Positive Psych Test 2 Questions
Which is more diagnostic: explanations about failure or success? Which of the three attributional dimensions is less useful diagnostically?
-Explanations about failure are more diagnostic- ex. Predicted world series outcome by analyzing players attributions about their team's failures. -The internal/external dimension is the least useful diagnostically
What criteria are used to define a trait as positive?
1) The presence of the trait leads to greater happiness and SWB. 2) Enhances meaning, purpose, and coping. 3) Relates to better physical and/or emotional health.
Your text identifies 3 requirements for mindfulness—what are they?
1) To overcome the desire to reduce uncertainty in daily life 2) To override a tendency to engage in automatic behavior 3) To engage less frequently in evaluations of self, others, and situations
Summarize and explain Lyubomirsky's equation predicting happiness. What are the three components and how important is each one? What factors influence one's set point?
50% determined by personality/genetics, which is relatively fixed and unstable; great news if we have the "right" combination of personality traits 10% life circumstances - Where we live (some places are happier than others), demographic characteristics, how much money we make, etc 40% choices and viewpoints - suggestions for choices that increase our happiness include: expressing gratitude, cultivating optimism, avoiding overthinking and social comparison, practicing acts of kindness, nurturing social relationships, developing strategies for coping, learning to forgive, increasing flow experiences, savoring life's joys, committing to your goals practicing, religion and spirituality, taking care of your body Set points is influenced by genetics and personality and catastrophic events can permanently change it
Identify the approach to Emotional Intelligence taken by the three people/teams discussed in the book and in class: BarOn, Salovey & Mayer, and Goleman. Describe the major elements of each approach and compare and contrast them. How is EQ measured? How is the Salovey & Mayer approach distinct?
Adapting to life circumstances requires cognitive abilities and emotional skills Dealing with your emotions, managing them Developed behavior tests-restrictive 3 core components: Appraisal and expression Regulation Utilization · BarOn Model Four parts of the model Intrapersonal Scales Self-regard Emotional self-awareness Assertiveness Independence Self-actualization Interpersonal Scales Empathy Social responsibility Interpersonal relationship Adaptability (ability to function) Reality testing Flexibility Problem solving Stress Management Stress tolerance Impulse control o All these four things = general mood (optimism, happiness) o And then that = effective performance Goleman's Competencies Model Two dimensions: Self/social, Recognition/regulation Self-recognition: emotional awareness, accurate assessment Self-regulation: self-control, adaptability, initiative, conscientiousness etc Social Recognition: Empathy Social Regulation: Influence- leadership, building bonds, teamwork Salovey and Mayer Adapting to life circumstances requires cognitive abilities and emotional skills A big part of emotional Intelligence is managing your emotions Three core components 1. Appraisal and expression 2. Regulation - behavior 3. Utilization - able to follow through o Four related abilities § Perceive emotions · Identify emotions in self · Identify emotions in others · Express emotions and related needs accurately · Distinguish authentic from inauthentic emotions § Facilitating thought · Use feelings to redirect thinking (feel empathetic) · Generate emotions to help decisions/memory · Capitalize on mood changes to understand multiple points of view · Use emotional state to help solve problems § Understanding Emotions · Understand relationships among emotions · Perceive the causes and consequences of emotions · Understand emotional complexity and contradictions · Understand how emotions change over time § Manage Emotions · Be open to feelings · Monitor and reflect · Ability to engage or limit emotionalstate · Manage emotions in others o Emotional Intelligence is measured by the Mayer-Salovey-Caruso Emotional Intelligence Test (MSCEIT) § It consists of 141 items and takes 30-45 minutes to complete Show photo of person- How is this person feeling? Rate strength of several emotions
Summarize the benefits of experiencing mild positive emotion (Isen's work) and summarize the procedures used by Fredrickson's and her results .
