Exam 1 Flashcards
What is positive psychology
a science of positive aspects of human life, such as happiness, well-being and fl ourishing. It can be summarized in the words of its founder, Martin Seligman, as the ‘scientific study of optimal human functioning [that] aims to discover and promote the factors that allow individuals and communities to thrive
Who can the historical roots be traced to?
the thoughts of ancient Greek philosophers. Aristotle believed that there was a unique daimon, or spirit, within each individual that guides us to pursue things that are right for us
What are the historical roots?
Prevention & wellness, post enlightenment, moral philosophy, ancient greeks, Aristotle, allport, humanistic psychology (Rogers Maslow)
Major Figure
Carl Jung, with his individuation, or ‘becoming all that one can be’, concept ; Maria Jahoda, concerned with defi ning positive mental health ; and Gordon Allport, interested in individual maturity , while the matters of fl ourishing and well-being were raised in the work on prevention and wellness enhancement
What is Humanistic psychology
. This movement placed central emphasis on the growth and authentic self of an individual. Humanistic psychologists were critical of pathology-oriented approaches to a human being. The most famous among them were Carl Rogers, who introduced the concept of the fully functioning person, and Abraham Maslow, who emphasized self-actualization.
New era of positive psychology
the ‘scientific study of optimal human functioning [that] aims to discover and promote the factors that allow individuals and communities to thrive’
Broaden and build theory
developed by Barbara Fredrickson, shows that positive affective experiences contribute to and have a long-lasting effect on our personal growth and development
What is the value of positive emotions
(a) Positive emotions broaden our thought-action repertoires First, positive emotions broaden our attention and thinking, which means that we have more positive thoughts and a greater variety of them. When we are experiencing positive emotions, such as joy or interest, we are more likely to be creative, to see more opportunities, to be open to relationships with others, to play, to be more fl exible and open-minded.
(b) Positive emotions undo negative emotions It’s hard to experience both positive and negative emotions simultaneously; thus a deliberate experience of positive emotions at times when Your Emotions and You 11 negative emotions are dominant can serve to undo their lingering effects. Mild joy and contentment can eliminate the stress experienced at a physiological level.
(c) Positive emotions enhance resilience Enjoyment, happy playfulness, contentment, satisfaction, warm friendship, love and affection, all enhance resilience and the ability to cope, while negative emotions, in contrast, decrease them. Positive emotions can enhance problem-focused coping and reappraisal, or infuse negative events with positive meaning, all of which facilitate fast bouncing back after an unpleasant event.
(d) Positive emotions build psychological repertoire Far from having only a momentary effect, positive emotions help to build important physical, intellectual, social and psychological resourcesthat are enduring, even though the emotions themselves are temporary. For example, the positive emotions associated with play can build physical abilities; self-mastery and enjoyable times with friends increase social skills.
(e) Positive emotions can trigger an upward developmental spiral
other praising emotions
refer to a family of positive emotions that a rise in response to the virtue,skill, or excellence of others.▪ Elevation▪ Gratitude▪ Admiration▪ Prestige
Negatives to positives emotions
Ratio of 3:1 or below* Experiencing positivity at above 8:1 can have counter productive effects.
Duchenne smile
has been regarded as an objective measure of genuine happiness/positive emotions
What is emotional intelligence?
The capacity to recognize and manage our own emotions and the emotions of others close to us
How to improve emotional intelligence
Expenditure of energy (e.g. physical exercise) * Cognitive effort (e.g. giving yourself a ‘pep-talk’)
- Active mood management (such as relaxation and music) * Social interactions * Pleasant distractions (e.g. hobbies, shopping, errands)
emotional contagion
a form of social contagion that involves the spontaneous spread of emotions and related behaviors. Such emotional convergence can happen from one person to another, or in a larger group
Benefits of positive emotions
upbeat mental state and improved health, including lower blood pressure, reduced risk for heart disease, healthier weight, better blood sugar levels, and longer life.
Optimists
have a generalized sense of confidence about the future, characterized by their broad expectancy that outcomes are likely to be positive. Leads to better physical health
Pessimists,
,have a generalized sense of doubt and hesitancy, characterized by their anticipation of negative outcomes.
