Living Well

"Psychological Language on Twitter Predicts County-Level Heart Disease Mortality" (Johannes Eichstaedtet al., 2015)•

"Hostility and chronic stress are known risk factors for heart disease, but they are costly to assess on a large scale. We used language expressed on Twitter to characterize community-level psychological correlates of age-adjusted mortality from atherosclerotic heart disease (AHD). Language patterns reflecting negative social relationships, disengagement, and negative emotions—especially anger—emerged as risk factors; positive emotions and psychological engagement emerged as protective factors. Most correlations remained significant after controlling for income and education. A cross-sectional regression model based only on Twitter language predicted AHD mortality significantly better than did a model that combined 10 common demographic, socioeconomic, and health risk factors, including smoking, diabetes, hypertension, and obesity. Capturing community psychological characteristics through social media is feasible, and these characteristics are strong markers of cardiovascular mortality at the community level."

neurotic trends (Karen Horney)

"neurotic trends" —attitudes toward life that provide a feeling of safety and security under times of confusion and distress but which ultimately stunt growth.

Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs

(level 1) Physiological Needs, (level 2) Safety and Security, (level 3) Relationships, Love and Affection, (level 4) Self Esteem: prestige and feeling of accomplishment (level 5) Self Actualization : achieving ones full potential , including creative activities •Maslow (1954) also postulated that certain preconditions were necessary for the satisfaction of needs: •specific freedoms (that is, freedom of speech, expression, inquiry); and •necessary ethical principles (that is, justice, fairness, honesty, orderliness). •He also believed that human needs to know and to understand formed a second smaller needs hierarchy that was interrelated and synergistic with the basic needs hierarchy. •Maslow stated that for some people there existed a basic need for aesthetic expression. •For these people (for example, creative artists), a failure to satisfy their needs for creativity and beauty resulted in ennui, boredom, and meaninglessness

The Values in Action Inventory of Strengths (VIA-IS)

-includes 240 items assessing 24 character strengths •Developed by Chris Peterson as a classification and measurement system for character •Wisdom and knowledge •Creativity •Curiosity •Judgment •Love of learning •Perspective/Wisdom •Courage •Bravery •Perseverance •Honesty/Authenticity •Zest •Humanity •Love •Kindness •Social Intelligence •Justice •Teamwork •Fairness •Leadership •Temperance •Forgiveness •Humility •Prudence •Self-control •Transcendence •Appreciation of beauty •Gratitude •Hope •Humor •Spirituality

Four components of self-esteem (Hewitt, 2009)

1. Feeling that you are accepted by others 2•Being the recipient of positive evaluations from others 3•Believing that you compare favorably to other people or to your ideal self 4•Believing that you can initiate effective action in the world

Eric Fromm

1. Fromm was a founding member of the Frankfurt School, which critiqued social and economic systems that stifle personal growth and well-being. 2. For Fromm, our sense of being a fundamentally separate and distinct self constitutes a double-edged sword for humanity-creating a mindset of both freedom and isolation. 3. This situation creates conflicts and anxiety because we desire intimate connections with others, but fear rejection; we desire freedom, but fear isolation; we desire pleasure, but fear pain. 4. The tension between our fear of isolation and our desire for freedom generates the basic dynamic force that drives personality development. 5. The healthy way to deal with these fundamental conflicts and fears is to accept them as part of life and wrestle with the difficulties that real freedom brings. 6. The mentally health person takes a courageous stance toward the inherent conflicts and paradoxes of life, working with these to find meaning and a true sense of psychological freedom. 7. The unhealthy methods of dealing with this fundamental anxiety result in what Fromm termed "escape mechanisms." 8. These are attempts to avoid real issues-or hide from the necessary struggle of facing one's fears openly and honestly. 9:The Productive Personality• -This process entails dealing honestly with life's basic dichotomies and paradoxes.• -It is accomplished by courageously and creatively forging a unique identity, resisting escape mechanisms, opening oneself to mature love, and following ethics derived from a deep understanding of autonomy, community, and the human condition. -This stance results in an approach to life that encourages a complete expression of one's true self and allows people to fully meet their potential.

Dimensions of the Science of Living Well

1. The fulfillment of basic human needs: Safety, connection, self-esteem, exploration, love, purpose, self-transcendence 2. The enhancement of positive subjective states Flow, mindfulness, savoring, happiness, joy, love, intimacy, pleasure, laughter, satisfaction, pride, and contentment. 3.The actualization of strengths and virtues Honesty, forgiveness, gratitude, wisdom, courage, imagination, creativity, grit, resilience, sisu, compassion, authenticity, temperance, spirituality, hope, optimism.• 4. The cultivation of meaningful relationships The factors that enhance meaning and well-being among couples the family, friends, co-workers, and the community.• 5. The importance of growth-fostering institutions Positive education, positive work environments, healthy family environments, humane leadership, and the development of civic virtues in society

Six Functions of character strengths (Niemiec, 2019)

1. The priming function 2•The mindfulness function 3•The appreciation function 4•The buffering function 5•The reappraisal function 6•The resilience function •Each of the functions can serve more than one role (e.g., mindfulness can be directed to the past or to situation of adversity). •The six functions are not mutually exclusive, and in fact correlate with each other (e.g., mindfulness and reappraisal are closely connected; Garland et al., 2009) .•Optimal thriving entails the use of character strengths across many or all 6 functions.

The Benefits of Mindful Meditation

1. Treatment of chronic pain and anxiety •Adapted some of the ancient Eastern meditation practices and created a mindfulness-based stress reduction program (MBSR), which has been used in the successful treatment of chronic pain and anxiety. 2. Improving hardiness and coherence •They examined the effects of an 8-week MSBR course on "stress hardiness" (commitment, control, challenge) and "sense of coherence" (the ability to find the world meaningful and manageable in hospital patients) (Kabat-Zinnand Skillings, 1989). •They found improvement in both hardiness and coherence over the intervention. •Patients with the largest improvements in sense of coherence made the biggest gains in psychological and physical symptom reduction. •At 3-year follow-up, initial gains were maintained, and even further improvement was made in the extent to which patients considered their worlds manageable. 3. Decrease tendency to respond to the world •Mindfulness meditation also appears to decrease our tendency to respond automatically to the world (Want et al., 2012). •In a study conducted in China, participants were involved in an 8-week course involving mindfulness.•Participants who engaged in the training were better able to resist automatic responses on the Strooptask. 4. Improving empathy and decreasing anxiety and depression •In a randomized controlled study, Shapio, Schwartz, and Bonner (1998) tested the effects of mindfulness meditation on 78 premedical and medical students. •Their results increased levels of empathy and decreased levels of anxiety and depression in the meditation group as compared to the wait-list control group. •These results held during the students' stressful examination period. •The findings were replicated when participants in the wait-list control group received the mindfulness intervention. 5.Improve ability to multi- task Being mindful in one's daily life increases the ability to multitask (Haller, Langer, & Courvoisier, 2012) through increases in cognitive flexibility 6. Eating healthy (mindful attention study)