Alice Isen When experiencing mild positive emotions, people are more likely to: Help others Be flexible in their thinking Better problem solvers Isen-More Helpful Put people in a good mood if give presents People in a good mood are more helpful to others Travelers who found change in phone or shoppers given small gift were more likely to help a stranger pick up dropped items, complete survey, etc. Isen- Better Problem Solvers Physicians given candy and presented with patient with liver problems. Patient were faster to integrate case information and less likely to becomes anchored on intial thoughts or come to premature closure in their diagnosis People given candy made better decisions Isen- Win/Win Negotiators induced to feel good were more likely to discover integrative solutions in a computer bargaining task
What are the characteristics of the autotelic personality?
Are some people more likely to experience flow? (15-20% never have, 15-20% daily) Autotelic personality definition: The autotelic personality are people with several very specific personality traits which are better able to achieve the "flow experience" than the average person. These personality traits include curiosity, persistence, low self-centeredness, and a desire of performing activities for intrinsic reasons only. Characteristics from powerpoint: Constellation of curiosity, persistence, low self-centeredness Preference for high-challenge, high-skill situations Low stress, high intrinsic motivation
What are the three elements of Bandura's social cognitive theory? Describe and give an example of each.
Bandura's social cognitive theory: Reciprocal determinism (B E T) Behavior, environment, and thoughts are interdependent and each can be a cause of an effect How we think influences our behavior and our social environment Our actions influence our environment and our thinking The social environment influences our behaviors and how we think EXAMPLE: a child doesn't like going to school; therefore, he/she acts out in class. When the child get in trouble, they admit to hating school and other peers don't like them. Behavioral and environmental factors coincide with the child; results in a continuous battle on all three levels. Self-regulation We observe our behavior We judge and evaluate our behavior We give consequences to ourselves EXAMPLE: opening a new bag of chips and not eating the entire bag Self-efficacy Defined by Bandura as people's belief in their capabilities to produce desired effects by their own actions Based on sense of personal control It impacts Choices we make Effort we put forth How long we persist when we confront obstacles How we feel about ourselves, others, the task, etc EXAMPLE: Someone with high self-efficacy in regards to math may attribute a bed test grade to the test being harder-than-usual. Someone with low self-efficacy would attribute the best test grade to being bad at math.
What are the 4 types of savoring? What are the benefits of savoring? How do we increase it?
Basking-praise Marveling-frank (stops to admire things) Luxuriating-sensuality Thanksgiving-express gratitude Make pleasures last, you stretch out the experience Intensifying the pleasures Increase savoring by thinking about the pack of M&Ms for after you finish your paper Reminisce about the M&Ms after you finish them
Explain Broaden and Build theory becomes broader? Describe at least 3 changes in thinking. What is built?
Broadening: "the experience of joy expands the realm of what a person feels like doing at the time"- broadens thought action repertoires 3 changes:?? The world opens up: example, your bucket list gets bigger EX: watch video of penguins, opens your mind to want to try to do new things-less stereotypes See the bigger picture, i.e. you see the whole forest instead of just the trees-think holistically Built: resources through positive emotions
Summarize the results and implications of the Lyubomirsky, King and Diener (2005) study. Does happiness lead to success? What kinds of evidence did they use? What is the take-away?
Came to the conclusion that happiness leads to greater success They conducted Longitudinal, Cross-sectional, and Experimental Studies Correlation: .3 to .5 Happy people win
What are the characteristics of those with high EQ? What are the benefits?
Characteristics of those with high Emotional Intelligence Greater social effectiveness Better at perceiving emotions Better at using emotions and thought Better at managing emotions Less effort required to solve emotional problems Drawn to occupations involving social interactions Less apt to engage in problem behaviors
What can we do to make flow more likely?
Choices of activities Balance between level of skill and challenge of activity Intrinsically interesting and engaging 2 attentional focus: More from paying attention to activity to being lost in activity Focus on here and now, not on product or on evaluation
What is defensive pessimism and how does it fit?
