Analytical Lens Paper- Writing through the lens of positive psychology

Linguistics 12 Writing Assignment #2:

Analytical Lens Paper-

Writing through the lens of positive psychology

Purpose of Assignment:

· apply various concepts (disciplinary frameworks) from our readings on positive psychology to a real person/situation

· transfer writing strategies that we have learned to another discipline (positive psychology)

· Use topic specific vocabulary on positive psychology and collocations

Details & requirements:

· 1200-1500 words

· MLA Format

· Source Usage:

· You must use at least 4 sources from our Ling 12 Unit 2 reader compilation

· If you choose to analyze a fictional person or someone you do not know, you may use ONE outside source to introduce them

· This might be the citation of the film, book, show, or news story that discusses your chosen person

· You may NOT use outside sources that discuss positive psychology

· Vocabulary: You must use and put in red bold 10 words from our unit 2 vocabulary handouts

Due Dates:

· Outlines due: Thursday february 18th, @ 11:59pm

· Rough Drafts Due: Thursday, February 25th @ 11:59pm

· Final Drafts Due: Friday, March 12, @ 11:59pm

Background:

By now, you have completed many readings on positive psychology, also known as the science of happiness. By now, you have also learned that in many disciplines, instructors focus on knowledge transformation instead of knowledge display. This means that instructors want to see that you understand course concepts by applying them to the real world. So, in order to apply the disciplinary frameworks that we have learned in positive psychology (Maslow’s hierarchy of needs, materialism, hedonic adaptation, gratitude, physical health, etc) you are going to take on the roll as an expert in psychology, and you will analyze the happiness of a person/character of your choice.

Task Part 1:

Choose one person to analyze. You have 4 options for this part. This person can be*:

1. A real person and someone you know well

a. Example: your mom, dad, another relative, a friend, etc.

2. A fictional (fake) character from a movie, book, or TV show of your choice

a. Example: Harry Potter, a character from your favorite Korean Drama

3. A celebrity who you do not know personally, but know about and are interested in

a. Example: Miley Cyrus, your favorite K-pop singer, Jack Ma

4. A fictional character who you have made up (you decide their persona, culture, job, lifestyle, etc. You will have to get very specific with the details of their personality and background, but you can do it!)

a. Example: a wealthy college student from Los Angeles studying abroad in France who is very homesick but pursuing her passion of fashion design; a software engineer in Silicon Valley who is part of the hustle culture, works out daily, but doesn’t have time for friends

*You may also choose someone who has passed away (died)

Task Part 2 (Prompt & Guiding Questions):

Based on your expert knowledge as a professional psychologist, analyze the happiness levels of your chosen person by using the disciplinary frameworks (key terms/concepts) from our readings. In order to complete this analysis, consider the following questions. You definitely do NOT need to answer all of these questions, but they are meant to help you generate ideas.

1. Is your chosen person more happy or unhappy? Why might this be?

2. What culture does your person come from? How might this contribute to their values or lifestyle choices? How does this in turn affect their happiness?

3. What does your chosen person do for a living (what’s their job)? How might this contribute to their happiness levels? Do they enjoy their job? Do they enjoy a work-life balance?

4. What socioeconomic class does your person belong to? How might this affect their happiness?

5. Does your chosen person express gratitude often? How might this affect their happiness?

6. Does your chosen person fulfill all of Maslow’s hierarchy of needs? Which needs are met and which needs are unmet?

7. Does your chosen person engage in meaningful relationships? How might this affect their happiness?

Advice: Do not choose too many aspects to analyze. Choose 2-3 disciplinary frameworks and go deep with each one. It is likely that you will spend 2+ paragraphs per aspect!

Structure of your Analytical Lens Paper:

Introduction:

· Provide a brief overview of the person you chose. Get specific with details like name, age, interests, job, class, values, culture, etc. (knowledge display)

· Language note: You will likely use the simple present to talk about these things unless you choose a person who is dead

· Thesis: State to what extent they are happy (very happy? Somewhat happy? Very unhappy?) and provide a reasoning for why based on the concepts that we have covered. (knowledge transformation- arguing)

Body Paragraphs: In your bodies, you will need to combine describing (knowledge display/providing facts) with analysis (knowledge transformation/ application)

· Provide specific evidence from the life of your chosen person. This will likely be stories or anecdotes illustrating the behavior/values/decisions of your chosen person. (knowledge display-describing behavior)

· Apply our course concepts to these behaviors/decisions (Knowledge transformation- applying key concepts to the behavior)

· Some disciplinary frameworks include: hedonic adaptation, materialism, gratitude, health, relationships, money, basic needs, etc

· Answer the question: How does this behavior contribute to their happiness? What would our authors say about this behavior?

