Positive psychology Flashcards
Give a brief overview of progress in positive psychology
- Traditionally psych as a medicinal model - cure
- Maslow - concept of self-actualisation - focus on positives of life, motivations, thriving
- Seligman - founder of positive psych
- Moved away from disease and medical model
- Encouraging happiness and wellbeing
What is positive psychology?
Positive Psychology is the scientific study of human flourishing, and an applied approach to optimal functioning
What should psychology be ?
- Concerned with strength as with weakness - medical model focussed mainly on weaknesses (disease, what is wrong with the individual)
- As interested in building the best things in life as in repairing the worst (strengths and positives in life)
- As concerned with making the lives of normal people fulfilling and with nurturing high talent as with healing pathology (move away from disease)
Why is positive psychology important?
- It is forecasted mental disorders will be the number one diagnosed noncommunicable disease and will account for the largest proportion of global deaths (over CVD and heart disease)
- Insel et al (2015) - $2.5 trillion
- Indirect cost of those with low levels of productivity and attendance
- Important to look at new ways to care and treat for those with mental health issues
Why focus on happiness?
- Annual Review of Public Health 2019k suggests happy individuals:
○ Greater tendency to experience positive emotions in day-to-day life
○ Less likely to express criticism, guilt, act irritated, or appear anxious
○ Report greater physical and mental health
○ Reduced mortality - strong correlation that those who self-report higher happiness tend to live longer
○ Adapt positively to day-to-day challenges and stressors
○ Greater performance and productivity, particularly in occupational domains
Why is only focussing on negatives detrimental?
Barouki et al (2021)
- Examined the efficacy of a Dialectical Behaviour Therapy (DBT) intervention in schools
- Measured: Strengths and difficulties, relationships with parents, sense of resilience, emotion regulation, depression and anxiety, stress
- Post-intervention pps reported greater total difficulties, poorer quality of parent-child relationships, increased depression, anxiety, and emotion disregulation
- Study demonstrates that when only focus on negatives when people aren’t displaying mental health disorders can be detrimental, puts individ in ruminating cycle as brings individs attention to negative aspects
How many character strengths were identified by Peterson and Seligman (2004) and what are they associated with?
24
- Associated with higher levels of wellbeing and happiness
- Help cope with life’s adversities
- Robust evidence for all strengths
- Exist in all individuals (to some degree)
By what means are character strengths/ happiness rigorously tested?
- Placebo control
- Random assignment
- Longitudinal analysis
- Validated self-report measures
Give some validated self-report measures for character strengths/happiness
- Scale of Positive and Negative Experiences
- Life Satisfaction
- Subjective Happiness Scale
- Self-Efficacy Scale
Give some examples of positive psychology training categories
- Gratitude interventions
- Forgiveness interventions
- Exercise interventions
- Mindfulness interventions
Provide study support for positive psychology interventions
- Carr et al (2024)
- > 4000 empirical studies meta analysis
- Combined all positive psych interventions to identify effectiveness
- Interventions have a significant small to medium effect on wellbeing, quality of life, strengths, depression, anxiety, and stress
- People tend to report positive outcomes
- Effects were found at follow-up (~8 months)
- Exercise (mind-body) interventions are particularly effective - e.g., combining mindfulness with yoga
Briefly describe a study which compared CBT to positive psychology
- Charves et al (2017)
- Randomised control trial with 96 clinically depressed pps
- Compared the relative efficacy of a well-established intervention for depression (CBT) with a positive psychology intervention (PPI) in a sample of clinically depressed participant
- Measured: depression (interview and self-report), rumination, thought suppression, anxiety, positive and negative affect, emotional regulation
- Had 10weeks of 2hr sessions
- Both interventions were effective in reducing depressive symptoms and increasing positive functioning - new discipline is as effective as traditional CBT approaches
- No significant differences were identified between the two interventions
- Although further evidence is needed, findings suggest PPIs can be used in conjunction with traditional treatments or in isolation to enhance psychological functioning
