POSITIVE PSYCH FINAL EXAM REVIEW PT.1

what's going on ?-marvin gaye

positive psychology

scientific study of optimal human functioning/uncovering people’s strengths and promoting their positive functioning. asks what is right about people.

PERMA

positive emotions, engagement, relationships, meaning, and accomplishments. the five pillars to happiness.

empathy

feeling with someone. requires perspective taking, no judgement, recognizing emotions, and communicating that we recognize said emotions

yerkes-dodson

a psychological principle stating that performance increases with physiological or mental arousal (stress) but only up to a certain point. when arousal becomes too high, performance decreases.   

the good life

a culturally bound topic that is described differently in different cultures. the west focuses on hope, optimism, and personal self-efficacy. the east focuses on being adaptive and mindful and enlightenment

social constructions

perspectives or definitions that are agreed upon by many people to constitute reality – rather that some objectively defined “truth” that resides in objects, situations, and people.

reality negotiation

the ongoing processes by which people arrive at agreed-upon worldviews or definitions

normalcy

the capacity to love, work, and play (three great realms of life). these tasks are associated with human growth, successful aging, and they are necessary for good living. 

athenian moral virtues

courage, even-temper, friendship, generosity, justice, friendliness, magnificence, moderation, munificence, truthfulness, and wit

individualism

a sense of independence and following one’s own motives and preferences. they have a desire to stand out. a person or the self is the unit of analysis for understanding how people think and act in a society (personal factors are emphasized over societal forces). focused on pleasure and self-esteem, may be more short term in decision making and less formal in interactions. 

collectivism

has core emphases of dependence (highly concerned about welfare of the group) and conformity (the desire to fit in). the group is the fundamental unit of analysis (people have close linkages in which they perceive themselves as part of a larger, more important whole). generosity and equity are common, social interactions are formal, harmony is important, and people may join into interpersonal relationships that benefit the group more than the individual. people who are aging or impoverished tend to align 

compassion

the ability to set aside a total focus on self and focus on others, valued in eastern philosophical branches of learning. more action-centered. feeling what a person is feeling, holding it, accepting it, and choosing to take some action.

me + we

allow a person to attend to both the person and the group. has been found characterize the perspectives of high-hope people. awareness of other’s perspectives can help with reducing the urge to judge or react negatively. 

seligman’s good life

using your strengths every day to produce authentic happiness and abundant gratification

reliability

the extent to which the scale is consistent or stable – if we measure repeatedly, we should get pretty much the same measurement

validity

the extent to which a scale measures what it is said to measure – not something else

strength

talent + knowledge + skills. capacity for feeling, thinking, and behaving in a way that allows for optimal functioning in the pursuit of valued outcomes

wisdom/knowledge (VIA)

cognitive strengths-knowledge centered

courage (VIA)

emotional strengths that involve the exercise of will to accomplish goals in the face of opposition, external and internal. includes the factor of integrity in an individualistic culture.

humanity (VIA)

interpersonal strengths that involve tending and befriending others

justice (VIA)

civic strengths that underlie healthy community life

temperance (VIA)

strengths that protect against excess

transcendence (VIA)

strengths that forge connections to the larger universe and provide meaning

agape love

defined as spiritual love (not romantic) in which selflessness and altruism are reflected. showcases a concern for others and may be the most beneficial type of love.

culture

a common heritage or set of beliefs, norms and values. often refers to the shared attributes of one group. can impact many different things within a persons life such as whether they will ask for help when needed or how much stigma is attached to mental health problems

facets of cultures

race, sexual orientation, disabilities, gender, religion, etc. 

culturally different perspective

recognize all cultures as having unique strengths

affect

One’s immediate, physiological response to a stimulus (appraising an event as
painful or pleasurable, assigning a valence to the autonomic arousal)

emotion

A feeling state resulting from the appraisal of an external object as salient to
our own well-being. has a specific, “sharpened” quality, as it always has an object

components of happiness

1)positive emotions

2)a sense of satisfaction with your life

subjective well being

an individuals subjective assessment of their current status in the world

chronic happiness level model

an individuals chronic happiness level is determined by genetics (50%), life circumstances (10%), and intentional activities and practices (40%)