Week 6 Flashcards
What is positive psychology?
Covers research, theory and interventions about what makes life worth living.
Moves beyond studying mental illness and looks at what makes people lastingly happier.
Health is more than the absence of illness.
What influenced positive psychology?
Borne out of humanistic psychology i.e. Maslow and incorporates developmental psychology (Erikson), but also touches Buddhism through mindfulness, self compassion and other Christian views of character strength and values.
What is the PERMA model of wellbeing?
Positive emotion: reflect on the past positively and look to the future with optimism
Engagement: engage with the present, focus on things we care about and genuinely enjoy; ‘flow’
Relationships: enhancement of wellbeing through sharing and building relationships with others - family, friends, coworkers, neighbours
Meaning: we are at our best when we dedicate ourselves to something greater i.e. religion, faith, community, work, family
Accomplishment: Everyone needs to win; to reflect on the past positively must achieve wellbeing and happiness.
What is ‘flow’?
Spending time immerses in effortless concentration.
More research required to understand implications for health
Describe the VIA Model.
Wisdom and knowledge: love of learning, perspective, judgement, creativity, curiosity
Humanity: love, kindness, social intelligence
Justice: teamwork, leadership, fairness
Temperance: humility, prudence, forgiveness, self regulation
Courage: zest, bravery, honesty, perseverance
Transcendence: appreciation of beauty + excellence, spirituality, gratitude, humour, hope
In what ways might strengths be related to health?
May enhance wellbeing (Proyer et al., 2013)
May influence health behaviour i.e. eating healthy food, physical health (Proyer et al., 2013)
May assist recovery from illness > gratitude, humour, kindness
What three constructs measure subjective (hedonic) wellbeing?
positive affect
negative affect
life satisfaction
(PANAS-PA/NA + SWL scale)
What are the six constructs of psychological (eudemonic) wellbeing?
self acceptance
positive relations with others
autonomy
environmental mastery
purpose in life
personal growth
How does psychological wellbeing influence health?
eudemonic wellbeing associated with increased survival
positive relationship b/w MIL and self-reported general health
MIL associated with healthier immune functioning, optimal levels of neuroendocrine and cardiovascular markers of health, slower rates of cognitive decline and Alzheimer’s progression.
Associated with post-traumatic growth > finding meaning in suffering, coping response, flourishing
What is the Broaden and Build Theory of Positive Emotions (Fredrickson & Cohn, 2008)
Positive emotions >
Novel thoughts, activities and relationships >
Building personal resources >
Enhanced health and fulfilment >
Positive emotions
How does subjective wellbeing influence health?
Positive emotions facilitate adequate risk perception > mobilise cognitive and motivational resources > promote adaptive coping strategies
Positive emotion is prospectively associated with greater health enhancing behaviours
Happy people have bolstered immune systems and live longer
What is dispositional optimism?
Generalised expectation that a person will obtain good outcomes in life (Carver & Schier, 2001)
How is optimism related to health?
Predicts higher wellbeing > better health
Predicts better health behaviours
Helps adjustment in chronic health illness
Interventions to impact optimism increase wellbeing
Optimism and Wellbeing (Ferguson & Goodwin, 2010)
Perceived social support mediated the relationship between optimism and subjective wellbeing
Perception of control mediated the relationship between optimism and psychological wellbeing
Optimism + Wellbeing Meta-Analysis
(Alarcon et al., 2013)
optimism was positively related to:
psychological wellbeing
life satisfaction and happiness
general physical health, number of health problems and
negatively correlated to depression and anxiety
Optimism + Coping
Meta-Analysis
Nes & Sergstrom (2006)
Dispositional optimism positively correlated with coping strategies that reduce, eliminate and manage stressors
negatively correlated with avoidance coping strategies, withdrawal from stressors/emotions
Optimism + Health Behaviours
High optimism >
protective effects against antisocial behaviour/substance use
greater cardiovascular preventative behaviours
increased likelihood of making good nutritional choices
associated with persistence, self-efficacy, positive health outcomes
Pessimism >
depression, stress, isolation and anxiety
What are the health dangers of unrealistic optimism?
Belief that less likely to experience negative events in the future i.e. smokers believe that they won’t develop lung cancer, or as ‘it won’t happen to me’ attitude
Optimism + Chronic Illness
Optimism linked to:
better psychological and physical functioning in HIV men
longer survival in metastatic melanoma
better psychological outcomes in advanced cancer
reduced atherosclerosis and CVD mortality
better immune functioning
better adjustment to chronic pain
lowered stress in caregivers in palliative care
Optimism Interventions
Shapira & Mongrain (2010)
Write down and convey sage self-advice
Intervention group found increased happiness over subsequent 6 months and diminished depression over the next 3 months
Snyder’s Trait Hope Concept?