Definition: Defensive pessimism is a strategy used by anxious people to help them manage their anxiety so they can work productively. Defensive pessimists lower their expectations to help prepare themselves for the worst. Then, they mentally play through all the bad things that might happen Norem- thinking about what can go wrong can help us succeed Defensive pessimists can perform just as well as optimists because despite low expectations they work hard
What is learned helplessness? What are the causes and consequences?
Definition: a condition in which a person suffers from a sense of powerlessness, arising from a traumatic event or persistent failure to succeed. It is thought to be one of the underlying causes of depression. Causes: Reformulated LH How we explain consequences: Attribution of failure GLOBAL (everything) Internal (my fault) and Stable (fixed) causes results in LH Its way we think we become LH, teach people how to think so will change life (learned optimism) People with high internal locus of control are more susceptible to learned helplessness- if we are used to, and expect to, control our outcomes and we can't no matter what we do, we spiral into LH. Those with external loc never expected control so don't experience lack of control as a loss. If we can learn to feel helplessness, then can we learn to feel in control?
What positive illusions do most people share? What is depressive realism?
Depressive realism - hypothesis that depressed people see themselves and others more accurately; "sadder but wiser" Positive illusions - associated with greater happiness and healthy adjustment "Normal" people more likely to show self-serving biases, false consensus, illusion of control, overestimate esteem of others and estimate of abilities
What is dispositional optimism? How is it assessed? What are the consequences of being optimistic? How it this conceptualization of optimism different from the way in which Seligman defines optimism? How are they alike and how are they different?
Dispositional Optimism - another approach to optimism; the future is rosy, good things will happen; stable tendency to believe that good rather than bad things will happen Michael Scheier and Charles Carver Life is full of wonderful surprises A stranger is just a friend you haven't met Stable tendency to believe that good rather than bad things will happen That cup is half full of lemonade
What did Dweck do to help children who were struggling with math? What is the difference between fixed and incremental views of ability/intelligence? How does this relate to self-efficacy and locus of control?
Dweck had two groups. The children in the control group were given easy problems at the beginning which they were able to master successfully. Once the problems started to get more difficult as they got used to the problems In the experimental group the children were given problems that were too hard from the start. They were told that if they don't even try they would never succeed → Failure is due to a lack of effort; the kids in the experimental group held up better when back in the regular classroom Fixed view of intelligence You have it or you don't You are smart or you're not Socially skilled or not Athletic or not Performance relative to others We compare ourselves to others; how do we compare to them Performance goals Get a certain time Get a certain score (do better than others on a test) Incremental view of intelligence Belief that we can learn and get better Develop strategies Performance relative to own past Compare your performance to how you did in your past Learning goals Goal is to get better Failure: not improving LOCUS OF CONTROL AND SELF-EFFICACY?? Dr. Breault said: kids who are taught that failure is due to lack of effort are able to perform better I think this has to do with how having an internal locus of control can be linked to self-efficacy because you believe that you have control over what happens/you can do the task? [BUT LET'S GET HER OFFICIAL ANSWER....] Pretty sure that is correct. It wasn't covered, rather just making connections between concepts, wouldn't worry about specifics, just general understanding.
Distinguish and give an example of outcome and efficacy expectations? Which is more important?
Efficacy expectations: I can do X EX: I can quit smoking Telling yourself you can do something Outcome expectations: When I do X, Y will happen EX: When I quit smoking, I will become healthier Far more important than efficacy in predicting actions Consequence ex. Even if i could do it, it won't matter?
What is the difference between emotional processing and emotional expression? What benefits have been found? Does it work for everyone? Explain how personality and culture need to be taken into account.
Emotional expression - confiding in others, keeping journals, talking or writing about traumatic experiences; lower blood pressure, less distress, better immune functioning, fewer visits to doctor or student health center Emotional processing - taking time to really understand the emotions Works because: Better understanding of experiences Directs attention to central concerns Become able to face stressors directly Learn that emotional pain subsides Positive reframing and group identification Works better for Individualism Westerners seem to benefit from expressing emotions in a meaningful way Emotional expression often more beneficial than emotional suppression Not as beneficial in collectivistic cultures Asian cultures encourage suppression of emotion, to preserve harmony Emotional expression more likely to increase stress
What is emotional storytelling and what are the benefits Pennebaker has found?
