Positive Psychology Exam 1 (Chapter 1-5)

What are the three core emphases of collectivism?

-dependence -conformity -perception of the group as the fundamental unit of analysis

What do resilience researchers and positive youth development scholars have interest in?

positive traits and outcomes of young people

What is construct validity?

the extent to which a scale measures the underlying attributes it intends to measure

The VIA Classification of Strengths was created in response to two basic questions. What are those questions?

(1) How can one define the concepts of 'strength' and 'highest potential'? (2) How can one tell that a positive youth development program has succeeded in meeting its goals?

What are the components of character?

- virtues - character strengths - situational themes

What is an example of uniqueness attributes?

-"scarce commodities" attractiveness to our society -salespeople using the "hurry on down while the supply lasts" pitch

What are the "main ideas" of Judeo-Christian traditions?

-10 commandments -faith, hope, charity -live virtuous lives

What are the "main ideas" of Athenian traditions?

-11 moral virtues -strength of character leads to enduring human excellence -Aristotle and Plato

What are the "main ideas" of Confucian traditions?

-5 virtues -morality as a potential curse for the evils of that time -looking out for others

Is the world more individualistic or collectivistic?

-70% of the present 6 and a half billion or so people on Earth take a collectivist view of their interaction -Individualists are the minority

Suggestions for Individualists

-Avoid seeing collectivists as "too laid back" -Individualists must take into account the collectivist norms in conducting business. You cannot just jump into business: collectivists often expect some sort of warm-up. -When problem solving is needed, collectivists prefer it be done at a group level but individualists prefer for it to be one-on-one negotiations. -Avoid conflict by solving problems before they escalate into huge confrontations.

Suggestion for Collectivists

-Avoid seeing individualists as "too competitive". -Use recent accomplishments to attain status in the eyes of individualists with whom they interact. -Be able to take into account the "what's in it for me" perspective of the individualist

What are the "main ideas" of Islam traditions?

-Moral obligations -gratitude, love, kindness, justice, courage -looking out for ones brother -giving to the poor

What are examples of how demographics relate to collectivism?

-SES: lower social classes are more likely to be collectivist in their perspectives -AGE: people become more collectivist as they grow older

What is culture?

-a common heritage or set of beliefs, norms, and values. -shared attributes of one group

What are the two constructs that are repeatedly mentioned in all of the main Eastern philosophical branches of learning?

-compassion for others -search for harmony or life balance

What are the "main ideas" of Taoism?

-difficult to discuss with Western audiences because of the untranslatable nature of some key concepts -Tao is the energy that surrounds everyone and is a power that "envelops, surrounds, and flows through all things" -understanding flows from experiencing the Way for oneself by fully participating in life- cannot be taught

What are the "main ideas" of Hinduism?

-emphasize the interconnectedness of all things -live life so fully and so correctly that you will go directly to afterlife without having to repeat life's lessons in a reincarnated form -karma -continual achievement of knowledge and working towards good actions

What are some secondary emphases of individualism?

-goals set by citizens of individualistic society typically are for the self -success and related satisfactions also operate at the level of self -persons will engage in benefit analysis to determine what may profit them

How does perception of similarity affect behaviors?

-people may change their behaviors to become more or less similar to another person -the most positive acceptability (i.e., high similarity) should result in no need to make any behavioral changes -low or very high similarity will result in behavioral changes

What are some secondary emphases of collectivism?

-people play close attention to rules and goals of group -may subjugate personal needs for those of group -carefully followed, role-defined ways of behaving -obligation or duty to ingroup -desire to maintain harmony between people

What are the three core emphases of individualism?

-sense of independence -desire to stand out relative to others -use of the self or the individual as the unit of analysis when thinking about life

What are the "main ideas" of Buddhism?

-suffering is a part of being, and suffering is brought on by the human emotion of desire -"universal virtues": love, joy, equanimity -seeking Nirvana

How do people think about their perceived similarity to others?

-they use a dimension (in their minds) on which they evaluate how correct any given feedback seems about their degree of similarity to other people -people evaluate the acceptability of their having varying degrees of similarity to others

What are the three requirements of compassion?

1. difficulties of the recipient must be serious 2. recipients difficulties cannot be self inflicted 3. we as observers must be able to identify with the recipients suffering

What is Nirvana?

A Buddhist philosophy; a state in which the self is freed from desire for anything

What is life satisfaction?

