SOCPSY 2B03 Study Guide - Fall 2018, Comprehensive Midterm Notes - Neuroticism, Hedonic Treadmill, Extraversion And Introversion
12 Oct 2018
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SOCPSY 2B03
MIDTERM EXAM
STUDY GUIDE
Fall 2018
1
Introduction to the Study of Well-Being
1. Conceptualizations and mechanisms of well-being
a. How do we define ‘the good life’? How do definitions vary across cultures?
2. Key domains of well-being
. relationships/social networking, leisure, work, and physical health
3. Group differences in well-being
. Inequalities based on gender, sexual orientation, ethnicity, class, migrant status
Subjective Well-Being
• Social scientists let people define the good life for themselves
• Not defined by researcher-imposed domains
• SWB is multi-dimensional
• Life satisfaction + positive emotion - negative emotion
• Cognitive component:
• A cognitive evaluation of one’s overall satisfaction
• Affective Component:
• The presence of positive emotional experiences
• The absence of negative emotional experiences
• How can we measure SWB?
• Satisfaction of life scale
• Positive and negative affective schedule
• Reliable over time
• Valid correlated with informat report
• Smile intensity
• Positive vs negative words in social media
• Psychological indicators
Hedonic Approach
• Emphasizes pleasure
• Subjective well-being
• Well-being = pursue pleasure, avoid pain
• Has roots in philosophy
• Aristippus = goal of life is to maximize pleasure
• Jeremy Bentham = societies should seek the greatest good for the greatest amount of
people
• Physical and emotional pleasure
• Hedonic well-being experienced while in a state of relaxation
Eudaimonic Approach
• Emphasizes meaning
• Well being comes from seeking meaning , self-realization , functioning at highest
capacity
• In Greek , “daimon” = true self
• Aristotle: striving to be the best possible self you can be and doing something worth
doing
• Well-being is more than pleasure
• Not all pleasurable outcomes are good for you
• Not all valued outcomes will be pleasurable
• Well-being experienced while being challenged
• Ryff’s Eudaimonic Approach
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2
• Self-acceptance
• Positive self attitude; accepts positive and negative aspects of self
• Autonomy
• Self-reliant, resists social pressure, self-regulated
• Personal growth
• Self experiences as changing in positive way, open to new experiences
• Positive relationships
• Has warm, trusting relationships; concerned about others, empathic
• Environmental mastery
• Competent in managing external activities, takes opportunities
• Purpose in life
• Has goals and direction; has sense of meaning in past and present life
Well-being is more than just the absence of misery
• Going beyond the baseline
Biological Theories
1.Genetic Theories
• 30-40% of variance in SWB is owing to genetics
• Your SWB is not fixed
• If it is changeable then we can find ways to change SWB
• Discern genetic component with twin studies
• When monozygotic (identical) twins are raised apart they are more similar in
SWB than dizygotic twins raised together
2.Personality Theories
• Genes -> extraversion and neuroticism -> SWB
• Identical twins are more similar is extraversion and neuroticism that fraternal
twins
• High extraversion, low neuroticism -> higher SWB
• Extraversion -> high positive affect
• People that are social and have a positive emotional core
• Low neuroticism -> low negative affect
• Highly neurotic people are very anxious and nervous, as a result they
experience more negative moods than the average person and have
lower SWB
3.Set Point/Adaptation Theories
• Genetically determined set-point or baseline SWB
• Will adapt to this set point in face of life events
• Hedonic treadmill
• If people become better-off than their current standard, SWB will temporarily
increase
• But adapt to new standard, so SWB returns to baseline
• As mucha s you may strive to become happier, it’s never enough
• Support for set point theory
• Positive events
• Greater SWB right before and after marriage, but adapt over time to
premarital SWB levels
• Lottery winners not happier than control group; lottery winners actually
took less pleasure from everyday events
• Contrast : try and contrast their everyday measures with the feeling of a
peak event
• Habituation : once you get used to having money you take it for granted
find more resources at oneclass.com
find more resources at oneclass.com
Document Summary
How do definitions vary across cultures: key domains of well-being relationships/social networking, leisure, work, and physical health, group differences in well-being. Inequalities based on gender, sexual orientation, ethnicity, class, migrant status. Eudaimonic approach: emphasizes meaning, well being comes from seeking meaning , self-realization , functioning at highest capacity. Well-being is more than just the absence of misery: going beyond the baseline. 1. genetic theories: 30-40% of variance in swb is owing to genetics, your swb is not fixed. If it is changeable then we can find ways to change swb: discern genetic component with twin studies, when monozygotic (identical) twins are raised apart they are more similar in. 2. personality theories: genes -> extraversion and neuroticism -> swb. 3. set point/adaptation theories: genetically determined set-point or baseline swb, will adapt to this set point in face of life events, hedonic treadmill. 2: negative events, spinal cord injury -> drop in swb immediately after the accident, but.