· Advice!! you may have 2-3 body paragraphs per disciplinary framework that you discuss! Remember, do not include too many details at once and take it slow.

· I have noticed that some students only briefly describe certain concepts; however, thoroughly introduce the concept that you’re working with. You might have a whole paragraph discussing the disciplinary framework and then another paragraph applying it to your chosen person.

· For example, if you are talking about Rudy Rong and materialism, you will need to explain what materialism is (1 paragraph) and then in another paragraph you might mention how Rudy Rong exemplifies materialism (1 paragraph).

Conclusion:

· End your analysis with some additional insights, not just a summary of your body paragraphs. Questions to develop your conclusion include:

· What can this person do to become happier?

· What can we learn from this person overall?

· How might increasing our happiness affect our own life? Others lives?

· What should we value in life?

· Are any aspects more important in obtaining happiness than others?

· What have you learned from this unit?

· How should we view happiness?

· How do we typically view: money, relationships, work, material wealth, basic needs? And how SHOULD we view them?

· What advice would you give someone in order to be happy?

· Does this advice only apply to your character or a broader audience/group of people?

Criteria: What Amy Joy is Looking For

Assignment Element
Introduction (can be 1-2 paragraphs) Author provides appropriate and enough background information of the chosen person for a reader who is not familiar with them. A complex or working thesis statement is used at the end of the introduction.	10
Body paragraphs support the thesis statement by using appropriate language patterns of describing, arguing, and analyzing based on their chosen person. Body paragraphs are developed using relevant evidence from our readings.	25
The author engages in knowledge transformation. This is accomplished by applying disciplinary frameworks (key concepts) from the readings to the behaviors of the chosen person.	25
Conclusion offers unique insight, applying techniques mentioned in the conclusion video and handout.	10
Language has been proofread and minimal errors are made in verb tenses, word forms, and clauses. At least 10 new vocabulary words are included and bolded in red.	20
Cohesion devices and logical organization are used to express complex relationships between paragraphs and sentences. This helps the reader follow along and goes beyond “adding information” as seen in the cohesion handout.	10

Sources & Citations:

Happiness:

Allen, Summer. “The Science of Gratitude.” Greater Good Science Center, UC Berkeley. May 2018. pp. 1-6, 27-40.

Waldinger, Robert. “What Makes a Good Life? Lessons from the Longest Study on Happiness.” TED.

November 2015. https://www.ted.com/talks/robert_waldinger_what_makes_a_good_life

_lessons_from_the_longest_study_on_happiness?language=en

McLeod, S. A. (2020, March 20). Maslow's hierarchy of needs. Simply Psychology.

https://www.simplypsychology.org/maslow.html

Money:

Ducharme, Jamie. “This Is the Amount of Money You Need to Be Happy, According to Research.” Money.com, 14 Feb. 2018. http://money.com/money/5157625/ideal-income-study/ Accessed 31 Jul. 2019

Norton, Michael. How to Buy Happiness. TED. November 2011. https://www.ted.com/talks/michael_

norton_how_to_buy_happiness?language=en.

Shyong, Frank. “To be young, rich and Chinese in America: Amid all that flashy spending, a sense of loss” LATimes, 13 Aug. 2016, https://www.latimes.com/local/california/ la-me- headlines- chinese-fuerdai-20160707-snap-story.html. Accessed 31 Jul. 2019.

Siebold, Steve. “Interviewing over 1,200 Rich People Has Taught Me Exactly How Money Affects the

Most Important Things in Our Lives. ” Business Insider, 31 Aug. 2015, www.businessinsider.com/ how-money-affects-the-most-important-things-in-life-2015-8. Accessed 31 Jul. 2019.

The Hedonic Treadmill – Are We Forever Chasing Rainbows? Positive Psychology,

https://positivepsychology.com/hedonic-treadmill. Accessed 31 Jul. 2019.

Success:

Bennett, Nick. “The Secret Of Success - Is It Happiness?” Forbes, 18 Nov. 02018.

https://www.forbes.com/sites/nickbennett1/ 2018/11/18/ the-secret-of-success-is-it-

happiness/ #4d744c716aa9. Accessed 31 July. 2019.

Covert, Bryce. “The Richest Man in China Is Wrong. 12-Hour Days Are No ‘Blessing. ’” The New

York Times. 21 April 2019. https://www.nytimes.com/2019/04/21/opinion/jack-ma-996.html

Accessed 31 Jul. 2019.

