Positive Psychology Flashcards
A hard to define term, most definitions of which include behaviors that are atypical or aberrant, maladaptive, or accompanied by psychological distress
- It is also important to consider a person’s context and culture when deciding whether their behavior is abnormal
Abnormal Behaviors
Parents’ appropriate responsiveness to a child’s behavioral cues (eg; smiling)
Adaptive Parental Behaviors
A person’s instinctive response to a stimulus; characterized by a sense of arousal
- It is considered the most basic element of feeling and often involves evaluation of a stimulus as good or bad
Affect
The bestowal of love by the divine
Agape
The requisite motivations to use routes to desired goals
Agency Thinking
Actions or behaviors that are intended to benefit another person
Altruism
The promotion of positive relationship behaviors
Appetitive Processes
Western philosophical tradition focused on the writings and teachings of Plato and Aristotle
Athenian Tradition
The sum of emotional and physical proximity seeking behaviors toward the caregiver, developed by the child as a result of adaptive and maladaptive parent behaviors
- Regulates the pattern of attachment characteristics of the child
Attachment System
A supervisor who is one of “those individuals who are deeply aware of how they think and behave and are perceived by others as being aware of their own and others’ values/morals perspective, knowledge, and strengths; aware of the context in which they operate; and who are confident, hopeful, optimistic, resilient, and high on moral character”
Authentic Boss
A dimension of courage in the Values in Action classification system
- It involves acknowledging and representing one’s true self, values, beliefs, and behaviors to oneself and others
Authenticity
A cluster of traits exhibited by a person who enjoys life and who “generally does things for [their] own sake, rather than in order to achieve some later external goal”
- From the Greek words autos, meaning “self” and telos, meaning “end”
Autotelic Personality
The eliminating of negative relationship behaviors
Aversive Processes
A theory developed by Sternberg (1998) that specifies the processes used to balance personal interests with environmental context to achieve a common good
- The processes involve using tacit knowledge and personal values to form a judgement of or resolution for competing interests
Balance Theory of Wisdom
A theory developed by Baltes et al suggesting that wisdom requires knowledge and insight into the self and others within a cultural context and is “the ways and means of planning, managing, and understanding a good life”
- The paradigm addresses life span contextualism, relativism of values, and managing uncertainty
Berlin Wisdom Paradigm
Confidence in one’s ability to navigate both one’s culture of origin and a second culture
- May include a comfort with language in both cultures (eg; translation), appropriate social interaction (understanding cultural norms), and an ability to understand both worldviews
Bicultural Self Efficacy
Model developed by Frederickson (2000) that suggests positive emotions expand what an individual feels like doing at any given time
- Frederickson calls this expansion broadening of an individual’s momentary thought - action repertoire
- Positive emotions also allow people to build resources through the increasing of creative problem solving and recognition of personal resources
Broaden and Build Model of Positive Emotions
A philosophical and religious system based on the teachings of Buddha: life is dominated by suffering caused by desire, suffering ends when we end desire, and enlightenment obtained through right conduct, wisdom, and meditation releases one from desire, suffering, and rebirth
Buddhism
An employee’s feeling that, despite working hard, they are unable to do everything that needs to be done
- The employee is tired and perceives a lack of reward from their job
Burnout
A strong motivation in which a person repeatedly takes a course of action that is intrinsically satisfying
- For example, a person who experiences a calling to teach teaches because the job is personally fulfilling, not just because of the paycheck
Calling
Altruism thought to be motivated because of feelings of empathy (or care) for the recipient of the help offered
Care Based Altruism
A life task that requires the development of a social identity and engagement in a career characterized by contentment, compensation, competence, and commitment
Career Consolidation
Personal confidence in one’s capacity to handle career development and work related activities
Career Self Efficacy
Described by Greitemeyer, Osswald, Fischer, and Frey (2007) as “brave behavior accompanied by anger and indignation that intends to enforce societal and ethical norms without considering one’s own social costs”
Civil Courage