14.
Facets of Personality: Taking Control, Taking Chances, and Finding Happiness
2. How do internal and external locus of control people differ in terms of their views of the
source of the reinforcements they receive?
Step 1
Differences between people with internal and external locus of control
Internal locus of control people
• They think that their reinforcers are generated by their own behavior.
• They are confident that they are in total control of their lives and suitably alter their
behaviors.
• They do not let external factors easily influence them.
External locus of control people
• They think that their reinforcers are structured by other people, destiny, or simply chance.
• They trust that their actions and abilities do not have any effect on the reinforcers they
receive. That is why they don’t even try to improve their situation when in bad shape.
3. Give examples of how internal locus of control people behave differently from external
locus of control people.
Step 1
Behavior of internal versus external locus of control people
Behavior of internal locus of control people
• They perform better at laboratory tasks.
• They are less resilient to external influence.
• They value themselves and trust their skills.
• They constantly watch out for environmental cues and use them to alter behavior.
• They display low anxiety and hold themselves in high esteem.
• They readily take responsibility for all their actions.
Step 2
External locus of control people
• They are resigned to the idea that happenings in their lives are regulated by people around
them, or by external powers, destiny, or luck.
• They are convinced that their behavior and ability does not influence the kind of reinforcers
they acquire.
• They consider it useless to invest in any activity that could improve their situation, so they
don’t even try.
4. If external locus of control people learned that a tornado was approaching, would they be
likely to believe there was nothing they could do about their situation, or would they be likely
to take some action to protect themselves, their family, and their property? Why?
Step 1
Response of external and internal locus of control people to an approaching tornado
Response of external locus of control people
External locus of control people, by definition, believe that their entire lives are under the
control of people around them, external powers, destiny, or luck, and that there is nothing
they can do about anything. Such people don’t even try to improve their situations, even if
they knew they were not doing well.
When external locus of control people hear about a tornado that is headed their way, they
would most likely resign themselves to their fates and go about their chores, because they
strongly believe there is nothing they could do to save themselves, their fellow beings, or
their property.
Step 2
Response of internal locus of control people
Internal locus of control people, on the other hand, firmly believe that they can take complete
control of their situations and behave accordingly.
When people with an internal locus of control hear about an impending tornado, they would
immediately take stock of the situation and start doing everything within their capacities to
safeguard their families and belongings. Once accomplished, they may even reach out to their
neighbors or travel to locations where they can extend a helping hand.
5. What parental behaviors foster a child’s internal locus of control?
Step 1
Behaviors of parents that promote internalization of a child’s locus of control
There is strong evidence that a child learns to internalize its locus of control by studying the
behavior of its parents.
• Evidence suggests that an adult male role model is required for children to develop an
internal locus of control.
• Children displaying an internal locus of control had parents who were extremely supportive
and offered constant encouragement at every positive achievement by their child (positive
reinforcement).
• Parents who were consistent in disciplining, had children with internal locus of control.
However, while being consistent in their disciplining, they also ensured that they were not
viewed as authoritarian.
• Children with internal locus of control had parents who continued to encourage
independence in their children as they grew older.
6. Describe the racial, social class, and cultural differences found in research on internal
versus external locus of control.
Step 1
Differences in people with internal versus external locus of control
Racial difference
• Similar to Blacks born in AM continent, native residents of AF continent exhibited a higher
external locus of control compared to Whites born in AM continent.
• Black adolescents in B country displayed higher external locus of control compared to
White adolescents in US country. However, teens in both countries, from families that were
economically well off, displayed higher internal control than did teens that belonged to
families that were socially and economically poorer.
Step 2
Cultural differences
• AM continent cultures are known to emphasize independence and individualism, while AS
continent culture is known to emphasize communal living and interdependence. For people in
AS continent, success is a product of external factors and defined by the society. In general,
people from AS continent displayed higher external control than those from AM continent.
This could be due to the cultural beliefs prevalent in these nations.
• The orientation of locus of control can be influenced by the societal set up one adopts.
