Inventory of Positive Psychology Interventions

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Name of intervention: The Good Life: Goals, Pathways, Strategies

Source: Zone Positive*

Tag: goals, goal setting, action plan, life satisfaction

Short description: Follow up exercise to the Good Life Surveyhow to raise your scores. A worksheet is
provided below.
Goal of this intervention:
After the Good Life Survey (on the Zone Positive website) is taken and scores are retrieved, you may be
wondering what you can do to lift your scores across any or all of the pathways (positive emotion,
engagement, meaning/purpose and positive relationships). This exercise aims to prompt thoughts around
what actions can be taken (and which of your strengths will be utilized).
How to conduct this intervention:
Step 1: Go to the Zone Positive website (www.zonepositive.com) and register as a guest to access the
survey. Once this is done, go to the top navigation bar under Free Resources then click the Good Life
Survey.
Step 2: After you have taken the survey, you will receive your scores and an explanation of the results
Step 3: With your results in hand, use the worksheet down below. Start filling in the information starting with
your goal(s), your score for each pathway (positive emotion etc.), your action plan for each pathway and
finally, the strengths you believe you will be using.
Some thoughts to ponder as you complete the worksheet

What does the good life mean for you?

What circumstances or conditions would have to exist for you to reach this state?
Any surprises with the scores that you received from the Good Life Survey?
For the discussion on goals, you can ask broad questions such as what are your goals in life,
what are your career goals for the next year or, are you looking for more meaning or positive
emotion in your life
Which pathways might you want to focus on (i.e. raise the scores) in order to get closer to your
goal(s)?
What are some ideas or actions you might take to make this happen (for example, using gratitude
to raise positive emotion)?
Which strengths do you think you will use in taking these actions
Is this a good action plan for youone that you can commit to?

Is there any science to support this exercise:

Much has been studied and written about the subject of goal setting. Edwin Locke and Gary Latham
are two acknowledged experts in this field. Locke uses the goal setting theory to help explain the
underlying cause of human motivation. In his article (1996), the outcome of 30 years of research on
goal setting has been distilled into 14 key findings that show the connection between conscious
performance goals and performance on work tasks. Performance is shown to relate to a number of
interrelated factors that appear to operate in a step-like function. Level of commitment to a
challenging and specific goal is the starting point; self efficacy and the perceived importance of the
goal are further enablers. Feedback, interpretation of past experience, course of direction and effort
required are all forms of information collected and used as reinforcement throughout the goal
process. With mastery of these steps, the goal setting process can become virtually automatic. In
the last set of findings, Locke shows how goals can help mediate the effects of several personality
traits and incentives on performance, how goal setting is a trainable function and can also serve as a
standard for self satisfaction.

Readings:
Locke, E. A. (1996). Motivation through conscious goal setting, Applied & Preventive Psychology 5, 117-124.
Latham, G. P. (2000). Motivate Employee Performance through goal setting. Handbook of Principles of Organizational
Behavior. Blackwell.
King, L. A. (2001). The health benefits of writing about life goals. Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, 27, 798807.

References:
Locke, E. A. (1996). Motivation through conscious goal setting, Applied & Preventive Psychology 5, 117-124.

GPS Exercise: Goals, Pathways, Strength-based Strategies-- WORKSHEET

This exercise makes use of the Good Life Survey, and the Positive GPS Model--a tool
designed to bring you closer to the Good Life.

What is your goal:

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Pathways

Your Score
(from the Good
Life Survey)

Positive Emotion

_________

Engagement

_________

Meaning/Purpose

_________

Relationships

_________

Your Plan: What Strategies

can you use to increase

Strengths
you will use

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