Psych of Personality Exam 4

The Relevance of Buddhism for Personality Psychology

Ways of knowing about reality based on personal experience Phenomenological approach Task of alleviating suffering Understanding of the self at a deep level (through meditation) Potential for finding existential meaning Concepts contribute to enhancing psychotherapy and personality theory Ex.: mindfulness Argument that Buddhism actually IS psychology more than it is a philosophy or a religion

Ideal self

What one feels he or she "should be" like (often based on what others' perceived ideal for us is)

D-love

is jealous, anxious (love motivated by need to address deficiencies)

Disconfirmation

is the language of science We cannot "prove" a scientific theory, we can only show it is better than any of the offered alternatives (by the criteria of the scientific method and the criteria we discussed for comparing theories) 2+2=4 is a better explanation of what happens when you add 2+2 than any other alternative

B-love

is trusting, non-possessive, enjoyable (love motivated by desire for the fulfillment of one's own and the other's lives)

Awakening

recognizing the true, transient nature of things

Prizing

same as unconditional positive regard; achieved by calling attention to positive aspects of a client (though not falsely or to excess) Need to distinguish between the behavior (which can be damaging or repugnant) and the person (who has some sort of redeeming qualities) Honesty on the part of the therapist is crucial...even if that means admitting distaste for a client

Empathic understanding

the client (phenomenological approach)—indeed to experience the client's emotional experience to some degree Restatement is a helpful tool, but should not be used without any reflection on the part of the therapist about what a client's statements mean (or what he or she is feeling) The client must, at a minimum, perceive that he or she is understood The greater the differences in culture and values between the client and the therapist, the more difficult this tends to be risk of "empathetic failure"

"Third force" psychology

the development of humanistic psychology to address some of the problems inherent in pure psychoanalytic theory and radical behaviorism Maslow's vision for his theory was as a "Taoist science" rather than a "controlling science" in that it emphasized the subjective and experiential in a true interpersonal engagement with an individual over objective scientific methods

Metapathology

the thwarting of self-development related to failure to satisfy the metaneeds (by poor childhoods, lower economic conditions, inadequate education, anxieties and fears, etc.)

Peak experiences

"Mystical" experiences, sometimes religious, but sometimes not Moments when you feel more at one with yourself and the world, and more integrated with life and the world Later incorporated into the highest level (the 8th) called transcendence

Mindfulness

"The defused, accepting, open contact with the present moment and the private events it contains, as a conscious human being, experientially distinct from the content being noticed." (ACT definition) "Bringing one's complete attention to the present experience on a moment-to-moment basis." (Marlatt & Kristeller) "The nonjudgmental observation of the ongoing stream of internal and external stimuli as they arise." (Baer) Mindfulness has been identified as a "core psychotherapy process" (Martin, 1997) and a theme "across schools of psychotherapy" (Horowitz, 2002).

Positive Psychology

"The emphasis on the immediate experience as an aspect of healthy functioning"

B-motivation

("Becoming") Being "metamotivated": Metamotivation is what motivates an individual toward self-actualization and excellence A metaneed is any need for knowledge, beauty, or creativity toward self-actualization Metamotivation emerges after the lower needs are satisfied

D-motivation

("Deficiency") Greater feeling of urgency when D-Needs are unmet

Criteria for evaluating theories

(Chapter 1) Organizes known data Does it help us make sense of our personality and/or our experiences? Verifiability Can it predict correctly or incorrectly (confirmation or disconfirmation) Falsifiablility (testability) Karl Popper: what is unfalsifiable is classified as unscientific (or at best as pseudoscience) Precise Definitions of terms are unambiguous (need for strong operational definitions) Internally consistent & consistent with existing theory Comprehensiveness (extensiveness) It applies to a variety of phenomena More "predictive power" predicts a wider range of behavior Applied Value (guide to action) It helps improve life Applied research vs. basic research Parsimony (Occam's razor) "Simpler explanations are, all other things being equal, generally better than more complex ones" A simpler, smaller number of constructs to explain phenomena Heuristic Value Theory suggests future directions for research "Fertility" of a theory

Flow

(Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi's creativity research) Being totally at one with an activity

