Deck 13: Experience, Existence, and the Meaning of Life: Humanistic and Positive Psychology

Question 1

According to Sartre, angst can be analyzed into three separate sensations. What are they?

A) nothingness, nausea, alienation
B) loneliness, despair, hopelessness
C) helplessness, hopelessness, worthlessness
D) anguish, forlornness, despair

Answer 1

D

Question 2

________ consists of your biological experiences and ________ consists of your psychological experiences.

A) Umwelt; Eigenwelt
B) Mitwelt; Umwelt
C) Eigenwelt; Mitwelt
D) Umwelt; Mitwelt

Answer 2

A

Question 3

________ psychology is based on the premise that to understand a person, you must understand his or her unique view of reality.

A) Existential
B) Humanistic
C) Cultural
D) Psychoanalytic

Answer 3

B

Question 4

________ is a term for the time, place, and circumstances into which you happened to be born.

A) Existential location
B) Eigenwelt
C) Thrown-ness
D) Angst

Question 5

Existentialists would say that if Donna does not worry about existential concerns but instead focuses on getting a job, obtaining material wealth, or maintaining her friendships, then she will ________.

A) become a fully functioning person
B) experience authentic existence
C) still not be happy
D) experience unconscious sexual urges

Question 6

Nietzsche argued that the most honorable response to the dilemmas of existence is to ________.

A) retreat to close relationships to manage your terror
B) rise above it all and become a superman
C) acknowledge your own despair
D) distract yourself from your inevitable sense of dread

Question 7

John realizes that helping one set of people could lead others to suffer. According to Sartre, what sensation will this insight produce?

A) nausea
B) alienation
C) anguish
D) despair

Question 8

Carolyn is fondly thinking about her mother. Carolyn is experiencing ________.

A) self-actualization
B) Mitwelt
C) Eigenwelt
D) angst

Question 9

Your particular experience of the world is called your ________.

A) conscience
B) consciousness
C) construal
D) confluence

Question 10

According to existentialist philosophy, the opposite of living in bad faith is ________.

A) authentic existence
B) autotelic existence
C) objectivism
D) Eigenwelt

Question 11

Jerry has been wondering what life means and whether he is living his life purposefully. If he cannot answer these questions, he will probably experience ________.

A) angst
B) thrown-ness
C) Eigenwelt
D) self-actualization

Question 12

Which of the following philosophers was NOT mentioned in the text as an existentialist thinker?

A) Kierkegaard
B) Nietzsche
C) Sartre
D) Descartes

Question 13

What aspect of human psychological functioning is of particular interest to humanistic psychologists?

A) self-awareness
B) human suffering
C) internal psychological conflicts
D) the importance of social relationships

Question 14

One possible interpretation of the basic phenomenological philosophy is that ________.

A) the same objective reality exists for diverse groups of people and different cultures
B) all interpretations of reality are equally valid
C) if you look at the world through another's eyes, you will realize that your own worldview is invalid
D) all behavior, thoughts, and feelings are determined by past experience

Question 15

The courage to face mortality and the apparent meaninglessness of life is called ________ by existential philosophers.

A) optimistic toughness
B) hardiness
C) autotelic existence
D) Eigenwelt

Question 16

Also known as Geworfenheit, ________ refers to the time, place, and circumstances into which you happened to be born.

A) niche
B) thrown-ness
C) era
D) ethos

Question 17

According to Sartre, the existential challenge is to ________.

A) avoid thinking about the meaning of existence
B) face the basic uncertainty and anguish of life and find personal meaning
C) maintain generativity and avoid stagnation
D) become a fully functioning, self-actualizing person

Question 18

Andrew watched himself in the mirror and was overcome with the remarkable insight that he was observing himself in the mirror. Andrew is experiencing ________.

A) self-actualization
B) Mitwelt
C) Eigenwelt
D) angst

Question 19

Imagine that you are participating in a psychology experiment. The experimenter asks you to take a bite of chocolate and to describe your experience of the chocolate-how it tastes, how it feels on your tongue, and so on. You would be involved in which method of psychological research?

A) experimental
B) correlational
C) introspective
D) case study

Question 20

Mike thinks that sitting around contemplating the meaning of existence is a waste of time. He spends his life concentrating on developing his career, building a bigger house for his family, and enjoying himself. Sartre and other existentialists would say that Mike is ________.

A) living in bad faith
B) preventing himself from becoming a functioning person
C) ignoring Mitwelt
D) following core ideas of self-determination theory

Question 21

According to Rogers, believing that others value you based only on intelligence, success, or attractiveness can lead to ________.

A) existential dread
B) unconditional positive regard
C) despair
D) conditions of worth

Question 22

Carl Rogers maintained that the one basic tendency for humans is to ________.

A) maintain and enhance life
B) struggle against despair and anguish
C) identify personal constructs
D) develop conditions of worth

Question 23

What Buddhist term refers to the idea that all things are in flux and impermanent?

