The Psychology of Happiness

THE GRATITUDE PROJECT with Oral Presentation/Two logs Pro!ect "#$$ary A significant amount of research has confirmed that people who acknowledge their gratitude on a regular basis for various events, people, possessions, accomplishments and opportunities in their lives report increased happiness and a decrease in symptoms of depression. This five-part project is designed to help you learn about gratitude through personal experience with the expectation that increased gratitude will increase your happiness. One main goal of this project is to help you build the discipline to practice gratitude in your life as much as possible. %& 'o#r Gratit#(e History)To *e co$plete( on lac+*oar( Disc#ssion ,or#$ -see for $ore (etails. rite a short essay about your personal experience with gratitude that will cover a discussion of the following topics! "# $our self-perception of how much you have practiced gratitude in your life and any increases or decreases in your practice of gratitude that might have been associated with different phases of your life %# $our memory of early and more recent influences on your practice of gratitude up to this point. This discussion might include a discussion of poor or good role models that have influenced your practice of gratitude &for example, did you learn about gratitude from a parent, sibling or other relative or a friend, teacher, clergy, etc# This 'ratitude (istory essay should be a minimum of %)) words and maximum of *)) words and be organi+ed into at least two or three paragraphs. /& Gratit#(e Inter0iew ,nterview someone you know about their ideas on their gratitude. The interviewee needs to be an adult over %" who you did not interview for The (appiest -eople , .now -roject. ,t would be preferable to choose someone who you can interview in person. To help your potential interviewee feel comfortable agreeing to an interview, you can offer them complete confidentiality by noting that you can create a fake name for them in your write-up and you can change any other identifying information that might point to their true identity. Also, you can tell them that , will be the only person reading your paper. The write-up for this interview should include answers to the following /uestions! "# hat is your self-perception of how much you have practiced gratitude in your life0

%# hat types of things have you been grateful for or thankful for in your past or current life0 &$ou might need to give them some of the incomplete sentences listed below to give them an idea of the type of items that /ualify as gratitude# *# 1iscuss any increases or decreases in your practice of gratitude that might have been associated with different phases of your life 2# 1iscuss your memory of early and more recent influences on your practice of gratitude up to this point. This discussion might include a discussion of poor or good role models that have influenced his3her practice of gratitude &for example, did you learn about gratitude from a parent, sibling or other relative or a friend, teacher, clergy, etc# 4# 1o you feel motivated to alter your current level of gratitude0 hy or why not0

hen writing up the responses to this interview, write-up the interview in third person as if you are a reporter writing a story about that person. 1o not use a lot of /uotes to answer the /uestions. ,nstead , would prefer that you paraphrase most of their responses while using an occasional /uote if you feel that the interviewee5s /uote is the most effective way to express a given idea. 6egin the write-up telling a few details about the interviewees demographics &age range, gender, type of profession, marital status, how you know that person#. Then discuss the answers to your /uestions. The 'ratitude ,nterview should be a minimum of %4) words and maximum of *4) words and be organi+ed into several paragraphs.