Emotional storytelling is writing down or telling someone about a traumatic experience you have been through. Leads to health benefits especially when the writing contains: More positive emotion words More insight/causality Very beneficial for those who prefer emotion focused coping Pennebaker had people who experienced traumatic events (Holocaust survivors, war veterans, earthquake survivors, breast cancer, breakups, job loss, etc) Found that confiding in others, keeping journals can help. Talking about or writing about traumatic experience can lower blood pressure, less distress, better immune functioning, fewer visits to the doctor.
What are the three orientations to work? Describe job crafting and work as a calling.
Work as a job Work as a career Work as a calling Enjoyment is high Intrinsically motivated Rewarding Job Crafting: adding a personal touch to the job, personal pride in the work, going above and beyond, helping others [class example: custodian who puts flowers in the ladies' restrooms, taking pride in the work]
How are the life experiences of extraverts different from introverts? Of neurotic from emotionally stable?
Extraverts vs Introverts: Extraverts experience high PA, happiness and hope, interest in approach goals, associated with happiness and SWB, experience more positive life events than introverts Introverts are more sensitive to punishment than to rewards, experience low PA and worry about failure Neurotic vs Emotionally Stable Neurotic people tend to have more association of memories that are negative-unpleasant is more accessible, experience more negative life events than stable people Triggers anxiety, despair, impulsiveness Lower on Ryff's 6 scale Emotionally stable people tend to have positive life events and more pleasant memories
Describe the relationship between skill level, task challenge and apathy/boredom, flow, anxiety/panic and optimal experience. Specifically, what is the difference between the relative skill and task difficulty levels for flow and for optimal experience? Is one more conducive to SWB than the other?
High demands of task challenge with low skill/capability = Anxiety/Panic Demands are slightly higher than capabilities = Flow Capabilities are slightly higher than demands = Optimal Experience Low demands and high skill = Boredom/Apathy Optimal experience creates more pleasure, can lead to more happiness than flow
Identify and give an example of each of the 4 types of resources of Broaden and Build.
Intellectual: develop problem solving skills, learn new information Physical: More likely to walk instead of drive due to good mood Social: Make new bonds and solidify old bonds. Psychological: Because you're in a good mood, you become more optimistic about the future. You think differently.
What are the consequences of learned optimism? What factors lead to learned optimism?
Learned optimism predicts: Better academic performances Superior athletic performances More productive work records Greater satisfaction in interpersonal relationships More effective coping with life stressors Less vulnerability to depression Superior physical health Greater life satisfaction Factors leading to learned optimism (fairly certain it's the same thing as the origins of learned optimism) Some genetic foundation (greater similarity for MZ than DZ twins) Family upbring (optimistic parents who are warm, loving, and provide structure) Our thought/attribution patterns Dr. Breault says, "kids with those foundations are more likely to have the positive explanatory style, but is how we think about our performance and the reasons why we succeed or failed that matter."
Describe MBSR and MBCT. What have these been used for? With what level of success?
MBSR: mindfulness meditation for use with chronic pain and anxiety Changes the way we think (decreased stress, increased meaningfulness, greater empathy. Useful for treating depression and other mental disorders MBCT: 8 week standardized treatment developed to attempt to hold depression at bay in cases of remission Group intervention follows general cognitive therapy in which the goal is to weaken associations between negative thoughts and depressive emotions, but it differs in the snes that is focuses more on awareness of the thoughts and emotions as opposed to the evaluation of legitimacy of these thoughts. Benefits: reductions in depressive relapse decreasing depressive symptoms in bipolar individuals Lessening symptoms of social phobia.
How can Mindfulness be measured? Describe the MAAS and the LMS14 scale. Identify and give an example of each of the 4 facets of the LSM14.
