WJEC A Level Psychology Positive Approach Exam Questions

About WJEC A Level Psychology Positive Approach

Positive psychology, launched by Seligman and Csikszentmihalyi in 2000, is the most recent of the five WJEC Unit 1 approaches. Instead of repairing what is wrong, it studies what helps people flourish. You need its three assumptions and must use one to explain the formation of a relationship, for example how genuine kindness and shared strengths attract people to each other. You also evaluate quality of life therapy or mindfulness and analyse Myers and Diener (1995), 'Who is happy?'. Expect questions on what predicts subjective well-being, how the research was gathered, and whether a young approach can match older ones for scientific rigour.

What you need to know

• Authenticity of goodness and excellence Virtues such as kindness, humour and courage are seen as genuine parts of human nature, not cover for hidden selfish drives. Peterson and Seligman (2004) set out 24 character strengths grouped under six virtues found across cultures.
• Focus on 'the good life' Seligman separated a pleasant life of positive emotion, a good (engaged) life of using signature strengths in absorbing activity, and a meaningful life of serving something larger than oneself. Engagement links to Csikszentmihalyi's idea of flow.
• Acknowledgement of free will People are not prisoners of their genes or childhood; they can make deliberate choices about their thoughts and actions and so take responsibility for building a happier life.
• Applying it to relationships Using goodness and excellence: we are drawn to people who display real strengths such as kindness and loyalty, and relationships grow as partners recognise and use each other's strengths. Gable et al. (2004) found that partners who respond enthusiastically when the other shares good news (active-constructive responding) report more satisfying relationships.
• Myers and Diener (1995): what they did A review article in Psychological Science drawing together large-scale self-report surveys of subjective well-being from many nations. It asked which groups of people are happiest and which factors predict life satisfaction.
• Myers and Diener (1995): what they found No age, gender or racial group was markedly happier than another. Beyond the point where basic needs are met, extra wealth added little, and rising national income had not raised reported happiness. Better predictors were self-esteem, personal control, optimism and extraversion, a supportive close relationship or marriage, engaging work, and religious faith.
• Quality of life therapy Frisch's approach blends positive psychology and cognitive therapy. Clients rate satisfaction in 16 areas of life and use the five CASIO strategies (changing Circumstances, Attitudes, Standards, the Importance of an area and boosting Overall satisfaction) to improve the areas they value.
• Mindfulness Mindfulness-based programmes such as Kabat-Zinn's MBSR and the MBCT course for recurrent depression train people to notice thoughts and sensations in the present moment without judging them, using meditation, breathing work and body scans, usually over eight weekly sessions plus home practice.

Common mistakes in Positive Approach

• Equating subjective well-being with feeling cheerful. It combines life satisfaction with frequent positive emotion and relatively little negative emotion.
• Writing that Myers and Diener found older people are the least happy. They reported no age of life that was notably happier or unhappier than others.
• Claiming the positive approach ignores suffering. It aims to complement, not replace, the study of disorder by giving equal attention to strengths.
• Describing mindfulness as emptying the mind or simple relaxation. It is non-judgemental awareness of whatever thoughts and feelings arise.
• Using free will to argue that anyone can choose a successful relationship. Free will means people can actively choose and invest effort, not that outcomes are guaranteed.

Try three Positive Approach exam-style questions