Address the following questions in your initial post:
If you have taken a statistics course, you likely learned about between-group and within-group variability. (If you haven’t taken one, don’t panic; you will be able to answer the question without having a statistical background.) Thinking about cultural and individual differences in some of the main concepts in positive psychology (happiness, values, strengths, meaning of life, etc.), do you predict that there is greater between-group or within-group variability? In other words, do you think there is more variation among cultures or among individuals within the same culture?
Which areas of positive psychology, if any, do you think are culture free? (In other words, are there concepts in positive psychology that are universal?) We’ve explored how most concepts in the field are culturally embedded. Which constructs (happiness, values, character strengths, and/or the meaning of life) do you think are most influenced by cultural factors? Is there any research to support your hypothesis?
Think about how your own culture has affected your perception of positive psychology concepts. In the next lesson, we will be exploring the concepts of pleasure and happiness. How do you think your own culture has influenced the things/activities that make you happy, as well as the time and effort you devote to pursuing happiness? In the second half of the course, we will discuss values, character strengths, and the meaning of life. Has your culture affected any of your beliefs in these areas? How so?
Find a classmate’s post that is most dissimilar to yours (i.e., the findings most inconsistent with yours from either Question 1 or 2). Comment on his or her post. Attempt to resolve the inconsistencies with well-supported persuasion:
What might account for the discrepancies? The goal of this task is not to turn the discussion into a heated argument (you should not being using such phrases as You are wrong because…); rather, it is an opportunity to work on your persuasion skills and demonstrate your ability to digest research.
