Positive Psychology Lecture Review

A set of flashcards summarizing key concepts and terminology related to Positive Psychology from the provided lecture notes.

Positive Psychology

The scientific study of what makes life worth living, focusing on strengths and well-being.

History of Positive Psychology:

Emerged in the late 1990s with Martin Seligman; a

shift from pathology to studying strengths and well-being. Rooted in earlier humanistic

traditions but focused on scientific evidence.

Differences from Humanistic Psychology:

Positive psychology emphasizes empirical

research, while humanistic psychology focuses on philosophical concepts like

self-actualization

Are Happy People Smarter?

No direct correlation between IQ and happiness;

however, happy people may think more creatively and flexibly.

Constructs and Measures:

Gratitude, optimism, life satisfaction, subjective

happiness—measured via self-report scales (e.g., SHS, PANAS).

Three Pillars of Positive Psychology

Positive emotions, positive traits, and positive institutions.

Parenting: Overall Wellbeing

Mixed results; parents often report lower well-being.

Parenting; Beeper Study

Parents are happier in daily moments with children.

Parenting; Day Reconstruction Method:

Parents report more positive emotions when with children.

Parenting; Happier when:

Older, married, male, or if children are older.

Critique of measures

Subject to bias (social desirability, memory issues)

Well-being and Income

Correlated up to a point, but plateaus after basic needs are met.

Example of hedonic adaptation

Lottery winners return to baseline happines

Cultural differences

Collectivist vs individualist societies show differences in happiness predictors (social harmony vs self esteem)

Subjective Well-Being (SWB)

A combination of affective (positive and negative affect) and cognitive (life satisfaction) evaluations.

Hedonic Adaptation

The phenomenon where individuals return to a baseline level of happiness after positive or negative life events, such as winning the lottery.

Cultural Differences in Happiness

Variations in predictors of happiness between collectivist societies (focus on social harmony) and individualist societies (focus on self-esteem).

Construal Differences

The tendency of happy people to interpret events more positively than unhappy individuals.

Person-Environment Interactions

The ways in which an individual interacts with their environment, which can be reactive, evocative, or proactive.

Broaden-and-Build Theory

The idea that positive emotions broaden one's awareness and encourage novel, varied, and exploratory thoughts and actions.

Pie Model of Happiness

A model suggesting that happiness is composed of 50% genetic set point, 10% circumstances, and 40% intentional activity.

Person-Activity Fit

The importance of matching activities to one's personality, values, and strengths for effective happiness interventions.