People from AS continent tend to become more internally oriented, as they come more in
contact with people from AM continent. For example, C country residents of HK country
exhibited a higher external locus of control compared to A country residents of C country
heritage, and A country residents of C country heritage were more externally oriented than A
country residents from E continent. (C country, HK country, E continent and A country are
progressively individualistic in that order).
• SA country college students displayed a significantly higher internal locus of control
compared to college students from L country, establishing the existence of a cultural
difference in locus of control between an individualistic (SA country) and a collectivist
culture (L country).
Step 3
Differences in social class
• Among workers in C country and athletes in S country, those who exhibited high internal
orientation were able to adjust to change more easily. Such people also exhibited better
mental abilities than those who were externally oriented.
• High internal locus of control at work has also been shown to positively affect job
satisfaction and commitment to tasks assigned. Such people were generally satisfied with
their lives.
• High internal locus of control people exhibited low anxiety and were less likely to become
alcoholics.
• A study on nurses in G country demonstrated that people with higher internal orientation
were better at managing stress.
• Among students in G country (with a family-oriented and highly protective culture) who
were leaving home for the first time, those who scored high in internal control of locus dealt
better with emotional and social struggles of leaving home than those who were externally
orientated.
• In T country, first-year college students who scored high in external locus of control
displayed far more indecisiveness and hesitance in new situations compared to those who
were internally orientated.
7. Discuss the differences in physical health between internal locus of control and external
locus of control people.
Step 1
Differences in physical health between internal and external locus of control people
Internally oriented people have been shown to be physically more healthy than those who are
externally oriented. Following are some research statistics:
• People who are internally oriented suffer less from hypertension and are consequently less
prone to heart attacks.
• It has been shown that people with internal locus of control cooperate well with the hospital
personnel, and therefore receive better treatment and are able to recover sooner and leave the
hospital earlier than patients who are externally oriented.
• A study performed on patients recovering from coronary artery bypass graft, revealed that
patients high in internal control recovered more quickly than those low in internal control.
• Internal locus of control people are usually more careful about their health and are more
likely to take precautionary measures such as wearing seat belts, performing physical
exercises, and abstaining from smoking.
• Studies in F, G, and SA country found that internally oriented people were less fussy about
their health in general, and displayed fewer eating disorders. They also abstained from
behaviors that might make them more vulnerable to HIV.
• Research in S country found that people who were uneducated, immigrants, and up to a
third of aged people, scored low in internal locus of control.
Together, the data suggests that internal locus of control people are meticulous in taking care
of their physical health.
8. How do the concepts of locus of control and selfefficacy differ? In what ways are they
similar?
Step 1
Similarities between self-efficacy and locus of control
• Self-efficacy and locus of control are measures by which one is able to evaluate oneself.
• Both self-efficacy and locus of control are concepts that describe the extent to which we
believe we are capable of exercising control over our lives and our capacity to handle
eventualities.
Step 2
Differences between self-efficacy and locus of control
Self-efficacy was a concept proposed by Mr. B and locus of control was proposed by Mr. R.
Although one study suggested that both concepts were strongly related, Mr. B insisted that
there was little that was common between them.
• Self-efficacy is an individual’s belief in his ability to carry out a specific task, while locus of
control refers to the extent of an individual’s belief on his ability to control events that affect
him.
• Belief about one’s ability to perform certain actions is not the same as beliefs that one’s
actions affect outcomes.
• Self-efficacy concerns specific actions in specific situations, whereas locus of control
concerns itself with many situations.
• Self-efficacy relates more to competence, while locus of control relates to beliefs.
• People with low self-efficacy do not end up with low self-esteem, whereas people with low
internal locus of control are more likely to display low self-esteem.
Example: Not being good at ballroom dancing, is unlikely to be depressing to a person who
does not know ballroom dancing, because he may not see the ability to dance as something
important to his personality.
• Self-efficacy can be increased by appropriate training, but it may not be possible to change
a person’s orientation of locus of control through training.
9. Define sensation seeking and describe its four components.
Step 1
Definition of sensation seeking
Sensation seeking is the craving for a range of new, strange, sophisticated, and thrilling
sensations. People who have an appetite for such experiences are also willing to go to any
length physically, socially, legally, and financially to consummate their hunger.
