Lecture 1: Introdction Flashcards
How did Seligman & Csikszentmihalyi (2000) define positive psychology?
“The field of positive psychology at the subjective level
is about valued subjective experiences: well-being,
contentment, and satisfaction (in the past); hope and
optimism (for the future); and flow and happiness (in
the present). At the individual level, it is about positive
individual traits: the capacity for love and vocation,
courage, interpersonal skill, aesthetic sensibility,
perseverance, forgiveness, originality, future- mindedness, spirituality, high talent, and wisdom. At
the group level, it is about the civic virtues and the
institutions that move individuals toward better
citizenship: moderation, tolerance, and work ethic.”
How did Zelenski (2015) define positive psychology?
“…the parts of psychology that deal with
(positive) experiences, dispositions, contexts,
and processes, in individuals and groups, that
facilitate well-being, achievement, and
harmony.”
Who do we refer to when trying to determine how we know that something is positive?
- This deep, central question has received less attention than you might think
- Many refer to Diener & Suh (1997) who addressed it RE ‘quality of life’ indicators
- And they adapted the idea from philosophers who were not thinking of PP
What are the 3 criteria for positivity?
- Choice (cf., ‘revealed preference’ in economics. The things that people consistently choose can be viewed as positive, an assumption common in economics. We can infer positivity or desirability from the choice)
- Subjective experience, pleasure (If it feels good…Not necessarily moral, just if It feels good it must be positive)
- Values (Based on religion, law, logic, etc.. ‘psychological’ lists, but not the purview of science. Value judgements often independent of science)
- These do not always agree
What are some examples of how these 3 criteria positive?
- Optimism (optimists tend to have more pleasant subjective experience, are happier in most cases, live longer and get things done)
- Giving to charity (positive when looking at peoples personal values because its a moral good, there’s also research to suggest that pro social behaviours make you feel good so its subjective experience as well)
- Ice cream (for most people ice cream is positive. The subjective experience can change or may be different based on moral connonations).
- Prayer
- Intelligence
- Schizophrenia (can be positive because its a spectrum and its not always life stopping, it can be apart of someone’s personality. Some artists have it and they use it to make art)
- Bird watching
What might positive refer to?
- Good intentions
- Ideology: people are good
- Appreciation: People are kinda neat
- Topics
Describe the good intentions aspect of positivity
Not unique to PP (lots of people who aren’t positive psychologists who have good intentions)
Describe the Ideology aspect of positivity
- Seems like an odd position for science to take
- We should test this; need to know how it works
Describe the appreciation aspect of positivity
- Less extreme but similar to ideology
- Slippery slope (back to ideology)?
- Says more about researcher than content
- Maybe still useful in guiding work
Describe the topics aspect of positivity
- Positive topics (note 3 criteria)
- Number line (what is on the positive side of this number line? This is what pp is about)
- Sometimes negative topics can be studied in a positive light (so we do have to look in dark places to find positive things)
- But what about resilience, grit, delay of gratification, negative consequences of happiness etc.?
is there overlap between positive psychology and other fields of psych?
- Obvious overlap with other sub-disciplines (cf. course pre reqs)
- Humanistic & health psych have particularly similar perspectives and themes
- Humanistic psych focuses on how humans are growth oriented and have a desire to self actualize if something doesn’t prevent or hinder this (e.g., insecure attachment)
- The biggest difference between positive psych and humanistic psych is the way that we go about collecting research. Humanistic psychologists do not do a lot of quantitative research (gathering numerical information and applying statistics). Humanistic psychologists had an individual phenomenology, trying to get to know one person and applying theories (more qualitative). Positive psych is less focused on individuals and more focused on human well being in general.
What is the context of positive psychology?
- Positive psych as a SCIENCE
- The scientific method is used
- Method; skepticism vs. cynicism (You’re allowed to be skeptical and approach these with skepticism (our own biases influence skepticism. Cynicism is dismissing and not good.)
- Tension between research and practice (Similar to other areas, e.g., clinical psych)
Describe Hart & Sasso’s (2011) study of contemporary positive psychology?
- Hart & Sasso (examining different sources to find core themes of PP)
- Examined: Published definitions (53), Canadian experts, Course syllabi, textbooks
