1.5.5 The relevance of positive psychology

Question 1

Points that show positive psychology is relevant in todays society

Answer 1

• Education
• Military
• Leisure and lifestyle
• Health
• Work

Question 2

What was the goal of positive psychology

Answer 2

To create a field focused on human well-being and the strengths and virues that allow people to thrive

Question 3

What is the issue with the other approaches that postive approach fixes

Answer 3

They disproportionatly focus on treating mental illness rather than promoting mental health

Question 4

What topics does positive psychology focus on

Answer 4

• Well being
• Pride
• Forgivness
• Happiness
• Mindfullness
• Psychological strength
• And how all these are related to mental and physical health

Question 5

What highlights positive psychologys relevance in society

Answer 5

Its practical applications

Question 6

What did 3 things did Seligman state Positive psychology ciriculum can do?

Answer 6

1. Promote skils and strengths that are valued by most, including parents
2. Produce measurable improvements in students wellbeing and behaviour
3. Facilitate students engagment in learning and achievment

Question 7

How did Seligman come to this conclusion

Answer 7

In 2009 he randomly assigned 347 ninth grade students to a PPC or non PPC class

Question 8

What results did Seligmann get from his study

Answer 8

PPC students were more cooperative and had better social skills compared to the non-PPC students

Question 9

What research provides support for Seligmanns claims

Answer 9

Penn Resiliency Programme (PRP)

Question 10

What is the PRP’s goal

Answer 10

Increase students ability to handle day-to-day problems that are common during adolescence

Question 11

What does PRP do to achieve this goal

Answer 11

• Promotes optimism by teaching students to think more realistically about the problems they encounter
• Teaches assertivness, decision making, relaxation, and other coping skills

Question 12

How can PRP be argued as relevant

Answer 12

With depression being approximately 10 times more common now than it was fifty years ago among young people, it can be argued that embedding psotive psychology principles into education through programmes such as PRP is relevant

Question 13

What did Gilham et al find about the effectivness of PRP

Answer 13

24 months after the intervention of PRP only 22% of the PRP group showed symptoms of depression where as 44% showed symptoms of depression in the control group

Question 14

What is the CSF

Answer 14

Comprehensive soldier fitness programme

Question 15

Why was the CSF established

Answer 15

In an effort to address the challenges being faced due to multiple deployments required by persistant conflicts in Iraq and Afganistan

Question 16

What are the aims of CSF

Answer 16

Instead of focusing only on treatment after issues arise, CSF aims to provide preventive measures to the soldiers and their families to make them stronger and more able to cope with the demmands of deployment

Question 17

How can CSF be seen as relevant in todays society

Answer 17

With conflicts becoming more common and ongoing, using positive psychology in the military is relevant in todays society as it can improve the quality of life for soldiers and their families

Question 18

What has Mihaly’s research shown about work

Answer 18

Work can be the major source of our happiness

Question 19

What does Mihaly’s flow theory suggest

Answer 19

• That our experiences will be most positive when both challenges and skills are high
• The person will not only be enjoying the moment but also stretching their capabilities with the liklihood of learning new skills and increasing self-esteem

Question 20

What did LeFevre find about Flow

Answer 20

Found that most people experience flow situations more than 3 times as much at work than during leisure

Question 21

What do LeFevre and Mihaly’s findings suggest

Answer 21

Our working environments generally offer more oportunity for positive experiences, which is contrary to what many people claim

Question 22

What did Mihaly and LeFevre say about workers

Answer 22

If they admitted to themselves that work can be as or more enjoyable than most of their leisure time, they might work more effectively and in the process improve the quality of their own lives

Question 23

In terms of Leisure and Lifestyle what is Mihaly and LeFevre suggest to people

Answer 23

People should increase their experience of flow and the quality of their lives by being more concious of and more active in their leisure time

Question 24

What is evidence of a project that uses positive psychology

Answer 24

Action For Happiness (AFH)

Question 25

What do AFH claim they are

Answer 25

A movement for positive social change

Question 26

What does their site offer

Answer 26

* Support for those struggling with problems and depression * For example "10 keys to happier living"

Question 27

How do these findings mean positive psychology is relevant in todays society

Answer 27

It can be applied in various projects to increase peoples happiness and positivity

