Relevance of Positive Psychology in Today's Society

Question 1

What points can be made about the debate?

Answer 1

Education
Work
Leisure and lifestyle advice
Health

Question 2

What point can be made supporting the relevance of positive psychology in education?

Answer 2

Seligman thought positive psychology should be used in schools to promote skills and strengths and produce measurable improvements
Penn Resiliency Program found students showed reduced symptoms of depression and were more cooperative with better social skills

Question 3

How can the Penn Resiliency Program be used to supprt the use of positive psychology in schools?

Answer 3

students showed reduced symptoms of depression and were more cooperative with better social skills

Question 4

What point can be made conficting the relevance of positive psychology in education?

Answer 4

Spence and Shortt argue evidence is based on small, short studies
Seligman admitted more research is needed to ensure effectiveness
To make room to teach it in schools, other subjects would have to be dropped

Question 5

What point can be made supporting the relevance of positive psychology in work?

Answer 5

Research has shown that work can be a source of happiness. LeFevre says we experiance flow 3 times as much at work so if workers admitted they enjoy it, they might be more effective

Question 6

What point can be made conflicting the relevance of positive psychology in work?

Answer 6

The idea of choosing a job you love is not new so positive psychology is offering no new insights
Income only has a small correlation with happiness.
Diener found 0.12 correlation but in poor societies, it might be larger

Question 7

What correlation did Diener find between money and happiness?

Answer 7

0.12

Question 8

What point can be made supporting the relevance of positive psychology in lifestyle and leisure advice?

Answer 8

People increace their flow in leisure time when engaging in active activities.
Action for Happiness claim they are a movement for creating positive social change that uses positive psychology

Question 9

What point can be made conflicting the relevance of positive psychology in lifestyle and leisure advice?

Answer 9

Leisure activities that increace flow may be unavaliable or prohibited. It’s difficult to assess the impact of things like Action for Happiness as other variables are not controlled.

Question 10

What point can be made supporting the relevance of positive psychology in health?

Answer 10

Kubzansky and Thurston followed 6,000 participants over 20 years and found that those with high levels of emotional validity had reduced risk of heart disease

Question 11

What point can be made conflicting the relevance of positive psychology in health?

Answer 11

It’s difficult to establish a cause and effect relationship as people could be happy as a result of their health or their health may be a result of their happiness