Positive Psychology Flashcards
What is biological age?
An estimate of age in terms of biological functioning
What is psychological age?
A person’s mental attitudes, agility and capacity to deal with stressors
What is functional age?
A person’s ability to function in given roles in society
What is social age?
Whether people behave in accordance with social behaviours appropriate for their age
What does longevity refer to?
Living in good health for as long as possible
What are the factors of healthy ageing?
- Physical, mental & social well-being
- Not merely absence of disease
- Ongoing activities/behaviours to reduce risk of illness/increase well-being
How does the WHO define health?
A state of complete physical, mental and social well-being and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity
What are the three levels of positive psychology?
- Subjective: Valued subjective experiences (well-being)
- Individual: Positive individual traits (e.g capacity for love, courage)
- Group: Civic virtues and institutions that move individuals towards better citizenship (e.g. responsibility)
What does the positive psychology revolution challenge?
The disease model - “what makes people mentally unwell and how can we fix it?”
What does the positive psychology revolution focus on?
- Human strengths and weaknesses
- Building the best things in life and repairing the worst
- Fulfilling the lives of healthy people and healing the distressed
What are two differences between positive psychology and humanism?
1) Positive psychology = good/bad aspects of motivation and behaviour; humanism = assumes people are inherently good
2) Positive psychology = scientific method; humanism = skeptical of science in relation to human experience
What is positive psychology concerned with understanding and facilitating?
- Happiness and well-being
- Positive traits and engagement in absorbing activities
- Development of positive social relationships
What does the doctrine of hedonism focus on?
Maximising pleasure and minimising pain
How is hedonic psychology usually measured?
In terms of cognitive and affective evaluations
What are the two broad affective dimensions of subjective well-being?
Positive affect (enthusiasm, joy, energy) and negative effect (sadness, guilt, hostility, fear)
What does eudemonia mean?
Being true to one’s inner self (demon)
What are three characteristics of positive psychology in relation to eudaimonic well-being?
1) Focus on realisation of individual’s personal potential
2) Not all desirable outcomes promote wellness
3) Associated with activities that afford personal growth and development