Principle 1

: Evolution and Human Nature Human lives are individual variations on a general evolutionary design. "Most of the grand theories are faith-based systems whose first principles are untested and untestable. An integrative science of persons should be built around a first principle that enjoys the imprimatur of the biological sciences." Those most salient evolutionary variations, noted by people in the same way in many different cultures, may be viewed as comprising a core set of dispositional traits

Paradigm

A framework of belief that directs science or understanding What is to be observed and scrutinized The kind of questions that are supposed to be asked and probed for answers in relation to this subject How these questions are to be structured How the results of scientific investigations should be interpreted How is an experiment to be conducted, and what equipment is available to conduct the experiment The different paradigms are not different answers to the same question, rather they are indeed different questions Does the theory offer us a way to seek an answer to a question we feel is worth asking? The trait approach asks about individual differences, the psychoanalytic approach asks about the unconscious, etc. What do you need to or want to know about? The answer to this question is an indication of which approach to use. Psychology has no single answer—there is no Darwin (as in evolutionary biology) or Einstein (as in physics)

Habituation

A given stimulus no longer triggers a response Interruptions are less and less acknowledged Processing emotional stimuli Ability to feel an emotion and then let it go

Safety needs

Absence of violence and of physical or emotional abuse Familiarity (especially in young children) Need for predictability, when taken to excess can result in neuroses Financial security can affect safety needs, especially when financial situations start to threaten the fulfillment to physical needs (e.g., not enough money for food or for medical care) or when the realization of the promise of riches does not "fix" things emotionally

Unconditional positive regard

Absolutely necessary to be a "good" Rogerian (even generally humanistic) psychologist Seen as the hallmark of a Rogerian/humanistic therapist; the most important quality Clients need to feel accepted (as a whole, not of specific maladaptive behaviors)

Being Motivation

After all deficiency motivation needs are met, a person becomes occupied with growing into a more full and "actualized" person B-Needs ("becoming") Self-actualization

Client-Centered Therapy

Also often known as "person-centered therapy" The therapist is not an authority, rather therapy is a collaboration between two fallible people Therapy focuses on listening to the client, from the client's point of view The therapist should not have a façade Humanistic psychology largely rejects the idea of transference, stating that the therapeutic relationship in real-time is the appropriate focus

Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction (MBSR)

An eight-week program (weekly meetings) developed at the University of Massachusetts Medical Center Brings together mindfulness meditation and yoga Used in many medical hospitals, and may be taught by physicians, nurses, social workers, and other health care workers as well as psychologists Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy (MBCT) is a form of MBSR that includes facets of Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT)

The Actualizing Tendency

An innate tendency of all humans (and organisms) to work toward growth and development The formative tendency Opposite of entropy (entropy is a development toward increasing disorder or randomness) We behave in ways that take us toward our goals of enhanced development Humanistic psychology (both Rogerian and in general) is profoundly optimistic, viewing each person as desiring to be good and healthy

Maslow's Vision of Psychology

Animal study or the study of psychopathology is not sufficient: how do truly successful individuals think and live? Traditional psychology had been "method-centered" in that it focused little on content of theories Maslow argued for a "problem-centered" approach to psychology that would truly try to explore issues of relevance

Hierarchy of Needs

At the lowest levels of development, humans do have needs similar to animal needs, but as the mature and grow, they move away from an animal model and become uniquely human As individuals, we progress upward through a hierarchy of needs (from 5 levels at its most basic conceptualization to 8 or more levels in later, more detailed explanations) People functioning as vastly different levels of the hierarchy cannot be completely equally compared (and so research that makes these comparisons may make erroneous conclusions)

Commonalities between Buddhism and Western psychology

Both are concerned with alleviating human suffering Both focus on the human condition and interpret it in natural rather than religious terms Both see humans as caught in a matrix of forces, including cravings and drives, based in biology and beliefs Both teach the appropriateness of compassion, concern, and unconditional positive regard toward all beings Both share the ideal of maturing and growth (personal development) Both acknowledge that the mind functions at a superficial and deep level Both cultivate clear perceiving, knowing reality, and insight into the nature of the self, in ways that transforms one's being

