Your Personal Theory and Growth Plan paper will be a culmination of your work so far in this class and a plan for future self and relationship development. This should be a five to eight-page, double-spaced, APA formatted paper, incorporating at least four academic references. Utilize the work you completed so far in this class, including the Personal Reflection Paper, Journal Entries, and Personal Value Statement. The paper must address all of the following topics:
- Who You Are
- Summarize what you have learned about yourself looking at your past experiences, family of origin dynamics, past relationships and personality traits.
- Identify the strengths and weaknesses you bring to relationships.
- Identify those who currently make up a meaningful support system in your life.
- What Are Your Needs
- Discuss what you have discovered to be some of your most prevalent relational needs (security, acceptance, etc.).
- Optional: Take the following relational needs assessment to better understand and pinpoint your relational needs:
- What needs are being met well and how are they being met?
- What needs are not being met well and how are you coping without them?
- Describe Your Relationships
- Where have you been, where are you now, where would you like to be in your relationship with God?
- How does your relationship with God impact your relationship with others?
- What are your relationship strengths and weaknesses?
- Briefly describe a failed relationship you learned from.
- Are you happy with your current relationship connections? Why or why not?
- Your Values
- What have you found to be your core values?
- Do you consider yourself to be highly devoted and publicly defensive of your values, quite unsure about your values, or somewhere in between?
- In what ways are you true to them and in what ways do you compromise your values?
- Growth Plan
- What are the top three areas of personal and relationship growth that you would like to improve on?
- What methods will you use to improve them?
- Name at least three things you would like to commit to making a habit that will help you meet personal and relationship goals (i.e. calling a friend daily, sending friendly notes weekly, practice relaxation techniques, etc.).
