Analytical Journal
In keeping with the principle that “psychology happens everywhere,” which is guiding our approach to learning in this course, the following assignment is designed to help you identify everyday factors that influence your psychological functioning, analyze their effect on you, and apply your knowledge to construct an appropriate, or optimal, response.
For seven days, you are required to keep a journal in which you should write down one thing that happened to you each day. Give a brief description of the event; explain what was significant about it, what effect it had on you, and what you could or should do about it. For each thing that you record the content should be organized in three paragraphs:
Paragraph 1: Describe: What happened? The description should be detailed enough to give context to your entry.
Paragraph 2: Analyze: What effect did it have on me? How did it influence me?
Paragraph 3: Respond: What can/should I do about it?
Do not write in bullet points; instead, use well-developed paragraphs.
You should write a minimum of half a double-spaced page for each day. The completed journal should have at least 3.5 to 4 double-spaced pages , not counting empty spaces (or 1000 words), 12-point font, with 1-inch margins all around.