Hope involves both agency and pathways
Hope and optimism are distinct constructs
Aspinwall & Leaf (2002) argue that Snyder’s does not address differences between hoping, expecting, planning
How is hope related to health?
Predicts better wellbeing
Predicts better health behaviours
Helps adjustment to chronic illness
Contributes to better adherence for chronic conditions
Interventions to increase hope impact wellbeing
Hope in Older Australians (Ferguson et al.)
Found hope and lack of avoidance are important for wellbeing in older adulthood; predicts positive affect and meaning in life
Interventions targeting hope may enhance positive ageing and contribute to a meaningful life
Hope in Student Health
(Berg et al., 2011)
lower hope scores were connected to binge drinking and smoking
higher hope scores were related to greater likelihood and more frequent exercising and fat limitations
Interventions to improve college student health behaviours should target health.
Hope + Chronic Illness and Injury
Associated with positive adjustment across:
major burns
spinal cord injuries
cancer
renal failure
HIV/AIDS
Hope + Rehabilitation
hope correlated with improved skills and functioning
(Kortte et al., 2012)
association b/w functional impairment and depressive symptoms, weakest in patients with higher hope
(Hirsch et al., 2015)
Patient with hope focused on cure, longevity and independence > terminally ill patients hoped to avoid suffering and have a peaceful death and better lives for their families (Duggleby & Wright, 2015)
Hope Interventions (Cheavens et al., 2006)
Group sessions, 2 hours where discussion was around meaningful and plausible goals, uncovering opportunities, preventing obstacles, evaluating progress
Found: sessions improved agency, self-esteem, purpose and contained anxiety
What is gratitude in positive psychology?
An emotion expressing appreciation, being thankful, kind
Interventions include writing a letter, keeping a diary for grateful things
Mindfulness + Health
Paying attention in a particular way, on purpose in the precise moment, and non-judgementally
Describe the Five Facet Model of Mindfulness (Baer et al., 2008)
Observing
Describing
Acting with Awareness
Non-judging of inner experience
No reactivity to inner experience
What are the general benefits of mindfulness supported by research?
(David & Hays, 2012)
Reduced rumination
Stress reduction
Boosting working memory
Improved focus
Less emotional reactivity
More cognitive flexibility
Improve relationship satisfaction
How is mindfulness related to health?
Improvements in health behaviours
Increased immune functioning
Improved adjustment + functioning in chronic health illness
Dispositional Mindfulness: Longitudinal Study (10wks, n=141)
(Murphy et al., 2012)
Increased dispositional mindfulness > better eating, sleep and physical health
Mindfulness + Chronic Illness
(Di Nardo et al., 2015)
MBSR intervention with veterans with diabetes
After 3+ months diabetes related stress decreased 41% and management of diabetes improved - better eating, activity, medication, problem solving, healthy coping
Mindfulness + Chronic Illness Systematic Review + Meta-Analysis
(Victorson et al., 2015)
Partial evidence of short term effectiveness of waitlist controlled mindfulness based interventions:
managing symptom burden and effecting important modifiable health behaviours such as smoking and eating
Self-compassion + Health
Origins in Buddhism
Involves unconditional feelings of self-care, and kindness toward oneself when dealing with difficult experiences
Self-kindness vs self-judgement
Common humanity vs isolation from others
Mindfulness vs over identification
How are self compassionate people different?
They respond to personal weaknesses, failures and challenges with fewer emotional overreactions, greater emotional coping and more adaptive motivational orientations.
Self compassion + Health (Phillips & Ferguson, 2013)
self compassion correlated with positive affect, ego integrity, meaning in life and negatively correlated with negative affect.
Self compassion + Wellbeing
(Zessin et al., 2015)
Magnitude of relationship between self-compassion and wellbeing = .47
Overview of Self Compassion + Health (Terry & Leary, 2011)
Self compassion helps monitor health goals with less distraction and defensiveness > reduces negative emotional states i.e. self-blame, that interfere with emotional regulation
Self compassion led to an increased in seeking of medical care when needed and compliance with medical recommendations
Because they cope better with stressful events, self compassionate people may be less depleted and have greater self-regulatory resources to devote to self-care; frame problems differently.
Self Compassion and Health Promoting Behaviours
(Sirios et al., 2014)
Self compassion positively correlated with health promoting behaviours
Self compassion may be an important quality to cultivate for promoting positive health behaviours due in part to being associated with adaptive emotions