-age % 1& Retrospecti0e Gratit#(e Jo#rnal 2 To *e co$plete( on lac+*oar( Disc#ssion ,or#$ -see for $ore (etails. Think back over all of things you are grateful for throughout your life and list the five events, people, possessions, accomplishments or opportunities that you have most appreciated over the years. 7or each posting, describe the specific item you are grateful for and then explain in two or three sentences why that item had such a strong impact on the /uality of your life. 8o each item should be described by a minimum of three sentences. ,n creating this retrospective journal, use the heading, 9:etrospective (appiness ;ournal,< and under that heading list your five items &or more if you like# as follows! -ast 'ratitude -osting ", -ast 'ratitude -osting %, etc. hat /ualifies as gratitude0 =o topic is too small regardless of what others might think in terms of the importance of that item. 'ratitude is a very personal emotion and we are all grateful for different things. To help you get in touch with your gratitude, consider using any of the prompts below that ask you to complete the sentence! a# , am grateful that >>>>>>>>>>> did >>>>>>>>>>> for me. b# , am thankful that my loved ones have >>>>>>>>>>>>>>. c# , am grateful for my ability to >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>. d# , am thankful to have had the opportunity to >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>. e# , am grateful that , have >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>. f# , am so grateful that >>>>>>>>>>> taught me a lesson about >>>>>>>>. g# , am so thankful that >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> worked out well. 3& C#rrent Gratit#(e Jo#rnal 6eginning with eek " of this /uarter, you are expected to write * things you are grateful for each day through eek ? of this /uarter. These should describe three events, people, possessions, accomplishments or opportunities that you were grateful for in that week. .eep a running journal, including date and submit with final project. 4& Gratit#(e 5etter ,dentify someone in your life who had a very positive impact on your life. ,n this letter you should! a# directly express your feelings of thankfulness toward them b# give a detailed description of how that person helps you, teaches you, inspires you, supports you, sets examples for you, etc c# describe what /ualities you appreciate about them &i.e., their humor, wisdom, patience, generosity, etc.# d# address letter to a fictitious name and sign your name to letter 7or help in figuring out the type of letter to write, an example will be discussed in class. The 'ratitude @etter should be a minimum of %)) words and maximum of *)) words and be organi+ed into several paragraphs. Although , am sure that the person you are writing would be very touched to receive this letter, it is not a re/uirement of this project to send the letter. Aonse/uently, it would be acceptable to write a letter to someone in your life who has passed on or difficult to track down. Concl#sion 2 Oral Presentation 1iscuss what you have learned from each component of this project. Also, discuss how you could or already have applied this knowledge to your own life. This prepared oral presentation should be * to 4 minutes. A typed prepared outline should be submitted before or the day of oral presentation. $ou may utili+e -ower -oint slides or * by 4 index cards or any visual aid to help with presentation. , will be happy to meet with you ahead of time for a review of your outline, paper or oral presentation.

-age * Other Re6#ire$ents A. The paper must be typed with no exceptions. The type should be double-spaced with a %/7point Ti$es 8ew Ro$an font. The margins must be one inch or smaller on the top and bottom of each page and one inch or smaller on the left and right margins. 6. The project should be stapled together as follows! "# A title page including the title, The 'ratitude -roject, centered on the front page. $our name, course B and the date you submitted the paper should be typed in the lower left-hand corner. %# $our 'ratitude (istory-66 1iscussion 7orum *# 'ratitude ,nterview 2# :etrospective 'ratitude ;ournal-66 1iscussion 7orum 4# Aurrent 'ratitude ;ournal C# 'ratitude @etter D# Oral -resentation Outline and any copies of -- if applicable E# Fnding with the Fvaluation :eport 7orm &found at the back of this assignment description# with your name typed at the top, but otherwise left blank A. 6e sensitive to spelling, grammar, sentence construction, and paragraph construction as errors will result in grade reduction. Avoid common problems such as sentences without a subject and a verb, run-on sentences, or paragraphs that never end. A good paragraph should be no longer than five to seven sentences to help your paper be more organi+ed and readable. Although , gave you guidelines for the way to construct each paragraph, feel free to split your material into more paragraphs &at an appropriate place to split it# if any of your paragraphs are running too long. ,f you lack confidence in your writing skills, , urge you to have a draft of your project reviewed by someone you respect as a skilled writer. Also, , encourage you to take advantage of the staff resources at the Academic 8kills Aenter to assist you with /uestions you have about certain writing problems. D& Dea(line) The paper is (#e at the *eginning of class on 9ee+ : -har( copy only.& Any late papers will *e penali;e( *y a %<7point re(#ction in the gra(e for the paper for each (ay that the paper is late& ,ail#re to s#*$it a paper will res#lt in fail#re of the co#rse& Oral Presentations will *e (#ring wee+ = > :& If yo# ha0e an e?c#se( a*sence for 9ee+ :@ the paper sho#l( *e e7$aile( to $e *y the *eginning of class on that (ay or it will *e $ar+e( (own *y one letter gra(e for lateness for e0ery (ay that it is late *eyon( the (#e (ate& D#e to the possi*ility of perio(ic electronic glitches@ I as+ that yo# 0erify receipt of anything that yo# e7$ail to $e& F. Always keep a copy of the paper after you have turned it in. Aonfidentiality , want to reassure you that , will be the only one reading your paper and would not share the content with anyone. GRADI8G CRITERIA ,OR THE PROJECT) ,f you do a good job on meeting all of the re/uirements listed on the attached Fvaluation :eport, you should get a high 96< &E4 to E? points#. 'rades of 9A minus< or 9A< on this paper are reserved for those students who go 9above and beyond< with the assignment and offer a more in-depth analysis than re/uested in the project description for each case study and for the conclusion. Any Guestions0 , would be happy to meet with you if you want some help in developing the content of your paper. 1epending on the day, , may be able to meet with you before or immediately after a class. To set up a time email me at dturgeonHneit.edu. 6e sure to put the class name in subject line.

