week 8 - positive psychology

Question 1

What did Martin Seligman (1998) feel was wrong with psychology?

Answer 1

It was too focused on the disease model. It was too focused on fixing what’s wrong and focusing on human deficencies.

Question 2

What is positive psychology focused on?

Answer 2

Human’s potential rather than their shortcomings/returning a “faulty” person to the normal state.

Question 3

What are the three pillars of positive psychology?

Answer 3

positive experience, positive individual traits, and positive institutions.

Question 4

Explain the first pillar of positive psychology.

Answer 4

Positive experience - the subjective level, involves individual’s current understanding of their experiences, about understanding what makes people feel good.

Question 5

Explain the second pillar of positive psychology.

Answer 5

Positive individual traits - the individual level, identifying personality qualities for being a good person, how common dimensions both connect us and differentiate us.

Question 6

Explain the third pillar of positive psychology.

Answer 6

positive institutions - the group level, strengths which foster better communities. Teamwork, justice, etc.

Question 7

What are two ways of thinking about personality?

Answer 7

Trait theories and theory of self/identity.

Question 8

What are trait theories?

Answer 8

Stable over adulthood and across contexts. Single, shared external reality. Example - Big 5

Question 9

What are theories of self/identity?

Answer 9

Personality evolves over the lifespan, individuals construct their own sense of reality, personality is irreducible. Understanding people by exploring their “whole” person.

Question 10

Is positive psychology concerned with trait theories or theories of self/identity?

Answer 10

Both can be included in positive psychology.