Chapter 13 - Principles of positive Psychology Flashcards
Positive psychology
- = the scientific study of optimal human functioning, the goals of which are to better understand and apply those factors that help individuals and communities to thrive and flourish.
- ‘balance between working to repair identified problems while also attending to, promoting, and using areas of strength in the process’
strengths theory by Clifton and Nelson
- understanding and building upon strengths while managing (rather than focusing on or repairing) weaknesses is vital for growth and well-being.
- uncommon perspective in the daily life. (focus is mainly on fixing what is wrong)
- Strengths and weaknesses are not opposites.
- We do not learn about strengths by studying weaknesses.
- All people have their own unique sets of strengths that will empower them to be successful in certain areas but not others.
The broaden and build theory of positive emotions
- explains the utility and importance of positive emotions in peoples’ lives.
- Positive emotions are just as important to our survival and our ability to flourish in life as negative emotions.
- It consists of different hypothesis:
1) broaden hypothesis
2) build hypothesis
3) undoing hypothesis
4) resilience hypothesis
5) flourish hypothesis
The broaden and build theory of positive emotions - broaden hypothesis
positive emotions > resul in a wider range of thoughts and actions one is likely to pursue (when one is feeling positive emotions, they are able to see more possibilities).
The broaden and build theory of positive emotions - build hypothesis
asserts that a variety of personal resources are built up over time during positive emotional states.
> The resources include physical resources, social resources and psychological resources.
The broaden and build theory of positive emotions - undoing hypothesis
-positive emotions have the potential to undo lingering negative emotions.
-Inducing positive emotions in the wake of ongoing negative emotions may loosen the grip of the negative emotions, as the broadening qualities of positive emotions begin to widen the lens through which one views the world.
-The undoing effect occurs on cognitive and physiological level.
The broaden and build theory of positive emotions - resilience hypothesis
-upward spirals of well-being (opposite of downward spiral of depression) are triggered by the broadening affects of positive emotions.
- Upward spirals of well-being serves to build one’s toolbox of coping skills, this makes you more resilient for adversities in life.
The broaden and build theory of positive emotions - flourish hypothesis
-to flourish is to live optimally and to experience the good things in life such aspersonal growth, generativity, and resilience.
-A key predictor of human flourishing is the ratio of positive feelings or sentiments to negative feelings or sentiments that one experiences over time.
- For each negative affective experience one must experience three positive affective experiences to move forward in life.
The complete state model of mental health
This model defines mental health and mental illness as existing on two separate continuums:
* hence, the absence of mental illness is not equal to the presence of mental health
* Client assessment is based on: mental illness experience (high to low) and the degree of symptoms of well-being experiences (high to low).
The four-front assessment approach
- All clients have both strengths and weaknesses as well as both opportunities and destructive forces in their environment.
- Information about these fronts must be sought.
- The role of the environment and strengths of a client must not be forgotten.
Most popular positive psychological interventions
1) Positive psychotherapy
2) Quality of life therapy
3) Wellbeing therapy
4) Hope Therapy
Positive psychotherapy
- focus on building clients strengths and positive emotions and increasing meaning in the lives of clients so as to alleviate psychopathology and to foster happiness.
- Focus on positive emotions and memories.
- Integrating the positive and the negative together.
- Each session there is a focus on another positive psychology construct (gratitude, forgiveness, optimism, love, attachment, character strengths etc.).
- Negative experiences can’t be overlooked and should be focused on as well.
Quality of life therapy
- Blending positive psychology with cognitive therapy
- help clients discover and proceed towards their needs, goals, and wishes in important areas of life to help them live a life of quality and satisfaction.
- At each stage of treatment, a direct connection is made between the client’s life goals, needs and wishes and the interventions being used.
- Clients are conceptualized in a complete way that incorporates both their strengths and weaknesses in 16 areas of everyday life functioning as well as any actual psychopathology they may be experiencing.
- It is based on the CASIO model
- more satisfaction in the important domains of their lives by considering how to get their most important goals and needs fulfilled by following the CASIO model.
CASIO model - Quality of Life Therapy
Satisfaction in any given area of life is made up of four components:
-(objective) Circumstances or characteristics of the life area
-(subjective) Attitudes, perceptions and interpretations held by a client regarding the life area
- Standards (A client’s evaluation of fulfilment in the life area based on his or her Standards of what constitutes fulfilment in that life domain)
- Importance the client places on the life area in regard to his or her overall wellbeing
-Overall satisfaction a client experiences in life
Wellbeing therapy
- A brief, structured, directive and problem-oriented treatment program based upon Ryff’s cognitive model of psychological wellbeing
- uses client self-observations, structured journaling, and client and therapist interactions to increase client wellbeing.
-* Ryff’s (1989) model of psychological well-being contains six dimensions - The goal: help clients move from low to high levels of functioning in each of the six domains of psychological well-being.
- Clients are given homework assignments that entail writing about their well-being experiences and the circumstances of such experiences in a structured diary.
- After clients have become thoroughly aware of the instances of well-being in their lives > next phase of treatment: identify the thoughts and beliefs they have that get in the way of experiencing well-being, as well as the feelings associated with well-being.
> self-observation of thoughts is based on instances of wellbeing rather than instances of distress