Step 2
Components of sensation seeking
There are four components of sensation seeking. They are:
1. Thrill and adventure seeking:
It is a strong urge to participate in activities that involve speed, risk, danger, etc. Such people
enjoy sports such as skydiving and bungee jumping.
2. Experience seeking:
It concerns pursuance of fresh encounters of excitement by means of travel, art and music.
Such people usually seek a lifestyle that defies societal norms and choose to fulfill their
experiences with people who are similarly inclined.
3. Disinhihition:
Refers to an unrestrained behavior of people that results from a numbing of inhibitions.
People who display disinhibition have total disregard for cultural constraints and engage in
uninhibited social conduct.
4. Boredom susceptibility:
Involves proneness to boredom and a requirement for constant but novel external stimuli.
Such people have a distaste for monotonous lifestyle and boring people. They quickly
become restless and express dissatisfaction in such situations.
10. How does Zuckerman distinguish between good and bad sensation seeking? Which type
are you?
Step 1
Difference between good and bad sensation seeking
According to Mr. Z, there are four sensation-seeking components. They are:
1. Thrill and adventure-seeking
2. Experience-seeking
3. Disinhihition
4. Boredom susceptibility
The four sensation-seeking components are categorized under two kinds – the good sensation
seeking and the bad sensation seeking.
Good sensation-seeking
• Sensation-seeking which is non-impulsive and socialized, is the good type.
• This consists of the first of the four sensation seeking components
- thrill and adventure-seeking
Bad sensation-seeking
• Sensation-seeking which is impulsive and unsocialized, is the bad kind.
• This consists of the last three of the four sensation seeking components
- experience seeking,
- disinhibition
- boredom susceptibility
People falling under this category also score high on Mr. E’s psychoticism scale.
Step 2
What kind of sensation-seeker am I?
• I like to engage myself in activities involving speed and thrill, and activities that pose a
certain amount of danger and risk. However, I am not rash and impulsive; I ascertain that
activities that I plan to indulge in are as safe as they can be made, for example, by taking
adequate training.
• I also enjoy low-risk stimulations like music, travel, meeting people and experiencing new
cultures.
• And finally, I tend to lose interest in familiar and monotonous situations, people or by
routine and tedious activities.
• On self-evaluation, I see myself as someone carrying the following sensation seeking traits:
1. Thrill and adventure-seeking
2. Experience-seeking
3. Boredom susceptibility
The first falls under the good sensation-seeking personality, and the rest fall under the bad
sensation-seeking personality.
• It appears that I am a mixture of both good and bad sensation-seeking personalities.
• However, I also believe that I have moved from a more bad sensation-seeking person to a
more good-sensation seeking person, over the years.
11. What does research show about differences in sensation seeking as a function of age,
gender, culture, and race?
Step 1
Sensation seeking tendency in terms of gender, age, culture, and race
Gender
• Mr. Z describes substantial differences in the four sensation seeking components between
men and women.
o Sensation seeking components in which men scored high:
- Thrill and adventure seeking
- Disinhibition
- Boredom susceptibility
o Sensation seeking components in which women scored high:
- Experience seeking
• Subjects in US country, E country, S country, J country, and T country displayed similar
differences.
Step 2
Age
• Studies on people ranging from older school kids to those around 60 years of age revealed
that sensation seeking increased when people were in their middle school years and declined
when they reached their twenties.
• Younger people prefer adventurous, risky, and novel experiences when compared to older
people.
For example, high sensation seeking high school and college students in US country and C
country were more likely to indulge in reckless activities and uncontrolled gambling, than
low sensation seekers.
• Describing his own sensation-seeking behavior, Mr. Z mentions that he reached his full
sensation-seeking potential as a college student. However, he also notes that certain sensation
seeking elements like disinhibition and, thrill and adventure seeking, fell rapidly as he aged.
Step 3
Culture and Race
• People from AS continent acquired a lower score on the sensation seeking scale compared
to those from Western countries.
