How to Write a Research Paper on Personality Development

April 18, 2018 support

by support

Table of Contents

Research Paper on Personality Development

When you are writing a research paper, there are some specific guidelines that you have to follow. In academic writing, these standards are very important because they form part of your grade and assessment. Also, research papers are not like ordinary papers. They aren’t called “research” papers for no reason. They require skills and a great passion for research and writing. One of the main reasons they are pursued at higher academic levels is because writers need to have a solid understanding and pool of knowledge to even get started. That’s why many students in colleges and universities seek help from professionals, such as those employed by WriteMyEssay. We manage a team of academic writers with ample experience and expertise in dealing with all aspects of researching, writing, and editing a research paper. Even if you do not have a topic or title, we can come up with the best topic for you!

So if you need to write about Personality Development, have no worries. There are already lots of research on this subject. All you have to do is conduct research and gather all information you need before you start writing. This way, you will have something to write your paper on a high level.

To help you with that, here are a few tips and samples that might be beneficial to you:

Outline sample

When you are composing an outline, make sure to put everything you want to talk about Personality Development. It shall consist of the topics related to it. Outlines help you become organized. Write in bullet form to make it easier to understand. Here is a sample of an outline of personality development:

I. INTRODUCTION

Personality Development (in general)
Thesis Statement

II. BODY PARAGRAPHS

Theories of Personality Development
Influences that Shape Personality Development
Personality Development and the World Today

III. CONCLUSION

Summary of Arguments
Final Call on Personality Development

How to write the introduction

The introduction is the most important part of a paper. This is where your readers shall decide whether they will continue reading or not; thus, you have to make it interesting and engaging.

Tips on composing an introduction:

Begin with something that would grab your reader’s attention – a quote, an anecdote, recent news, or anything that would make them read your entire paper.
Make it broad, but not too broad. General information is okay, but don’t make it too wide-ranging. This will give you a hard time making transitions.
Do not begin with your arguments. They are supposed to be discussed in the body of your paper. Provide some background first or give hints about them, but don’t discuss them yet.
Include only relevant information. Introductions are not meant to be long. They are there to introduce the topic and engage the reader. So don’t include unnecessary information.
Provide a thesis statement. The introduction is where your research paper should be found.

How to write the thesis statement: Thesis statement sample

Your thesis statement should be simple and concise. This is the general topic that you will be talking about in your paper. Once broken down, they will form into the arguments found in your body.

Here is an example of the introduction with the thesis statement about Personality Development:

“Have you ever wondered why people seem to differ from one principle to another? Have you ever felt strange just because you had a different view regarding on matters of life? Well, I did and it happens all the time. This is because people have a different personality. We live in a world where everyone has a lot to say about things that matter and that do not. Psychology says that each of us has different personalities that vary in a lot of ways. These personalities may be traced back from the different theories that well-known psychologists have formulated.”

In this sample, the two last highlighted sentences make the thesis statement. This will tell the reader that you are about to talk about the different theories of personality development.

How to write body paragraphs

The body paragraphs should now be easy considering you have already researched your topic. Just keep in mind the following guidelines and you’re good to go writing it:

Start with a topic sentence. This is like an introductory statement to what your argument is all about. The purpose of this is so that your readers won’t bother anymore figuring out what you’re trying to talk about.
State your argument. Make it clear and concise, strong and relevant.
Provide your evidence. It shall support your argument and not contradict it. So make sure that you’re using the right pieces of evidence and information.
Use words that are simple and easy to understand. Not all readers are fond of reading and not everyone is familiar with your topic’s jargon.
Make sure that the preceding paragraph is connected to the succeeding one. Good paragraphs consist of smooth and even transitions.

A sample of a three-body paragraph is as follows:

Example of the 1st body paragraph

“The first theory is Sigmund Freud’s stages of psychosexual development. This is one of the most controversial theory on this subject since Freud talked about a person’s sexual urges. According to him, our personality develops in accordance with the specific stages of our erogenous zones. He developed a framework for a person’s personality: the id, ego, and superego. In his defense, if a person fails to complete these stages, such would lead to personality problems upon reaching adulthood.”

Example of the 2nd body paragraph

“But some psychologists were not much of a fan of Freud, like Erik Erikson. This man believed that personality development involves eight stages which are not related to our sexual urges. Moreover, his was an expansion from childhood to adulthood. While Freud focused on childhood, Erikson explained how personality develops in every stage of life even until death. He also mentioned that in each stage, a person is faced with a crisis that he has to master and overcome before proceeding to the next stage. However, in the same way that Erikson challenged the theories of Freud, some psychologists were still not convinced of Erikson’s model, and so made their own theories.”

Example of the 3rd body paragraph

“The last would be Jean Piaget’s theory of cognitive development. This is a lot simpler than Freud’s and Erikson’s because it only has three stages: the sensorimotor stage, the preoperational stage, and the operational stage. Piaget believes that children think a lot more different compared to adults. According to him, how children think about themselves and other people, as well as the world in its entirety plays a vital role in shaping their personality. This theory remains one of the most trusted concepts today.”

These are just samples; however, it shows you how paragraph writing can be done. You might want to expand more on your paper properly.

How to finish the research paper

In this part, all you have to do is make a summary of your arguments and conclude with your final opinion or verdict on the topic. Conclusions are as much important as the introductions or the main body paragraphs of the essay. Yet, many students take them for granted and feel exhausted after working hard on other sections. We are stressing this here so that they do not make the same mistakes again and create something unique and riveting in this section. many experts believe that conclusions can be standalone pieces to preserve quality.

Here are some tips for making a good conclusion:

Provide a summary of your main points.
State your final verdict on the topic.
Use closing statements or phrases.
Do not make it too long.
Give a strong and convincing last statement.

Example of the conclusion

What better way to teach a lesson than with an example? The conclusion is all about tying up all the loose ends. Go through the example in the following lines and you can see all the insights of good conclusion writing in practice.

An example of a good conclusion would be:

“Bottom line, there are a lot of theories today about how our personality develops in so many ways. We have Freud’s psychosexual development, Erikson’s psychosocial development, and Piaget’s cognitive development. All these three have their own respective beliefs with regard to Personality Development. While they may be all true or only one of them is, it is a well-known fact that they have been used in the field of psychology to explain why people are unique and different in each and every way.”

Research paper revision

Once you’re done writing, the process doesn’t end there. You still have to edit and revise your paper if needed to make it perfect. Some tips for revising would be:

Have a separate day for your revisions.
Let others read your paper and ask for their opinion.

Overall, these are all the things you need to remember when making a research paper, particularly on Personality Development. The secret is to research, write, focus, and follow these guidelines so it would be easier for you to create one.