POSITIVE Evaluation

Question 2

Evaluation - Free Will

Answer 2

Assumes free will, giving people control and responsibility for their actions, but may lead to blaming victims of unfortunate circumstances.

Question 3

Held (2002) Criticism

Answer 3

Victims of unfortunate circumstances may be blamed for their own misery, leading to lowered well-being and happiness.

Question 4

Usefulness in Various Sectors

Answer 4

Used in education, health, workplaces, and therapy. Shown to improve well-being in people with stress and depression.

Question 5

Mindfulness in Military

Answer 5

Focuses on building mental toughness by identifying and developing signature strengths.

Question 6

Mindfulness in Education

Answer 6

Improves well-being by fostering positive feelings and behavior.

Question 7

Scientific Evaluation

Answer 7

Mindfulness and positive psychology are difficult to measure and replicate. Many findings on happiness are correlational, making causality hard to assign (Lazarus, 2003).

Question 8

Mindfulness and Buddhism

Answer 8

Removing the religious aspects of mindfulness makes it inauthentic, and some in the Buddhist community are offended by this.

Question 9

Criticism of Positive Psychology (Larsen et al, 2001)

Answer 9

Positive psychology is seen as overly simplistic, focusing too much on positive emotions and ignoring the complexities of human emotions.

Question 10

Complexity of Emotions (Van Deurzen, 2009)

Answer 10

Struggle and hardship are necessary for personal growth and societal change. Positive psychology should reflect both positive and negative emotions.

Question 11

Benefits of Negative Emotions

Answer 11

Negative emotions can be beneficial, such as anger motivating assertion, and struggles driving us to improve our lives and the world.