Positive Psych Notebook PDF

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Well organized, detailed notes of Positive Psychology taught by Dr. Froh....

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Week 1- What is Positive Psych?

9/2

What is Positive Psychology?  3 missions before WWI: o 1. Make the lives of all people better o 2. Identify & study genius & excellence o 3. Treat pathology  Not going from -5 to 0 but 0 to +2 or +6  “The absence of mental disease is not a sufficient criterion of mental health” o Even if you aren’t depressed are you thriving o Are you the best version of yourself o When you're in a good place in terms of the bad stuff, don’t stop there o Continue to work on the other stuff but continue to promote yourself  Until the 90s only focused on treating pathology o 1. Veterans Administration: treating PTSD  Made $$ doing this o 2. NIH: grant money to study psychopathology  They lost the other 2 missions because of $$  Funded pathology—followed the money  A lot of good came out of studying pathology: o DSM o ICD o Effective treatments for disorders o **But this came at a cost: we know little about what’s right with people!  PP wants:

o Psych wants to become balanced  Diener hopes the term PP dies  It should just be psychology  & become integrated into the rest o Focus equally on strengths than weaknesses o More proactive than reactive  Rather than treating kids w/ depression, give them the strength to be resilient so they don’t become depressed  How to be happy not when you're sad but before you become sad  When something bad happens you wont be as effected by it & you will go back to the baseline much faster o Healthy people to have better lives as much as it wants this for those who are distressed  Help everyone not just those dealing w/ tough times  PP is NOT just a “Happiology!” o Not just about positive emotions  PERMA o 3 different paths to authentic happiness & life satisfaction o Flourish 2011 o Flourishing in life when you…  Positive emotions  experience positive emotions  Engagement  live a life of engagement  find out strengths & use it in work/love/play  Relationships  positive, strong, nurturing

 a friend isn’t just someone who supports you but they encourage you to become better  Meaning  do you have a sense of purpose in life  do you connect to something larger than yourself  Accomplishment  we like to achieve & do well  happy people like becoming better & have goals      

Our Basic Human Pleasures: Food, Sex, & Giving We adapt to our experiences  Dialysis We are given a false bill of goods  If you have this “package” its great  But not really o You're going to adapt o That doesn’t account for all of your happiness—10%  But we spend all of our time trying to get there

Week2- Pillars & Strengths 

Pillars of PP  1. Positive Subjective Experiences o Happiness o Pleasure o Fulfillment  2. Positive Individual Traits o Character strengths  Like a fingerprint—we all have diff. strengths’ profiles  What you're good at o Talents o Values  Values clarification—spend alone quiet time to realize what you value & if your behaviors are consistent w/ your values  Behaviors effect your priorities  3. Positive Institutions o Families o Schools o Societies

  Positive institutions facilitate the development & display of positive traits, which in turn facilitate positive subjective experiences  If you choose your institutions wisely (who you're hanging out with)  Because they influence who you are going to become as a person  Who you become effects how you feel & what you experience  

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PP & the Humanists  Maslow (self actualization), Rogers, etc.  PP popularized in 1998  Seligman became president of the APA o He wanted to embrace the brighter side of life o They distanced themselves from the humanists o Humanists did softer science—case studies, quantitative data o People in the field got upset—they didn’t make this up, they made it popular  They didn’t create it, the humanists technically did Mayerson Foundation  “How can we help youth realize their potential?”  1999—UPENN  They learned that they described optimal development differently & measured it differently  Massive implication o If our outcome/definition is different we cant compare them in effectiveness because we aren’t measuring the same thing o The subjective part matters o You cant compare the results  You cant combine them—meta analysis o They are different things  Solution o Standardize it o Have to create a common vocabulary  The Values In Action Institute was created

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o Wanted to answer “what does good character mean?” They read everything They found certain virtues that everyone values Then created the survey 6 virtues & 24 strengths 1. Wisdom  Creativity  Curiosity  Love of learning  Open-mindedness  Perspective 2. Courage  Authenticity—so important to be ok w/ who you are  Bravery  Persistence  Zest—high passion for life 3. Humanity  Kindness  Love  Social intelligence—ability to perceive others emotions 4. Justice  Fairness  Leadership  Teamwork

5. Temperance  Forgiveness  Humility—being humble  Prudence  Self regulation—self control 6. Transcendence  Appreciation of beauty & excellence  Gratitude  Hope  Humor  Religiousness/spirituality  Something within us, everyone values these things from all over  A Friendly Letter to Skeptics & Atheists o Leadership, bravery, kindness, spirituality o Inspiring what they did o People are in awe when they hear the story  We are all born w/ the capacity to be good at certain strengths but our environment brings them out o Being raised a certain way brings that out  

