PS391 Psychology of Leadership sample papers, unit by unit

Reviewed by Romilly Dunmore, MEd Psychology of Leadership Purdue University Global Free custom samples in 24–48h

PS391 surveys leadership theories and approaches in traditional and virtual workplaces and asks students to think critically about the leadership process: leading self, developing and leading others, leading performance and change, ethics, crisis leadership and how leaders are developed. Samples follow one composite night-shift supervisor at a regional distribution warehouse in Columbus, Ohio, promoted from the floor, through her first year of learning to lead former coworkers.

How this shelf works

Send the exact assignment or rubric from your classroom and a custom sample written to it lands in 24 to 48 hours, the first one free. PS391 is Purdue Global’s Psychology of Leadership course. It centers on leadership theories and approaches in traditional and virtual workplaces, critical thinking about the leadership process, and effective leadership competencies related to leading self, developing and leading others, leading performance and change, and ethics in leadership, along with approaches to developing impactful leaders. Searches like "ps 391 unit 4 assignment example", "PS391 sample paper", and "PS391 unit samples" land on this page.

What PS391 is really about

Within Purdue Global's BS in Psychology, PS391 is an industrial and organizational psychology course with no prerequisite. Its catalog entry describes an overview of leadership theories and approaches in traditional and virtual workplaces, critical thinking about the leadership process, competencies for leading self, developing and leading others, leading performance and change, and ethics in leadership, and the best approaches to developing impactful leaders.

The course rewards using theory to understand a leader's actual choices. A paper that lists transformational leadership's four components earns less than one that shows which of them a new supervisor used on a bad night and which she skipped. Each theory is expected to be tested against evidence and against what happened on the floor. Because the samples follow one supervisor through her first year, the same team, conflicts and decisions recur, and the final plan sets out how she will keep developing.

What PS391’s assessments ask for

PS391 commonly opens with a post on whether leaders are born or made, then asks for papers on leadership theories, leading self and developing others. Middle units usually cover leading performance, leading change and leading virtual teams. Later units tend to include ethical leadership, crisis leadership and a personal leadership development plan.

Where students lose points in PS391

The most frequent loss is describing leadership theories without applying them to a leader's decisions. Next is treating one theory as complete. Third is ignoring the followers' view. Papers also lose points for development plans with vague goals and no way to tell whether the leader is improving.

The PS391 drawers

Unit 1

PS391 Unit 1 discussion board post example

The first PS391 board usually asks whether leaders are born or made, through a real example. Full sample paper, annotated.

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Unit 2

PS391 Unit 2 leadership theories paper example

Unit 2 typically asks students to compare major leadership theories and apply them. Full sample paper, annotated.

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Unit 3

PS391 Unit 3 leading self paper example

Unit 3 commonly asks students to examine self-awareness and self-management in leadership. Full sample paper, annotated.

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Unit 4

PS391 Unit 4 developing others paper example

Unit 4 often asks students to examine how leaders develop and coach others. Full sample paper, annotated.

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Unit 5

PS391 Unit 5 leading performance paper example

Unit 5 typically asks students to examine how leaders manage performance through feedback and goals. Full sample paper, annotated.

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Unit 6

PS391 Unit 6 leading change paper example

Unit 6 commonly asks students to analyze how leaders guide people through change. Full sample paper, annotated.

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Unit 7

PS391 Unit 7 discussion board post example

Unit 7 often asks students to discuss leading virtual or distributed teams. Full sample paper, annotated.

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Unit 8

PS391 Unit 8 ethical leadership paper example

Unit 8 typically asks students to analyze ethical leadership through a real dilemma. Full sample paper, annotated.

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Unit 9

PS391 Unit 9 crisis leadership paper example

Unit 9 commonly asks students to examine leadership during a crisis. Full sample paper, annotated.

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Unit 10

PS391 Unit 10 leadership development plan example

Unit 10 often closes PS391 with a personal leadership development plan. Full sample paper, annotated.

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Different?

Your classroom shows something else?

Purdue University Global revises courses; unit counts and deliverables shift between terms. Send what your classroom shows and the desk matches it exactly.

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Using a PS391 sample the right way

Read a sample for the moment a theory explained or changed a leader's choice. In the change paper, find the conversation that turned resistance into questions; in the ethics paper, find the shortcut the supervisor refused; in the development plan, find the skill she admits she lacks. Those are where PS391 points are earned.

How these samples are written

The discipline behind every paper here: the rubric is the outline, each row gets its section, seminar-option write-ups follow their expected shape, and the format layer ships exact. Send your unit's instructions with a request and the sample matches them, revisions included.

PS391 questions, answered

Do I need to be a manager to take PS391?

No. Examples can come from any role, including leading peers or volunteers, or from a composite case.

Are the people in the PS391 samples real?

No. The supervisor, the warehouse and every employee are composite; the studies cited are real.

Which topics does PS391 cover?

Leadership theories, leading self and others, performance, change, virtual teams, ethics, crisis leadership and leader development.