Week 5 - Positive Psychology

Question 1

Define Positive Psychology. How does it differ from other fields and who is its founder?

Answer 1

A type of psychology that studies positive human functioning on multiple levels (biological, personal, relational, etc.).

Positive Psychology focuses on human happiness, health, and resilience & its causes, rather than pathology and its causes.

Martin Seligman is the founder.

Question 2

Which philosopher suggested that a good life (happiness) is dependent on self-knowledge, which motivates one to engage in virtuous behaviour?

Answer 2

Socrates

Question 3

Which philosopher suggested that we should look deeper within ourselves to achieve happiness?

Answer 3

Plato.

Question 4

Which philosopher suggested that happiness is a by-product of living a virtuous life? What is this theory called?

Answer 4

Aristotle; Virtue theory of happiness/Eudaimonia theory of well-being

Question 5

What are the two views for what determines happiness?

Answer 5

The subjective view and the prescriptive view.

The subjective view suggests that happiness is determined by our appraisal or interpretation of life events. We should positively interpret things like:
1. our life satisfaction
2. satisfaction with important life domains
3. positive affect
4. low levels of negative affect

The prescriptive view suggests that happiness is determined by specific factors that are absolutely necessary for happiness. These factors are:
1. self-acceptance
2. positive relations with others
3. autonomy
4. environmental mastery
5. purpose in life
6. personal growth

Question 6

What is the term that describes how happiness levels are fixed and stable across time?

Answer 6

Happiness Set Point

Question 7

What evidence suggests that we have a happiness set point?

Answer 7

1. There is a large heritability influence for happiness
2. Personality factors are better predictors of happiness than life circumstances
3. Hedonic Adaptation –> there is stability of well being across time even in changing circumstances

Question 8

What is the term that describes the ability to recover or respond positively to a negative event?

Answer 8

Resilience

Question 9

People with resilience (?) with a negative event, (?) from it, and (?) by their experiences.

Answer 9

cope; learn; become transformed

Question 10

Resilient individuals may show (?) in response to their hardship.

Answer 10

Adversarial growth

Question 11

What acronym describes the various domains of adversarial growth that resilient individuals experience after difficult events?

Answer 11

ECM
E: Emotional Growth
C: Closer relationships
M: More positive perspective on life

Question 12

What are the three things that protective factors do?

Answer 12

1. allow one to find meaning in stressful experiences
2. help one build resources
3. demonstrate resilience

Question 13

At the individual level, what are the 4 protective factors?

Answer 13

1. Optimism
2. Hope
3. Self-efficacy
4. Good social skills

Question 14

At the family level, what are the 3 protective factors?

Answer 14

1. Family Cohesion
2. Warmth
3. Emotionally responsive caregiving

Question 15

At the community level, what are 2 protective factors?

Answer 15

Peer networks & school environment

Question 16

What is the term that is opposite to protective factors? What are 5 of them?

Answer 16

vulnerability factors

1. Poverty
2. Social exclusion
3. low self-esteem
4. lack of social networks
5. family dysfunction

Question 17

What is the explanatory style of optimists and pessimists?

Answer 17

optimists view bad situations as temporary, specific to the situation, and caused by external factors.

pessimists view bad situations and more enduring, global, and caused by internal factors

Question 18

What is the term that describes a passive state (similar to that of depressed states) where one perceives their efforts as not affecting their outcomes?

Answer 18

Learned helplessness

Question 19

What is the term that describes acquiring the ability to generally expect positive outcomes?

Answer 19

Learned optimism

Question 20

What is the term that describes the ability to envision one/more routes towards reaching one’s desired goals?

Answer 20

Cognitive pathways

Question 21

Define agency

Answer 21

It is a motivational perception that a wide range of goals will be pursued (that one will achieve more goals)

Question 22

Hope & optimism both involve the prediction of a (?).

Answer 22

positive outcome

Question 23

What are the two dimensions that hope and optimism can be differentiated on?

Answer 23

(1) Subjective likelihood and (2) perceived control.

Optimism –> higher subjective likelihood, higher perceived control
Hope –> lower subjective likelihood, lower perceived control

Question 24

What are the three reasons for why the study of positive emotions has been neglected?

Answer 24

1. psychology has been primarily focused on negative emotions and how to treat those problems
2. positive emotions are more difficult to define operationally because they seem less distinct or different from one another
3. there is a lack of awareness that strategies that support positive emotions can help problems

Question 25

Decribe Frederickson’s Broaden and Build Model.

Answer 25

Experiencing positive emotions increases one’s resilience. Negative emotions lead to specific action tendencies and positive emotions lead to nonspecific action tendencies. By broadening one’s thought-action repertoire, positive emotions help build personal resources.

Specific action tendencies: narrowed behavioral options
Nonspecific action tendencies: broadened behvaioral options
Thought action repertoire: range of potential cognitions and behaviors available to an individual

Question 26

In the Broaden-and-Build Model, negative emotions lead to what type of survival gains and positive emotions lead to what type of survival gains?

Answer 26

short term; long-term

Question 27

Describe Frederickson’s Undoing Hypothesis.

Answer 27

suggests that one of the purposes of positive emotions is to help us recover more quickly from negative emotions and return to equilibrium.

Question 28

What are the two constructs that emerged from Positive Psychology that shift away from a deficit model of stress to one that focuses on preventing stress?

Answer 28

(1) Psychological Capital
(2) Self-compassion

Question 29

Define psychological capital and its 4 characteristics.

Answer 29

Psychological capital is an individual’s positive psychological state of development.

(1) Optimism –> the confidence to take on and put effort into succeeding
(2) Hope –> making positive attributions about succeeding
(3) Self-efficacy –> belief that one can succeed
(4) Reislience –> sustaining and attaining success when exposed to adversity

Question 30

Define self-compassion.

Answer 30

Self compassion is kind and caring feelings towards oneself when exposed to personal distress, and acknowledging that suffering and faiure are a part of life.

Question 31

What is the term that describes being fully aware and accepting of the present?

Answer 31

Mindfulness

Question 32

What is the term that describes appreciation for something good another has brought about?

Answer 32

Gratitude