Karen Horney

1. •Horney agreed with Jung that acceptance was a critical first step to self-realization, but she differed from him in one important aspect: she believed mere acceptance wasn't enough.• 2. Horney argued that people also have to be willing to undergo extensive self-analysis and put in the considerable effort and hardship required for growth. • 3. Only then, she argued, can they begin the process of growing, gradually, by becoming more consciously aware of the triggers of their neurotic trends, testing their irrational beliefs, and changing their maladaptive attitudes about the world through experience and insight. 4. Ultimately, Horney believed in the capacity for lifelong growth (in this sense, Horney can be considered one of the first humanistic psychologists). 5. Her original mentor was Karl Abraham (a Freud disciple)• 6. Horney helped design and eventually directed the Berlin Psychoanalytic Society'straining program, taught students, and conducted psychoanalytic research.• 7.Her roles as woman doctor, wife, and mother inspired her research on female sexual development. 8.She asserted-contrary to Freud-that the true source of "penis envy" was in the way female children were treated by their parents. 9. •Due to her Freud's increasing coolness towards her and her concern over Nazism in Germany, she moved to the United States, where she fostered close relationships with many prominent anthropologists, sociologists, and psychologists at the time: Margaret Mead, Paul Tillich, Ruth Benedict, Erich Fromm, Harry Stack Sullivan.• 10. During her time in the U.S., she became more and more convinced about the importance of sociocultural factors in psychological development 11. Horney sought to understand the genesis and driving forces of our whole personality: "Any neurotic attitude or conflict that crystallizes during analysis must be understood in its relation to the personality as a whole."• 12. Horney recognized that although "most of us want and appreciate affection, self-control, modesty, consideration of others", there exists a neurotic counterpart to every basic human need, arising from a combination of temperamental and environmental influences 13. Karen Horney proposed the existence of "neurotic trends"—attitudes toward life that provide a feeling of safety and security under times of confusion and distress but which ultimately stunt growth.

Why was character neglected ?

1.Character as a phenomenon was thought to be derived entirely from experience 2.Science should not prescriptively endorse, it should just describe 3.Character is value-laden and tied to Victorian Protestantism.

Aristotle proposed 12 basic innate virtues that, when properly developed, allow us to approach a state of eudaimonia

1.Courage 2.Liberality 3.Pride (self respect) 4.Friendliness 5.Wit 6.Justice 7.Temperance 8.Magnificence 9.Good temper 10.Truthfulness 11.Shame 12.Honor

10 Characteristics of Self-Actualizing People

1.Efficient Perception of Reality/Truth-Seeking• 2.Continued Freshness of Appreciation• 3.Acceptance 4.Authenticity 5.Equanimity(mental calmness, composure, and evenness of temper, especially in a difficult situation.) 6.Purpose 7.Humanitarianism/Social Interest 8.Peak Experiences 9. Good Moral Intuition 10. Creative Spirit

11 Dimensions of Well-Being

1.High Positive emotions(high frequency and intensity of positive moods and emotions) 2.Low negative emotions(low frequency and intensity of negative moods and emotions) 3.Life satisfaction(a positive subjective evaluation of one's life, using any information the person considers relevant) 4.Authenticity("owning oneself"--Being independent and able to resist social pressures, taking responsibility for one's actions) 5.Environmental mastery(Ability to shape environments to suit one's needs and desires) 6.Personal growth(Continuing to develop, rather than achieving a fixed state)7.Positive relations(Having warm and trusting interpersonal relationships) 8.Self-acceptance(Positive attitudes toward oneself) 9.Purpose and meaning in life(A clear sense of direction and meaning in one's efforts, or a connection to something greater than oneself) 10.Engagement with life(being absorbed, interested, and involved in activities and life) 11.Accomplishment(goal progress and attainment, and feelings of mastery, efficacy, and competence)

Neural correlates of the 'good life'(Lewis et al., 2012)

1.SELF-ACCEPTANCE (a) positive self-evaluation (b) an ability to acknowledge multiple aspects of self (c) an ability to accept both positive and negative qualities in a balanced picture of one's abilities 2.PERSONAL GROWTH (a) a capacity to grow and to develop potentials (b) growing self-knowledge and effectiveness in personal changes over time (c) openness to new experiences 3.POSITIVE RELATIONS WITH OTHER PEOPLE (a) close, warm, and intimate relationships with others (b) a concern for the welfare of others (c) empathy and affection for other people 4.AUTONOMY (a) independence and self-determination (b) an ability to resist social pressures (c) an ability to regulate behavior from within 5.PURPOSE IN LIFE (a) a sense of purpose and meaning in life (b) a sense of direction and goals in life 6.ENVIRONMENTAL MASTERY (a) a sense of mastery and competence (b) an ability to choose situations and environments conducive to meeting goals

Lessons from History (Kupperman, 2006)

1.Simple hedonism is not an adequate path to well-being. 2.Happiness should not be the sole criteria for well-being. 3.Trying to suppress emotions doesn't eliminate then. 4.A stress-free life--one devoid of any challenges-is not the most desirable life. 5.Virtues and good character are important to the good life. 6.It is not necessary to be perfect to be an admirable and a good person

Lessons from History (Haidt, 2006)

1.The human mind is divided into parts that can be in conflict.• 2.Therefore, training the mind is important to well-being.• 3.Pleasure comes more from making progress toward goals than in goal attainment.• 4.It is possible for adversity to make you stronger.• 5. We need to rise above our tendencies to be self-centered, egocentric, judgmental, and biased 6.Positive social relationships are important to well-being. 6.In particular, love and connection are important to well-being. 7.Virtues are important to well-being. 8. Spirituality and self-transcendence are important to well-being. 9.Having a sense of meaning and purpose in life is important. It comes from vital engagement in life and a sense of coherence or integration among various parts of your life

Mindfulness requires us...

1.To overcome the desire to reduce uncertainty in daily life 2.Override a tendency to engage in automatic behavior, 3.Engage less frequently in evaluations of self, others and situations.

parental factors that impact our neurotic trends

1.Well-meaning parents who exert too much pressure on the child to succeed.• 2. Parents who are unpredictable and constantly shift back and forth between smothering love and intimidation; tyranny and glorification; comradeship and authoritarianism. 3. Parents who force the child to take one parent's side over another. 4. Parents who make a child feel that his or her purpose on the planet is to live up to their expectations, enhance their prestige, or blindly serve their needs--keeping the child from recognizing his/her existence as an individual with distinct rights and responsibilities.

Steps to a productive personality( Eric Fromm)

1.Will one thing. 2.Be fully awake. 3.Be aware. 4.Concentrate. 5.Meditate.

Organismic Valuing Scale (Govindju& Linley)

1•"I know the things that are right for me." 2•"I get what I need from life."• 3"The decisions I take are the right ones for me."•"I feel that I am in touch with myself." 4•"I do the things that are right for me." 5•"The decisions I make are based on what is right for me." 6•"I am able to listen to myself." 7•The researchers found that this scale was positively correlated with greater happiness, well-being, and a sense of vitality in life

Benefits of positive emotions

Alice Isen found that, when experiencing mild positive emotions, we are more likely: •(a) To help other people (Isen, 1987) •(b) To be flexible in our thinking (Ashby, Isen, & Turken, 1999) •(c) To come up with solutions to our problems (Isen, Daubman, & Nowicki, 1987) •(d) To be more likely to see problem-solving options and find cues for good decision making (Estrada, Isen, & Young, 1997) •(e) To be more willing to exhibit self-control (Pyone& Isen, 2011 Happier people a show greater willingness to take greater financial risks for high returns (Xing & Sung, 2013). •It may be that the link between happiness and psychological resilience allows individuals who are high in both to be able to feel more comfortable taking risks in general. •Risk-taking can lead to positive or negative outcomes. •However, taking opportunities as they come can provide more benefits in the long term. •In addition, even when crises occur, an individual with psychological resilience (as developed by increased positive affect experiences) may be better able to handle this type of circumstance. •Joy induces playfulness (Frijda, 1994). •Play builds: •Enduring social and intellectual resources by encouraging attachment •Higher levels of creativity (Sandra Russ)•Greater brain development (Cohn & Frederickson, 2009; Frederickson, 2002) •Adults who are more playful:•Have less perceived stress (Magnuson & Barnett, 2013) •Are found to cope better with various stressors in their lives (Proyer, 2012) •Have greater life satisfaction (Proyer& Ruch, 2011

James Coyne (2014). Will Following Positive Psychology Advice Make You Happier and Healthier?

