What the exam asks
- Section I (Multiple Choice): You will read short vignettes or research summaries and identify which virtue category a person is exercising, how an intervention affects subjective well-being, or whether an outcome after adversity represents resilience or posttraumatic growth.
- Section II (AAQ and EBQ): Positive psychology experiments (such as randomly assigning participants to write gratitude letters versus daily schedules) can appear as AAQ studies. In an EBQ on mental health or stress, concepts like signature strengths, gratitude, and posttraumatic growth are useful psychological concepts to apply in parts B(ii) and C(ii).
Core ideas
The mission of positive psychology
Founded as a distinct movement by Martin Seligman, positive psychology shifts the focus of psychological science from merely repairing pathology to building thriving individuals and communities. Rather than ignoring suffering, it investigates the factors that cultivate:
- Well-being and psychological health: Flourishing emotionally, psychologically, and socially rather than simply being free of a disorder.
- Positive emotions: Experiencing joy, serenity, hope, and interest, which broaden our thinking and build lasting personal resources.
- Resilience: The capacity to adapt well and bounce back to baseline functioning in the face of adversity, trauma, tragedy, or significant stress.
Subjective well-being and gratitude
Researchers measure happiness scientifically using subjective well-being (SWB)—a person’s self-perceived happiness and satisfaction with life, typically assessed via self-report surveys measuring both cognitive life satisfaction and the balance of positive over negative emotions.
One of the best-documented predictors of increased SWB is gratitude: noticing, appreciating, and expressing thankfulness for the positive aspects of life and the helpful actions of others. Experimental studies show that actively expressing gratitude (such as keeping a weekly gratitude journal or delivering a thank-you letter) causes measurable, lasting increases in subjective well-being, optimism, and physical health while reducing depressive symptoms.