A) anatta
B) anicca
C) nirvana
D) Eigenwelt

Question 24

George Kelly's personal construct theory emphasizes that individuals ________.

A) construct reality through neurotic distortions
B) build an authentic existence through the acceptance of personal responsibility
C) construct a hierarchy of needs that motivates behavior
D) build the experience of reality through unique sets of ideas about the world

Question 25

Steven has come to terms with his mortality, accepted responsibility for his existence, and knows that he determines what happens in his life. Existentialists would say that Steven is ________.

A) living in bad faith
B) experiencing thrown-ness
C) attaining authentic existence
D) achieving Mitwelt

Question 26

According to Carl Rogers, you can become a ________ only if you experience ________ from important others in your life.

A) fully functioning person; unconditional positive regard
B) fully functioning adult; unconditioned stimulation
C) authentic person; unconditional love
D) fully functioning person; positive reinforcement

Question 27

The highest need proposed by Maslow was ________.

A) self-determination
B) self-esteem
C) self-actualization
D) self-transcendence

Question 28

The humanist psychologists Carl Rogers and Abraham Maslow took basic existential assumptions and added the assumption that ________.

A) people are good and have an innate need to make themselves and the world better
B) to know a person, it is essential to understand his or her phenomenology
C) only humans, as opposed to other animals, have an awareness of their own mortality
D) people are essentially childlike and have an innate tendency toward selfishness and impulsivity

Question 29

According to George Kelly, a person's interpretation or theory of what the world is like is his or her ________.

A) phenomenal field
B) Eigenwelt
C) personal construct system
D) circumplex model

Question 30

George Kelly believed that to understand a person, you need to understand his or her personal construct system. This idea is known as ________.

A) the interpersonal circumplex
B) constructive alternativism
C) construct renewal
D) the sociality corollary

Question 31

Research findings indicate that one result of Rogerian psychotherapy may be that ________.

A) people become more like their ideal selves
B) people establish their own conditions of worth
C) clients report feeling more flow experiences
D) more clients meet their hierarchy of needs

Question 32

Which of the following is NOT a concern with the typical strategy used to evaluate the effects of Rogerian psychotherapy?

A) It is not clear that the match between perceived self and ideal self is an adequate criterion for psychological adjustment.
B) No measurable variables have been used to evaluate Rogerian therapy.
C) The results may be due to clients' changing their ideal views.
D) The criterion used for determining adjustment could lead us to consider people with obvious disorders as being well-adjusted.

Question 33

The Buddhist alternative to existential anguish, forlornness, and despair is ________.

A) anatta
B) anicca
C) nirvana
D) Eigenwelt

Question 34

According to Carl Rogers, a person can only be understood from the perspective of the entire panorama of his or her conscious experience or what he called the ________.

A) organismic perspective
B) phenomenological position
C) Eigenwelt
D) phenomenal field

Question 35

Some American corporations use Maslow's ideas when dealing with their employees. For example, they might ________.

A) maximize their employees' feelings of security so that the employees can pursue higher goals and identify with the organization
B) attempt to hire only people who are close to achieving at least minimal levels of self-actualization
C) reinforce desired employee behavior by providing small salary increases whenever an employee performs an activity that is "beyond" what is usually expected
D) maximize their employees' feelings of material satisfaction so that the employees become financially dependent upon the company (and thus be more dedicated to it)

Question 36

To avoid developing conditions of worth, a person should experience ________ from the important people in his or her life.

A) unconditional positive regard
B) Mitwelt
C) conditions of worth
D) existential optimism

Question 37

Which two individuals are credited with turning existentialism into a more optimistic view of life?

A) Sartre and Nietzsche
B) Rogers and Freud
C) Rogers and Maslow
D) Maslow and Maddi

Question 38

Linda thinks that her friends will like her only if she is thin, attractive, and cheerful. Rogers would say it is unlikely that Linda will ________.

A) self-actualize
B) become a fully functioning person
C) build personal constructs
D) experience Umwelt

Question 39

What Buddhist term refers to the idea that an independent singular self is simply an illusion?

A) anatta
B) anicca
C) nirvana
D) Eigenwelt

Question 40

Research has shown that some personal constructs are more readily called to mind than others. These constructs are considered ________.

A) chronically accessible
B) recall-ready
C) intrinsic notions
D) intrinsically motivated

Question 41

The idea that you choose your own reality is closest to which concept in the humanistic perspective on personality?

A) Eigenwelt
B) constructive alternativism
C) sociality corollary
D) self-determination theory

Question 42

Flow mostly likely arises when one's activity entails a balanced ratio of ________ to ________.

A) effort; reward
B) stress; eustress
C) approach; avoidance
D) skills; challenges

Question 43

The psychological state of flow involves all of the following EXCEPT ________.

A) a focused state of consciousness
B) a disrupted sense of time
C) intense feelings of joy and happiness
D) tremendous concentration

Question 44

An autotelic activity ________.