Measured by the MAAS and the LMS14 scale MAAS:The MAAS is a 15 item scale designed to assess a core characteristic of dispositional mindfulness, namely, open or receptive I rush through activities without being really attentive to them. I get so focused on the goal I want to achieve that I lose touch with what I'm doing right now to get there. LMS14 (Langer Mindfulness Scale): assess 4 facets: novelty -seeking Engagement Novelty producing Flexibility
What methods did Csikszentmihalyi use to identify and study flow? What are the two conditions necessary for flow to occur?
Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi Characteristics of flow Absorption in task High levels of intrinsic motivation Sense of control Lose sense of time Intense and focused concentration Sense of ecstasy- of being outside everyday reality Great inner clarity- knowing what needs to be done and how well it is going Loss of awareness of self Identified by: Observations of artists who lost themselves in their work, oblivious to time, hunger Other activities whether recreational (rock climbing, chess) or occupational (surgery) Produced similar forms of engagement Gambling and time on internet also, but not so good ESM used to identify conditions that produce flow Consistency across settings and cultures Lower levels of left hemisphere activity, higher levels of right when in "the zone" Conditions Perceived challenges that stretch existing skills Clear goals and immediate feedback
Compare Mindfulness with Mindlessness.
Mindful Deliberate Thinking Appreciating and savoring the m&ms Mindless Autopilot Unconscious Automatic responses Eating the whole bag of m&ms without noticing
What role does culture play in the level, meaning and benefits of optimism and pessimism?
No differences on LOT between Asian and western groups BUT Asians are more pessimistic AND pessimism better predictor of effective coping for Asians than optimism Positive illusions more widespread in our culture than in Asian cultures
Contrast the subjective experience of the flow state with "normal" consciousness.
Normal Mind (8 to 5) Duality Self-control Attention wanders Internal talk confusion Time conscious frozen Negative emotions Stress accumulates Out of your Mind Oneness Loss of self Total absorption Talk destroys Clarity of action: Time flies Exhilaration Discharge stress
Be familiar with Langer's work (the nursing home study, the clockwise elderly study)
Nursing home study: Nursing home patients who were given choices and the perception of control lived longer and more productively than the patients who were told that everything would be taken care of for them Clockwise study: One group of the elderly were made to reminisce about the past, the experimental group were made to live in it (clothing, only able to talk about past events, etc) Age related decline is partly due to accepting stereotypes of getting old Living as though one was younger led to feeling younger/more zest and functioning
Describe the relationship between PA, NA, Extraversion, Neuroticism, the Big 5, BIS, BAS, eudaimonia and SWB
PA and NA are thought to be independent rather than polar opposites. PA is closely related to extraversion while NA is closely related to neuroticism The BAS is the Behavioral Activation System. It is responsive to incentives (cues to reward) and regulates approach behavior, active BAS produces impulsivity (= high introversion, high neuroticism); according to Gray, impulsive people do not learn well from punishment because of weak BIS, they learn better from reward People who are more sensitive to rewards (BAS) than to punishment (BIS) are extraverted; they experience high PA, happiness, and hope The Behavioral Inhibition System (BIS) is responsive to cues to punishment, frustration, uncertainty, and motivates ceasing, inhibiting, or avoidance behavior; active BIS produces anxiety (= moderate introversion, high neuroticism) Introverts are more sensitive to punishment than to rewards; they experience low PA, and worry about failure The BAS/BIS scale is a 24-item self-report scale; characteristics of the BAS include drive ("If I see a chance to get something I want I move on it right away), fun-seeking ("I am always willing to try something new if I think it will be fun"), and rewards opportunity ("When I see an opportunity for something I like I get excited right away"). The BIS scale has 7 items "I worry about making mistakes" The big five include Openness, Conscientiousness, Extraversion, Agreeableness, and Neuroticism. Openness is the weakest of the five and is not related to happiness but is associated with the Personal Growth scale of PWB Conscientiousness may not be strongly related to SWB but it is related to Eudaimonic well-being (human flourishing or happiness associated with living a life of virtue), especially environmental mastery, purpose in life and self-acceptance; strong predictor of good physical health practices Extraversion is positively correlated with PA and associated with happiness and SWB Agreeableness is also related to happiness and SWB; may be related to better social relationships, which is one of the strongest predictors of happiness and SWB Neuroticism - Neuroticism is caused by styles of information processing = preferential processing of negative information about the self; highly neurotic people have richer networks of association surrounding memories of negative emotion - unpleasant material is more accessible
What are the health benefits of pes(Cohen and colds/flu) and of dispositional optimism (coronary health)? Why are optimists better adjusted and healthier?
