Chapter 12: Humanistic Psychology, Positive Psychology, and the science of happiness

According to one existential view of the mind, the Mitwelt describes what part of conscious experience?

what you think and feel as a social being

What basic paradigm grew as a reaction to mainstream psychology's overemphasis on psychological dysfunction?

postive psychology

According to Carl Rogers, what is the therapist's main function?

to make the client feel appreciated no matter what he thinks, says, or does

What idea about an individual's experience of reality does Kelly's theory of personal constructs emphasize?

Individuals build the experience of reality through unique sets of ideas about the world

According to the text, what question is central to positive and humanistic psychology but not to traditional psychology?

What is the meaning of life?

Imagine that you are participating in a psychology experiment. The experimenter asks you to take a bite of chocolate and to describe your experience of the chocolate—how it tastes, how it feels on your tongue, and so on. In doing this, what method of psychological research would you be involved in?

introspection

Research suggests that individuals high in what personality attribute are most likely to experience flow?

locus of control

What term describes an individual's particular experience of the world?

construal

What are scientific paradigms?

frameworks for constructing the meaning of data

Louis seeks to maximize pleasure and minimize pain. What type of well-being is he pursuing?

hedonic well-being

When it comes to defining happiness, modern humanistic psychologists distinguish the two types of well-being as __________, involving maximizing pleasure and minimizing pain, and __________, involving seeking a deeper meaning to life.

hedonic; eudaimonic

According to Sartre, what characteristic is necessary for facing your own mortality and the apparent meaninglessness of life, and for seeking purpose for your existence nonetheless?

optimistic toughness

According to positive psychologists, which of the following are major components of happiness?

Correct Answer(s): satisfaction with how things are going in different life domains overall satisfaction with life high levels of positive emotion and low levels of negative emotion Incorrect Answer(s): equal amounts of positive and negative emotion achieving absolute existential awareness

Which of the following are examples of either flow or mindfulness?

Flow: Kyrie's book is so captivating that he spends all night reading without even realizing it. Jenni is so immersed in a video game that she doesn't notice her mother has been calling her for dinner. Mindfulness: Aleksa is taking a walk through a forest and is very aware of every sound she hears and every thought she has. Gina is anxious about work and tries to become very aware of her emotions so that she can process them.

According to Self-determination Theory, one should maximize eudaimonic happiness and minimize hedonic happiness. Which of the following statements accurately describe either hedonic happiness or eudaimonic happiness?

Hedonic Happiness: seeking to maximize pleasure and minimize pain seeking material satisfaction Eudaimonic Happiness: seeking meaning in life seeking goals that are valuable in their own right

Existentialists argue that a head-in-the-sand approach to life's anxieties, which they call living in bad faith, has three problems. Which of the following is not one of these problems?

Not: By living an unexamined life, you contribute nothing to the greater good of society or humanity at large. IS: By ignoring existential issues, you still will not achieve happiness. By living in bad faith, you sell your soul for comfort. By choosing to ignore life's tough choices, you are still inherently making a choice.

Match each element of humanistic psychology to its definition.

a person in nature, society, and culture, not just the experimental lab Correct label:real life the whole person from birth to death Correct label:historic the focus on interior, experiential, and existential aspects of personality Correct label:phenomenological joy, fruitful activities, and virtuous actions and attributes Correct label:positivity a philosophy of life that describes what is desirable Correct label:value the study of humans, not animals Correct label:humanism choices, decisions, and voluntary actions Correct label:will the human system is greater than the sum of its parts Correct label:holistic

In Zen Buddhism, the concept of __________ refers to the idea that an independent, singular self is merely an illusion; __________ refers to the idea that nothing lasts forever.

anatta; anicca

According to research on happiness, three aspects of one's life contribute to happiness to varying degrees. Place the contributors in order from biggest to smallest contributor to one's happiness.

1. genetic make up 2. writing a letter of gratitude to your significant other 3. being a young adult

Which of the following philosophers or psychologists are credited with turning existentialism into a more optimistic view of life?

Correct Answer(s): Rogers Maslow Incorrect Answer(s): Kelly Nietzsche

The psychological state of flow involves which of the following?

Correct Answer(s): a disrupted sense of time a focused state of consciousness tremendous concentration Incorrect Answer(s): intense feelings of joy and happiness mindfulness

Which of the following topics would a humanist likely study?

Correct Answer(s): free will self-awareness happiness Incorrect Answer(s): instincts animal behavior brain chemistry

Which of the following are core virtues identified by positive psychology?