Resiliency

Bouncing back from hard things

Principle 3

Characteristic Adaptations Beyond dispositional traits, human lives vary with respect to a wide range of motivational, social- cognitive, and developmental adaptations, contextualized in time, place, and/or social role. Middle-level units in personality—situated between general traits and specific behavior Characteristic adaptations include motives, goals, plans, strivings, strategies, values, virtues, schemas, self-images, mental representations of significant others, developmental tasks, etc. Characteristic adaptations may have a kind of life of their own, developing in ways that are only remotely, if at all, related to one's Big Five profile "If traits sketch an outline of human individuality, characteristic adaptations fill in some of the details." If traits address the question of what kind of person a particular person is, characteristic adaptations begin to move the inquiry to a more existential question: Who is the person?

Obstacles to Self-Actualization

Choice between safety & growth Safety is usually more appealing in the immediate circumstance Unmet lower-order needs Higher needs are weaker the pull of lower-order needs is more intense

Before self-actualization (revised hierarchy)

Cognitive Needs These are concerned with knowing, understanding and exploring Aesthetic Needs This is the desire to appreciate symmetry, beauty and order

Outcomes of Psychotherapy: Rogers's Process Scale

Communicates about externals, not self. No desire to change. Problems seen as external; no self responsibility. Focus is on past feelings. (The majority of the work in therapy is in these next 3 steps) Much talk about self. Present feelings are not accepted. Choices are seen as ineffective. Present feelings are acknowledged but feared. Self is seen as responsible. Freely expressing feelings. Desire to be one's real self. Rich immediacy of experience; living in the moment and accepting things. Self is seen as an awareness of experiencing new emotions, not as an object. Feelings match ideation.

Development of Creativity

Creativity emerges from healthy development Product of "openness to experience," internal locus of control and evaluation, and the ability to explore different concepts and combinations of ideas Statements typical of parents of preschool children who later became creative: "I respect my child's opinions and encourage him to express them." "I encourage my child to be curious, to explore and question things." The parents disagreed with these statements: "I do not allow my child to get angry with me." "I feel my child is a bit of a disappointment to me."

Dollard & Miller's Eclectic Approach

Does eclecticism create a spicy new flavor or a tasteless stew? Remember out best example of a widely-accepted eclectic approach: Dollard & Miller combined classical psychoanalytic thought with behaviorism to create their Psychoanalytic Learning Theory (Chapter 10) Criticism: "...their blend of psychoanalysis and behaviorism lacks both the deep insight of psychoanalytic case study and the crisp, clean logic of classic behaviorism. The result, in my opinion, is an unsatisfying muddle. I would rather read about psychoanalysis or behaviorism, depending on my interests and purposes that day, than about a semisuccessful attempt to blend the two." (Funder, 2007, 2010)

Intrinsic striving

Doing an activity for the satisfaction of the activity itself

Eclecticism

Drawing on ideas from a variety of theories, usually without accepting any one theory completely Ex.: Accepting symbolic interpretation of dreams and symbols (psychoanalytic) and also effect of reinforcement on behavior (learning) Ex.: Viewing an individual from a psychodynamic perspective, but to using more active interventions, such as you might find in a cognitive-behavioral approach (or adding pharmacotherapy) Ex.: "I look at things not only from what might be reinforcing unhealthy behaviors (behaviorism), but also unhealthy thoughts (cognitive), and how these all relate together to go and make up the individual human being sitting in front of me (humanistic)." A popular position (also called an "integrative" approach) Idea that there is no one right or guaranteed way of approaching any given problem An eclectic psychologist may have a favorite theory or therapeutic technique that he or she tends to use more often or fall back on, but is willing to and often does use all theories that are available Argument that eclecticism is neither a theoretical orientation nor a therapy Danger of Allport's jackdaw eclecticism: Pulling random parts of theories into a non-unified whole Good eclecticism is neither messy nor confused

Advantages of an Eclectic Approach

Eclectic approaches have a broader theoretical base and may be more sophisticated than approaches using a single theory. Eclectic approaches offer the clinician greater flexibility in treatment. Individual needs are better matched to treatments when more options are available. Eclectic treatments apply to a broader range of clients. Failure to offer eclectic approaches may limit clinicians to helping only clients suitable for a single approach. The clinician using eclectic approaches is not biased toward one treatment and may have greater objectivity about selecting different treatments. Clinicians using an eclectic approach adapt their primary treatment with the benefits of other treatments that have evidence of effectiveness.

