Positive Psych Week 5

Written Paper: Positive Intimate Relationships 

Intimate relationships require work. Maintaining a healthy relationship takes time, energy, practice, respect, patience, mutual support, and good communication.

For this assignment, you have  two options.

Option 1

Have your partner or a close friend take the  VIA Siguature Strengths  survey you have taken previously (they may take the brief version). Plan a "strengths date" allowing each other to plan half of the time spent together using your top five signature strengths.

In two pages (plus a cover sheet), discuss the following:

1. What are your friend's top five signature strengths? Which, if any, overlap you're your own?

2. Describe two things you have heard your friend talk about previously, or things you have seen your friend do previously that may have been confusing to you before, but now make sense in the context of his/her strengths.

3. Now that you know your friends' top strengths, how do you understand him or her differently than you did before?

4. How do you think this new understanding will impact your relationship?

Or

Option 2

Be grateful. Saying "thank you" to the important people in your life will let them know you are appreciative of them. Select a person with whom you have an intimate relationship — a spouse, partner, parent, child, or friend.

Design a handmade or virtual card that expresses how much you appreciate this person being in your life. Do not deliver it (yet). You are welcome to choose from  any free card site; one possible suggestion available includes:   Printable Greetings

Finally, in two pages (plus a cover sheet), discuss:

1. How often do you tell this person what he or she means to you in your life? What internal or external barriers do you experience (e.g., worry of reciprocation; geographical distance) that prevent you from expression your feelings toward this person?

2. How difficult was it for you to create a card that expressed this appreciation effectively?

3. Would you (or did you) present this card to this person?

4. What was (or would you expect) this person's reaction to be?