Positive Psychology- Exam 1
9 positive outcomes
1. Rewarding bonding 2. Promoting social, emotional, cognitive, behavioral and moral competencies 3. Encouraging self determination 4. Fostering spirituality 5. Nurturing a clear and positive identity 6. Building beliefs in the future 7. Recognizing positive behavior 8. Providing opportunities for prosocial development 9. Establishing prosocial norms
Balanced focus 1. 2.
1. What is right with people? -study of assets 2. What is wrong with people? -study of deficits
Eastern cultures are ___________ oriented while western cultures are _____________ oriented
past future
Western cultures value highly the values of ______________ and _________________
personal freedom and autonomy
Lent's Integrative Well Being Model
-one model explains capacity for positive functioning for normative times -another model provides directions for restoring well being during difficult times
Buddhism
-seeking the good in others -suffering as a part of being -nirvana is when the self is free from the desire for anything -virtues are love, compassion, joy, and equanimity -end of desire is the end of suffering
Forms of youth development programs
-structured and semi-structured activities (Big brothers/big sisters) -Organizations that do activities (Boy's club, YMCA) -Growth focused socializing systems (day care centers and schools)
Danner et. al. nun study
-study of 180 Catholic nuns -inverse relationship between positive emotional content in writings and mortality risk 60 years later -experiencing positive emotions at a young age is indicative of lower morality
Maturational and Biological theory of development
-the sequence and content of development are determined mostly by biological factors and the evolutionary history of the species
Successful aging and culture
-varies depending on cultural identities -more research needed on the cultural aspects of adaptive aging
Western traditions 1. 2
1. Athenian 2. Judeo-Christian
Western pursuit of happiness 1. 2. 3.
1. linear 2. goal directed 3.built on strength of hope
Origins of positive psychology have focused more on the values and experience of _________________
Westerners -since field of psychology is based mostly on Western and European perspectives
internal adaption
a person's ability to achieve emotional and psychological well being
Confucianism
-leadership and education are central to morality -golden rule: do for other as you wish they would do to you -five virtues: humanity, treat others well, etiquette, wisdom, truthfulness
Values in Action Inventory of Strengths- VIA-IS
-measure 24 character strengths -online and paper-pencil measure for adults -valid and reliable -sensitive to change over time
Clifton Youth Strength Explorer
-measures 10 talent themes -online measure for children and youth -released in 2006
Strengthfinder 2.0
-measures 34 talent themes -online measure for adolescents and adults -released in 2007 -valid and reliable
social support
-more social support tied to less decline over time -socio-emotional -instrumental -men: more social support from spouse -women: more social support from friends, other relatives than spouse and children
Hinduism
-no specific founder -interconnectedness of all things, harmonious union -continue to be reborn until you achieve ultimate knowledge of one's self and you enter afterlife -karma- good deeds lead to better placement in life
Late 1800s, early 1900s perspective on culture
-race and culture determinants of positive and negative characteristics and behavior -dominant race/culture was European ancestry as superior to all other groups in the US
Eros
-romantic love, including the search for and possession of the beautiful
Lewis Terman
-studied intelligence -saw intelligence as an adaptive quality that leads to success and national leadership -1920s began studying 1500 gifted children -nicknamed "the termites"
Eastern pursuit of balance 1. 2. 3.
1. Cyclical 2. Yin and Yang 3. built on strength of endurance
3 classifications of strengths used by many:
1. Gallup themes of talent 2. Values in Action Classification of Strengths 3. Search Institute's 40 Developmental Assets
2 classifications of illness accepted worldwide
1. International Classification of Disease- ICD -by the World Health Organization 2. Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders- DSM-V -by the APA
Two primary indicators for resiliency 1. 2.
1. born with outgoing dispositions 2. able to engage several sources of support -better care during infancy, intelligence, and perceptions of self worth were also accounted for resiliency
Multicultural Personality Questionnaire 5 factors
1. cultural empathy 2. open mindedness 3. emotional stability 4. initiative 5. flexibility -correlated with well being
cultural pluralism
A condition in which many cultures coexist within a society and maintain their cultural differences.
The mother of resiliency
Dr. Emmy Werner -person centered resilience researcher -700 children born in Kauai 1955-1995 -1/3 at risk for social and academic problems at birth -found indicators of resiliency -80% bounced back by the age of 35 -most attributed it to the support of one caring adult
Adult Development Study results
Predictors of healthy aging were not smoking/quitting young, coping adaptively, mature defenses, no alcohol abuse, maintaining a healthy weight, stable marriage, exercise and education.