A) results in social reinforcement such as praise or approval
B) produces a material reinforcement such as money
C) releases unconscious urges and desires
D) is enjoyable for its own sake

Question 45

Which is NOT one of the central intrinsic goals featured in self-determination theory?

A) autonomy
B) competence
C) relatedness
D) hedonia

Question 46

Positive psychology seeks to study human ________ rather than ________.

A) behavior; thoughts or cognitions
B) strengths; faults
C) potential; human behavior
D) nature; social constructions

Question 47

________ is the relatively recent branch of psychology that investigates the traits, processes, and social institutions that promote a good and meaningful life.

A) Hedonia
B) Eudaimonia
C) Positive psychology
D) Optimistic psychology

Question 48

Csikszentmihalyi concluded that the best way someone can spend his or her time is in ________.

A) telegraphic activities
B) autotelic activities
C) nomotelic activities
D) autographic activities

Question 49

Csikszentmihalyi's concept of flow is analogous to ________.

A) self-actualization
B) an authentic existence
C) an optimal experience
D) existential optimism

Question 50

Research suggests that individuals high in which personality attribute are most likely to experience flow?

A) locus of control
B) extraversion
C) openness
D) self-monitoring

Question 51

The theorist ________ would likely use the metaphor "humans are scientists" to describe the nature of human psychology.

A) George Kelly
B) Carl Rogers
C) Abraham Maslow
D) Mihalyi Csikszentmihalyi

Question 52

Positive psychologists usually argue that true happiness comes from overcoming important challenges. This idea is quite similar to Sartre's conception of ________.

A) optimistic toughness
B) hardiness
C) self-actualization
D) Umwelt

Question 53

Which tenant of self-determination theory appears to be its boldest prediction?

A) the clear distinction between hedonia and eudaimonia
B) the selfishness that results from subjective well-being
C) the universality of the needs for autonomy, competence, and relatedness
D) the physical illnesses that results from hedonia but not subjective well-being

Question 54

Salvatore Maddi believed the most severe existential pathology was ________.

A) nihilism
B) vegetativeness
C) apathy
D) nausea

Question 55

Brad tends to avoid anything that could be stressful or challenging, preferring to live life with familiar activities, experiences, and people. The psychologist Salvatore Maddi would likely suggest that Brad is lacking ________.

A) self-actualization
B) fully functioning attributes
C) self-determination
D) hardiness

Question 56

The personality test that asks you to identify sets of three people, ideas, or objects and describe how any two of them are similar to each other and different from the third is attempting to assess your ________.

A) hierarchy of needs
B) conditions of worth
C) cognitive scripts
D) personal constructs

Question 57

Which theorist would most likely make the statement that stress is valuable for optimal psychological development?

A) Maslow
B) Rogers
C) Maddi
D) Csikszentmihalyi

Question 58

Stephen seeks to maximize pleasure and minimize pain. He pursues ________.

A) hedonia
B) eudaimonia
C) bad faith
D) self-determination

Question 59

Based on research related to self-determination theory, the individual ________ is likely to report the highest level of well-being.

A) who values financial success
B) who seeks fame
C) focused on personal growth
D) focused on hedonia

Question 60

Which of the following virtues does NOT appear to be particularly important in Eastern traditions?

A) humanity
B) justice
C) temperance
D) courage

Question 61

The central idea of humanistic psychology is that one's conscious experience is less psychologically important than one's actual behavior.

Question 62

All individuals have the same construals of the world.

Question 63

According to existentialists, authentic existence will not relieve you of loneliness and unhappiness.

Question 64

Rogerian therapy emphasizes the importance of listening on the part of the therapist.

Question 65

Nirvana leads to a pleasant albeit selfless state.

Question 66

Existentialists believed that science, technology, and philosophy had lost touch with human experience.

Question 67

Eigenwelt includes the experience of introspection.

Question 68

The Rep test is used to evaluate whether an individual is a fully functioning person.

Question 69

Research indicates that financial status is more strongly linked with life satisfaction in richer nations as opposed to poorer nations.

Question 70

Umwelt includes bodily sensations of pleasure and pain.

Question 71

Optimism is one of the attributes studied by positive psychologists.

Question 72

The Buddhist idea of anatta refers to the impermanence of all things.

Question 73

Sartre divided existential anxiety into anguish, fear, and forlornness.

Question 74

The biological component of experience is called Eigenwelt.

Question 75

An individual who seeks to maximize gain by making the most money possible is following a satisficing goal.

Question 76

Kelly emphasized the importance of unconditional positive regard.

Question 77

Humanistic psychologists believe that people are basically good.

Question 78

According to the hierarchy of needs, people must feel that they belong before they can self-actualize.

Question 79

George Kelly believed that personal constructs are bipolar.

Question 80

Self-determination theorists believe that eudaimonia is dangerous.