Hope
buffers against interfering, self-deprecatory thoughtsand negative emotions and is critical for psychological health
Realism
It might not be desirable for an individual to be too optimistic; perhaps people are better off if they are a mix of optimism and pessimism
optimistic thoughts lead to
Better Mortality and survival rates* Cardiovascular outcomes (e.g., heart health, blood pressure)* Physiological markers (e.g., immune function)* Cancer outcomes* Pain management and physical symptoms* Pregnancy-related outcomes
defensive pessimism
use the expectation that things will turnout badly as a coping mechanism
Unrealistic optimism
Tendency for people to believe that they are less likely to experience negative events and more likely to experience positive events than are other people
Unrealistic optimism pros and cons
benefits, such as promoting self-confidence, reducing anxiety, and enhancing motivation. Believing in a positive future can be motivating and contribute to a sense of well-being.▪ While some level of optimism is generally healthy and adaptive, extreme or unrealistic optimism can lead to risky behaviors or poor decision-making.
What is flow?
you were totally focused and concentrated on that activity, to such an extent that you were not even aware of yourself. Time disappeared too. Only when you came out of the experience did you realize how much time had actually passed
autotelic personality
When someone does something just to do them, they are not looking for an reward.
peak experience
an activity that leaves you feeling elevated.
What makes flow happen?
Clarity of goals and immediate feedback on progress.▪ Complete concentration▪ Actions and awareness are merged.▪ Losing awareness of oneself or self-consciousness▪ Sense of control over what one is doing, with no worries about failure.▪ Transformation of time.▪ Activities are intrinsically rewarding
What is micro flow?
a short term sense of flow about 30-an hour
What are characteristics of autotelic personality?
personal innovativeness, self efficacy, control, focused attention
How to incorporate flow into our lives?
Slowly taking things away from your life and replacing them with good activities, Example- not mindlessly scrolling and reading instead
What are the benefits to flow?
You shut down self-consciousness and negative mind-wandering. You focus on the task at hand and find it intrinsically rewarding
Happiness
a positive and pleasant emotion, ranging from contentment to intense joy.
Subjective well being
SATISFACTION WITH LIFE + AFFECT
Why is it good to be happy?
it feels good, positive affect and well-being lead to sociability, better health, success, self-regulation and helping behaviour
What are factors of happiness?
optimism, extraversion, social connections, being married, having engaging work, religion or spirituality, leisure, good sleep, exercise, social class, subjective health.
Who should you spend your money on?
others
Facts about subjective well being
- Real income has risen dramatically in the prosperous nations over the last 50 years, but levels of SWB have remained fl at People in wealthy nations appear to be much happier than in poorer ones but this finding does not hold true for some nations Denmark and Costa Rica keep competing for the title of the happiest country on Earth Desiring wealth leaves one less happy
Making an extra $10,000 per year would increase your happiness only by about 2 per cent Spending money on others increases your happiness
*People who go to church are happier and live longer, although this may be explained by the social support that belonging to a religious community gives to people
- Having children does not make you happier and having under-fives and teenagers actually makes you less happy.
Saying that, having children can make your life more meaningful, and also parents tend to live longer
- Children genetically predisposed to unhappiness can benefit from early positive environmental influences better than their more genetically contented peers
- Hanging out with happy people will increase your level of happiness .
- Watching soap operas enhances well-being
- All objective life circumstances combined account for no more than 10 per cent of variance in well-being
Who is Happy?
The collated results of 916 surveys of 1.1 million people in 45 nations show that, on a scale of 0 to 10, the average score was 6.75. So, people are generally more happy than they are unhappy
Who is unhappy?
those who have recently lost their partners, clients new to therapy, hospitalized alcoholics, new inmates and students under political repression
zero sum theory
that happiness is cyclical and that happy and unhappy periods follow each other. Any attempt to increase happiness will soon be nullified by a consequent unhappy period
Adaptation theory
predicts that although happiness reacts to negative and positive life events, it returns to baseline shortly afterwards.