Barbara Fredrickson, along with co-authors including Steven Cole, make the threat that if we simply pursue pleasure in our lives rather than meaning, there will be dire consequences for our immune system by way of the effects on genomic expression. People who are happy but have little-to-no sense of meaning in their lives have the same gene expression patterns as people who are enduring chronic adversity. In workshops, books, and lucrative talks to corporate gatherings, Fredrickson promises that practicing the loving-kindness meditation that she markets will send you on an upward spiral of physical and mental health that ends who knows where. My co-authors - this time, Nick Brown, Harris Friedman and James Heathers- and I examined her paper and obtained her data. Re-analyses found no evidence that loving-kindness meditation improved physical health. The proxy measure for physical health in this study - cardiac vagal tone - is not actually reliably related to objective measures of physical health and probably wouldn't be accepted in other contexts. And it was not affected by loving-kindness meditation anyway. Despite heavily-marketed claims to the contrary, positive psychology interventions do not consistently improve mental or physical health and well-being. The myth that these interventions are efficacious is perpetuated by a mutually-admiring, self-promotional collective that protects its claims from independent peer review and scrutiny. As with the positive psychology intervention literature, it is a quick leap from the authors submitting a manuscript to a peer-reviewed journal to making claims in the media, including op-ed pieces in the New York Times, and then releasing products like workshops and books that are lavishly praised by other members of the positive psychology community. It is apparently too much to expect that positive psychology advice givers will take time out from their self-promotion to replicate what are essentially pilot studies before hitting the road and writing op eds again. And too much to expect that the Association of Psychological Science journals Psychological Science and Social Psychological and Personality Science will insist on transparent reporting of adequately powered studies as a condition for publication. The incentives for scientifically sound positive psychology advice just aren't there.

Gordon Allport(1897-1967)Founder of modern personality theory

Began career as a social worker with the goal of "promoting character and virtue" •Character soon became too moralistic for Allport •Settled on "personality" (a descriptive word) rather than "character" (a prescriptive word) •"Although 20thcentury psychology tried to exorcise character from its theories, good and bad character remained in our laws, our politics, the way we raised our children, and the way we talked and thought about why people do what they do." -Martin Seligman, Authentic Happiness

Corey Keyes system of classifying mental health

Corey Keyes believes that most systems of classifying mental health and well-being are incomplete because they focus on only a portion of what it means to be "mentally healthy."• Instead, he suggests that complete mental health is a combination of 1.high emotional well-being 2.high psychological well-being, 3. and high social well-being 4.along with low mental illness

Define Corey Keyes' distinction between languishing and flourishing. Do you think this is a fair definition of these terms? Explain why or why not."

Flourishing : means to live within an optimal range of human functioning, one that connotes goodness, generativity, growth, and resilience. This definition builds on path-breaking work that measures mental health in positive terms rather than by the absence of mental illness (Keyes, 2002). Languishing: a disorder intermediate along the mental health continuum experienced by people who describe their lives as "hollow" or "empty." the costs of languishing are high (and comparable to depression), languishing brings more emotional distress, psychosocial impairment, limitations in daily activities, and lost work days (Keyes, 2002). Flourishing is a multi-dimensional construct, meaning it's made up of several important parts, and maximum flourishing can only happen when a person experiences a healthy level of each dimension or component. One can be diagnosed with mental illness but still flourish, and one can be diagnosis-free but still languish. Because his conceptual approach goes far beyond simply looking at the super-healthy and because his ideas are grounded in empirical work, Keyes has created a framework for thinking about mental health—its presence and its absence—that makes it possible for him to ask a range of new questions.Keyes's article provides new ways to think about mental health. The data provide strong support for the two continua model: a confirmatory factor model with two related factors proved to be superior to the single-factor model and provided a nearly perfect fitting model to the MIDUS data (Keyes 2005). Mental health is therefore best viewed as a complete state, i.e., not merely the absence of mental illness but also the presence of mental health.

For Maslow, a self-actualizing person is characterized by ......

For Maslow, a self-actualizing person is characterized by a willingness to risk the security of the known and comfortable for the potential growth that can come from embracing a new challenge.

•Emotional Well-Being (or Emotional Vitality):

High life satisfaction .

In Rollo May's view, what is optimal well-being

In May's view, optimal well-being is anintegration of all aspects of the personality, based on a willingness to open oneself to all aspects of life and to courageously and creatively forge an identity—all the while knowing full well that we risk failure and despair. •May's vision of optimal psychological well-being demands uncompromising self-awareness, an almost brazen honesty and courage in the face of despair, and a dedication to deeply lived experience.

The Most Essential Positive Emotions (Shiota, Keltner, & John, 2006)

Joy: "My life is always improving. Contentment: I am at peace with my life Pride•I feel good about myself. Love: I find it easy to trust others. Compassion•It's important to take care of people who are vulnerable Amusement•I find humor in almost everything. Awe•I often feel awe.•I see beauty all around me.

Being needs(B-needs) Maslow

Maslow's term for self-actualizing needs was "Being needs", or "B-needs". •Some B-needs are truth, justice, beauty, wholeness, richness, playfulness, meaningfulness, and goodness (Maslow, 1971). •

The Benefits of Frequent Positive Affect: Does Happiness Lead to Success? Sonja Lyubomirsky Laura King

Numerous studies show that happy individuals are successful across multiple life domains, including marriage, friendship, income, work performance, and health. The authors suggest a conceptual model to account for these findings, arguing that the happiness-success link exists not only because success makes people happy, but also because positive affect engenders success. Three classes of evidence— crosssectional, longitudinal, and experimental—are documented to test their model. Relevant studies are described and their effect sizes combined meta-analytically. The results reveal that happiness is associated with and precedes numerous successful outcomes, as well as behaviors paralleling success. Furthermore, the evidence suggests that positive affect—the hallmark of well-being—may be the cause of many of the desirable characteristics, resources, and successes correlated with happiness. Limitations, empirical issues, and important future research questions are discussed.

