Chapter 13- Positive Psychotherapy Flashcards
Confucious
We can be disciplined in seeking our education
We should be looking to develop harmonious relationships
Virtue should be necessary for happiness
Socrates, Plato, Aristotle
Identifying and nurturing talent
Making lives more productive and filling
Psychology’s Mission changed after WWII
Soldiers returning home with now-known PTSD
Something wrong → how do we fix it
DEFICIT-ORIENTED APPROACH
Traditional psychotherapy is…
Deficit-oriented
We were publicizing about negative emotions ___ the amount we were publicizing about positive emotions
14 times
1998- Seligman main idea
‘life worth living’
Idea of 51
In the year 2051, 51% of the population will be fourishing
Nature vs. Nurture
Personality is independent of childhood experiences
Traits are not necessarily stable or permanent
Both have a role to play, but there is an emphasis on our ability to change for the egood
Formula For Happiness
Personal Set range + circumstances + factors under volitional control = happiness
Personal Set Range
40/50%
Range in which we would fluctuate based on what we have inherited
Some people are predisposed to be happier people, but that’s not all happiness is
Circumstances
10/15%
What is happening around us
Factors under volitional control
What can we do to cultivate happiness or not
cultivation of wellness above and beyond simply alleviating distress
Taking distress away does NOT equal more happiness
Strengths
Come out in certain contexts
Characteristics/qualities that often take on a moral tone that are valuable
We all bring them, and we should value having those strengths
Wisdom
Being smart in some situations
Courage
Face a goal in the face of opposition
Humanity
Tend to others
Justice
Desire to live a healthy and just community life
Temperance
Protects ahgainst temperances and vices
don’t overindulge
Transcendence
Making meaning/connecting with the larger universe
Distress in relation to strengths
The absence of some strengths while in excess of others
Positive emotions and strengths are real and valuable
Uncommon to ask someone to rate on a scale of 0-10 how fulfilled they are or how happy they feel
Effective therapy relationships can be built on exploration of positive personal characteristics
Should be using these explorations of strengths as a way to build an effective therapeutic relationship
Look at it not from what’s wrong with the person, but where do their strengths lie, and how to build that positive relationship - don’t just focus on symptom reduction
Perma Model
Theoretical Model for happiness
We can measure and promote each idea in therapy
Positive Emotion
Engagement
Relationships
Meaning
Accomplishments
Positive Emotion
In the past, present, and future
Optimal ratio of positive : negative emotions (3:1)
Example- Bridge with pillars
It is possible to experience positive emotions in negative situations, and the resilience in positive emotions is something that can be experiences alongside the pain
Range of positive emotions we can feel and cultivate
Engagement
Idea of Flow
Use signature strengths to encourage people to do activities towards flow
Goes beyond sensory pleasure
Looking to find a way people can genuinely engage with something right in front of them, and if we do it in a way that brings in an optimal level of challenge, we can build an accomplishment and have positive emotions from the past and will help us flourish
Flow
Csikszentmihalyi
Idea that we can get into an intense concentration
You become so absorbed in the task that there is a sense that you are one with it-