-age 2 Fvaluation :eport The 'ratitude -roject =ame>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> Overall 'rade>>>>>>>>>>>

>>>>>> A. $our 'ratitude (istory sufficiently covered the /uestions for this section as noted in the project description. >>>>>> 6. $our 'ratitude (istory had a %)) I *)) words and the word count was listed at the end of this section. >>>>>> A. The 'ratitude ,nterview sufficiently covered the /uestions for this section >>>>>> 1. The 'ratitude ,nterview had %4) - *)) words. >>>>>> F. The :etrospective ;ournal had at least five gratitude postings and each posting consisted of at least three sentences to describe the posting as noted in the project description. >>>>>> 7. The Aurrent 'ratitude ;ournal had at least * gratitude postings for each week starting week ". >>>>>> '. The 'ratitude @etter covered the three areas of expressed gratitude as noted in the project description. >>>>>> (. The 'ratitude @etter had %))-*)) words. >>>>>> ,. $our conclusion covered the conclusion topics noted in the project description. An outline was submitted. >>>>>> ;. $our conclusion was a * to 4 minutes. >>>>>> -ower -oint or index cards were used &optional# >>>>>>.. The paper was typed double-spaced with a "%-point Times =ew :oman font. The margins were one inch or smaller on the top and bottom of each page and one inch or smaller on the left and right margins. >>>>>>@. The project was stapled together as follows! "# A title page including the title, The 'ratitude -roject, centered on the front page. $our name, course B and the date you submitted the paper were all typed in the lower left-hand corner. %# $our 'ratitude (istory *# 'ratitude ,nterview 2# :etrospective 'ratitude ;ournal 4# Aurrent 'ratitude ;ournal C# 'ratitude @etter D# Aonclusion- Oral -resentation done during class E# This Fvaluation :eport 7orm at the end with your name at the top, but Otherwise left blank >>>>>>J. $ou were sensitive to spelling, punctuation, grammar, sentence construction, and paragraph construction as errors will result in grade reduction. $ou avoided common problems such as sentences without a subject and a verb, run-on sentences, forgetting commas after an introductory clause in a sentence, or paragraphs that never end &a good paragraph should be no longer than five to seven sentences to help your paper be more organi+ed and readable#. >>>>>>=. The paper was submitted on or before the due date.
':A1,=' A:,TF:,A 7O: T(F -:O;FAT! ,f you do a good job on meeting all of the re/uirements listed on the attached Fvaluation :eport, you will get an E4 to E? on the paper. 8cores of ?) and above are reserved for those students who go 9above and beyond< with the assignment and offer a more in-depth analysis of each case than is re/uested in the project description.

as noted in the project description.

1ue to my concern about some problems with your writing style, , strongly suggest you bring your next paper to a tutor at the Academic 8kills Aenter to help you work on the following problems!