Mindfulness experiments

Old People Experiment (Rodin and Langer) •Along with her colleague Judith Rodin (1976), Langer gave a group of elder residents a "pep talk" about making their own decisions and allowed them to choose a houseplant to take care of over the coming months. •Another group received a talk focused on how staff would help them with daily activities and decisions. They were given plants but told that the staff would care for them. •Over 3 weeks, those who were encouraged to make choices and to care for their plants were more alert and happier They found novelty in every day as their plants and their lives changes little by little. •At the 18 month follow-up, only half as many people in the group encouraged to make choices had died, relative to the group encouraged to take advantage of staff support. •Langer and Rodin suggest that the difference between the groups was the added incentive for the plant group to pay attention to their environment, to notice what was happening around them, and to be more mindful of their own experience. Memo experiment (langer) •In another experiment, Langer and her colleagues (1989) sent out memos to several offices at their university. •The memos simply said, "Please return memo immediately to room 247." •When memos were designed to look like usual ones, 90% of them were returned! •Even 60% of those that looked different from usual memos were returned. •These early studies launched an entire career on mindfulness. Mindful attention study •In 12-minute training, participants viewed a series of pictures and were instructed to simple observe their mental responses to them. •Most importantly, participants were instructed to view these responses as passing mental events that arise and dissipate while viewing each picture. •After learning about the mindful attention perspective, participants then practiced it by applying it to the critical experimental stimuli: pictures of attractive sexual partners, pictures of tasty but unhealthy foods. •Participants were not distracted from their thoughts, but were made aware of them and instructed to observe them as mere mental events. •Across 3 experiments, they found that when participants were instructed and trained to see that their experiences of pleasure and reward were mere thoughts, constructed by their own minds, the stimuli themselves became less attractive, and resisting them became easier. •In particular, applying mindful attention curbed the effects of sexual motivation on the perceived attractiveness of opposite-sex others and also on partner judgments. •Mindful attention also curbed the effects of hunger on unhealthy food attractiveness and choices and reduced the effects that perceived attractiveness had on choices. •In a third study, applying mindful attention before making choices from a lunch buffet led to healthier meal compositions.

One singular characteristic of self-actualizing people is that they are motivated by _________ more than by _______. Maslow

One singular characteristic of self-actualizing people is that they are motivated by B-needs more than by D-needs.

Can character strengths be used to improve health and wellness ?

PHYSICAL DISORDER When a person has a physical disorder, there is less of a toll on life satisfaction if the person ranks high on the character strengths of bravery, kindness, and humor. PSYCHOLOGICAL DISORDER •For psychological disorders, there is less of a toll on life satisfaction if they rank high on the character strengths of appreciation of beauty & excellence and love of learning (Peterson, Park, & Seligman, 2006). PROBLEM AND STRESS MANAGEMENT •One intervention program, mindfulness-based strengths practice (MBSP) designed to improve character strengths awareness and use, led to reports of improved problem management and stress management (Ivtzanet al., 2016, Niemiec, 2014; Niemiecand Lissing, 2016). ACHIEVEMENT •In one study, those character strengths that predicted GPA in college students were perseverance, love of learning, humor, fairness, and kindness (Loundsburyet al., 2009). •Higher hope levels are related to greater scholastic and social competence and to creativity levels (Onwuegbuzie, 1999). •Effective teachers (judged by the gains of their students on standardized tests) tend to score higher in social intelligence, zest, and humor. •Military performance among West Point cadets was predicted by the character strength of love (Peterson & Park, 2009).

•Psychological Well-Being:

People feel competent, autonomous, self-accepting, purposeful, exhibit personal growth, and have positive relationships with others

•Social Well-Being:

People have positive attitudes toward others, believe that social change is possible, try to make a contribution to society, believe the social world is understandable, and feel part of a larger social community

Practical Benefits of promoting character strengths

Practical Applications•Niemiec(2009) offered a three-step process of aware, explore, and apply. Signature Strengths•"Signature strengths" are character strengths that are displayed the majority of time in relevant settings, readily named and owned by the individual, the person feels energized when utilizing the strengths, and are easily recognized as characteristic of the individual (Peterson & Seligman, 2004). Finding new and unique ways to use signature strengths is an effective intervention. •One study found that it increases happiness and decreases depression for 6 months in a large, randomized, controlled trial (Seligman, Steen, Park, Peterson, 2005) .•Finding novel ways to use signature strengths was a core part of a coaching program for youth that led to increases in the students' self-reported levels of engagement and hope (Madden, Green, & Grant, 2011). •In another study, Mitchell et al. (2009) asked participants to develop three of their top 10 strengths and find ways to develop them in their daily life and found benefits to well-being at 3 months. •Deployment of character strengths in the work setting has been linked to greater well-being, vocational satisfaction, and meaning (Littman-Ovadia& Daavidovitch, 2010) .•While it is important to endorse one's strengths, it's also important to find ways to expressthem at work.

Core Principles of wholeness (kaufman)

Principle #1: Accept Your Whole Self, Not Just Your Best Self Principle #2: Become Are of Your Inner Conflicts Principle #3: Look Out for Lop-Sided Development: Principle #4: Create the Best Version of Yourself Principle #5: Learn to Trust Your Organismic Valuing Process (OVP) Principle #6: Strive for Growth, Not Happiness Principle #7: Harness the Power of Your Dark Side

Core Principles of wholeness (kaufman) Principle #1: Accept Your Whole Self, Not Just Your Best Self

Principle #1: Accept Your Whole Self, Not Just Your Best Self •Most people show an authenticity bias.•There is no "true" self: we each contain multitudes. •Important first step toward wholeness: acceptance of your whole self. •Acceptance doesn't necessarily mean liking.•"The curious paradox is that when I accept myself just as I am, then I can change." -Carl Rogers •Ask yourself: Which potentiality within me do I most wish to spend my limited time cultivating, developing, and actualizing in this world?

Core Principles of wholeness (kaufman) Principle #2: Become Are of Your Inner Conflicts

Principle #2: Become Are of Your Inner Conflicts •You have multiple personalities•Example: Romantic Love •Each system has a mind of its own: attachment, caregiving, lust, romantic passion. •Helen Fisher: "The relative neurological independence of these... mating drives helps to explain contemporary cross-cultural patterns of philandering, sexual jealousy, stalking, spousal abuse, love homicide, love suicide, and the clinical depression associated with unstable and disbanded partnerships." •Helen Fisher: "One can feel deep attachment for one individual while feeling romantic passion for someone else while feeling the sex drive for a range of others."

Core Principles of wholeness (kaufman) Principle #3: Look Out for Lop-Sided Development:

Principle #3: Look Out for Lop-Sided Development: -Jung's principle of enantiodromia("running counter to")-The presence of any extreme element in one's personality also produces the opposite extreme in order to restore balance. -In the grip of a lop-sided striving, we are often unaware of the extent to which it is taking over the rest of us.•Karen Horney--"Tyrranicalshoulds -Compulsive nature of our "neurotic trends" have two main characteristics: •Neurotic trends are often pursued indiscriminately (we must have everyone like us) •Thwarting of the neurotic trend in any situation leads to panic and anxiety •Neurotic trends serve an immensely important function in maintaining a sense of safety and security. They are soothing illusions. •George Vaillant compares the "mind's defense mechanisms" to the body's immune mechanisms-"they protect us by providing a variety of illusions to filter pain and to allow self-soothing.... Defenses creatively rearrange the sources of conflict so that they become manageable... the ego struggles to cope and to reduce the forces that work on it into some kind of harmony." •Horney argues that there are two ways in which our neurotic trends create "artificial harmony": •We repress certain aspects of our personality and bring their opposite to the fore. •We put such a distance between ourselves and others that we don't even allow the conflicts to arise in the first place. •Both strategies induce a false sense of unity.