17 Characteristics of Self-Actualized People

Efficient perception of reality Acceptance Spontaneity Problem-centered Need for privacy (solitude) Independence of culture and environment (autonomy) Freshness of appreciation Human kinship Humility and respect Interpersonal relationships Ethics and values Discrimination between means and ends Sense of humor Resistance to enculturation Resolution of dichotomies

Business

Employee-employer relationships Power-sharing when possible Similar to a parent, an employer can be authoritarian or authoritative Employers must focus on the experience of their employees The same three characteristics are vital: unconditional positive regard, congruence, and empathy

Encounter Groups

Encounter Groups are less structured than what we typically see in group therapy A facilitator manages the group, but should not direct the conversation or be the focus of the experience Can be used as an intensive "all at once" intervention, though this is now rare

Physiological needs

Food Water Sleep Sex Homeostasis Having needs met consistently in the past, as well as in the present, is key to moving to the next level Those who have had a need unmet to some level are less able to tolerate future deprivation Tendency to "hoard" love and security when these have been denied in the past Metaphor of preparing for a long winter: you need to store as much food and as many supplies as you might need

(Humanistic Psych) Maslow

Free Will: Yes Personality Structures: Hierarchy of needs Key Concepts: Levels of the hierarchy (5-level); D-needs and B-needs; self-actualization; metamotivation; characteristics of actualized people; positive psychology; resiliency Key Methods: Observational Goal for Health: Progression through the hierarchy, hopefully to self-actualization (or even transcendence)

(Humanistic Psych) Rogers

Free Will: Yes Personality Structures: Personal experience of events (especially emotional experience); being-in-the-world Key Concepts: Self-actualization; formative tendency; organismic valuing process; conditions of self-worth; the fully functioning person; congruence; client-centered therapy Key Methods: Self-exploration; Client-centered-therapy (analyzed by behaviorally coding videotapes of sessions)

Humanistic Education

Humanistic approaches to learning are quite popular Reduced role of the teacher ("facilitator" rather than "instructor") Teacher still needs to provide unconditional positive regard, congruence, and empathy Emphasis on feelings and reactions to material as much as the pure content Strong effort to engage students emotionally as well as intellectually Goal of developing self-actualizing personalities

The Process of Psychotherapy

Humanistic psychology is greatly criticized for being non-empirical, though Rogers firmly believed in testing his theories (this was often accomplished by audio or video recording his sessions, most famously with "Gloria") Behavior coding scales for reviewing videotaped sessions

Conditional positive regard

I am loved as long as I live up to the conditions set by others (e.g., my parents)

Unconditional positive regard

I am loved because I am me, regardless of my behavior results in a fully functioning person (Thoughts and feelings are all ok, even though not all behavior is acceptable)

Organismic Valuing Process

Inner (subconscious) sense or guide within a person, which guides him or her in the directions of growth and health (and away from those directions that inhibit growth) EX: The inner vague feeling that choosing a certain career, or a certain love partner, would be wrong for you, even if everyone else approves of that choice People often learn to substitute external rules for this internal sense of the right directions for them, and to their detriment Unhealthy behavior and psychopathology are caused by losing touch with this internal growth process People learn to distrust their inner feelings in response to messages that certain feelings or reactions are "wrong"

Psychology Based in Eastern Culture

Leading Theorist: None in specific, though the Dalai Lama and Thich Nhat Hanh are probably best known Free Will: Yes Personality Structures: A changeable self; need to release attachment Key Concepts: Four Noble Truths; Eightfold path; nirvana/enlightenment; meditation; mindfulness; ACT; MBSR; DBT Key Methods: Research has been conducted in many ways, from studies of the effects of meditation on events and brain waves to extensive research on related psychotherapies

Principle 4

Life Narratives and the Challenge of Modern Identity Beyond dispositional traits and characteristic adaptations, human lives vary with respect to the integrative life stories, or personal narratives, that individuals construct to make meaning and identity in the modern world. "A person's identity is not to be found in behavior, nor—important though this is—in the reactions of others, but in the capacity to keep a particular narrative going" (Giddens, 1991) If dispositional traits sketch the outline and characteristic adaptations fill in the details of human individuality, then narrative identities give individual lives their unique and culturally anchored meanings. "Every life story is unique. The rich texture of human individuality is best captured in the intensive examination of the individual life story." A full accounting of a person's life requires an examination of personality that is complexly influenced by culture.

