation”)

Read, read, and read! You have to read and study to be successful in psychology. Now, we know that students have very busy lives, but your education should be just as important as any other life domain—you are paying good money for it, you are using up good time for it, and you are making many sacrifices for it. Reading and studying are crucial elements in most college courses. If you believe your reading and studying skills are lacking, then seek to improve them. (“Seven Critical Reading Strategies”)

Finally, get to know your instructors. It never ceases to amaze just how little attention students pay to this essential element of success in higher education. Visit your instructor during posted office hours; try to meet with your instructor before and after class. Utilize the instructor’s willingness to provide out-of-class tutelage. Seek to understand your instructor’s personality, teaching philosophy, likes and dislikes, and interesting quirks. Students would be surprised how successful they will be if they took the time to form a genuine, cordial, and professionally affable relationship with their instructors. (“College Professor Tips” ; “Get to Know Your College Professors”)