The documentary, Happy:
https://cdnapisec.kaltura.com/index.php/extwidget/…
Scachter textbook:
https://bookshelf.vitalsource.com/reader/books/978…
Winter 2023
Psychology 111 060
Essay #2
Schreier/Richardson/Smoot/Vinasco/Woodward
Essay assignment #2 asks you to apply course concepts based on the documentary Happy
available in Canvas. Answers should follow the order the questions are presented and be
formatted as one complete essay. You should only use information provided in the movie; the
lecture; and the Schacter and Hock texts. Please use specific examples to support your answers.
An assignment rubric will be posted on Canvas to aid you in structuring your paper. Students
should review both the assignment and the rubric when completing this assignment. Sources
should be noted in APA citation format and an APA-style reference page must be included. The
completed assignment (not including the reference page) should be no more than 5 pages doublespaced, using 12-point Times New Roman font. Please be advised that this page limit is
enforced. Essay assignment #2 is due April 4th on Canvas by 11:59 pm. If you require an
extension, please feel free to reach out to Dr. Schreier and your GSIs. This assignment is worth
45 points.
1. Using class material, including the article Discovering Love in Hock (2020) please respond to
the following questions about the relationship between social connection and happiness, and how
these constructs relate to the documentary Happy.
a. Define contact comfort according to Harlow, and provide one example from Happy
that demonstrates the benefits of contact comfort, making sure to describe how it impacts
healthy development.
b. Briefly summarize the Cacioppo & Hawkley (2003) findings in Hock (2020).
c. Find an example from Happy that is consistent with Cacioppo and Hawkley’s findings
between happiness and social connection, making sure to support your assertion.
7 points
2. Please answer the following questions as they relate to the documentary Happy and In
Control and Glad of It! in Hock (2020).
a. Briefly summarize how the findings of Langer and Rodin’s study In Control and Glad
of It! related to well-being and stress-related outcomes in seniors.
b. Provide a specific example of how an individual highlighted in Happy
experiences control and responsibility in their life, and how it relates to their sense of
happiness and well-being. Make sure to identify whether your example is consistent or
inconsistent with Langer & Rodin’s findings that you described above.
c. Provide a specific example of how an individual highlighted in Happy experiences a
loss of control and how it relates to their sense of happiness and well-being. Make sure to
identify whether your example is consistent or inconsistent with Langer & Rodin’s
findings.
6 points
3. Social role theory (Schacter, pg. 478) proposes that gender differences are social rather than
biological constructs. This concept provides a framework to evaluate findings regarding research
findings about gender differences and McCrae and Costa’s Big Five personality model.
a. Incorporating information from Gender Differences: Biology or Culture Schacter
(2020; pg. 477), what is one finding about gender and personality that the documentary
Happy supports? Make sure to describe the finding about the Big 5 trait and a specific
example from the documentary in your response.
b. Identify a second gender-based finding of the Big 5 personality traits discussed in
lecture or your textbook and provide another example from the documentary Happy that
supports this finding.
c. According to Discovering Love in Hock, how did Harlow’s research alter our
understanding of how gender and other social and cultural variables may impact the
capacity for non-maternal caregivers? Find an example from Happy that supports this
broader view of effective non-maternal caregiving.
d. We know that psychology is impacted by socio-historical processes, and as a field we
need to continue to ask questions to replicate our findings to increase confidence in them,
or establish changing patterns in how we think, feel, and behave. Incorporating the Big 5
traits and your understanding of social role theory in contemporary society, develop a
hypothesis about how gender expectations may impact personality. Describe your
observation and make sure your hypothesis is both directional and falsifiable.
e. Further, there is a current emphasis in the field of psychology to challenge historic
biases by valuing diverse identities in theory and research leading us to ask about other
cultural influences on personality. Happy provides a lens into different ways individuals
throughout the world experience well-being. Based on an observation from the video
Happy, create a hypothesis about how cultural influences may impact personality. Make
sure to describe your observation that led to your hypothesis.
20 points
4. As a conclusion, please apply your understanding of how the management of stress involves
strategies for influencing the mind, the body, and the situation.
a. Identify an example from Happy where someone exhibits a stressful life circumstance
followed by an adaptive coping strategy that illustrates a specific strategy from two of the
three categories of stress management: mind management, body management. Make sure
to describe the strategy as part of your response.
b. Briefly describe the 4 situation management strategies. Describe an example from
your life where you have used one of the situation strategies successfully to deal with a
stressful situation.
12 points
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