• White people obtained a higher sensation seeking score compared to non-Whites.
12. How do people high in sensation seeking differ from people low in sensation seeking in
terms of personality and cognitive functioning?
Step 1
Differences in personality and cognitive functioning between high and low sensation-
seeking people
Differences in personality
• Sensation seekers, particularly those scoring high on disinhihition, were extraverted and
exhibited antisocial tendencies associated with psychoticism.
• High sensation seekers are prone to be egocentrically extraverted, implying that they may
be concerned with other people only as long as they serve as agents of stimulation.
• High sensation seekers do not depend on others for nurturing.
• Mr. Z suggested that people scoring low in sensation seeking may exhibit neuroses such as
anxiety disorders and may display obsessive-compulsive behaviors.
• College students and adults in N country who scored high in sensation seeking also scored
high in extraversion, openness to experience, and conscientiousness.
• High sensation seekers
o score high on emotionality and honesty-humility
o are very independent
o do not hide their feelings
o are confident and emphatic with others
o are individualistic and unorthodox when required
o take risks habitually
o do not adhere to social norms
o are guided primarily by their own needs, and order their lives in a manner that is self-
fulfilling.
Step 2
Differences in cognitive processes
• A general positive correlation has been observed between sensation seeking and
intelligence.
• In M country, children identified as high sensation seekers when they were three years old,
did better in intelligence assessment when they were eleven years old. Similar results were
obtained for both boys and girls, and their parents’ occupation or education did not have any
bearing on the results.
• Students who scored high on sensation seeking were not necessarily better at school,
presumably because they were more busy with other activities that interested them, than
school work.
• Those who scored high on sensation seeking were found to be better in original thinking
and creativity, However, their schoolwork does not necessarily reflect their capability.
• High scorers seem to be attracted to hypothetical, strange, pseudoscientific fantasies.
• High scorers are more inclined to engage in primary-process thinking when they cannot find
novel experiences in external situations. Their dreams, hallucinations and fantasies are so
lifelike that the internal stimuli that they generate become almost indistinguishable with their
real world.
13. Give examples of ways in which high sensation seekers behave differently from low
sensation seekers.
Step 1
Behavioral differences among high and low sensation seekers
• People who scored high in sensation seeking may choose to join encounter groups or
meditation classes, and look for other such stimulating experiences. However, once the initial
excitement wears off, they usually opt out of such activities.
• People high in sensation seeking are more prone to indulge in drug and alcohol abuse, and
shoplifting.
• Among college students, high sensation seekers had a higher propensity to smoke, use
alcohol and drugs, drive fast, be convicted for reckless driving, get into car accidents and
engage in frequent sex.
• Black women aged 15 to 21 in A country who scored high in sexual sensation seeking,
disclosed that they indulged in more frequent unprotected sex with multiple partners, than
those who scored low.
• High sensation seekers also reported a higher incidence of homosexual encounters (16%),
compared to low sensation seekers (7%).
• High sensation-seeking college men were more prone to indulge in risky sexual behavior,
being fully aware of contracting AIDS.
• High-sensation-seeking gay men (both Blacks and Whites) form a high-risk group for
AIDS.
• High sensation seekers are usually found in professions such as skydiving, firefighting, riot-
controlling, and race-car driving.
• High sensation seeking male undergraduate students in I country were more likely to
indulge in high-risk sports activities and join army combat units.
• Antisocial risk takers and adventurous risk takers scored higher on sensation-seeking than
those identified as pro-social risk takers.
• High sensation seekers are more willing to relocate or go on journeys to unfamiliar
locations, risking physical hazards.
• High sensation seeking pedestrians in I country are more inclined to cross a street on stop
light.
• High sensation seekers prefer arousing or hot colors such as red and orange over softer hues
such as light blue.
• High sensation seekers in G country aged 14 to 24, had significantly more tattoos and body
piercings than low sensation seekers.
• High scoring college students in A country were more prone to cheating in tests.
• High sensation seeking high school and college students in C country were more likely to
become addicted to internet use and computer games.