Core Principles of wholeness (kaufman) Principle #4: Create the Best Version of Yourself

Principle #4: Create the Best Version of Yourself •While we aren't born blank slates, each of you is born with the potential to become the best you in the entire world. •No one else in the entire world has as much potential to become you than you. •During the process of becoming, you still very much create yourself. •While enduring personality change isn't easy, you can change your personality in substantial ways throughout life with intentional effort and therapy, and making changes to the environment, such as changing your job, social roles, relationship partners, or adopting new identities. •This doesn't mean personality change is easy: you must be willing to follow through on your personality change goals and actively and successfully implement behaviors to change yourself

Core Principles of wholeness (kaufman) Principle #5: Learn to Trust Your Organismic Valuing Process (OVP)

Principle #5: Learn to Trust Your Organismic Valuing Process (OVP) •Carl Rogers believed that the "self-actualizing tendency" can be explained by the existence of "organismic valuing process", that is a vital part of humanity. •Rogers believed that the OVP evolved in order to help the organism move in the direction of growth, constantly responding to feedback from the environment, and correcting choices that consistently move against the current of growth •Kennon Sheldon found that when given autonomy, people do tend to favor the growth choice over time. •Status vs. Growth Goals •Status: Have well-respected opinions, be well-known to many, be well-liked and popular, Find a high-paying job. •Growth: Help those who need it, Show affection to loved ones, Feel much loved by intimates, Make others' lives better, Be accepted for who I am, Help improve the world, Contribute something lasting. Unfortunately, most people aren'tentirely free to choose their most valued direction. •Cultural climate matters a lot. •Sheldon also found that new law students shifted towards security goals and away from growth goals during their first year of law school presumably because "traditional legal education induced profound insecurity, which serves to alienate students from their feelings, values, and ideals." •The research on OVP does suggest though that when people are free of anxiety, fear, and guilt, people do tend to not only move in the direction of self-actualization but also tend to move in the direction of goodness

Core Principles of wholeness (kaufman) Principle #6: Strive for Growth, Not Happiness

Principle #6: Strive for Growth, Not Happiness •There are multiple paths to well-being, and each one of us can reach self-acceptance, meaning, and fulfillment in our own style .•Many scientific approaches to studying well-being go beyond stereotypical notions of happiness. •Becoming fully human is about living a full existence, not necessarily a happy existence. •Living well is not always about feeling good, but involves continually incorporating more meaning, engagement, and growth in your life. •This process often involves experiencing uncomfortable emotions fully and accepting and integrating them with the rest of human experience.

Using The reappraisal function to evaluate the 7 deadly sins

Ryan Niemiec(2019) argues that any problem can be viewed through the lens of character strength, and even may offer a unique explanation for a conflict and potentially a solution. •Even the 7 deadly sins! Character strength underused Lust Love Gluttony self-regulation Greed gratitude Sloth zest Wrath forgiveness Envy kindness(caring) Pride Humility

Top-down predictors of subjective well-being

Self-esteem •Self-esteem is strongly correlated with subjective well-being (Campbell, 1981; Baumeisteret al., 2003), although the strength of the correlation is higher in more individualistic cultures (Diener& Diener, 1995) Self-efficacy •A belief in one's capacity to produce desired effects and outcomes by one's own actions (Bandura, 1997; Maddux, 2009) .•Related to higher well-being throughout the lifespan (Maddux, 2009; Vecchioet al., 2007). •Separate measures exist for academic, social, and health self-efficacy. •Specific measures better predict positive outcomes than more global measures Stable vs. Unstable Self-Esteem •Two types of self-esteem: secure and fragile (Kernis, 2003). •High self-esteem that is fragile is unstable and has been associated with elevated hostility (Zeigler-Hill, Clark, & Beckman) .•Insecure self-esteem can also lead to unrealistic optimism. Optimism •People who are more optimistic about the future are happier and report greater life satisfaction (Carver et al., 2009; Rand & Cheavens, 2009; Seligman, 2011) .•Compared to pessimists, optimists engage in more effective coping behavior, have better physical health, and have better relationships with others (Carver, Scheier& Sagerstrom, 2010). •Optimists have greater self-confidence and perseverance when faced with challenges (Carver et al., 2009). Positive expectancies •A key element in optimism is "positive expectancies" .•Expectations of positive outcomes in the future not only enhance mood but also foster better coping strategies concerning stress. •When faced with stress, optimists are more likely to use "problem-focused" coping strategies, realistic acceptance of their situation, humor, and positive reframing (Carver et al., 2009) Sense of control •Internal locus of control: person tends to attribute outcomes to self-directed efforts •External locus of control: belief that outcomes in one's life are due to factors outside of one's immediate control. •Internal locus of control is associated with a variety of positive outcomes (Lefcourt, 1981). •High internal locus of control is part of a "sense of personal control" (Peterson & Stunkard, 1989) Hope

3•The appreciation function

Six Functions of character strengths (Niemiec, 2019) Appreciation brings strengths-spotting to a deeper level, allowing the recipient to understand that their character strengths matter. •Those who express appreciation to their partner are more committed to them and more likely to stay in the relationship (Gordon et al., 2012). •Appreciation expressed toward one's partner has also been associated with stronger relationships, higher marital satisfaction, and greater willingness to share concerns in the relationship (Algoeet al., 2010; Lambert & Fincham, 2011) •People can appreciate their own strengths and the positive events that occur in their life by sharing that positivity with others. •The sharing of positive events with others has been shown to boost energy and vitality, where more frequent sharing of positive events has led greater vitality 3 weeks later (Lambert et al., 2011). •Reflecting on the recent past of a positive event, and appreciating it by sharing it with others brings gains to happiness, positive emotions, and life satisfaction (Lambert et al., 2011).

2•The mindfulness function

Six Functions of character strengths (Niemiec, 2019) •"Strengths-spotting" is a skill that refers to the process of observing the behaviors of oneself or others and then naming the observed strengths and offering behavioral evidence for them. •This activates the individual's strengths awareness and potential use .•Correlational studies have repeatedly shown the value of strengths awareness and use (Hone et al., 2015). There is a synergy between character strengths and approaches to mindful living, such as mindful eating, driving, working, walking, speaking, and listening, in which each mutually enhances the other and creates opportunities for personal transformation (Niemiec, 2012). •The function of mindfulness opens the opportunity for character strengths expression and subsequent benefit.

4•The buffering function

Six Functions of character strengths (Niemiec, 2019) •Character strengths can be a protective factor against adversity (Coieet al., 1993). •Each of the 24 character strengths have been shown to act as buffers of adversity in different contexts such as education, work, and health. •Hutaand Hawley (2010) found that character strengths protect against psychological vulnerabilities that can lead to depression and anxiety, such as perfectionism and the need for admiration. •In a research review, Park and Peterson (2009) reported that character strengths such as hope, kindness, social intelligence, self-regulation, and perspective can help buffer against the negative effects of stress and trauma.

1. The priming function

Six Functions of character strengths (Niemiec, 2019) •Prior to an event, character strengths can be reflected on. •In one study, the focus on a patient's strengths in a psychotherapy session immediately prior to a therapeutic encounter led to greater strengths activation, therapeutic relationship, mastery experiences, and therapy outcomes (Fluckigerand GrowssHoltforth, 2008). •Specific strengths have received more attention than others in terms of its priming function. •The labeling of the strength of bravery/courage has been shown as a way to enhance that strength (Hannah et al., 2007). •Kindness is a strength that can be primed in that exposure to acts of kindness can lead to more kindness (Carlson et al., 1988). •The "pay-it-forward" effect of kindness has found success across contexts showing that kindness can prime the kindness of others (Layouset al., 2017; Pressman et al., 2015).