Seligman's buffers against mental illness
courage, optimism, interpersonal skill, work ethic, hope, honesty and perseverance
multicultural personality related to...
cultural adjustment and quality of life outcomes/well being
Positive psychology criticized for lack of attention to...
cultural influences
positive psychology
the scientific study of optimal human functioning; aims to discover and promote strengths and virtues that enable individuals and communities to thrive -positive functioning
eugenics
the study of methods of reducing "genetic inferiority" by selective breeding especially applied to human reproduction -Control of mating to ensure that "defective" genes of troublesome individuals will not be passed on to future generations.
Protective factors against decline
-age -marriage -increased skill mastery -sustained physical activity
Comparison of measures of strengths
-all identify a person's primary strengths -all were created with a western framework
VIA- Youth
-measures 24 character strengths -online measure for adolescents -adequate psychometric properties
bounce back to what?
-return to normal functioning--not flourishing
Eastern traditions 1. 2. 3. 4.
1. Confucianism 2. Taoism 3. Buddhism 4. Hinduism
Objective approached to subjective well being 1. 2.
1. Psychological well being- Ryff 2. Social well being - Keyes
cultural relativism
Principle that people's beliefs and activities should be interpreted in terms of their own culture
multicultural personality
ability to navigate and adapt to an increasingly diverse world
Gallup's Clifton Strengths finder
-"What would happen if we studied what was RIGHT with people" -talent can be studied, accentuated and operationalized in work and academic settings -strength= talent + related knowledge + related skills
The Search Institute's Developmental Assets
-"what protects children from today's problems?" -40 developmental assets that lead to thriving- 20 external, 20 internal
Western ways to positive outcomes
rugged individualism and hope
Search Institute's Profile of student life
-156 item survey - for children and youth -describes 40 developmental assets, 8 thriving indicators, 5 developmental deficits and 24 risk taking behaviors -psychometrics are unknown -direct focus on environment
reality negotiation
the ongoing processes by which people arrive at agreed upon world views or definitions
social construction
the perspective or definition that is agreed upon by many people to constitute reality
Eastern ways to positive outcomes
compassion and harmony
Psychoanalytic theory of development
-humans are conflicted beings and individual differences as well as normal growth result from the resolution of those conflicts -relationship between culture and behavior
common goal of both camps is to...
understand and help people -not "us versus them"
MacArthur Foundation Study
-1988-1996 by Rowe and colleagues. -assessed physical, social and psychological factors related to abilities, health and well being -1189 adults from age 70 to 79 -followed for an average of 7 years -social support and productivity most relevant to positive psychology
The Adult Development Study
-80 year longitudinal study by Vaillant -256 Caucasian Harvard men -physical examinations, personal interviews and surveys - over 80% lived past age 80
Chang's research of optimism across cultural groups
-Asian Americans are more pessimistic than Caucasians, but not different in optimism -optimism negatively correlated with general psychological symptoms and physical symptoms with Asian Americans but not Caucasians -Pessimism negatively correlated with psychological symptoms for Caucasians but not for Asian Americans
culture counts
-Culture must be viewed in a broad sense as including facets such as race, ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation, socioeconomic status, religion, and nation of origin (Hays, 2008) -individual thoughts and actions
Taoism
-Lao-tzu is founder -tao is the energy that surrounds everyone and is a power that "envelops, surrounds and flows through all things" -cannot learn the "Way" from others, you must experience it -will eventually behave virtuously naturally and without effort
Judeo-Christian
-Old testament: faith, hope and charity -Ten commandments -weight on the virtue of wisdom -7 heavenly virtues- aquinas -the talmud- be hospitable to the poor, be fair in decision making and seek peace every day
resilience
-a class of phenomena that is characterized by patterns of positive adaption in the context of significant adversity or risk
agape
-a spiritual love that reflects selflessness and altruism -concern for another's welfare and being relatively undemanding for oneself -not most celebrated form of love, but may be the most beneficial -bestowal of love by the divine
Successful aging
-adding life to years -avoiding disease -engagement with life -maintaining high cognitive and physical functioning -joy, love and learning
Positive Youth Development
-an ongoing, inevitable process in which all youth are engaged and all youth are invested -generates physical and psychological competencies that facilitate adulthood transition -positive qualities of youth, resources in environment and positive youth (caring adults/youth)
Enlightenment
-being able to see things clearly for what they are -Eastern view more on natural cycles and balance
Karl Menninger
-challenged label of pathology -diagnosis needs to focus on life process, not states or conditions -power of faith, hope and love
Hope
