Question 1

Today, Aristotle's theory of well-being is often contrasted with the more popular notion of happiness as ____ determined by one's appraisal of life satisfaction and positive feelings.

Accepted Answer

Aristotle's theory of well-being, known as eudaimonia, emphasizes the importance of living a virtuous and fulfilling life, rather than solely pursuing pleasure or subjective feelings of happiness. The popular notion of happiness as determined by one's appraisal of life satisfaction and positive feelings aligns more closely with the concept of subjective well-being.

Question 2

____ refer(s)to the ability to envision one or more routes toward reaching a desired goal.

Accepted Answer

Pathways refer to the ability to envision routes toward achieving a desired goal. Potentialities are possibilities or options that could potentially be pursued, while agency refers to the individual's sense of control and ability to act. Optimal experiences are moments of intense engagement and enjoyment. None of these options directly relate to the ability to envision routes toward a goal.

Question 3

____ involves both identification and understanding, and is believed to be the driving force for acts of altruism, the act of helping unselfishly.

Accepted Answer

Empathy involves both identifying with and understanding the emotions and experiences of others. This understanding and connection to others can drive acts of altruism, or helping others without any personal gain or benefit.

Question 4

In addition to leaned helplessness, people can also develop its opposite, learned ____. People who learn ____ can begin to see connections between their efforts and outcomes which then leads to a sense of hope.

Accepted Answer

The opposite of learned helplessness is learned optimism. People who learn optimism can see a connection between their efforts and outcomes, which leads to a sense of hope. Option A and B are not related to the concept of learned helplessness or its opposite. Option D is very close to the correct answer, but "hopefulness" is not the term commonly used to describe the opposite of learned helplessness, whereas "learned optimism" is a well-known concept in psychology.

Question 5

____ is a learning theory concept where the novelty of a new stimulus eventually wears off after repeated exposure, i.e., the stimulus gradually has less and less impact on you.

Accepted Answer

Habituation is the learning theory concept in which an individual's responsiveness to a particular stimulus decreases over time, eventually intensifying stimulus must be used to reach the same level of response. This is different from the Hedonic treadmill and adaptation, which refer to the phenomenon of people's tendency to return to their baseline levels of wellbeing or happiness, even after a significant positive or negative event or change. Setpoint theory is a concept in which individuals have a "set" weight or range of weight their body naturally tends to maintain.

Question 6

Studies have found that intelligence is ____ to well-being.

Accepted Answer

Research indicates that intelligence is not strongly linked to well-being, suggesting that factors other than intelligence play a more significant role in determining an individual's well-being.

Question 7

Negative emotions lead to ____ through facilitating the employment of specific narrow options and positive emotions lead to ____ through setting the stage for use of a general wide range of options.

Accepted Answer

Negative emotions, such as fear or anxiety, prepare the body for immediate action, which typically involves a small set of automatic responses aimed at short-term survival gains. Positive emotions, such as joy or contentment, broaden people's momentary thought-action repertoires, making it more likely they will engage in exploratory behavior, which can lead to learning, experimentation, and ultimately long-term survival.

Question 8

Gender seems to account for approximately ____ of any differences in happiness.

Accepted Answer

Research indicates that gender accounts for about 1% of the variance in happiness levels, suggesting that other factors play a more significant role in determining happiness.

Question 9

What does it mean to thrive?

Accepted Answer

Thriving means to show vigorous growth or to flourish, thus option B is the best choice. Option A is too limiting as it only refers to being content and meeting basic expectations. Option C is unrealistic as no one succeeds at everything they try and never fails. Option D is also too limiting as adversity and risk are a natural part of life and thriving doesn't necessarily mean being free of them.

Question 10

Now, with over 30 years of research on flow, we have a much better understanding of its universality across cultures, gender, and age; in school, at work, and during leisure; and how it can lead to ____, that is, living life fully and in the moment.

Accepted Answer

The phrase "optimal experiences" is used to describe the positive outcomes of flow, which include increased happiness, fulfillment, and satisfaction with life.

Question 11

A person who is ____ is not necessarily happier than a person who is just healthy.

Accepted Answer

Being "super healthy" does not automatically equate to greater happiness compared to someone who is simply healthy, as happiness is influenced by a variety of factors beyond physical health.

Question 12

The ancient Greeks during the Golden Age believed that the formula for the good life could be determined by logic and reason. Socrates (469-399 BCE)was the best known teacher of this approach. He believed in the Delphic motto, "____."

Accepted Answer

Socrates believed in the Delphic motto "Know thyself," which means that one must have self-knowledge and strive to understand oneself in order to live a good life. This understanding can be achieved through logical reasoning and introspection.

Question 13

Aristotle's approach is referred to as the ____ of happiness.

Accepted Answer

Aristotle's approach to happiness is referred to as the virtue theory, which emphasizes the development of moral character and the cultivation of virtues as essential components of a happy life.

Question 14

There are individual differences in how people respond to extreme negative events such as severe disability. In fact, many people are called ____ in that they "not only cope with the event, they often learn and are transformed by their experiences" (Dunn, Uswatte, & Elliot).

Accepted Answer

The term "resilient" refers to individuals who are able to cope with and adapt to adverse situations. The statement in the question suggests that such individuals not only cope but also learn and are transformed by their experiences, which is indicative of resilience.

Question 15

____ is about the process of applying mindful awareness to enjoyment experiences-that is, applying "a deliberate conscious attention to the experience of pleasure."

Accepted Answer

Savoring is the process of intentionally engaging in the experience of pleasure and fully enjoying it, often by using all or most of the senses to heighten the experience. It involves applying mindful awareness to pleasure in order to increase the positive emotions associated with the experience.

Question 16

____ is a feeling that we have when we witness suffering, and is described as "a process of connecting by identifying with another person," according to Cassell.

Accepted Answer

The feeling described is compassion, as it involves connecting with someone and identifying with their suffering. Altruism, forgiveness, and gratitude do not necessarily involve witnessing suffering or connecting with others in this way.

Question 17

____ refers to "the experience of complete absorption in the present moment."

Accepted Answer

Flow refers to "the experience of complete absorption in the present moment." It is often described as a state of high focus and enjoyment where a person loses track of time and is fully immersed in an activity.

Question 18

The idea of positive feelings, good moods, and pleasurable experiences leading to happiness embodies the ____ definition of happiness.

Accepted Answer

The hedonic definition of happiness emphasizes pleasure, enjoyment, and positive experiences as key components of happiness. The other options - anhedonic, eudaimonic, and subjective well-being - do not specifically emphasize these elements.

Question 19

Sarah Schneider makes the case that ____, a form of optimism that does not "involve self-deception, or convincing oneself of desired beliefs without appropriate reality checks," is the preferred form.

Accepted Answer

The article argues for "realistic optimism" as opposed to self-deceptive or unrealistic forms of optimism. Options A, C, and D do not fit this description as precisely as option B.

Question 20

____ believed that the good life could be achieved by following the golden mean, the balance point between the extremes of life and believed that eudaimonia (i.e., happiness possessed of true well-being)was not a goal to pursue but rather a byproduct of living the virtuous life.

Accepted Answer

This belief is characteristic of Aristotle's philosophy of ethics, which emphasizes the importance of living a virtuous life in order to achieve a state of eudaimonia or true happiness. Socrates and Plato had their own distinct philosophical beliefs, while the ancient Hebrews had a different cultural and religious perspective on the good life.

Quiz 2: Positive Psychology