• High sensation seeking workers in US country were more likely to misuse official
computers for sending personal emails, playing games, and viewing porn. High sensation
seeking low-level employees scored lower on job performance than did low sensations
seekers.
• High sensation seekers were less interested in establishing social relationships at workplace,
or gather information from colleagues or supervisors.
14. Describe the occupational interests and political attitudes of high sensation seekers.
Step 1
Occupational interests of high sensation seekers
High sensation seekers are always on the lookout for stimulating experiences, which also
reflects on the choice of their jobs.
• Those who scored high in sensation seeking were inclined toward scientific interests and
preferred to stay away from clerical jobs.
• High scoring men were interested in helping professions like psychologist, physician, and
social worker. However, they disliked business jobs like accountant and banker.
• Women who scored higher were more interested in becoming a lawyer, and seemed less
interested in becoming an elementary school teacher or a dietician.
• High sensation seeking men and women who were interested in the helping professions,
sought risky, top-of-the-line jobs as in crisis management or in emergency or incident
response teams.
Step 2
Attitudes of high sensation seekers
Those high in sensation seeking
• Are more liberal in political and religious attitudes
• Are more likely to express atheistic views
• Are more open-minded when it comes to sexual activity, of others, as well as their own
Those low in sensation seeking
• Are inclined to be religious and attend church more regularly
• Are authoritarian, with rigid opinions and prejudiced attitudes
• Do not tolerate ambiguity, and believe ambiguous ideas are threats
15. Discuss the relative importance of heredity and environment in determining sensation
seeking.
Step 1
Importance of heredity in sensation seeking
• Studies based on comparing twins has established beyond doubt that sensation-seeking has
a genetic component.
o One such study by Mr. E concluded that genetic factors are responsible for 58 percent of
sensation-seeking personality trait in people.
o Another twin study conducted jointly by Mr. Z and Mr. E found an even stronger evidence
for genetic basis.
Step 2
Importance of environment in sensation seeking
• Mr. Z also recognized the influence of environmental factors, one of them being sensation
seeking by the parent.
o Parents who score low on sensation-seeking are fearful and overly protective. They do not
allow their children to engage in adventurous activities.
o High-sensation-seeking parents, on the other hand, may motivate children and encourage
them to participate in sensation-seeking activities.
16. Define learned helplessness and describe Seligman’s early research with dogs.
Step 1
Definition of learned helplessness
Learned helplessness is a position that a person adopts when he learns that he has no control
over his environment. It is an understanding that there is nothing that one can do to change
his circumstances, and that outcomes are uncontrollable.
Step 2
Mr. S’s early research with dogs
Mr. S observed learned helplessness in a laboratory experiment conducted on dogs.
Experiment
• Step 1: Dogs were placed in a compartment and subjected to a high-pitched sound followed
by an electric shock. Thy were restrained using a harness to keep them still. In this step, the
dogs were conditioned to associate the high-pitched sound with the electric shock.
• Step 2: The conditioned dogs from step 1 were placed in a box with two compartments
divided by a low wall over which the dog could jump to escape the electric shock. These dogs
were then administered either the high-pitched tone or both the tone followed by electric
shock.
Observations
• When the high-pitched tone was sounded, the dogs were expected to jump over the wall to
escape the anticipated shock that was to follow, but they did not. They simply laid down and
whined.
• Administering the shock after the high-pitched tone also did not cause the dogs to jump
over the wall. They still just sat there and whimpered.
• When unconditioned (naïve) dogs were administered electric shock, they jumped the wall to
escape the shock.
Mr. S’s conclusions
In step 1, the dogs were forced to learn that there was nothing they could do to avoid the
shock – they learned helplessness. In step 2, although the dogs had a provision to escape, they
continued to suffer the pain, and replicated behavior that they had learned in step 1. Mr. S
made the following conclusions based on the experiment:
• Dogs could learn complex behavioral patterns such as the futility of their actions
• The experiment on dogs provided a model to study human helplessness.