Buddhism and psychotherapy

Many applications to psychotherapy (ACT, MBSR, DBT) Motivation and desire: Understanding and treating addiction "Hungry ghosts" as an understanding of all types of addiction

Outcomes of Psychotherapy

Measure of self-concept: Q-sort of statements, first done for the actual self ("I am..."), and then for the ideal self ("I would like to be...") After Rogerian therapy, the two Q-sorts were more similar, indicating greater client congruence Changes were seen both in the actual self (self improvement) and ideal self (softened a bit) Process Scale - seven stages of psychotherapy

Metaneeds

Metaneeds are never fully satisfied) Wholeness (unity) Perfection (balance and harmony) Completion (ending) Justice (fairness) Richness (complexity) Simplicity (essence) Liveliness (spontaneity) Beauty (rightness of form) Goodness (benevolence) Uniqueness (individuality) Playfulness (ease) Truth (reality) Autonomy (self-sufficiency) Meaningfulness (values)

Four modules of DBT

Mindfulness Skills Paying attention, non-judgmentally, to the present moment Interpersonal Effectiveness Skills Specific, effective strategies for asking for what one needs, saying no, and coping with interpersonal conflict Emotional Regulation Skills Learning how to understand and modulate emotions Distress Tolerance Skills Skills that allow individuals to make wise decisions about whether and how to take action in intense circumstances, rather than falling into intense, desperate, and often destructive emotional reactions

The Fully Functioning Person

Must be able to "tune out" societal messages in favor of the organismic valuing process Characteristics of a fully functioning person: Openness to experience Fully receptive to all aspects of life; can tolerate ambiguity Existential living Living fully in each moment, while still observing the process as a whole; experiences the self as a fluid process Organismic trust Relies on the organismic valuing process for an inner sense of what is right for him or her Experiential freedom We choose how we will behave in the world, or at the very least how we experience the world Creativity Finds new ways of living each moment; does not lock him or herself into rigid patterns

Marriage and Relationships

Mutual trust Focus on the unique experiences of other people Small risk of satellite relationships when a secondary relationship meets needs for empathy and understanding more than does the primary relationship Generally, having a "Rogerian"-type friend or partner is related to better overall functioning Does this type of friendship cause better functioning, or do people who are better functioning more easily form these types of friendships?

POI scores are higher in

Normals, compared to clinical groups People at the end of marathon therapy sessions, as compared to the beginning People with lower depression and neuroticism on other tests (such as measure of the Big Five) People with high creativity on other tests People who are autonomous, on other tests People who have higher academic achievement

Mindfulness Continuum

On the low side of the continuum is a person who notices a thought and then has thoughts about the thought, and perhaps has thoughts about thinking about the thoughts. This is basically thinking with a small amount of mindfulness, although experientially it may seem quite profound (readily pulled into thoughts). On the high side of the continuum is a person who has learned to quiet the mind and disengage and step back from the thoughts, the experience being of a passive witness watching thoughts pass through consciousness. At an advanced level of mindfulness a person watches a thought arise in consciousness, pass through consciousness, and then fall out of consciousness.