PES (Positive Emotional Style) - associated with greater resistance to getting sick and with reporting fewer unfounded symptoms Cohen - healthy adults were given nasal drops that carried either rhinovirus (cold) or influenza High level of PES predicted less risk of an upper respiratory illness and reporting fewer symptoms than expected Being positive means you caught a cold/sickness less, but being negative doesn't mean that you catch it more 10 year study of >1300 men, optimism predicted lower rates of illness (CHD, myocardial infarction, angina) and lower death rates and lower levels of depression Strong positive relationship between "emotional vitality" and lack of CVD Optimism may be a protective mechanism Optimists are more adaptive and more likely to Seek information and use active, problem centered coping strategies Use humor than focus on distress Actively cope and plan than give up Seek social support Reframe the problem than medicate themselves Disengage when problem is insoluble
What are the two pathways of Hope? What are the consequences of high hope?
Pathways thinking - capacity to find a route to a goal More than one way to do something Ways to achieve a goal Agency thinking - energy of motivation to use the route High hopers - multiple and alternate pathways when one is blocked, more positive self-talk ("atta girl"), more agency or "zest"
What differences led Lyubomirsky to conclude that happy and unhappy people live in different worlds?
People who are happy have better relationships They appreciate little things more, more good things happen to them Because people are happy they tend to be more helpful
What is the relationship between positive and negative affect? Are they independent? Polar opposites? How are they measured? How important is genetics for each? How is each related to personality? What personality trait predicts ease of inducing a positive mood? A negative mood?
Positive affectivity is one of the strongest predictors of happiness; it is not related to income, age, education, or gender; it is cross-situationally stable and genetics account for about 40% of variability in PA; it is closely related to extraversion; frequent and intense pleasant/positive mood, cheerful, enthusiastic, happy Negative affectivity is independent of positive affectivity; genetics account for about 50-55% of variability and it involves frequent and intense negative emotions (anxiety, depression, guilt, fear, sadness); NA is closely related to neuroticism The PANAS scale measures both positive and negative affect; they are viewed as independent and not as polar opposites; the correlation between positive and negative affect scales is typically low
What is positive vs. negative explanatory style? What type of attributional explanation is characteristic of optimists? Of pessimists?
Positive vs negative explanatory style: How we explain why we failed Attributional explanation characteristic of optimists: External ("It was a poorly worded exam") Variable ("I've done better on previous tests") Specific ("I'm doing better in other areas of life, like relationships") Attributional explanations characteristic of pessimists: Internal ("I screwed up on the test") Stable ("I have done lousy on previous tests") Global ("I'm also not doing well in other areas of my life")
Describe the ways (5) in which self-efficacy can be increased.
Previous success in similar situations Modeling of successful others in similar situations Imaging oneself behaving effectively Verbal persuasion by trusted, powerful, and/or attractive others Reducing anxiety & negative arousal Arousal from positive emotions is better
What is the positivity ratio for flourishing? Describe recent critiques.
Ratio 2:9 positive to negative emotions predicts flourishing (I think this is 2.9:1 up to 11.6:1) The math that was done to find this ratio had many flaws but Fredrickson defended the merit of the body of research on pos. Emotions. Overall, a higher number of pos emotions than neg emotions.