• It may now be possible to investigate:
o How human helplessness occurs
o How to cure human helplessness
o What can be done to prevent human helplessness
o What drugs can help human helplessness
o What kind of people were vulnerable to human helplessness
17. How can learned helplessness affect physical health? How does it relate to depression?
Step 1
The following is the way by which learned helplessness affects physical health:
Learned helplessness affects the body and mind of individuals. Especially it affects old aged
people. The physical health of the people is being affected vastly due to psychological
changes and the perception of control. The physical health is being affected when the patient
possesses lower control on the current situation.
A research was conducted among patients affected with cancer. The questions were based on
their marriage life, the adjustment made by them psychologically, and the perception of
control. The results tells that a person with higher perception of control, adjust to the
situations and takes proper care of himself and vice versa.
Step 2
To test the reasons behind learned helplessness in affecting the physical health, Mr. S carried
on a study with the rats. The rats were injected with malignant tumor cells and they were
exposed to three situations such as follows:
A shock treatment in which the rats could escape
A shock treatment in which the rats could not escape
No shock treatment
It was found that in the controlled group (no shock), 50 percent of the rats survived. In the
treatment in which the rats could escape, 70 percent survived whereas in the learned
helplessness group only 27 percent of the rats survived.
Step 3
Learned helplessness in relation with depression:
Depression is being created among the people when they lack care and affection. Learned
helplessness acts as the main reason for the depression. The people feel lethargy to carry out
any work as before. The day-to-day activities done by them are being opposed by their
feelings of insecurity. Since learned helplessness gives lack of motivation and support, the
individuals end up in depression.
18. Distinguish between optimistic and pessimistic explanatory styles. How can they affect
health?
Step 1
Explanatory style:
Explanatory style refers to the way by which one explains oneself in relation with the lack of
control that one has on the environment. This concept was created to overcome the fact that
learned helplessness was not just due to the lack of control.
Step 2
Difference between the optimistic and pessimistic explanatory styles:
The main difference between the optimistic and pessimistic explanatory style is that
optimistic explanatory style helps in the prevention of helplessness and creates a positive
attitude in the minds of people whereas pessimistic explanatory style spreads only
helplessness and creates a negative aspect throughout the life of an individual.
Step 3
The following is the way by which the optimistic and pessimistic explanatory styles
affect health:
Optimistic people tend to lead a healthy life than people who come under the pessimistic
explanatory style. Pessimistic people always think that if they take in any step, it will end up
in consequences. It is found with the help of a study that optimistic people live longer than
the pessimistic ones. The character of pessimism does not allow the individual to live healthy
and longer.
In addition, the optimistic ones take care of themselves when they feel ill and take steps to
recover. Pessimistic people do not take proper care of their health. They expect someone else
to take care of them.
19. Explain how learned helplessness can develop in childhood.
Step 1
The following are the ways by which learned helplessness can develop in childhood:
Learned helplessness begins in the infant from its beginning stage. The babies start their life
with no help from others. They do not possess any control over the environment when they
are small. Slowly, when they grow and mature they try to control their own environment.
They learn to cry in order to bring the attention of their parents so that they fulfil their needs.
Hence, the parents teach the children to walk, run, crawl, and speak. This creates a control
over the environment.
Step 2
The early interactions of the human beings include the huge cry and broken speech. This will
help one to understand the sense of helplessness and control. In the infant level, the children
form link between the responses and the outcomes.
It is found that the pessimistic parents possess pessimistic children. Learned helplessness is
developed through harsh peers who behave harshly. It is also developed with the help of
negative responses that one receives in the childhood. Race and poverty also develops
helplessness. People who lack social support, create helplessness.
20. Discuss the similarities and differences between Seligman’s contemporary version of
positive psychology and the earlier humanistic psychology of Maslow and Rogers.
Step 1
The following are the similarities and differences between positive psychology and early
humanistic psychology:
The concept of positive psychology is connected with excellence, happiness, cheerfulness,
and pleasure. It deals with the optimum use of human performance. The earlier psychology
approach was being criticized as the approach ignored some of the important points related to
human. It ignored the positive approaches towards men and focused only on the negative
points.
The wrong things done by human beings were highlighted in the early humanistic approach
whereas the positive psychology focused on the optimistic features of men.