-defined by Snyder, goal directed thinking in which a person has the perceived capacity to find routes to desired goals (pathway thinking) and the requisite motivations to use those routes (agency thinking). Snyder believes that hope is not genetically based but an entirely learned and deliberate way of thinking
Values in Action classification of strengths
-developed by Peterson and Seligman in 2004 -antithesis of the DSM -provides a common language for strengths -24 strengths that meet 10 criteria -based upon 6 virtues
Behavioral theory of development
-development is a function of the laws of learning, and the environment has an important influence on growth and development
Cognitive-Developmental theory of development
-development is the result of the individual's active participation in the developmental process in interaction with important environmental influences -stage related transformations
thriving
-doing more than just surviving -achieving one's potential and living a risk life -giving back to the community and increasing one's well being as a result -set into motion by a "spark"
Western cultures and individualism
-focus is the single person, who is held above the group in terms of importance -competition and personal achievement are emphasized
Terman study results
-gifted children were more physically hardy, more healthy, graduated college, secured professional jobs and few went on to become national leaders -high IQ does not guarantee adult successes and better mental health
Eastern cultures and collectivism
-group is valued above the individual -cooperation is accentuated
Developmental Psychology
-has always studied adaptability and positive functioning -research focused on what is working - focus on people's self correcting tendencies
Athenian
-human strength and virtue is focus of Plato and Aristotle -focus on political community and the development and maintenance of these virtues -rise above hedonistic desire and become more virtuous
Culturally Different Perspective
A view of human diversity that recognizes the potential of each culture to engender unique strengths
Emotional well being + Social well being + Psychological well being=
Complete portrayal of mental health
Seligman
Optimistic Explanatory Style: Accounting for negative events or situations with external, unstable, and specific explanations. -used science as backbone of research -"further knowledge of what makes life worth living" -President of APA in 1998
psychological well being
a type of well being that consists of 6 elements: self acceptance, personal growth, purpose in life, environmental mastery, autonomy and positive relation to others
social well being
a type of well being that consists of coherence, integration, actualization, contribution and acceptance by others
Passionate romantic love
a form of romantic love characterized by intense arousal that fuels a romantic union
external adaption
a person's ability to meet the social, educational and occupational expectations of society
emotional well being
a type of well being consisting of perceptions of affirmed happiness and satisfaction with life, along with balance of positive and negative affect
Genetically Deficient Perspective
a view of human diversity that suggests that biological difference explains perceived gaps in intellectual capabilities among racial groups. proponents of this perspective believe that those of inferior intelligence cannot benefit from growth opportunities and do not contribute to the advancement of society -pseudoscience used as support
Culturally Deficient Perspective
a view that identifies a host of environmental, nutritional, linguistic, and interpersonal factors (namely, those factors that differ most from European American values) that supposedly explain the physical and psychological growth of members of selected groups -middle of 20th century
positive psychology seeks a _____________, more ________________ of human functioning
balanced, more complete view
Strengths
capacity for feeling, thinking and behaving in a way that allows for optimal functioning in the pursuit of valued outcomes -long way to go in learning how to measure strengths
childhood, youth, adulthood and older adulthood spans
childhood: birth to age 11 youth: 12 to 25 adulthood: 26 to 59 older adulthood: 60 to death
Culture plays a role in _____________, _____________ and _______________ of educational and psychological problems
etiology, effects and treatment
Flourishing/ Complete mental health
high levels of emotional, social and psychological well being
Eastern societies focus on...
interdépendance of the group -sharing and duty of the group -stay out of conflict and "go with the flow"
Languishing/ Incomplete mental health
low levels of emotional, social and psychological well being
pathology perspective focuses on _________________
mental illness -refers to a variety of problems a person might have
Talent
naturally recurring patterns of thought, feeling or behavior that can be productively applied and manifested in life experiences characterized by yearnings, rapid learning, satisfaction and timelessness
African Americans show higher levels of ______________ and _______________
racial pride and resilience
subjective well being
self perceived happiness or satisfaction with life -also called emotional well being -Ed Deiner
Classification of illness has a 2000 year head start on classification of ________________
strengths -why our focus is on illness rather than strengths
Culture is reflection of and determinant of...
the life goals we value and pursue -"the good life is in the mind of the beholder"
1970s research on resilient children
those who "bounced back" from adversity
Nomos
type of love characterized bt submission and obedience to the divine
