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
Goal directed thinking in which a group of people have the perceived capacity to find routes to desired goals and the requisite motivations to use those routes
Collective Hope
The degree to which a group of people believe they can work together to accomplish shared goals
Collective Self Efficacy
A cultural value that prizes the concepts of sharing, cooperation, interdependence, and duty to the group
- A perspective in which the needs of the group are placed above the needs of the individual
Collectivism
The amount of psychological attachment a worker feels toward the organization for which they work
Commitment
A form of romantic love characterized by the soothing and steady warmth that sustains a relationship
Companionate Love
An aspect of humanity that involves looking outside oneself and thinking about others as we care for and identify with them
- In positive psychology, this requires (1) that the difficulty of the recipient be serious, (2) that the recipient’s difficulties are not self inflicted, and (3) that we, as observers, are able to identify with the recipient’s suffering
Compassion
An attitude toward another containing feelings, cognitions, and behaviors that are focused on caring, concern, tenderness, and an orientation toward supporting, helping, and understanding the other
Compassionate Love
Model developed by Keyes and Lopez (2002) in which mental health is defined as high levels of emotional, psychological, and social well being and the absence of mental illness symptoms; the model acknowledges that well being and mental illness symptomatology change over time
Complete State Model
A philosophical and religious system developed from the teachings of Confucius
- It values love for humanity, duty, etiquette, and truthfulness
- Devotion to family, including ancestors, is also emphasized
Confucianism
The extent to which a particular construct or concept has the same definition in two different cultures
Construct Equivalence
The extent to which a scale measures the underlying attributes it intends to measure
- It can be achieved by comparing your measure to other measures that assess a similar construct
Construct Validity
The most durable type of love, manifested when all three components (passion, intimacy, commitment) are present at high levels and in balance across both partners
Consummate Love
The extent to which scores on a scale can predict actual behavior or performance on another, related measure
Criterion Validity
The perception of one’s own capability to mobilize motivation, cognitive resources, and courses of action necessary in situations characterized by diversity
Cultural Self Efficacy
A view that identifies a host of environmental, nutritional, linguistic, and interpersonal factors (namely, those factors that differ most from European American values) that supposedly explain the physical and psychological growth of members of selected groups
Culturally Deficient Perspective
A view of human diversity that recognizes the potential of each culture to engender unique strengths
Culturally Different Perspective
Explanations that recognize distinct cultural entities and adopt some values of the majority group
Culturally Pluralistic
Explanations that interpret behaviors within the context of cultures
Culturally Relativistic
A common heritage or set of beliefs, norms, and values
Culture
Sets of symptoms much more common in some societies than in others
Culture Bound Syndromes
One of Chickering’s developmental goals of college students; involves going from low level competence in intellectual, physical, and interpersonal domains to high competence in each area
Developing Competence
One of Chickering’s developmental goals of college students; developed when a person changes from unclear beliefs and values to clear and humanizing values
Developing Integrity
One of Chickering’s developmental goals of college students; involves growing from intolerance of differences and few relationships to an appreciation of differences and healthy relationships
Developing Mature Interpersonal Relationships
One of Chickering’s developmental goals of college students; involves transitioning from unclear vocational goals and distracting self interests to clear goals and more communal activities
Developing Purpose
Ivey and Ivey’s theory of counseling, in which the here and now is examined and information gathered about a variety of contextual dimensions in the process of conceptualizing clients’ situations
- In this theory, pathological behaviors are understood as logical responses to life events
Developmental Counseling and Therapy
An attempt, based on attachment theory, at socialization that involves building caring and trusting relationships with students who have insecure attachments with their primary caregivers
Developmental Discipline
The use of logical argumentation, discussion, and reasoning as a method of intellectual investigation
- Dialectical thinking involves examining and resolving opposing or contradictory ideas and integrating subjective information, motivation, and life experiences
Dialectical Operations
The tendency of some to expect good things about the future in a general sense
Dispositional Optimism
The motive to pursue some sort of personal gain or benefit through targeted behavior
Egotism
A feeling state resulting from the appraisal of an external object as salient to our own well being
- An emotion has a specific, “sharpened” quality, as it always has an object
Emotion
Active movement toward, rather than away from, a stressful or emotional encounter
Emotional Approach
Active movement away from, rather than toward, a stressful or emotional encounter
Emotional Avoidance
Free and intentional display of feeling
Emotional Expression
According to Salovey and Mayer’s four branch ability model, the skills (1) to perceive and express feelings; (2) to use emotions and emotional understanding to facilitate thinking; (3) to understand complex emotions, relationships among emotions, and relationships between emotions and behavioral consequences, and (4) to manage emotions
Emotional Intelligence
The attempt to understand one’s emotions
Emotional Processing
Written disclosure of emotional upheaval
Emotional Storytelling
A type of well being consisting of perceptions of affirmed happiness and satisfaction with life, along with a balance of positive and negative affect
Emotional Well Being
An emotional response to the perceived plight of another person
- It may entail the ability to experience emotions similar to the other person’s or a sense of tenderheartedness toward that person
Empathy
The view, borne out by Batson’s (1991) findings, that empathy for another person leads to a greater likelihood of helping that person
Empathy - Altruism Hypothesis
Developed using available research knowledge
Empirically Based
An employee’s involvement with their work
- It often depends on employees knowing what is expected of them, having what they need to to their work, having a chance to improve and develop, and having opportunities to develop relationships with coworkers
Engagement
A human’s capacity to transcend desire and suffering and to see things clearly for what they are
Enlightenment
A dimension of courage in the Values in Action classification system
- It involves thriving, or having motivation, in challenging situations or tasks
Enthusiasm/Zest
Romantic love, including the search for and possession of the beautiful
Eros
One of Chickering’s developmental goals of college students; involves changing from personal confusion and low self confidence to a self concept clarified through lifestyle and self acceptance
Establishing Identity
The cause, origin, or a reason for something
Etiology
Enhancements that increase well being through the setting and reaching of goals
- These enhancements are the desirable result of the goal pursuit process, which results in effective functioning and happiness
Eudaemonic Primary Enhancements
Human flourishing, or happiness associated with living a life of virtue
Eudaimonia
The study of methods of reducing “genetic inferiority” by selective breeding, especially as applied to human reproduction
Eugenics
A research method used to study flow experiences
- Participants are signaled via watches, phones, or handheld computers and asked to answer questions about their experiences at each moment they are paged
Experience Sampling Method
Explicit theories examine the externally visible aspects of a construct
- For example, in the study of wisdom, explicit theories examine behaviors thought to demonstrate wisdom, such as problem solving ability
- These theories focus on the observable characteristics of a construct
Explicit Theories
A person’s ability to meet the social, education, and occupational expectations of society
External Adaptation
A term pertaining to individuals who have simultaneously high levels of social, emotional, and psychological well being
Flourishing
Good relationships that continue to get better due to the concerted effort of both partners
Flourishing Relationships
According to Csikszentmihalyi (1990), the pleasurable experience resulting from engagement in an interesting activity that properly matches or challenges a person’s skills and abilities
Flow
A freeing from a negative attachment to the source of the transgression
- This definition of forgiveness allows the target of forgiveness to be oneself, another person, or a situation
Forgiveness (as defined by Thompson and colleagues)