5•The reappraisal function

Six Functions of character strengths (Niemiec, 2019) •Researchers have noticed the importance of using strengths to provide a unique lens for viewing problems or establishing positive processes and meaning within the context of counseling problems (Rashid, 2015; Scheelet al., 2013; Seligman et al., 20016; Tomasulo, 2014; Wong, 2010). •The reappraisal function can be used to reframe a life challenge or to a previous challenge to look ahead to future challenges. •Research has shown that strategies such as meaning making, benefit-finding, and compassion-focused reappraisal offer substantial benefits (Witvlietet al., 2011), and are all processes that can be tailored to a person's character strengths in the present moment (Niemiec, 2018)

6•The resilience function

Six Functions of character strengths (Niemiec, 2019) •There is evidence that each of the 24 character strengths have been connected with resilience in some way.•Character strengths are intertwined in dealing with the unexpected (e.g., natural disasters), personal traumas, ongoing external turmoil (e.g., war), and ongoing internal turmoil (e.g., physical illnesses) .•In a study of 1078 adolescents exposed to lengthy periods of war, terrorism, and political conflict, character strengths were negatively associated with psychiatric symptoms. •In particular, there were moderating effects for certain interpersonal character strengths on the relationship between violence exposure and psychiatric and PTSD symptoms. •The researchers conclude that character strengths have an important role in the resilience function of adolescents and strengths-building practices can be applied to the adolescents growing up in these war-affected environments (Shoshaniand Slone, 2016). •Interventions have been fairly widely applied with good results, such as leading to less depression and increased happiness (Gander et al., 2013; Proyeret al., 2014; Seligman et al., 2005), and helping parents who are caring for children with a disability to lower stress and increase hope (Fung et al., 2011).•In addition the targeting of an individual's strengths rather than deficits has been found in a randomized trial to lead to significant improvements in depression and reduced relapse (Cheavenset al., 2012). •Character strengths interventions have also been evidenced across various settings and populations, including people with traumatic brain injury (Andrewes et al., 2014), those who are suicidal/depression on an inpatient unit (Huffman et al., 2014), those who are depressed and in psychotherapy (Rashid, 2015), Veterans Administration clients with chronic conditions (Kobauet al., 2011), and those struggling to manage physical symptoms (Emmons and McCullough, 2003).

Escape mechanisms (Fromm)

The unhealthy methods of dealing with this fundamental anxiety result in what Fromm termed "escape mechanisms." These are attempts to avoid real issues-or hide from the necessary struggle of facing one's fears openly and honestly.

Distinguishing positive and negative emotions

This means that efforts to increase positive emotions will not automatically result in decreased negative emotions, nor will decreased negative emotions necessarily result in increased positive emotions.

A critical evaluation of the emotional intelligence construct Joseph V. Ciarrochi*, Amy Y.C. Chan, Peter Caputi

This study critically evaluated the Emotional Intelligence (EI) construct (the ability to perceive,understand, and manage emotions), as measured by the Multi-factor Emotional Intelligence Scale(MEIS in press). We administered the MEIS to Australian undergraduates along with a battery of IQ, personality, and other theoretically relevant criterion measures, including life satisfaction and relationship quality. We also induced moods in the students and examined whether people high in EI were better than others at managing their moods and preventing their moods from biasing their social judgments. Analyses revealed that EI was not related to IQ but was related, as expected, to speci®c personality measures (e.g., empathy) and to other criterion measures (e.g., life satisfaction) even aftercontrolling for IQ and personality traits. EI was also related to people's ability to manage their moods,but not to their ability to prevent moods from biasing their judgments. IQ was surprisingly related to both these mood processes. The results suggest that the EI construct is distinctive and useful, but that traditional IQ may also be important in understanding emotional processes.

The Role of Positive and Negative Emotions in Life Satisfaction JudgmentAcross Nations (Kuppens, Realo)

This study examined how the frequency of positive and negative emotions is related to life satisfaction across nations. Participants were 8,557 people from 46 counties who reported on their life satisfaction and frequency of positive and negative emotions. Multilevel analyses showed that across nations, the experience of positive emotions was more strongly related to life satisfaction than the absence of negative emotions. Yet, the cultural dimensions of individualism and survival/selfexpression moderated these relationships. Negative emotional experiences were more negatively related to life satisfaction in individualistic than in collectivistic nations, and positive emotional experiences had a larger positive relationship with life satisfaction in nations that stress self expression than in nations that value survival. These findings show how emotional aspects of the good life vary with national culture and how this depends on the values that characterize one's society. Although to some degree, positive and negative emotions might be universally viewed as desirable and undesirable, respectively, there appear to be clear cultural differences in how relevant such emotional experiences are to quality of life.

What does Keyes mean by flourishing and languishing ?

To flourish means to live within an optimal range of human functioning, one that connotes goodness, generativity, growth, and resilience. This definition builds on path-breaking work that measures mental health in positive terms rather than by the absence of mental illness (Keyes, 2002). Flourishing contrasts not just with pathology but also with languishing: a disorder intermediate along the mental health continuum experienced by people who describe their lives as "hollow" or "empty." Epidemiological work suggests that fewer than 20% of U.S. adults flourish and that the costs of languishing are high; relative to flourishing (and comparable to depression), languishing brings more emotional distress, psychosocial impairment, limitations in daily activities, and lost work days (Keyes, 2002).

What did Fredrickson and Losada propose in their Positive Affect and the Complex Dynamics of Human Flourishing paper ?

they propose that a key predictor of flourishing is the ratio of positive to negative affect. Extending B. L. Fredrickson's (1998) broaden-and-build theory of positive emotions and M. Losada's (1999) nonlinear dynamics model of team performance, the authors predict that a ratio of positive to negative affect at or above 2.9 will characterize individuals in flourishing mental health. Participants (N = 188) completed an initial survey to identify flourishing mental health and then provided daily reports of experienced positive and negative emotions over 28 days. Results showed that the mean ratio of positive to negative affect was above 2.9 for individuals classified as flourishing and below that threshold for those not flourishing. Together with other evidence, these findings suggest that a set of general mathematical principles may describe the relations between positive affect and human flourishing.

Wellness (Dunn)

wellness is a state in which a person has :•A zest for life •A way of living that maximizes potential •A sense of meaning and purpose •A sense of social responsibility •Skills for adapting to the challenges of a changing environment

Signature Strengths

•"Signature strengths" are character strengths that are displayed the majority of time in relevant settings, readily named and owned by the individual, the person feels energized when utilizing the strengths, and are easily recognized as characteristic of the individual (Peterson & Seligman, 2004).

A happiness set point?

