Positive Psychology Text Baumgardner Crothers Positive Psychology PearsonPrentice

Chapter by Chapter Overview Chapter 1 - What Is Positive Psychology? - Response to historical emphasis on negatives within traditional psychology. Combines many sub-areas. -Response to sociocultural context of affluence - paradox. Chapter 2 - The Meaning and Measure of Happiness -Why well-being? Evaluations of life and society - objective vs. subjective factors. -Two conceptions of happiness - subjective well-being & eudaimonic. Measures - class experiment. Copyright © 2009 Pearson Education, Inc. , Upper Saddle River, NJ 07458. All rights reserved.

Chapter 3 - Positive Emotions & Well-Being - Positive emotions have good effects comparable to bad effects of negative emotions. - Physical health, emotional health & flourishing, success. Chapter 4 - Resilience - Human strength in face of adversity. - Ability to maintain and even grow from trauma - PTSD vs. PTG ordinary magic vs. superhuman ability. Copyright © 2009 Pearson Education, Inc. , Upper Saddle River, NJ 07458. All rights reserved.

Chapter 5 - Happiness and the Facts of Life - Predicting emotional impact of life events. - Paradox of age & gender - benefits of marriage. Chapter 6 - Money, Happiness, & Culture - Why money doesn’t matter beyond basic needs. - Paradox of Affluence - north-south. - National comparisons - happy cultures. - Cultural differences in meaning of happiness. Copyright © 2009 Pearson Education, Inc. , Upper Saddle River, NJ 07458. All rights reserved.

Chapter 7 - Personal Goals as Windows to Well. Being - Personal goals as well-springs of individual action. - Center of present and future life. - Goals, needs, values, & self-concept. - Goals that increase and goals that decrease well-being. - Materialism and its discontents - The Lost Children of Rockdale County. - Why excessive materialism mortgages happiness. Copyright © 2009 Pearson Education, Inc. , Upper Saddle River, NJ 07458. All rights reserved.

Chapter 8 - Self-Regulation and Self-Control -How to use goals to regulate action over time. -Goals and regulation - avoidance versus approach goals, trivial pursuits vs. magnificent obsessions. -Self-regulation failure - temptations, procrastination - excuses. - When to give up. Copyright © 2009 Pearson Education, Inc. , Upper Saddle River, NJ 07458. All rights reserved.

Chapter 9 - Positive Traits - Labrador effect - 3 drinks ahead or behind - 50% genes. - Traits: Temperament, positive & negative affectivity, Big Five, extraversion, BIS vs. BAS. - Beliefs: Bright and dark side of self-esteem, optimism, pessimism, realism, and defensive pessimism. Chapter 10 - Virtue & Strengths of Character - Moral dimension - virtue as positive trait. - Classification system - 6 virtues, 24 character strengths - universal. - Transcendence - Religion spirituality, gratitude, & forgiveness. - Wisdom and conduct of good life. Copyright © 2009 Pearson Education, Inc. , Upper Saddle River, NJ 07458. All rights reserved.

Chapter 11 - Close Relationships & Well-Being - Relationships and well-being as “deep truth” - needs & evolution. - Friends and Lovers - theories of origins, what goes wrong. - Romance versus friendship. - Humor versus sex. Chapter 12 - Life Above Zero - Using positive psychology to think about life - love, work, & leisure. - Cultivating consideration of a life that matters. - Knowledge of self & knowledge of well-being = good life. - Mindfulness meditation - Focusing attention on own mind. - Observing how your mind works. Copyright © 2009 Pearson Education, Inc. , Upper Saddle River, NJ 07458. All rights reserved.

What Makes Us Happy? • Times Magazine Poll What one thing in life brought the greatest happiness? 35% - Children/grandchildren 17% - Family 11% - God/faith/religion 7% - Spouse Copyright © 2009 Pearson Education, Inc. , Upper Saddle River, NJ 07458. All rights reserved.

Major sources of happiness? 77% - relations with kids 76% - relations with friends/friendships 75% - helping contributing to lives of others (giving) 73% - loving relation with partner/spouse 66% - degree of control over own life and destiny 64% - leisure activities 63% - relations with parents 62% - religious and spiritual life and worship 50% - Holidays - Christmas, New Year’s, birthdays, etc. Copyright © 2009 Pearson Education, Inc. , Upper Saddle River, NJ 07458. All rights reserved.