Dialectical Behavioral Therapy (DBT)

Originally developed as a treatment for borderline personality disorders, but has come to wide use Involves both an individual and a group therapy component Combines Zen Buddhism with Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) DBT is based on the idea that opposites can coexist and be synthesized DBT focuses on helping people change ineffective ways of coping by learning new, skillful ways of coping DBT is a "manualized" therapy, meaning that is should be applied evenly and always in adherence with the manual (special certification is required) DBT therapy is based in work with "skills," which fall under four "modules" Skills groups open with a mindfulness exercise, and then work on describing and learning to apply a specific skill from one of the modules Individual therapy focuses on putting the skills to active use DBT organizes treatment into stages and targets, with strict adherence to the order in which problems are addressed

Measurement and Research on Self-Actualization

Personal Orientation Inventory (POI; Shostrom, 1964) Two Scores: Inner Directed Supports: The degree to which one is his/her own sense of support Time Competence: The degree to which one lives in the present With full awareness, contact, and full feeling reactivity

Creativity

Present in any and all self-actualized persons Capable of an almost child-like, wide-eyed creativity "A first-rate soup is more creative than a second-rate painting."

Approaches to personality

Psychoanalytic/Psychodynamic Freudian; Analytical/Jungian; Neo-analytic Trait Theorists Lexical or empirical; 16PF; FFM Biological Evolutionary; Eysenck's PEN model; BIS/BAS; Cloninger's tridimensional model Behavioral Radical behaviorism; learning models Situational Theorists CAPS model; Cognitive Social Learning Humanistic Person-centered approach; Maslow's hierarchy; actualization; Eastern psychology; phenomenological approaches

Belongingness and love needs

Seeking love and friendship Heavy emphasis on both giving and receiving love The first big stumbling block in the hierarchy for most people, as physical and safety needs are more commonly met Sex becomes more focused on relationship and expression of affection than a purely physical need (as we saw in level one) Sexual dissatisfaction can occur in either level one or level three, depending on the nature of the dissatisfaction: physical or relational

A Brief History of Buddhism

Siddhartha Gautama "Reaching enlightenment" Buddha "Awakened" Sat under a Bodhi tree in India, when he vowed never to arise until he had found the truth Mahāyāna Buddhism (rather than Theravāda) Includes Zen, Tibetan, etc. Enlightenment "The Middle Way"—a path of moderation away from the extremes of self-indulgence and self-denial

Disadvantages of an Eclectic Approach

Sometimes clinicians use eclectic approaches in place of a clear theory. Eclectic approaches are not substitutes for having a clear orientation—that is supplemented with other tested treatments. Sometimes eclectic approaches are applied inconsistently—it takes knowledge and skill to deliver eclectic approaches effectively. Sometimes eclectic approaches are too complex for one clinician to manage. There is always a danger that clinician might call themselves "eclectic" when they really have no clear direction for treatment. Eclectic approaches should be backed up by efficacy studies that examine if specific combinations of treatment "work." Treatments that lack evidence are potentially dangerous.

Subjective Experience, Values, and Science

Spirituality, as well as subjectivity, are consistent with Rogers's theory much more than "hard" science Humanistic psychology (both Rogerian and in general) holds values as quite important Problem for those who prefer "stronger" science, though the two may not be mutually exclusive Problem if one's personal values are destructive to society (though in the optimistic view of humanistic psychology, our tendency is always toward positive growth)

The second noble truth

Suffering has an origin Suffering is rooted into attachment to anything other than actual reality

Contingencies of Self-Worth Scale

Suggests that contingent self-worth is domain-specific Measures seven domains of internal and external self-esteem/self-worth FAMILY SUPPORT COMPETITION (outdoing others) APPEARANCE (physical appearance) GOD'S LOVE ACADEMIC COMPETENCE VIRTUE (being a virtuous or moral person) APPROVAL FROM OTHERS

Principle 5

The Differential Role of Culture The environment means many different things—from the immediate social situation to a cultural ethos—and that it impacts different aspects of personality in different ways. By their very definition, characteristic adaptations are situated in particular social, cultural, and developmental contexts. Goals and interests reflect personal investments in activities, programs, and life trajectories that society makes available for the individual. The relation between characteristic adaptations and culture is complex and often contested. People sometimes resist the norms to construct individual life patterns that defy cultural convention. "Culture, then, provides each person with an extensive menu of stories about how to live, and each person chooses from the menu....When the food comes from the kitchen, people doctor it to their own tastes. They add pepper and salt; they mix things up and throw some things away; they nibble from somebody else's plate; they may even send the order back and ask to see the menu again."

