Positive Approach Flashcards
assumption 1
acknowledgement of free will
-suggests that humans have free will to dictate their own emotions and self direct them
-if we self direct our emotions effectively we can experience ‘good life’
-happiness is not due to genes or luck but by recognising our strengths
this contrasts raine and freud
-‘very happy people’:
stronger ties with friends and family=happier
suggests we control our own happiness and choose to engage time in activities that make us happy
assumption 2
focus on the goof life:
-factors that contribute most to a well lived life
-qualities that define goof life are those that enrich our lives
there are 3 dimensions of happiness:
1-the pleasant life
- things that make you feel good e.g a dog
2-the good life
-activities that absorb us and reach a state of flow (cant feel anything time stops and you are with one with the activity) e.g seeing my girls
3-the meaningful life
-the sense of fulfilment we get from our character strengths for a deeper purpose
e.g love for dogs to help RSPCA
assumption 3
authenticity of goodness and excellence:
-other approaches have negative outlooks on behaviour
-positive emotions are just as important as negative ones
-focus on positive traits and self empowerment just as much as stress/anxiety
seligmans signature strengths:
we all have these strengths so need to develop them
it shows us what we need to work on to be happy
aims of mindfulness
-to allow people to be in control of their own mind by paying attention to their present thoughts/emotions
-mindfulness will enhance a persons positive characteristics ultimately allowing them to become happier
‘the secret of health for the mind and body is to not mourn the past, worry about the future, but live in the present moment wisely’
component 1 of mindfulness
control over thoughts:
-focusing on present thoughts emotions and feelings
-the goal is to accept them and become comfortable with them
-if we become more aware of negative thoughts we can have control over how we react to them
e.g could help depression as you gain understanding so you can develop strategies to work through issues
-buddhist origins:
-it implies awareness, attention and alertness which means insight cultivated by meditation
gaining control of thoughts was used by religious and spiritual institutions but now more popular for non religious practices
-negative automatic thinking
component 2
meditation and mindful breathing:
-the physical practices of mindfulness
-best leanrt through guided instruction and personal practice
mindful breathing:
-belly breathing
-breath count
-mindful breathing
-breathing visualisation
national institute for healthcare (NICE) recommend mindfulness as a treatment for those with reoccurring depression
how to practice guided meditation:
1-settle in comfy position
2- close eyes
3-bring awareness to bodily sensations e.g breathing
4-maintain awareness as you breathe in and out
5-allow breath to flow without change
6-if mind wanders bring attention back to breathing
component 3
informal practices of mindfulness:
- once learned mindfulness can be practiced informally during everyday life e.g running
-it is the opposite of multi tasking - mind focues on one task
online meditation e.g headspace has a guided mediation for each feeling e.g sad, stressed
ways of practicing:
-mindfulness in schools project:
-8 weeks via group sessions of 90 mins per week
reduction in stress, burnout and anxiety
increased planning and motivation
available for teachers and pupils
Applying the assumptions to the therapy - acknowledgement of free will
Involved acknowledging thought and making the choice to not let it affect you
‘Gaining control of thoughts allows for a more productive attitude’
Focus of present thoughts and regulation
Actively responding to feelings
If we control our feelings = increase happiness and ultimate aim of positive psychology
Control their thoughts to reduce time spent on negative thoughts - stops biological and environmental influences
Applying the assumptions to the therapy - authenticity of goodness and excellence
Encouraged to acknowledge positive rather than negative
Guided meditation and informal practices allows you to focus on your strengths to enhance them
Positive human traits are just as authentic as negative ones
E.g determination enhances characteristics leads to happier individuals
Evaluation of mindfulness - effectiveness- methodological issues with supporting research
S- weakness
E-often small scale pilot studies as its a new concept
E-lack of evidence campaigning mindfulness to more established institutions
Counter- much supporting evidence with high success
W-weakness as it questions whether their is enough scientific research to support it as a therapy
Evaluate mindfulness - ethics - accessible
S-strength
E-accessible to all online - cheaper and less waiting times
E-e.g. headspace is a free online app
W-quicker and more accessible than other therapies eg CBT - less daunting
Evaluate mindfulness - ethics - highly ethical
S- strength -ethical as its non invasive
E-few side effects with positive attitudes - promotes free will and empowerment
E-compared to drug therapy = not serious side effects or compared to CBT = no pressure on client
Counter - can it be used for all illnesses like schizophrenia
W-strength as its less pressure and side effects and reduces patient guilt for own thoughts
Myer’s and diener ‘who is happy’ methodology
Aims - finding evidence towards what makes people happy
NO PARTICIPANTS
1- literature review (research method)
Topic of happiness from 1980-90
3 main steps:
Select research topic
Collect and read relevant articles
Write a review
2-interviews/questionnaires
Closed question interviews “how satisfied are you with life” = very satisfied/satisfied/not satisfied
Was asked to access p’s subjective well being
Questionnaires also used to access happiness
Both quantitive
3-observations
Asking p’s to repost what they’re doing at certain times - researchers use a beeper to remind p’s to record in that moment
4-correlations
Used to consider factors that are linked to happiness
Correlation does not = causation !!!
E.g people with high SWB tend to have positive life events but this could be a result of being happy not a cause
M+D findings
Gender:
Generally no difference
Robins et al happiness = roughly equal and gender accounts for less than 1% of p’s wellbeing
Inglehart et al = 80% of men and women vote fairly satisfied
Money:
Correlation is modest - 75% of Americans starting college said being well off was an important life goal than starting a family - Austin et al
Strong postitve between national wealth + wellbeing - inglehart
Traits:
Best indicator of happiness, self esteem, control
Happy people tend to like themself
Storing correlation between SWB ands self esteem
Happy people believe to be more ethical, intelligent and wealthier however the link is weaker in collectivist cultures
Relationships:
Those with more friends are happier
People who can name several intimate friends are less likely to die prematurely
E.g holocaust survivers who are most open with others have improved health
Faith:
Religious people report higher levels of happiness - less likely to abuse drugs , divorce and less vulnerable to depression \
Strongly religious people are 2x more likley to be ‘very happy’ = positive correlation between happiness and life satisfaction
M+D conclusions
1- adaptation - happy people tend to be adaptive to life events
Only events in the last 3m have significant effect
Immeadiate emotional response to significant events inevitably fade
2-cultural worldview - culture influences how life events are interpreted
Some see the world as caring/comfortable whilst others emphasis the normality of negative emotions
3- values and goals - having goals can predict wellbeing
Having non conflicting goals and making porogress towards them are all indicators of SWB
Money social skills and intelligence are only predictors of SWB if they are relevant to a persons goals
