Positive Psychology Basics

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Questions and Answers

What is the focus of positive psychology?

  • Eliminating negative emotions
  • Increasing happiness and fulfillment (correct)
  • Developing pessimistic attitudes
  • Fostering anxiety and depression

What is the purpose of gratitude exercises in positive psychology?

  • To ignore negative emotions
  • To decrease social relationships
  • To increase anxiety and stress
  • To increase happiness over time (correct)

What is a benefit of having a sense of purpose in life?

  • Decreased physical and mental health
  • Decreased social relationships
  • Increased anxiety and depression
  • Better physical and mental health (correct)

What is a character strength that is explored in positive psychology?

<p>Awe (C)</p> Signup and view all the answers

What is a outcome of positive psychology practices such as gratitude interventions?

<p>Boosted social and emotional well-being (B)</p> Signup and view all the answers

What is the primary focus of positive psychology?

<p>Identifying and building mental assets (B)</p> Signup and view all the answers

Who is often regarded as the father of positive psychology?

<p>Martin Seligman (A)</p> Signup and view all the answers

What is the term used to describe a state of deep engagement and absorption?

<p>Flow (C)</p> Signup and view all the answers

What is the main goal of identifying character strengths in positive psychology?

<p>To achieve a good and meaningful life (D)</p> Signup and view all the answers

What is the title of the book that categorizes character strengths and virtues?

<p>Character Strengths and Virtues (B)</p> Signup and view all the answers

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Study Notes

Positive Psychology

  • Emphasizes meaning and deep satisfaction over fleeting happiness
  • Encompasses multiple visions of happy living, including the Pleasant Life, Good Life, and Meaningful Life

Visions of Happy Living

  • Pleasant Life: Hollywood's view of happiness
  • Good Life: focused on personal strengths and engagement
  • Meaningful Life: focused on sense of meaning or purpose

Positive Experiences and Behaviors

  • Positive emotions: specific emotions involved in positive living
  • "Flow" states: experiences of optimal engagement and happiness
  • Sense of meaning or purpose: importance of identifying one's purpose in life

Character Strengths and Virtues

  • Categories proposed by Character Strengths and Virtues (2004):
    • Wisdom and Knowledge
    • Courage
    • Humanity
    • Justice
    • Temperance
    • Transcendence (including strengths such as gratitude, hope, and humor)

Differences from Other Psychology Fields

  • Primary interest in identifying and building mental assets, rather than addressing weaknesses and problems

Founders and Contributors

  • Martin Seligman: promoted positive psychology as president of the American Psychological Association in 1998
  • Christopher Peterson
  • Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi
  • Abraham Maslow: used the term "positive psychology" in the 1950s

Elements of a Good Life

  • Identifying one's character strengths (e.g., courage, humanity, or justice)
  • Positive psychology practices, such as gratitude exercises, to promote well-being

Applying Positive Psychology

  • Gratitude exercises: increase happiness over time by writing down three things to be grateful for each day
  • Making room for negative emotions in life, rather than avoiding them

Benefits of Positive Psychology

  • Practices can boost social and emotional well-being
  • Developing character strengths, positive emotions, and sense of meaning and purpose can contribute to positive life outcomes

Meaning and Purpose

  • Measures of meaning in life relate to other positive life outcomes, such as physical and mental health
  • Sense of purpose in life has potential well-being benefits

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