Correct Answer(s): justice courage wisdom Incorrect Answer(s): purity faith

What virtue is least important in Eastern traditions?

Courage

Which of the following are examples of Rogerian psychotherapy?

Example(s): Therapists should not attempt to change or modify anything about a client. Therapists acknowledge and appreciate each and every one of a client's viewpoints. Therapists should ask a client to describe their ideal self and their actual self. Not Example(s): Therapists should provide the client with honest yet potentially harsh feedback. Therapists should let the client talk through their issues without any feedback or acknowledgement from them.

According to Maslow's hierarchy of needs, what is the first step that must be taken to ensure, for example, a first-year college student's productivity?

He or she must secure the basic needs of food and shelter

Match each humanistic concept to the most relevant example.

Jamie is a single mother of three who works three jobs to put food on the table. The last thing she is concerned with is finding a meaningful relationship. Correct label:hierarchy of needs Mari realizes she and she alone is responsible for her actions. Correct label:Angst Peter's therapist always makes him feel appreciated no matter what he thinks, says, or does. Correct label:unconditional positive regard

Match each humanism-related philosophical concept to the common business or economic practice it would most likely be associated with.

Walter just bought a big screen TV, but he isn't as satisfied with his purchase as he expected he would be. Correct label:sources of happiness George realizes that if he moves his food truck to a different neighborhood, he'll make twice the profit. He immediately moves to the new, more profitable neighborhood. Correct label:optimizing goal A company works to maximize its employees' feelings of security so that the employees can pursue higher goals and better identify with the organization. Correct label:Maslow's hierarchy of needs

According to existentialism, what is courageously coming to terms with existence by being honest, insightful, and morally correct called?

authentic existence

Match each term relating to Kelly's idea of personal constructs to the correct definition.

certain constructs that are more readily brought to mind for certain individuals Correct label:chronically accessible constructs the idea that, all other things being equal, the simplest theory is the best Correct label:principle of parsimony the idea that to understand a person, you need to understand their personal construct system Correct label:the sociality corollary

The basic tenet of phenomenology is that a person's mental experiences combine in different ways at every moment of his life and that these combinations give rise to his ongoing conscious experience. Onto this philosophy, Carl Rogers added what idea?

people have a need to maintain and enhance life

According to a study reported in the text that evaluated Rogerian psychotherapy, what is one concrete result of Rogerian psychotherapy?

people report feeling like they have become closer to their ideal self

Humanistic psychologists are often placed into categories: existentialists (who focus on one's conscious experience of existence) and positive psychologists (who focus on positive subjective experience and pursuits toward happiness). Which of the following are either existential psychologists or positive psychologists?

Existential Psychologist(s): Sartre Nietzsche Binswanger Positive Psychologist(s): Maslow Rogers Csikszentmihalyi

Why do humanistic psychologists argue that the study of the mind is fundamentally different from other sciences?

The human mind is aware

The essential insight of humanistic psychology is that one's conscious experience of the world is psychologically more important than the world itself. What is this concept of an individual's immediate, conscious experience called?

phenomenology

Angst can be analyzed as three separate sensations. __________ stems from an individual's awareness that his or her choices will never be perfect; __________ relates to feeling alone in the universe; and __________ comes from feeling unable to change crucial aspects of the world.

anguish; forlornness; despair

The unpleasant feelings caused by contemplating difficult questions such as, "Why am I here?" or, "What should I be doing?" are called Angst, or what term?

anxiety

A common situation such as a job interview could be viewed in different ways; for example, one person could view it as an opportunity to show off talents, while another could view it as a terrifying trial of character. What determines how an individual sees a particular situation, such as this one?

personal construct system

Match each philosopher or psychologist to the theory or central idea that they are most associated with developing.

personal construct theory Correct label:George Kelly hierarchy of needs Correct label:Abraham Maslow the experience of Umwelt, Mitwelt, and Eigenwelt Correct label:Ludwig Binswanger optimistic toughness Correct label:Jean-Paul Sartre self-actualization Correct label:Carl Rogers existentialistic superman Correct label:Friedrich Nietzsche the theory of flow Correct label:Mihalyi Csikszentmihalyi

If a psychotherapist asks you to identify three people who have been important to your life and then asks you to describe how any two of them seem similar to each other and different from the third, what kind of test are you being put through?

the Role Construct Repertory Test (Rep test)

Match each term relating to the Eastern alternative of existentialism to the correct definition.

the idea that an independent singular self is simply an illusion Correct label:anatta the idea that all things are in flux and impermanent Correct label:anicca the Buddhist alternative to existential anguish, forlornness, and despair Correct label:nirvana