Principle 2

The Dispositional Signature Variations on a small set of broad dispositional traits implicated in social life constitute the most stable and recognizable aspect of psychological individuality. At their best, dispositional traits speak to the overall style of a person's adjustment...how he or she usually feels about things in general Personality traits provide a rough outline of human individuality, a first cut, a recognizable signature that a person tends to express in a range of situations (though not in all) and over a relatively long period of time (though not necessarily forever) "Personality psychology cannot get along without traits" A more fine-grained analysis of social life requires a move beyond basic tendencies—beyond the broad consistencies that may be noted even in the behavior of a relative stranger—to consider more particularized features of psychological individuality contextualized in time, situations, and social roles

Meditation

The Process of Meditation Releasing the attachment to the self Brain measurements during meditation Frequent and long-practicing meditators have different brain wave patterns

Pluralism

The coexistence of various theories without attempting to combine them (theories coexist) Maintains that a multiplicity of different models of psychological distress and change may be 'true' and that there is no need to try and reduce these into one, unified model Avoids premature integration of theories Risks noncommunication between different schools of thought The quest for consensus is ethically problematic, closing off people to that which is most different and diverse in others (Levinas, 1969) Different explanations will be true for different people at different points in time and therefore different therapeutic methods will be most helpful for different clients at different moments (Cooper & McLeod, 2007)

The fourth noble truth

The eightfold path A way out of suffering

Conditions of self-worth

The expectations that a person must live up to before receiving respect and love Parenting styles: authoritarian (strict, high priority on respect and obedience) versus authoritative (strong direction but without harsh restrictions)

Deficiency Motivation

The first four levels of the hierarchy (in the typical 5-level sense), these are levels for which a deficiency in meeting a certain need (such as physical hunger) prohibits progression in the hierarchy D-Needs ("deficiency") Physiological needs Safety needs Belongingness needs Esteem needs

Political Conflict, War, and Peace

The government or ruler must be collaborative (remember that this "collaborative" view is key to Rogerian/humanistic therapy) Encounter groups, in large and small ways, are helpful in understanding the perceptions of the people

Esteem needs

The highest (most developed) of the deficiency motivations Self-respect and the esteem of others Should result from our actual self and actual abilities Achievement strivings (think of "achievement motivation" in McClelland's implicit motivation theory) Academics Career Hobbies/Sports Individuals who feel unloved (or rejected by parents or friends) do not progress to stage 4...instead they stay at the level of Belongingness needs

Current Thoughts on Integration: McAdams & Pals (2006)

The mission of personality psychologists should be to provide an integrative framework for understanding the whole person The Big Five is wonderful, but it still leaves us as psychologists falling short of any integrated theory There is a danger as personality psychologists of offering a plethora of irreconcilable frameworks for making sense of persons, where the reader should pick his or her favorite Suggest five principles that subsume the five-factor model (FFM) of personality within a broader framework Personality is conceived as (a) an individual's unique variation on the general evolutionary design for human nature, expressed as a developing pattern of (b) dispositional traits, (c) characteristic adaptations, and (d) self-defining life narratives, complexly and differentially situated (e) in culture and social context

Mind and body

The physical world and our consciousness are not distinct—they are linked Which is primary: physical reality or consciousness? Body and mind as one (world as one)

Incongruence

The real self and the ideal self are different and are pulling against each other If the "self" being actualized is the ideal self and not the real self, actualization will not promote psychological health

Real self

The self based on one's own preferences for one's self; contains the actualizing tendency

Therapist Congruence

The therapist's behavior must match his or her inner experience moment-by-moment; he or she must be genuine Humanistic psychologists are typically more transparent than any other therapeutic orientation based in confidence in the client Active disclosure, directed by therapeutic knowledge The therapist's behavior must match his or her inner experience moment-by-moment; he or she must be genuine Humanistic psychologists are typically more transparent than any other therapeutic orientation based in confidence in the client Active disclosure, directed by therapeutic knowledge

Applications and Implications of Maslow's Theory

Therapy Fulfilling love and belongingness needs Sometimes includes transpersonal therapy Workplace Taking into account employee and client level on the need hierarchy Making sure lower-order needs are met Religion and Spirituality Not in support of traditional, fundamentalist religion as much as an overall appreciation for the spiritual and sacred Education Education must encourage creativity, curiosity, and growth