Qiqing, Lin, and Zhong, Raymond. “‘996’ Is China’s Version of Hustle Culture. Tech Workers Are

Sick of It.” The New York Times. 29 APr. 2019, https://www.nytimes.com/2019/04/29/

technology/china-996-jack-ma.html?login=smartlock&auth=login-smartlock. Accessed 31 Jul.

2019.

How to cite a show or movie:

Gloria Peng

Ling 12 Paper 2 draft

Amy Lashmet

25 February 2021

Happiness: an individual’s choice

Barack Obama is an American citizen, who was born in Honolulu, Hawaii. He is an African American who became the first black president of the United States. Famously known as Obama, his full name is s are Barack Hussein Obama II. He has great socioeconomic status and a sequence of life events from his childhood to his current age. As a happy and jovial person, he beat all odds from an African background to being the 44th president of the United States. His involvement and interest in politics took a course when he graduated from Columbia University, where served as an organizer of one of the communities in Chicago. He later found a better interest in government and law, which led to his enrolment at Harvard law school. During his study at the Harvard law school, he also beat odds to become the first black president of the Harvard law review. He graduated from his law studies and executed various government and leadership mandates, where he became a state representative of Illinois. He later became president of the United States in the year 2008. From the situations and the circumstances witnessed in Obama’s life, he still managed to become a happy person. Various situations such as discrimination and other factors had all reasons to diminish him but he still managed to pursue happiness. His jovial nature is presentable in all aspects and circumstances, from the public to his home. Comment by Amy Lashmet: vague do you mean a difficult sequence? how is this related to his SES? why do these ideas appear together?

Due to his demanding occupation, balancing work-life is challenging to Obama since it is not simple to achieve complete happiness. Situations in the workplace may not be very appealing as desired and this may be the reason for his unhappy moments. His main aim is to enjoy his life wholly in everything he does. Obama’s happiness relies on his friends, relationships, and family. Spending time with the people he feels free with creates joyful moments and healthy life. However, there are poor relationships that may result in the unhappy state of an individual hence causing stressful moments to them. This can lead to illness, mental health, and substance usage since the affected person does not find any reason to be happy. This is a clear indication of how work-life balance is important to the happiness of an individual. Comment by Amy Lashmet: do you have evidence for this? you are allowed one outside source Comment by Amy Lashmet: wc anticipated? Comment by Amy Lashmet: do you have an example of an unhappy moment? Comment by Amy Lashmet: ?? Comment by Amy Lashmet: I am confused about the purpose of this paragraph. Is it to explain the importance of work life balance? or to show an example of Obama? i would separate those ideas into 2 paragraphs

Obama’s personality and behavior are accorded as brilliant and have contributed much towards his quality of life (Bennett). As witnessed he advocates for peace and happiness in all circumstances and situations. From various circumstances and conditions involving his activities, it is realized that all his endeavors aim to create peace and happiness. He is an ambassador of peace and happiness at all times. Such an implementation proves one of the sources of his all-time happiness and pleasure. Besides, he also values family. For any person, the family is an important aspect that entirely creates the happiness that any individual needs. Family is a source of all matters and aspects in one’s life that always result in happiness and comfort. For his quality life and treasure of family, Obama creates and realizes happiness in all dimensions. The presence of his family members, from home and away, also contributes to his happiness. As he states about the unity and the togetherness of his family he also implements various mandates and executions that account for the particular aspect. To find his happiness and joy, he travels for far distances and to various regions to meet distant family members. In such endeavors, it is witnessed that he is always smiling and has contentment with his family, a good illustration of the happiness he earns. Comment by Amy Lashmet: you basically say the same thing over and over but give no examples of what you mean Comment by Amy Lashmet: wc AWK Comment by Amy Lashmet: wc Comment by Amy Lashmet: no cohesion i have repeated this several times throughout the quarter. You cannot use "besides, " Comment by Amy Lashmet: do you know what this means? lots of vague academic words that don't really make sense Comment by Amy Lashmet: use an example from his book or a source

Considering that Obama believes in self-happiness, challenges may occur but they do not force him to stop being happy. Obama believes that he is fully responsible for his happiness and not the materialistic things such as spending money on expensive luxuries. The challenges that may occur in the place of work may be stressful but he does not get disturbed. This is a clear indication that it is of no benefit to have a long day in the place of work and end up stressed at home. It is good to find the things that bring joy at times when things seem to be difficult. For Obama, being with his family is the best state since he finds his happiness from the family members (Waldinger). Moreover, when having challenges for example the failed partnerships in the place of work that is not an excuse enough to make him lose his happy mood. Obama once advised people that the best way to have a good day is to be happy and being happy does not mean depending on someone to be your happiness since you can only depend on the things you do to be happy. Comment by Amy Lashmet: using sources incorrectly waldinger doesn't talk about obama- but relationships. you need to discuss the research and then apply it to obama Comment by Amy Lashmet: when? what is your source?