•Based on results from a variety of empirical studies, Lykkenand Tellegen(1996) proposed the measure of a happiness "set point". •That is, heritability studies indicate that most people return to a baseline level of happiness—or a set point—after temporary highs and lows in emotionality (see also Lucas, 2008) .•So even though very intense feelings of joy or sadness keep people off their set points for varying periods of time, eventually everyone returns to an average or baseline level of well-being—a level set by genetics. •People whose set points lean toward positive emotionality tend to be cheerful most of the time. By contrast, those whose set points direct them toward more negative emotionality tend to gravitate toward pessimism and anxiety

Conceptualization of "Character"

•Character is individualized and idiosyncratic (each person has a unique profile of strengths). •Character strengths are shaped by context and expressed in situations. •Character strengths are interactive and interdependent. •Character strengths are substantially stable but can do change. •Balanced expression of character strengths is critical. Character strengths can bee easily overused and underused. •Aristotle's "golden mean"-the right combination of strengths, expressed to the right degree, and in the right situation

Complications of Money, income, and wealth as predictors of subjective well-being

•Cross-cultural studies are quite consistent in finding a significant relationship between income and subjective well-being in various countries (Biswas-Diener, 2008). •A recent longitudinal analysis spanning 33 years in the United States found that being in the lower quarter of income distribution reduced the odds of being happy by about 26%, while being in the upper quarter increased the odds by about 13% (Yang, 2008). •Being poor decreased the odds more than being wealthier increased the odds.•Overall, living in a wealthier country and having more money within it tends to increase happiness. The picture is more complicated1.A number of studies show that the relationship between income and subjective well-being is curvilinear (Biswas-Diener, 2008). •Tipping point: $75,000 (Kahneman& Deaton, 2010)2.The cross-cultural data on GDP and well-being do not apply in every country. •In 2010 the World Database on Happiness listed Guatemala among the 10 happiest countries on earth, and in 2008 the World Values Survey listed Puerto Rico and Columbia among the top 10 happiest countries with impoverished El Salvador the 11th (see Business Week, 2008). Study conducted in the slums of Calcutta, India. •Positive levels of life satisfaction were found among those who lived in extreme poverty, although satisfaction levels were still lower than those of more prosperous groups in India (Biswas-Diener& Diener, 2001). •Homeless street people in Calcutta reported higher life satisfaction than their counterparts in the United States. •People who choose a "voluntary simplicity" or "environmentally friendly" lifestyle often achieve a high level of subjective well-being despite their low income (Brown & Kasser, 2005; Jacob & Brinkerhoff, 1999) Studies conducted on lottery winners have shown that most people return to their prior level of happiness relatively quickly (Brickman, Coates, & Janoff-Bulman, 1978). As people earn more money, they tend to consume more, which may lead to increases in materialism (Headey, Muffels, & Wooden, 2008). •Increases in materialism are associated with decreases in subjective well-being over time, while decreases in materialism are associated with increases in well-being (Kasseret al., 2004). •"The cycle of thrilling purchase, excitement fade, and subsequent desire for new material possessions lends itself to materialism and decreased well-being (Dunn, 2018)." High earning households ($100,000+ year) donate a smaller percentage of income to charity each year than low earning households (under $25,000 per year; Piffet al., 2010; Flores, 2010; Lyubomirsky, 2010). •People made to feel that they occupy a higher relative social class give less to charities than those led to feel that they inhabited a lower social class (Piffet al., 2010). •Higher income people tend to be less likely to have egalitarian ideals and tend to show less empathy toward strangers (Piffet al., 2010). More complications •People who earn more than $100,000/year spend more of their time engaging in unenjoyable activities (e.g., grocery shopping, commuting, etc.), and less time engaging in passive leisure than those earning less than $20,000/year (Kahnemanet al., 2006) Schor(1999) reported a survey in 1995 of people who earned more than $100,000 per year ($148,270 in 2011 U.S. dollars). •Incredibly, 27% of those surveyed stated they could not afford everything they "really need[ed]" and 19% said they spent all their income on "basic necessities" (Diener& Biswas-Diener, 1999)! •People who hold "financial success" as their core value tend to report lower global adjustment ratings and more behavior disorders (Kasser& Ryan, 1993). The act of gazing at relatively small amounts of money while engaged in unrelated tasks results in people enjoying these tasks less.Their capacity to enjoy life's little pleasures is undermined (Quoidbachet al., 2010). •Viewing money also causes people to be more solitary and less willing to help others or donate funds to social causes (Vohs, Mead, & Goode, 2008). •The act of gazing at luxury goods leads to increased self-interest (Chua & Zou, 2009). •When people worked toward goals involving wealth, fame, or beauty, their well-being decreased (Niemiecet al., 2009)

The "givens of existence"(Irvin Yalom)

•Death •Freedom •Isolation •Meaninglessness

Strongest Personality Predictors of Well-Being(Sun, Kaufman, & Smillie, 2017)

•Enthusiasm/Social Vitality •Compassion •Industriousness/Grit •Lack of withdrawal (worrying, rumination, self-consciousness) •Intellectual Curiosity and Creative Openness

EMOTIONS takeaways

•For happiness to emerge, it's good to keep a higher ratio of positive to negative emotions. •However, we shouldn't abandon our dark side. •In not avoiding negative emotions, we gain emotional agility. •Anger, guilt, anxiety and other negative emotions can be helpful. •Concrete strategies like slowing down time can help transform negative emotions into useful tools. •Don't label emotions as absolutely good or bad, but think of the situation and the goals.

Seven heavenly virtues

•Four cardinal virtues •Prudence •Justice •Temperance •Courage •Three theological virtues •Faith •Hope •Charity

Mindfulness has been associated with...

•Greater creativity •Enhanced classroom learning •Helping lawyers give better attention to their clients •Greater martial satisfaction •Helping young girls overcome gender differences in learning mathematics

Subjective well-being

•Higher satisfaction with life •More positive emotions in daily life •Lower levels of anxiety

Definition of mindfulness (Langer)

•In Langer's view, well-being is not associated with moving through life on automatic pilot but with actively participating in the ongoing experiences of life with attention and openness. •Mindfulness allows us the opportunity to experience our world with fresh eyes and ears. •Mindfulness can help us focus on the process of living our lives and use that focus to create new ways of thinking, acting, and feeling that are responsive to the ever-changing tapestry of our experiences.

Early studies of self-actualizing people (Maslow)

•In addition to studying public figures, well-known people from history, and his acquaintances, Maslow also screened 3,000 college students. •In this last group he found only one person who fit his criteria—and that person was in the "probable" category. •He concluded that self-actualization" was not possible in our society for young, developing people"(Maslow, 1954, p. 200). •He believed that a person needed some life experience before he or she could be considered self-actualizing. •A person had to be "tested by life" before his or her degree of self-actualization could be discerned. •Later, Maslow estimated that less than 1% of the adult population in the U.S. could be called self-actualizing (the "growing tip")

Do our genes rule our emotional lives?

•In fact, more recent research has not supported an extreme or "strong" interpretation of set-point theory—that is, one in which genes are considered the determinant factor in overall well-being.•Ed Diener(2008), one of the major researchers of subjective well-being, has criticized extreme set-point theory as being overly deterministic. •Frank Fujita and Diener(2005) examined longitudinal data on life satisfaction collected over 17 years in Germany. •They found that 24% of people changed significantly between the first five years of the study and the last five years. •That is, although their genetic makeup obviously did not alter over time, almost one in four people showed changes in their well-being over the years; indeed, sometimes those changes were quite dramatic. •Bruce Headey(2008) used the same data set and also found clear evidence that life satisfaction can change considerably over time. • Headey also found that the goals people pursued had a major impact on their life satisfaction. •Goals associated with greater life satisfaction consisted of commitments to family and friends, social or political involvement, and altruism. •He called these "nonzero-sum goals" because the person involved as well as others can benefit. •In contrast, zero-sum goals, or those in which one person gains advantage at the expense of others, did not promote life satisfaction. How We Think Impacts How We Feel •One of the more significant contributions of psychology in the twentieth century was the revival of the ancient Greek notion that our thoughts in large part determine our emotional states. •In cognitive therapy, the goal is to help people change negative styles of thinking as a way to change how they feel. •This cognitive approach to our emotional lives has been remarkably successful, and changing how we think about other people, our future, and ourselves is partially responsible for this success (Caprara& Steca, 2010).

