1. Lesson 2 - Introduction to Positive Psychology: Learning by Doing
2. Road Map
3. The Main Goal of PSYCH 243
4. The History of PSYCH 243
5. The History of Positive Psychology
6. Do Positive Psychologists Know More than Sunday School Teachers?
7. The Three Pillars of Positive Psychology
8. Active Learning
9. The Meaning of Free Choice
10. How Do We Achieve Freedom?
11. The Importance of Realism
12. Are You Ready for Change?
13. What Will You Change?
14. Lesson Activity

Three Good Things

The purpose of this assignment is to develop a habit of gratitude for good things in your life. Research has shown that practicing gratitude is one of the most powerful techniques for cultivating a sense of psychological well-being. Reflecting on things that went well during a "good day" allow us to savor positive experiences and make the good feelings last longer. Thinking of good things on what we call "bad days" may take practice and effort, but if you can manage to do so it will help improve your mood.

Begin by reading the section on pages 38-39 of A Primer in Positive Psychology, "Three Good Things." Then follow the instructions for the assignment at the bottom of page 38, reproduced below:

At the end of each day, after dinner and before going to sleep, write down three things that went well during the day. Do this every night for a week. The three things can be relatively small in importance ("My husband picked up my favorite ice cream for dessert on the way home from work today") or relatively large in importance ("My sister just gave birth to a healthy baby boy"). After each positive event on your list, answer in your own words the question "Why did this good thing happen?" For example, you might speculate that your husband picked up ice cream "because he can be really thoughtful" or "because I remembered to call him from work and remind him to stop by the grocery store." When asked why your sister gave birth to a healthy baby boy you might explain, "God was looking out for her" or "She did everything right during her pregnancy." This is Graded Assignment. It worthes 15 points.

Ordinarily, activities should be completed and your written report on the activity turned in the same week as the lesson. But in this case, doing the activity takes an entire week, so you should start the activity today and submit your report one week from now. Your activity report will include a description of the three good things you recalled each day for one week and the reason(s) why each good thing happened. Upload your activity report to the dropbox named Three Good Things.