Positive Psychology 437WK1

1

Positive Psychology

Quiz 1: Reflection and Application

Within our course readings it has been expressed that positive psychology is not simply the focus on positive thinking and positive emotions. It is the focus on what makes individuals and communities flourish, rather than languish.

For the first Quiz, a practitioner’s approach will be taken. You will apply the concepts, theories, and practices discussed in Weeks 1-3 learning resources. In this manner, you will reflect upon and engage with the principles of positive psychology. This Quiz is worth 90 points. Please type responses in the provided Answer Sheet. When relevant course concepts are integrated into the text of your responses, please bold the text. Doing so helps the term(s) stand out and facilitates quick referencing during grading.  

Turnitin will be used to support citation and referencing practices.

Quiz 1: Writing a positive outcome…

For this item you will complete three tasks.

Part 1) Read the following scenario and respond to the Questions 1-3.

Part 2) Rewrite the scenario, according to the instructions provided.

Part 3) Answer the assigned questions following the completion of your rewrite.

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Part 1: The scenario…

The morning sun is sneaking through the gaps in the kitchen window curtains. It is 5:48. After a week of nothing but rain, you appreciate the promise of a dry day. You have been up since 3:30AM after waking to go to the bathroom, only to realize, as you stumbled back to bed, your mind has decided to kicked on, full-throttle, picking up where you left off when you crawled into bed last night. Feeling wide awake, and unable to go back to sleep after a futile 34-minute attempt, you have been at the kitchen table nursing a mug of warm milk. Warm is a relative term. It is room temperature now. It has not been “warm” for the past hour.

You are disappointed were not able to go back to sleep. You wonder, What kind of day am I going to have now? How am I going to function on 4.5 hours of sleep? You look down at the table where you have been writing a list trying to clear your mind–

· Go for 30-minute walk before kids get up

· Make lunches

· Find dry-cleaning stub

· Put recycling out

· make grocery list

· put wet clothes in dryer

· think about my goals and how I can move towards them each day

· what are my weaknesses that are holding me back

· how much do we need to plan retirement – only $200 in savings

· did I pay the credit card?

You drop the pen, feeling aggravated. Thinking…

I’ve been sitting here for nearly 1.5 hours. Why am I writing a list? I should be organized enough that this stuff is taken care of. If I took care of things instead of “thinking about them” I would not be worrying about it. Maybe I should have made the lunches instead of writing this list…. the kids wake up at the smallest of noises. So, I’ve been stuck here, being quiet. You snort, If the “love of my life” gets up at 6:30 I can sneak out for that walk.

Then you hear the small voice of your 5-year old son. You knew it. The smallest of noises. The thudding of the pen on the notepad must have woken him. You think, No way I can go for a walk now. You go to your son’s room and tell him all is ok, go back to sleep. Seeing you he smiles, grabs his Teddy bear and snuggles in – but his eyes are wide open. He knows you are up.

Hoping he will stay put, you go to the computer to check work email. Your boss wants you to read and edit a memo a coworker wrote yesterday. Ugggg. Why you? It seems every time this coworker writes a memo you are called upon to edit and correct the plethora of errors made. This coworker usually has great ideas, but has a lot of difficulty composing memos and other office communications. This morning is no different. The significance of the message to the recipient is high. You think to yourself; I am going to blow my morning fixing this document instead of getting MY work done. WHY ME? What is their deal anyway?... I may as well get started on it now. Again, so much for that walk.

You are frustrated. Looking at the clock, it is somehow 6:45. Nope, not going to get an early start on this memo either. You haven’t started breakfast, made lunches for everyone, or put recycling out yet. As this thought passes your mind, the recycling truck wizzes by – no can – no stop. Again, UGGG…

It seems like the day is destine to be a grind, with the constant sensation that you are behind the curve…Bed …If only you could just crawl back into bed…

Questions:

Question 1. What roles do positive and negative emotions play in the scenario? Are the expressed emotions in the scenario consistent with creating a happy life? Explain. (8 points)

Question 2. What concepts from the course readings on emotional intelligence are most applicable to the scenario? Identify the concepts, define them and outline how the concepts apply. (8 points)

Question 3. Based upon the information within the scenario, in what applicable areas might this person find sources to improve subjective wellbeing in their life? (8 points)

Question 4. How are goals an important component of the scenario, impacting the happiness of the leading character? (8 points) (Hint: Week 3 reading - Snyder, 2000)

Question 5. In our Week 3 learning resources, Langer & Ngnoumen (2017) discuss mindfulness. Within their discussion they introduce the topics: variability, uncertainty, and fear. What takeaways from Langer and Ngnoumen can we apply to this scenario? (8 points)

Part 2: The rewrite…

For Part 2, for 10 points, you will rewrite the scenario, creating moments that hold the potential to create broaden and build effects. Use what you have learned from the Weeks 1-3 lessons to rewrite the scenario. As you do so,

· demonstrate what the scenario looks like when a conscious effort is made to apply positive emotions to undo negative emotions. (Hint: Week 2 readings)

· show the broaden effect moments of positivity can create.

· show the building effect those positive moments potentially create.

Part 3: Questions: In the new scenario you have created…

Question 6. What emotions have an important impact in the new scenario you have created? How are the emotions responsible for the broaden or build effect you depict? (8 points)

Question 7. Reflecting on the Week 3 readings, how could you use this exercise of rewriting the scenario to explain to a friend the role positive thinking and optimism play in health and wellbeing? Explain. (8 points)

Question 8. Research: Conduct a search on the internet or our UMGC library to discover the answer to this question: What part of the brain is activated by one of the emotions demonstrated in the new scenario you have written? Identify the emotion and the relevant part of the brain that is activated. Explain what occurs in the brain when the emotion is activated. (8 points)

Question 9. How has the psychological wellbeing outlook shifted in the new scenario you have written, from the original scenario, through the application of positivity? (8 points)

Question 10. What are the benefits of optimism generated in your new scenario? Be specific, using concepts from the course learning materials. (8 points)