Step 2
The early humanistic psychology approach by M is a highly subjective approach describing
about the self-actualization needs of the people. The positive psychology approach helps in
finding out the positive side of human being. There are people who exhibit happiness even in
their worst situation. They are people who end up with utmost success in their lives.
21. Describe the effect on subjective well-being of each of these factors: financial status,
attractiveness, health, race, and culture.
Step 1
The following is the effect on subjective well-being of financial status, attractiveness,
health, race, and culture:
According to psychologists, the happy person is labeled under subjective well-being. They
are people whose life is being satisfied with the things possessed by them. They live happily
with what they have. They tend to be optimistic under all the situations.
Optimistic people have a positive effect towards all their approaches. They feel that money
cannot buy happiness but the lack of money leads to unhappiness. Hence, optimistic people
seek for adequate funds to run their family and be happy. However, the funds are not
sufficient; but they are adequate to run the family.
In addition, a research shows that people who earn more are more happy when compared to
the people who earn less.
Step 2
According to a research, it is found that being attractive or beautiful does not give inner
happiness to the people. However, the external appearance gives good job opportunities and
gives a better partner in life. The attractiveness gives happiness to the people in cities rather
than people who live in rural areas.
Absence of good health diminishes the happiness of the people. A healthy life is required to
lead a happy life. When a person is not healthy, he cannot be happy. However, this will not
become vice versa. That is, when a person is healthy he necessarily need not be happy.
Step 3
The relation between age and gender cannot be said as a reason for happiness. However,
happiness keeps on improving with the age. The person who has completed all his obligations
would tend to be happy and he will lead a happy life.
22. In what ways do the personalities of people who score high in subjective well-being differ
from those who score low?
Step 2
In addition, a research shows that people who earn more are happier when compared to the
people who earn less. The people who score more tend to be happy at all the times whereas
the people who score low in subjective well-being are the ones who may lack happiness in
their lives.
It is better for the people who score low to become positive and score more in subjective
wellbeing to lead a happy life.
Step 3
It is found that the people who score high in subjective well-being have parents who look
after them and take proper care in their future. This relationship is found to be stronger and
healthier in girls when compared to boys.
23. Give examples of how geography, motivations and goals, and Internet use can affect
subjective well-being.
Step 1
The ways by which geography, motivations and goals, and the internet usage affect
subjective well-being:
The geographical area plays a major role in the subjective well-being. There were differences
among people in the same country too. They differ according to regions. The people in some
regions were found to be happy and some were unhappy when compared to the other. This
was due to the level of education, income, and tolerance.
The research tells us that people who live in affluent areas live more happily than others do.
This proves that geographical areas affect the subjective well-being.
Step 2
In the terms of motivations and goals, the people who score high in subjective well-being
differ from the ones who score low. The people who are high motivation maintain a balance
between their work life and their personal life. They have healthy goals that lead to a healthy
life.
Step 3
The people who spend time on internet have inner happiness. They are optimistic and
enthusiastic. The teenagers possess an inner happiness when they find new friends on social
media. However, this acts as a waste of time in the actual course of business.
24. Describe the three components or types of happiness, according to Seligman. Which one
corresponds most closely to Maslow’s concept of self-actualization?
Step 1
The following are the three components of happiness according to Mr. S:
• Positive emotion:
Positive emotion is a feeling of satisfaction in the individual’s personal life. It gives pleasure
to a person to feel positively good. This case is related to the group of college students who
feel fresh and positively high in all the situations.
• Engagement:
Engagement refers to the busy life of an individual. The individual is involved and committed
in his life. For the person who is of this type, time passes very quickly and efficiently.
• Meaningful life:
A person who is of this type tries to lead a meaningful life. It exhibits the strengths and
abilities of an individual towards the meaningful life. The sense of selfness would be lost and
the individual tries to achieve something great for an enterprise.
Step 2
The following component is in close relation with the self-actualization concept of M:
The concept of engagement is nearly connected with self-actualization concept of M. Here,
the sense of satisfaction is more when the sense of self is lost in both the concepts.
25.