According to The World Happiness Report, which investigated the state of global happiness in 156 countries, showed that the United States ranks 18th (Bloom). Obama, as a president, is committed to carrying out various activities and trying to make the country feel happier. Dealing with various conditions may lead to a tiresome situation where one loses one mood of happiness. Regardless of the stressful moments, Obama finds happiness from his surroundings considering that he has the basic needs he requires and by appreciating everyone around him and all the work he does. Obama has his career in Law and he has practiced his rights as a civil lawyer in Chicago. During his leadership, his greatest desire for the people was for them to remain happy and hopeful in everything they did. His leadership portrayed his willingness to help the people, for example providing shelter to the street people since that was one of his happy moments. He believed that it is of importance to make people by providing for them what they want if you have it all. His position as a president did not prevent him from interacting with other people and helping them. Living a simple and happy life with his family is all he considered the best life. Comment by Amy Lashmet: VT he is no longer the president Comment by Amy Lashmet: how do you know this? source? Comment by Amy Lashmet: wc Comment by Amy Lashmet: ??

From the different circumstances and conditions that he attends to, Obama displays a unique character that clearly illustrates his desire for peace and happiness. This kind of nature can be considered as one of his sources of happiness. In his profession, he handles various matters regarding the nation’s different circumstances and endeavors without loss of temper or oneself. Besides, his speeches usually advocate for peace and happiness in all situations, and this can be deduced from his facial expressions, which shows how he manages to keep jovial and happy irrespective of circumstances and conditions (2021). Obama’s reaction to the respective circumstances and conditions is a clear illustration and witness of his happiness. Besides his professional endeavors and basic necessities, he has an involvement with the world and other people, an illustration of his happiness. Among the circumstances that show his peaceful and happy nature are the numerous times he is caught on camera as he laughs and shows his gratitude to other people (Allen). Such illustrations show the different reactions that he possesses during different circumstances. These conditions have a clear indication of his happiness and the passion to relay it to other people. Comment by Amy Lashmet: vague we also don't "attend to" conditions Comment by Amy Lashmet: relate this to a LING 12 source Comment by Amy Lashmet: see comment above Comment by Amy Lashmet: overusing this word jovial is not very common so to see it multiple times in an essay is noticeable and odd Comment by Amy Lashmet: what is the citation? author last name Comment by Amy Lashmet: ?? wc Comment by Amy Lashmet: incorrect use of a source

In conclusion, we can learn that happiness is a choice that is made by an individual regardless of the situation they are going through. Obama is one of the characters that believe happiness does not come from the possessions that one owns but the positive attitude that people create from their daily life. Though people might think that his happiness is a result of his presidency, Obama believed in choosing his happiness from his surroundings. His family is one source of his happiness since he spends most of his time with them. The challenges that he faces in the place of work do not prevent him from being happy. From Obama’s life, it is important to note that personal happiness is more important than anything else. Therefore, it is advisable for all people to maintain their happiness by doing what they want and spending time with someone. It is important to choose to be happy since it is proved that happiness is an individual’s choice from their surroundings.

Reference

Allen, Summer. “The Science of Gratitude.” Greater Good Science Center, UC Berkeley. May 2018. Pp.1-6, 27-40.

Barack Obama - Leadership, Happiness and Success | Robert Holden, Ph.D.. Robert HoldenPh.D. (2021). Retrieved 21 February 2021, from https://www.robertholden.com/blog/barack-obama-leadership-happiness-and-success/.

Bennett, Nick. “The Secret Of Success - Is It Happiness?” Forbes, 18 Nov. 02018. https://www.forbes.com/sites/nickbennett1/ 2018/11/18/ the-secret-of-success-is-it-happiness/ #4d744c716aa9. Accessed 31 July. 2019.

Bloom, Laura Begley. “Ranked: The 20 Happiest Countries In The World.” Forbes, Forbes Magazine, 29 Oct. 2020, www.forbes.com/sites/laurabegleybloom/2020/03/20/ranked-20-happiest-countries-2020/.

Waldinger, Robert. “What Makes a Good Life? Lessons from the Longest Study on Happiness.” TED. November 2015. Https://www.ted.com/talks/robert_waldinger_what_makes_a_good_life

_lessons_from_the_longest_study_on_happiness?Language=en