What virtues are ubiquitous ?

•Martin Seligman, Chris Peterson, Katherine Dahlsgaardand colleagues read 200 virtue catalogues-including Aristotle and Plato, Aquinas and Augustine, the Old Testament and the Talmud, Confucius, Buddha, Lao-Tze, Bushido, the Koran, Benjamin Franklin, and the Upanishads. •To their surprise, there was striking overlap and agreement across every major religious and cultural tradition spanning over 3000 years.

preconditions necessary for the satisfaction of needs Maslow (1954)

•Maslow (1954) also postulated that certain preconditions were necessary for the satisfaction of needs: •specific freedoms (that is, freedom of speech, expression, inquiry); and •necessary ethical principles (that is, justice, fairness, honesty, orderliness).

Motivation in Self-Actualizing People (Maslow)

•Maslow's term for self-actualizing needs was "Being needs", or "B-needs". •Some B-needs are truth, justice, beauty, wholeness, richness, playfulness, meaningfulness, and goodness (Maslow, 1971). • One singular characteristic of self-actualizing people is that they are motivated by B-needs more than by D-needs. •Maslow (1954) stated, "Our subjects no longer strive in the ordinary sense, they develop"(p. 211). •He asserted that when self-actualizing people are motivated by B-needs they are, in a sense, pulled toward a possible future for themselves defined by the need to develop their unique potential as well as by greater being needs. •Therefore, part of the tension created by an emerging need for self-actualization comes from a conflict between current security and the risk of change. •The American writer Max de Preesaid, "The greatest thing is, at any moment, to be willing to give up who we are in order to become all that we can be." Maslow viewed this type of choice to be a common conflict in life illustrating a general principle: the tension between security versus growth. •For Maslow, a self-actualizing person is characterized by a willingness to risk the security of the known and comfortable for the potential growth that can come from embracing a new challenge. Self-actualizing people also acknowledge, accept, and actually embrace the tensions created by such growth risks. •However, they risk potential failure in an attempt to actualize their potential. •Certainly Maslow knew that many people reject personal growth changes due to a variety of fears, such as a fear of moving away from what is known and familiar or a fear that other people in their lives will not accept those changes (The Jonah Complex)

Bottom-up predictors of subjective well-being

•Money, income, and wealth •Age •Possible reasons: •Older people have a smaller discrepancy between their life goals and accomplishments (Cheng, 2004), •Satisfaction with social relationships is higher and more important for older people (Herzog, Rogers, & Woodworth, 1982), •Greater self-efficacy and optimism (Jopp& Rott, 2006), •Higher sense of autonomy (Sheldon et al., 2005), •A more realistic view of the future (Lachmanet al., 2008), •A more successful resolution of developmental life stages (Sheldon & Kasser, 2001),•A greater sense of meaning (Dzuka& Dalbert, 2006) ,•Less frequent and intense negative emotions (Csikszentmihalyi& Larson, 1984). •Race •Education •Politics •Climate

Stability of subjective well-being

•One's average level of happiness and life satisfaction are both relatively stable (Costa, McCrae, 1984, 1986, 1988; Diener, 1994; McCrae, 2011).•Harkerand Keltner(2001) found that positive emotion in high school was significantly related to well-being 30 years later.

Core Principles of wholeness (kaufman) Principle #7: Harness the Power of Your Dark Side

•Rollo May highlighted the power of the "daimonic" that exists in all of us (not to be confused with the demonic). •May believed that humans are neither fundamentally good nor fundamentally evil, but "are bundles of both evil and good potentialities." •May defined the daimonicas whatever potentiality within you "has the power to take over the whole person." •Integrating the daimonicinto the personality can result in creativity. •However, if the daimonicis not interated, "it can take over the total personality... destructive activitiyis then the result." •May believed that the healthy integration of hostility, aggression, and anger was essential for growth, not by avoiding the potential for evil, but by directly confronting it •George Vaillant believes we can transform our defenses "from thunderstorms to rainbows":

Rollo May

•Rollo May was the foremost interpreter of European existentialism in American psychology. •May insisted that the psychological problems that people in modern society must confront are significantly different than in the past. •Due to the nature of the world we find ourselves in, we face unique forms of anxiety and are prone to a sense of powerlessness . •In addition, we also face an erosion of core values that once helped to sustain people throughout life. •For May, one of the primary consequences of such a life is the loss of real emotional responses to our experiences. •Partly, we avoid real emotions because some of these require us to fully examine existential issues like death, loneliness, and meaninglessness. •In order to regain a sense of our lives as authentic and meaningful, we must recognize fundamental paradoxes in life and find a way to integrate them that does justice to both sides of those dualities. •In much the same way as Erich Fromm, May insisted that we must deal with the basic dualities and paradoxes of life: we want love, and yet we fear rejection; we want to embrace life, and yet we run from an acknowledgment of our own death In May's view, optimal well-being is anintegration of all aspects of the personality, based on a willingness to open oneself to all aspects of life and to courageously and creatively forge an identity—all the while knowing full well that we risk failure and despair. •May's vision of optimal psychological well-being demands uncompromising self-awareness, an almost brazen honesty and courage in the face of despair, and a dedication to deeply lived experience. Like most other existentialist thinkers, May did not promise facile happiness or self-esteem as the fruits of authentic living. •He did promise a meaningful life, but that meaning may be forged out of despair as readily as out of joy

Happiness vs. Meaning

•The essence of happiness consists of having needs and wants satisfied. •In contrast, meaningfulness points to more distinctively human activities, such as expressing oneself and thinking integratively about the past, present, and future .•"Humans may resemble many other creatures in their striving for happiness, but the quest for meaning is a key part of what makes us human, and uniquely so." -Roy Baumeister Difference between meaning and happiness(Baumeister, 1992) •The "parenthood paradox": In retrospect, parents usually report that they are very glad they had children, but parents living with children usually score very low on happiness indicators. Revolutionaries may feel unhappy about their miserable living conditions, but the passionate fight for a cherished cause may infuse their lives with meaning.

Takeaways on culture and life satisfaction

•The social context of our lives has a major impact on how we perceive ourselves, our relationships, and our responsibilities. •Broad social contexts impact how we view the nature of the self and what goals we pursue in order to achieve greater happiness, satisfaction, or well-being in life. •Indices of well-being reveal something about how well a country provides for its citizens' needs. •Some researchers have even proposed that governments create national well-being indices that can be used to assess how well a country is progressing toward greater well-being (Diener & Seligman, 2004). •This would be a companion to GDP, which is simply a matter of economic factors.

Abraham Maslow

•The theory of self-actualization developed by Abraham Maslow (1908-1970) refers to the process of fulfilling one's full potential. •In his original presentation, Maslow (1954) stated that self-actualization "may be loosely described as the full use and exploitation of talents, capacities, potentialities"(p. 200). •Although Maslow's theory of the self-actualizing person is among the best-known theories of personality development, it remains widely misunderstood even in psychology. •For instance, Maslow's theory is not about self-absorption or preoccupation with simply enhancing one's own self-esteem. •For Maslow, self-actualization was not a state but rather described an ongoing process of development, and was best used in the service of making the world a better place.

6 core virtues endorsed by almost all religious and philosophical traditions

•Wisdom and knowledge •Courage •Love and humanity •Justice •Temperance •Spirituality and transcendence