Question 28

In terms of Health what did Kubzansky and Thurstons research involve

Answer 28

Following more than 6000 men and women aged 25 to 74 for 20 years

Question 29

What did Kubzansky and Thurston find

Answer 29

PPs with high levels of 'emotional vitality' had a reduced risk of coronary heart disease

Question 30

What is emotional vitality

Answer 30

A sense of enthusiasm, hopefullness, engagement in life, ability to face lifes stress' with emotional balance

Question 31

How do these findings mean positive psychology is relevant in todays society

Answer 31

It can improve physical health as well as mental health

Question 32

What is a concluding argument that positive psychology is relevant in todays society

Answer 32

* Positive psychology has re-focused psychology on research and advice that will help people improve their lives and the society in which they live rather than being concerned with the negatives such as aggressive behaviour and addiction * Such focus has led to some interesting lines of research and new programmes in school, work and leisure

Question 33

Points that show positive psychology is not relevant in todays society

Answer 33

* Education * Military * Work * Leisure and Lifestyle * Health

Question 34

What do critics of positive psychology say

Answer 34

* The research findings are not strong enough to move so swiftly toward applications * Postive psychology has produced exageratted conclusions about the power of the positive, including the perception that people can reduce illness with more optimism

Question 35

What is an issue with positive psychology in education that shows it to not be relevant

Answer 35

Lack of empirical evidence to support the success of PPC

Question 36

What did Seligman admit about positive psychology in schools

Answer 36

Further research needs to be done to ensure that such educational programms are effective with students from a variety of socio-economic and cultural backgrounds

Question 37

What is an issue with adding positive psychology to the ciriculum

Answer 37

* Will likely mean anither subject has to be dropped. * Limited budgets mean that most schools would be unable to add positive psychology without sbtracting something else

Question 38

What did the financial times suggest would happen if positive psychology was implemented into schools

Answer 38

students would leave school with less academic achievments

Question 39

What did Spence and Shortt 2007 argue about the research into positive psychology in schools

Answer 39

The research that does exist tends to be based on small-scale or short-term interventions

Question 40

What did Spence and Shortt conclude

Answer 40

The widespread implementation of positive psychology in schools should not be done without further more long term research

Question 41

What is an issue with positive psychologys view on work that 'if you choose a job you love u will never have to work a day in your life'

Answer 41

* It is not a new idea * Therefor we question whether positive psychology in workplace had really offered us anything more than empirical support for something which much of society already know

Question 42

Work may make you happy but the aspect of having more money doesnt - explain

Answer 42

Diener et al found a modest correlation of +.12 between income and happiness

Question 43

How does this vary between societies

Answer 43

* In societies where people are poor, money is more important and work may be important for money rather than happiness * The developed world may have the luxury of seeking happiness through work, a luxury not available elsewhere

Question 44

In the Military how has the CSF programme been criticised

Answer 44

Due to lack of scientific evidence to support its effectivness

Question 45

How has the development of the CSF also been criticised

Answer 45

Since the PRP that it was based upon was originally designed for adolescents and little has been done to adapt the programme to meet the needs of a millitary population

Question 46

How can this be used to argue that psotive psychology is not relevant in todays society

Answer 46

The lack of adaptation leads the critics to beleive it is not relevant

Question 47

What is an issue with leisure activities that increase flow

Answer 47

They are likely to be prohibited to many, either because of a lack of dedicated leisure time or because of the financial costs that they incur

Question 48

What is an issue with movements like AFH

Answer 48

Difficult to asses the impact they have on society

Question 49

What would need to be done to asses their effectivness

Answer 49

* In order to conduct onjective research the variables would have to be controlled * For example it might be that wealtheir people are attracted to this movement and therefor beneficial outcomes might be due to their wealth rather than the programme itself

Question 50

What is an issue with psotive psychology in health

Answer 50

* It is difficult to prove a cause and effect relationship between happiness and health * People may just be happy because they are healthy not healthy becuase they are happy

Question 51

Why isnt positive psychology taken seriously in healthcare

Answer 51

It has difficulty in conducting research that draws clear cause and effect conclusions

Question 52

What is a concluding argument that positive psychology is not relevant in todays society

Answer 52

* Programmes in work, leisure and schools may only be a small part of a persons life or only available to a small number of people, therefor have little impact * Positive approach may only be relevant to Western Developed world * The positve approach is relatively new and it may take time before its impact is felt. The debate that needs to be answered first is 'how can positive psychology be made more relevant in todays society'