Positive Psychology week 7

Question 1

1. Positive psychology

Answer 1

• Def: the science of applications related to the study of psychological strengths and positive emotions.
• Uses scientific understanding and effective intervention to aid the achievement of a satisfactory life, rather than merely treating mental illness
• Seligman focused on how to make people happy instead of just treating the problem

Question 2

4.Hedonic perspective (happiness)

Answer 2

Subjective wellbeing (SWB)
Pleasure, rewards, "takers".

Question 3

5.6.Eudaemonic perspectives (happiness)

Answer 3

Purpose, meaning, greater good, “givers”
Parental paradox=parents go down when having kids, stressful but meaningful.
Connected to SDT since autonomy includes a sense of purpose and meaning. You are in control over your life and are meaningful.

Question 4

8.Flow

Answer 4

Extrinsic state, enjoying without thinking about the event When I am dancing

Question 5

10. Chronically unhappy people

Answer 5

Self blame, compare downwards, ruminate on negative past experiences, negative about future and others and self

Question 6

10. Chronically happy people

Answer 6

Less sensitive to feedback
Tend to be more satisfied with their available options
Positive perspective on themselves, others and life

Question 7

SDT (self determination theory)

Answer 7

1. competence-goal and feel confident
2. Autonomy-sense of choice, develop inner motivation
3. Relatedness-the need to feel connected to other people and have supported social relationships

Question 8

Biological perspective of psychology

Answer 8

Focus on functioning of genes, the brain, nervous system and endocrine system

Question 9

Cognitive perspective on psychology

Answer 9

Focus on thought, planning, perception, and memory processes.

Question 10

9.Describe the consequences of being happy.

Answer 10

Happy people experiences later success in 
marriage 
Friendship
Employment/ income
Work performance
Psychological health
Physiological health

Question 11

9. Explain the psychological mechanisms that Boehm & Lyubomirsky (2009) suggest underpin why some people are chronically happy.

Answer 11

Furthermore, happy people tend to judge
almost everything about themselves and their lives
favorably, including their friendships, recreation,
self-esteem, energy levels, and purpose in lif

Question 12

12.Describe the “Sustainable happiness Model”. What aspect of the model should psychologist focus on to enhance happiness? Why?

Answer 12

According to their model, chronic happiness, or the happiness
one shows during a specific period in life, is influenced
by three factors—one’s set point, one’s life
circumstances, and the intentional activities in
which one engages

Question 13

14. Describe and explain the happiness ‘boosting’ interventions in Boehm & Lyubomirsky (2009).

Answer 13

Committing act of kindness
gratitude
visualizing best possible self
processing happy life experiences.

Question 14

What are benefits of benefit-triggered gratitude? (Armenta, Fritz, & Lyubomirsky, 2016).

Answer 14

Interpersonal perspective
Greater appreciation of friends and family
Valuing each day more

Question 15

Identify and explain the mediators of benefit-triggered gratitude on self-improvement and positive change. Support your answer using empirical evidence.

Answer 15

Enhances mood and life satisfaction.

Enhances relationship.

Question 16

23. Describe and explain the benefits of optimism (Foregard & Seligman, 2012).

Answer 16

optimism appears to be related to higher levels of subjective well-being even in the face of stressful events.

Question 17

Explain the concept of flow. (see lecture slide)

Answer 17

10-15% never experience flow. 10-15% experience it daily.

Clear goals and immediate feedback. Balance of challenge versus skills. Intrinsic task.

Question 18

25. Describe and explain the concept of unrealistic optimism.

Answer 18

wishful thinking, perceive risk as lower than average, failure to disengage from unachievable goals.

Question 19

What is meant by defensive pessimism (see lecture slide)

Answer 19

Imagine the worst. Plan to avoid disasters.

Question 20

26. When is optimism most adaptive?

Answer 20

Optimism related to adaptive coping strategies

Question 21

20. Broaden and build

Answer 21

positive emotion-broaden(a new view on things)-Build(develop resources)-transforming

Question 22

Attribution style

Answer 22

Negative event:
Pessimist:internal, stable and global
Optimist: external, unstable, local

Positive event:
Pessimist: external, unstable, local
Optimist: internal, stable and global

Question 23

2.Explain the reasons for the focus on distress and disease in psychology.

Answer 23

Most psychologists want to go from a negative state to a neutral state.

Question 24

3.Explain why we should not ignore ‘negative’ dispositions and emotions.

Answer 24

Negative emotions serve a function. Detect threats, enhance social relationships, enhance motivation.
Defensive pessimism-Prepared to avoid hard situations

Question 25

4. Describe and explain the components of subjective well-being. What is meant by the hedonistic perspective of happiness? (see Deci & Ryan 2006:p1-2; lecture slides). Describe the relationship between SWB and marriage, religion, and money.

Answer 25

Simon did not choose to focus on this! SWB=Satisfaction with life+High positive affect+Low negative affect.
Subjective well being will be enhanced by religion since you have a purpose. Marriage since they synthesize happiness. They believe their marriage is very good since they have committed time and affection to the relationship by marrying each other. Money to a certain extent provides happiness as well.

Question 26

11. According to Boehm & Lyubomirsky (2009) why is there doubt about the possibility of increasing and maintaining happiness? (see also Layous & Lyubomirsky, 2013; p473-474)

Answer 26

The basic needs are the best predictor of happiness, not genetics and environment. Therefore the people who try to become more happy by changing their environment will most likely not succeed to become happy in the long run.

Question 27

13. What is the evidence to support the use of positive activity interventions? (Layous & Lyubomirsky, 2013; p474-475)

Answer 27

Positive activity interventions (PAIs) involve simple, self-administered cognitive behavioral
strategies designed to mirror the thoughts and behaviors of naturally happy people and, in
turn, improve the happiness of the person performing them.
Anumber of PAIs have already
established their eff ectiveness in increasing well-being and/or reducing negative symptoms in
randomized, controlled interventions.

Question 28

16. Explain how do positive activity interventions work. (Layous & Lyubomirsky, 2013; p475-474)

Answer 28

Write a letter and describe the person who means a lot to them and then give it to the person. Act of kindness, practicing optimism, affirming ones most important values, mediating positive feelings about oneself and others.

Question 29

18. Explain the concept of “person-activity fit”? (Layous & Lyubomirsky, 2013)

Answer 29

The importance of person-activity fit has been most persuasively demonstrated in the literature
on goal pursuit. Specifically, the effect of goal attainment on well-being depends on
the degree of goal-person fit (Sheldon & Elliot, 1999). People put more effort into goals that fit
their interests and core values (i.e., self-concordant goals) and also reap greater benefits to their
well-being from the attainment of self-concordant goals

Question 30

19. What are benefits and potential pitfalls of pursuing happiness? Can too much happiness be detrimental? (Layous & Lyubomirsky, 2013)

Answer 30

some evidence suggests that too high a degree of happiness (including the experience
of mania and hypomania) has maladaptive outcomes

Question 31

24. Describe and explain a strategy to enhance learned optimism (or at least decrease pessimism (see lecture slides).

Answer 31

Hot seat technique:
Construct list of common negative events.
Get a friend to read an event to you.
Identify pessimistic automatic thoughts.
Then:
Evaluate evidence for pessimistic thought.
Think of alternative explanation.
Put thought in perspective