A sense of contentment and peace stemming from small gaps between wants and needs

What is an identity dimension?

A set of person attributes which have a common core of meaning

What is "languishing"?

A term pertaining to individuals who do not have a mental illness but who are low in social, emotional, and psychological well-being.

What is "flourishing"?

A term pertaining to individuals who have simultaneously high levels of social, emotional, and psychological well-being.

What is social well-being?

A type of well-being that consists of coherence, integration, actualization, contribution, and acceptance by others.

What is psychological well-being?

A type of well-being that consists of six elements: self-acceptance, personal growth, purpose in life, environmental mastery, autonomy, and positive relations with others.

What are the Western traditions examined in Chapter 2?

Athenian, Judeo-Christianity, and Islam

What is enlightenment?

Being able to see things clearly for what they are

What are the Eastern traditions examined in Chapter 2?

Confucianism, Taoism, Buddhism, and Hinduism

Which set of human strengths, according to Seligman, are the most likely buffers against human strengths?

Courage, optimism, interpersonal skill, work ethic, hope, honesty, and perseverence.

Prior to World War II, what were psychology's three missions?

Curing mental illness, making the lives of all people more fulfilling, and identifying and nurturing high talent

TRUE or FALSE: Positive psychology is not built on scientific principles.

FALSE

True or False: the "good life" is the exact same for every person in every cultural group.

FALSE

True or False: positive psychology focuses only on the positive aspects of experience.

False. Positive psychology seeks a balanced, more complete view of human functioning.

What level of similarity to others is satisfying to people?

Moderate to high similarity is emotionally satisfying, but become negative as the level of similarity enters the very high range.

What is talent?

Naturally recurring patterns of thought, feeling, or behavior that can be productively applied and manifested in life experiences characterized by yearnings, rapid learning, satisfaction, and timelessness.

Are strengths consistent across all cultural groups?

No; what is considered a strength in our society may be considered a weakness in another. For example, our society highly values optimism, but other cultures may prefer stringent realism or pessimism as a result of their history and environment.

What are the primary tools of the "rugged individualist" in moving towards the good life?

Personal and individual goals, as exemplified by the construct of hope.

Who is Martin Seligman?

Seligman became president of the APA in 1998, and focused on bringing attention to the topic of positive psychology. He worked tirelessly to initiate conferences and grant programs for research and applications of positive psychological research, emphasizing "good science".

What does the book refer to as the "antithesis of the DSM5"?

The VIA Classification of Strengths

What is validity?

The ability of a scale to measure what it is intended to measure.

What is reliability?

The ability of a scale to produce consistent and reliable results over a number of administrations or after the passage of time.

Why is it incorrect to think of individualism and collectivism as opposing, warring views?

The distinctions between individualism and collectivism are not clear cut. Individualistic propensities may contribute to collectivism: a robust personal sense of self efficacy may contribute to the collective efficacy of a society. They can operate together to benefit people.

What is linguistic equivalence?

The extent to which a measure has been appropriately translated from its original language into another; items on the measure must have the same linguistic meaning in both languages, meaning that various idioms, vocabulary, etc. must be examined carefully.

What is metric equivalence?

The extent to which scales of measurement used on various tests are equivalent; one issue with this type of equivalence is even if two scales contain the same metrics visually, different cultures may not use them in an equivalent manner.

What are psychometric properties?

The measurement characteristics of a scale that include its reliability, validity, and statistics on items of the measure.

Which two events after WWII changed the face of psychology?

Veterans Administration (VA) was created in 1946, so practicing psychologists realized they could make a living treating mental illness. National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) was created in 1947, and academic psychologists discovered they could get grants for research on mental illness.

What did the positive newspaper story aim to accomplish?

We can frame our situations differently. For some, being stuck in an airport would result in a string of negative thoughts and feelings. The author of the article talked about the wonderful coping mechanisms used: playing cards came out, the airline handed out snacks, etc.

Why have the origins of positive psychology focused on the values and experiences of Westerners thus far?

Western civilization and European events have shaped the field of psychology as we know it in the United States.