The third noble truth

There can be an end to suffering We must give up our attachments to people, things, attitudes, and ideas that are not in the present The individual self or ego is illusory Attachments must become conscious to be let go meditation

The first noble truth

There is suffering Suffering should be allowed into consciousness, along with all other feelings

Humanistic Psychology

This perspective focuses on "higher," more developed, and healthier aspects of human experience and their development (e.g. spirituality, creativity, and tolerance) This perspective values the subjective experience of the individual, including emotional experience Humanistic psychologists emphasize the present rather than the past or the future Each individual is responsible for his or her own life outcomes, aided by a capacity for self-reflection This perspective seeks to improve the human condition by changing the environment in which people develop. It assumes that, given appropriate conditions, individuals will develop in a desirable direction.

Five reasons not to pick one approach and totally forget the others

To some (large or small) extent, you will want to be integrative in your views of personality theory. To avoid arrogance. You will never think you know it all as long as you are aware that a great many psychologists think you are wholly wrong in your ideas. To understand to proper basis for evaluating alternative approaches. Each of these basic approaches loses much of its color when totally removed from the ideas of the other approaches. To deal with psychological phenomena that do not fit into your favorite approach. What happens to the biologist who finds an animal that cannot be classified? To give yourself the chance to change your mind later. You interests, goals, or the psychological phenomena you study may change.

After self-actualization (revised hierarchy)

Transcendence Seeks to further a cause beyond the self and to experience a communion beyond the boundaries of the self through peak experience

Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT)

Two major goals of ACT: Acceptance of unwanted private experiences which are often out of personal control Committed action towards living a valued life Results in increased "psychological flexibility," or the ability to be present in each moment as it occurs and to direct one's behavior toward one's values "The aim of ACT is to create a rich, full and meaningful life, while accepting the pain that inevitably goes with it." Unlike all other creatures on the planet, you cannot avoid pain situationally: Remember a time when .... Imagine a future where... Compare yourself to ... What if ... My life would have been so much better if ...

Scientific Developments

Understanding of brain biochemistry Chemical control of personality (The evolution of Prozac to treat problems ranging far beyond depression: the "Prozac nation") Social neuroscience Understanding of the effects of social environments Social engineering Skinner's conceptualization of Walden Two Work bonuses; rewards for schoolchildren Understanding the human genetic code Behavioral genomics: control over the genetic bases of personality Can personality be reduced to biology? Pharmacogenetic Testing Genomind, LLC: "Brain Science to Better lives" "Personalized medicine" Genes related to the metabolism of medications Genes related to interactions of the drug with the body

Self-actualization

A in-depth conceptualization of the end goal in psychological development (at least in the 5-level model) All deficiencies have been sufficiently met, and the person now moves toward becoming a whole and integrated person Emphasis on fulfilling one's own potential (whatever that may be) A deep desire to become everything one is capable of becoming Particular behaviors indicating self-actualization vary (a poet writes, an artist paints, etc.), but some qualities are characteristic of self-actualized individuals Related to higher overall functioning (physical health, subjective well-being, satisfaction with life, etc.) "Self-actualization" is preferable in humanistic theory to "psychological health" more fully captures the optimism about each human's potential to be his or her best self "Stunting" is preferable to "illness" or "psychopathology" the individual can achieve self-actualization if D-needs can be met Maslow strongly dissented from psychologists who saw their clients as a "bag of symptoms" Maslow estimated (after research of thousands of individuals) that less than 1% of people are self-actualized If making this decision about someone else, it is clearly a subjective decision, though Rorschach tests were sometimes used. Often, however, the research was a surreptitious observation Danger of equating personal or professional success with self-actualization (for example, former president Nixon)

Unified Theory

A theory that combines diverse aspects from various approaches, indicating how they are organized and related A later stage in theoretical development (requires that many other clearly defined theories exist) Often sees theories as "multilevel," working at various levels of integration The most challenging way of combining theories requires more thorough integration Most approaches at a unified theory end up being closer to some specific eclecticism