Positive Appr Flashcards
What are the assumptions of the pos approach
acknowledgement of free will
authenticity of goodness + excellence
focus on ‘the good life’
What is the first step of the 3 desirable lives?
the pleasant life= starting point
next= good life- place of happiness, good relationships and work
Seligman encourages ppl to go further than good life and seek meaningful life in their continuing quest for happiness
How do we achieve the ‘good life’ according to Seligman?
need to develop our strengths and virtues as these are natural routes to gratification, and help us function in the face of adversity.
What does Seligman suggest as the ‘good life’s combination of 3 elements?
pos. connection to others= encompasses our ability to love, trust, enjoy happiness, forgive + develop spiritual connections with self and others
pos. Indiv. traits = may include personal qualities like a sense of integrity, morality, creativity, courage + humility.
Life regulation qualities = need to develop to regulate, monitor and control our behaviour to accomplish our goals. May include a sense of autonomy, independence, wisdom to guide our behaviour + faith in our decision making
What does Seligman distinguish as the 3 desirable lines?
The pleasant life= happiness comes from pursuing pos emotions in relation to the past, present, and future
The good life =using our character strengths to engage in activities we find intrinsically fulfilling, during work and play and in our relationships. For Seligman, ‘the good life’ has three strands, Positive emotions. Eudaimonia and flow.
happiness comes from pursuing activities that positively absorb and engage us
The meaningful life= happiness comes from a deep sense of fulfilment by living for a purpose much greater than oneself
How is assumption 2 influential in therapies? What does it do?
positive psych facilitates positive well being + help to achieve fulfilment
offers a diff way of alleviating mental illnesses by focusing on traits that produce goodness in the individual + helping ppl understand that these are natural, valuable traits that can be further developed, acting to protect them from future mental health problems.
How is pos psych different to traditional in terms of main focus?
trad = no discipline, focusing on disorders + negative states of mind
pos= primary goal = change this philosophy + practice, involving focusing on celebrating the good things in life, not magnifying the worst.
What are signature strengths? (seligman)
inherent traits like kindness, generosity, humour
these need to be nurtured to transform our lives
What does assumption 2 state about feelings of happiness and goodness?
there as natural as anxiety/stress = psychologists need to assign these pos. states of mind equal attention
Seligman (2002) : the belief that traits like virtue and happiness are less authentic than negative traits and states has been an obstacle in psychological research
What was Diener + Seligmans (2002) study?
looks at the ties students had to friends + family, measured in terms of amount of time invested in relationships
Strongest ties= happier + negative correlation between level of happiness + depression
Shows we are in control of our happiness in that we choose to engage in activities known to make us happy there4 alleviating feelings of low mood
Who is Ed Diener? What did he do?
he supported the free-will assumption, carrying out research to find out why ppl are happy
he devoted much of his time to finding out the factors that increase well-being and happiness.
what does the pos. approach believe humans have?
free-will to change how they direct their emotions.
humans are self-directing + adaptive & that a good life can be achieved if we use our strengths+ virtues to enhance our lives
What is happiness a result of according to seligman?
not good genes/ luck
recognising our own strengths + working on developing these to make our lives better and minimise negativity