What is agape?

a spiritual love that reflects selflessness and altruism

What is emotional well-being?

a type of well-being consisting of perceptions of affirmed happiness and satisfaction with life, along with a balance of positive and negative affect

Why would we want to include wisdoms of the Eastern traditions?

adding different viewpoints about human strengths

What ages are included in older adulthood?

age 60 to death

What ages are included in youth?

ages 12 to 25

What ages are included in adulthood?

ages 26 to 59

What ages are included in childhood?

birth to age 11

What is strength?

capacity for feeling, thinking, and behaving in a way that allows optimal functioning in the pursuit of valued outcomes

What is individualism?

concern for the individual is greater than concern for the group

What is postmortal nirvana?

could be likened to the Christian idea of heaven

What does it mean when something is empirically based?

developed using available research knowledge

What is collectivism?

each person is very concerned about the group

What are uniqueness attributes?

each society has some acceptable attributes whereby its citizens can show their differences without calling down the forces of rejection and isolation for deviancy

The multicultural mindset emphasizes...

forming worldviews to describe what is and what ought to be

How does orientation to time relate to individualism?

future-oriented thinking

What is hope?

goal-directed thinking in which a person has the perceived capacity to find routes to desired goals (pathway thinking) and the requisite motivations to use those routes (agency thinking)

Is hope genetically based according to Snyder?

he believes that hope is not genetically based but an entirely learned and deliberate way of thinking

What are two constructs related to individualism?

hope and the need for uniqueness

What does a mindful approach to everyday living accomplish?

it can reveal the power of positive emotions and strengths

Which is the better approach: positive psychology or pathology?

it is important to avoid the us vs them debate: they are both valuable, so positive psychology intends only to bring a balanced view

What is premortal nirvana?

living the "good life"

What are psychology's "neglected missions" according to Seligman? Why were they forgotten?

making the lives of all people better and nurturing "genius": psychology became a victimology. humans were seen as generally passive foci, so psychologists worked to repair damage habits, damaged drives, damaged childhoods, and damaged brains.

What is reality negotiation?

moving toward agreed-upon worldviews "what people often call "facts" are not truths but reflect reality negotiations by the people who have an interest in using "the facts"" (p. 9)

How did collectivism come about?

our hunter-gatherer ancestors realized there were survival advantages to be derived from banding together into groups with shared goals and interests

Westerners search for world on the _______ plane, Easterners seek to transcend the human plane and rise to the ______ plane.

physical, spiritual

What is the difference in the approach that positive psychology takes in comparison to the "traditional" psychology approach?

positive psychology offers a balance to the old weakness-oriented approach, exploring people's strengths along with their weaknesses without lessening the importance and pain associated with human suffering

What are social constructions?

prevailing views are social constructions that contribute to ongoing sociocultural goals and values, which are linked to the social values of society's most powerful individuals, groups, and institutions

What are character strengths?

psychological processes and mechanisms that define virtues

Culture must be viewed in a broad sense as including facets such as...

race, ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation, socioeconomic status, religion, disability, and nation of origin

What definition of culture does our book utilize?

race, ethnicity, generation, socioeconomic status, gender, nation of origin, and sexual orientation, among other social identity facets

How does orientation to time relate to collectivism?

reflection and respect for past

ME and WE are ________ of each other.

reflections

What are situational themes?

specific habits that lead people to manifest strengths in particular situations

According to Seligman, how can we prevent problems like depression, substance abuse, schizophrenia, AIDS, or injury in young people who are genetically vulnerable or who live in worlds that nurture these problems?

systematic promotion of the competence of individuals and amplification of strengths rather than attempting to repair the patients' weaknesses

What is a "multicultural personality"?

the ability to navigate and adapt to an increasingly diverse world

What are the "three great realms of life" (Seligman), "normalcy" (Freud), and "mental health" (psychological researchers)?

the capacity to love, work, and play

What is etiology?

the cause of something, such as an illness

What is construct equivalence?

the extent to which a particular construct or concept has the same definition in two different cultures

What is criterion validity?

the extent to which scores on a scale can predict actual behavior or performance on another, related measure

Aristotle and Plato emphasized the influence of what on the development and maintenance of virtues?

the political community, polis

What is karma?

the previous life's good actions correlate directly with better placement in the world in the subsequent life

What is positive psychology?

the scientific and applied approach to uncovering people's strengths and promoting their positive functioning

What do resilience researchers study?

they identify the "naturally occuring" personal and environmental resources that help children and adolescents to overcome life's many challenges

What do positive youth developmentalists do?

they put the findings of resilience researchers and other positive psychologists into action and give growth a nudge by designing and conducting programs that help youth capitalize on their personal assets and environmental resources

What is a "worldview"?

ways of describing the universe and life within in, both in terms of what is and what ought to be