Positive Debate Flashcards
For improving mental health
S- improves mental health used by healthcare professionals
E- crane et al found that patients that undergo MCBT had a reduction of 50% in the recurrence of their depression
E- this supports the notion that mindfulness is effective as it’s led to activity in the prefrontal cortex which is associated to positive emotions
I- a positive economical implication is that positive psychology as aided to the NHS reducing their budget for mental earth from £26B to £11B per annum
W- therefore it’s relevant because it has attributed to the effectiveness and high success rates of mental health as well as being advocated for by healthcare professionals
Against improving mental health
S- its contributions to healthcare are merely coincidental as there’s no way of establishing a cause and effect between the relationship of happiness and health
E- for example, teaside et al found that MBCT is ineffective as it is inherently designed to only offer well being methods for individuals suffering from several clinical depression
E- it can be argued that MBCT is only a short term solution to individuals with mental illnesses as the underlying root causes are not treated but are minimised. So the impact of positive psychology is not revolutionary
I- a negative social implication is that MBCT don’t serve to improve public health as a whole because it only helps individuals suffering from recurrent depression and doesn’t combat psychotic disorders
W- this is therefore a weakness because the lack of a distinctive relationship between happiness and health means that MCBT isn’t effective in treating the latter of mental disorders
For education
S- it’s contributions that have led to the improvement of the education system. the PPC was proposed by seligman and sought to grant students power in choosing what they want to study (promoting their skills)
E- for example, seligman found that students who partook in the PPC curriculum were more cooperative and had better social skills than non PPC
E- it can be argued that increasing the skill of wellbeing does not antagonise the traditional goal of classroom learning but enhances it.
I- a social implication is that positive psychology has served in teaching future members of society what makes their lives worth living which ensures they grow up to be contributing citizens
W- through methods of teaching based on the PPC students are now equipped with valuable skills and have improved mental wellbeing.
Against education
S- there is lack of empirical evidence to support the implementation of positive psychology (PPC) within education being disruptive to students learning
E- for example, spence and shortt noted that the available evidence at the moment that supports PPC was conducted on a small scale and for a short duration. Furthermore, seligman acknowledged further research needs to be conducted to validate it.
E- it can be argued that without further evidence it’s difficult to generalise the findings regarding the success of the PPC to all cultures around the world
I- ethical implication is that students of the abrahamic religion cannot do MCBT because it directly contradicts theirs religious beliefs.
W- therefore positive psychology is irrelevant because it can be argued that the lack of empirical evidence fails to highlight the inclusivity of the PPC in schools globally.
For workplace
S- positive psychology can be a major source of happiness in the workplace
E- the flow theory suggests that our experiences will be most positive when challenges and skills are high, increasing our self esteem. Researchers found that most people experience flow situations more than 3x as much at work than during leisure
E- this suggests that our working environments generally offer more opportunity for positive outcomes.
I- a social implication is that Oswald found that happy workers are 12% more productive, suggesting a directly link between happiness and productivity.
W- this is therefore a strength as it suggest that the use of positive psychology is beneficial for both workers and employers.
Against workplace
S- positive psychology is irrelevant as the relationship between work and happiness or productivity and happiness is once again a mere coincidence. So positive psychology offers advice or evidence on something society is already aware of
E- for example, Myers and Diener found a modest correlation of +12 between income and happiness
E- this suggests that work may make you happy but other than work, having more money does not appear to be relevant to happiness
I- a social implication is that research to support positive psychology is training people to seek happiness in work solely for money which generates a a grasping and unauthentic society
W- this is therefore a weakness because positive psychology teaches people to become out of touch and directs people to be avaricious.
Conclusion
- it’s relevant as it’s provided society with an effective therapy
- which has served to benefit not only healthcare and the education system( limited to some western societies) but also workplace
- by aiding employees in increasing their own subjective wellbeing.
- however it can be seen as irrelevant as it poses many ethical implications
