Week 2 discussion A and B

41779For this Discussion, focus on the various scenes and vignettes that Watzlawick presents in his book, The Situation Is Hopeless But Not Serious: The Pursuit of Unhappiness. For each scene or vignette, consider Watzlawick’s approach to the problem of “the pursuit of unhappiness.” What hypotheses does he propose to address the problem? Based on your own experience, would you consider these plausible hypotheses? Why or why not?

State one hypothesis Watzlawick proposes in the first five chapters of his book. Then evaluate whether, in your view, Watzlawick’s hypothesis is plausible. Provide support for your position.

In addition, create a hypothesis to suggest another explanation that may be equally plausible. Include in your answer an explanation of how intuition might play a role in the approach to this problem.

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The gentleman living next door has scolded you three times in the past 2 weeks because, in his view, you parked your car too close to his car. Review the assigned pages in the Watzlawick text, as well as Attribution Theory in this unit’s Learning Resources.

Using attribution theory, describe what motivations you can attribute to the neighbor. Create a hypothesis that may help you frame a possible solution to the problem.