Describe the SGSE scale and identify the three components of the General Subscale.How is Chen's NGSE scale different?
SGSE scale 23-items; 14-point Likert response scale Two subscales: General self-efficacy (17 items-failure just makes me try harder) Persistence Effort Initiative Social self-efficacy (6 items- I don't handle myself well in social gatherings) Chen's NGSE scale 8-item scale with higher construct validity Predicts behavior better Shorter
Is Self-efficacy domain specific or a general expectation?
Self-efficacy is DOMAIN SPECIFIC Bandura thought that measurement should be tied to specific situation EXAMPLE: making career decisions or helping others make those decisions
What are serial dramas? How, and why, have they been used? What evidence exists to support their effectiveness? What are the essential components?
Serial dramas: Way Bandura used to try to increase self-efficacy Ex. Soap Opera (Characters were used to show positive and negative consequences) Mexico wanted to increase literacy so they had literacy centers to teach them and gave them books How it works: Contrast "good" with "bad" role models Show benefits of adopting new behavior Programs are emotional and attention getting Institutional supports for change Components: good and bad behaviors, institutional supports (place to get things)-should be interesting and fun! Evidence to support their effectiveness: For
How does the ASQ measure it? What is CAVE and why might we care, especially during the baseball playoff season?
The ASQ (Attributional Style Questionnaire) is a self report scale; it presents 12 hypothetical events, half good, half bad, and the test-taker is asked to write down the one major cause of each event and then rate the cause along a 7-point continuum for each of the three causal dimensions. CAVE (Content Analysis of Language) - assemble a sample of written or spoken material from a person that contain statements about explanations for negative outcomes, analyze the statements for their attributional qualities CAVE the baseball study - Seligman used the CAVE in 1985 to analyze statements made by players from April-Oct in hometown sports section and in Sporting News scores predicted outcomes in 1986 season - Mets very optimistic, won World Series; Cardinals very pessimistic, lost more games than won Replicated with 1987 results and with other sports
What does "three drinks ahead" or "three drinks behind" mean? How is it related to research on PA and NA?
Three drinks ahead means you are drunk on life It relates to high PA- frequent and intense pleasant/positive mood, cheerful, enthusiastic, happy
What two general expectancies did Rotter posit? What are the differences between those who are high or low on each? Is it better to have internal or external LOC? Which is more susceptible to learned helplessness?
Two generalized expectancies Interpersonal Trust: are other people good or not? How we look at other people Locus of Control: is life determined by fate or me Locus of Control External Fate, luck, chance, powerful other React Pawn, like is determined by fate, etc. Internal Own efforts, abilities determine outcomes Their effort, ability determine outcomes Cause Agent- is healthier, better adjusted Better to have internal LOC, but more susceptible to learned helplessness
What is the undoing hypothesis? What evidence supports it? Describe the "upward spiral".
Undoing Hypothesis: positive emotions (joy and contentment) are like antidotes to negative emotions Evidence: People were shown sad videos to stimulate negative emotions and then immediately after shown happy ones to see if that undid the negative emotions-it proved that positive emotions can offset negative ones Upward spiral: positive emotions generate resources which lead to maintaining positive emotions and create even more resources.
How accurately do we forecast our emotional reactions to good events? To bad events?
We overestimate how we will feel about certain situations, good or bad (more bitter) but essentially they are both the same
How do we evaluate the positivity of an event? Describe peak-end, duration neglect, hedonic adaptation, the hedonic treadmill
What matters is how good the event was, duration doesn't matter High and low points of the event (Peak-end) Adaptation-small portions are better than constant streams Hedonic treadmill when good things happen you get used to it but you want more and more, can't get satisfied Hedonic adaption when good things happen you get used to it and then go back to the baseline happiness
How does Stanton define emotion-focused coping?
active movement toward, rather than away from, a stressful encounter Involves two related, yet distinct processes Emotional processing which is understanding emotions ("I take time to figure out what I am really feeling") Emotional expression which is intentional display ("I let my feelings come out freely")
