Readings 1 Flashcards
How did positive psychology really get its start
Seligman asked prominent psychologists to nominate rising stars in psychology who would be interested in the movement
What was the first def of PP
Being about optimal human functioning
textbook def of PP
The parts of psychology that deal with (positive) experiences, dispositions, contexts, and processes, in individuals and groups that facilitate well being, achievement and harmony
4 possibilities of what “positive” means
- Positive intentions of psychologists
- Positive ideology about human nature
- Appreciation of human nature
- Positive topics
Why is positive intentions of the psychologist not the best way to define PP
because many psychologists with good intentions study dark things
Why is an assumption that people are inherently good not a good way to define PP?
Because it is not very scientific and does not allow for falsification
> > risks PP being disproven if it is found that people suck
What is a benefit of the view of PP as appreciating humans
It balances psychology
Defining psychology by its topics
Meaning that PP is defined by studying positive things, like forgiveness, joy and resilience
Does PP only study extraordinarily positive things?
No, it also studies normal person positive. If its a 10-point scale, it studied everything from +1 to +10
What are some positive values that are mostly universal
curiosity Kindness Fairness Spirituality Bravery
What is a limitation of using subjective experience to define positive psychology?
It assumes that happiness is central to all positive things, but it is not
Do the 3 qualifiers of positivity (choice, values, subjective experience) necessarily agree?
No
>something can feel good but be against your morals, or you can chose something a lot out of necessity but not like it
When we talk about happy people, are we referring to short term or long term moods?
Long term, a mental running average of feelings over one’s life
Psychologists often replace the word “happy” with:
subjective well being
3 components of subjective well being
- High life satisfaction
- many pleasant emotions
- experiencing few unpleasant emotions