Empirical findings  1. Relative endorsement o Adults across the world describe themselves very similarly o What people consider important here is the same in another country/state etc.  2. Compared adults to youth

o There was some agreement but the adults to adults was stronger o Strictly US  3. Strengths of the heart are more related w/ life satisfaction compared to cerebral strengths o Heart—zest, gratitude, hope & love o Cerebral—love of learning o Indicates that if you want to be more satisfied in your life you should focus on the strengths of the heart o Gratitude is the heaviest hitter o If you are high in these things today, you will be more satisfied in the future  What behaviors am I engaging in today that will make me have more energy in life?  Am I working on my gratitude?  Am I thinking to myself that things will get better even if things aren’t great right now?  Am I focusing on love w/ my family, friends, etc.? o You have to put the energy into these things o Major questions—How do you stop strengths from eroding? How do you start strengths from scratch?  4. Compared VIA scores pre-post 9/11 o They found that faith, hope, & love increased after 9/11 in US o These 3 are very theological in nature o When people are faced w/ mortality you tend to over identify w/ cultural salient values o This is known as terror management theory  5. You want to do what you're good at o You identify these things when they are congruent w/ your strength  Most fulfilling job  Crisis center  Truest love

 Alex  Best friend  Fatima  Engaging hobby  Volleyball o When your strengths match that you do best o These people & jobs should reflect your strengths o Do what you are good at  6. People completed the VIA who experienced:  Physical illness  Psychological disorders  Trauma o They experienced certain strengths  illness  bravery, kindness, hope  life satisfaction o If you want to get from illness to life satisfaction, you want the client to increase these strengths o Focus on these strengths  7. Can we have it all? o Cant be high in every strength o Due to the environment nurturing you & the environment you are in now o Everyone has different profiles Group 1—Zest o 1. Engage your audience. High energy. o 2. Get them involved

o 3. They would be the one speaking. Encouraging the others in the group Group 2—Judgment & Open-mindedness o 1. They would lay everything out on the table & see what is best for the project. Take a leadership role. Find all of the information possible. Consider all of the possibilities o 2. Is this necessary towards the project? Does everyone get a fair chance? o 3. Take the lead. Keep everyone on the same page. Listen to everyone’s opinions & use them.  Group 3—Perseverance o 1. Delegate tasks. Make sure they get done o 2. Did the other individual finish their work? Do they need help? o 3. Pick up the slack & make sure the quality of the work was high  Group 4—Creativity o 1. Think outside the box o 2. How to keep the audience stimulated? o 3. Focus more on looks than content. Do some hands on things  Lens  What we value & find important o Why we do what we do o Our strengths are how we view the world o Different as individuals  Kinds of questions we ask are often dictated by the strengths  Information they focus on  Emotions you experience o Someone who is creative may be more sensitive whereas someone who preservers may be more head strong  These things drive our behavior!

 We look at things differently because of our core strengths  

10 Principles of the Strengths  Handout

 7 main principles you should adopt to live a fulfilling life  The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People by Stephen R. Covey Personal/Individual Level  1. Be proactive o Response-able o You have the ability to choose your response to what goes on o Ex: sitting in traffic slamming on wheel—you are choosing to do that you do not have to o We point the figure out at others but you should be turning it back at yourself—what can I do to fix the situation o Make it work—the problem is not out there—you can do it  2. Begin with the end in mind o Envision your funeral—what do you want people to remember o That end should be guiding what you do today o What is it that you want people to say o You need to know where you're going in life o Wouldn’t it suck to get to the top of the ladder & say “wrong wall” o We spend too much time on speed & not enough on direction o Slow down, look at the big picture, & adjust course  3. First things first o If I have a container & put medium size rocks then small rocks, then sand, then water—its jammed up  How do I fit big rocks?—make room

 You have to put the big rocks in first  The big rocks are the priorities o You put what’s important in first  you commit to the plan  you organize around it o If you want to exercise but say you have no time  Put exercise into your schedule first—MWF at 3  Then work the rest around it o There will always be medium rocks, sand, & water but you have to put the big rocks first  4. Think win-win o They love to share recognition they do not have a scarcity mentality o You want both sides to get something out of it o They aren’t looking for win-lose o They don’t care if the other person gets something as well o They want win-win  5. Seek first to understand then be understood o When we’re talking to people we’re waiting to get our turn o Not the way to listen o Want to really understand where this person is coming from o Focus on yourself after o Become in agreement on what they say first then talk about what you think o Don’t be passive—make a suggestion  6. Synergize o Because you understand where they come from & they understand where you come from you come together to synergize & elevate o Come up with something better together than you each did on your own o Put egos aside

o Rise to the occasion & go above  7. Sharpen the saw o “I have no time to sharpen the saw I’m too busy sawing” o If you sharpen the saw  It allows you to be successful in 1-6 o You have to make the time to sharpen o Self care domains:  Physical—feel healthy, sleep well  Intellectual—read a book, learn develop & grow  Emotional—nurturing relationships in life, big rocks 1st  Spiritual—human need you need to take care of o If you don’t attend to the domains you aren’t functioning as your best domains o Our bodies are like ecosystems, if one of these are off everything is off o You function much better when everything is together

Fixed/Growth 

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Fixed mindset  You think traits are stable  They are what they are  Not going anywhere or improving Growth mindset  Opposite  I can do better & improve if I work hard  Kids read about IQ being able to improve & did better on their tests  “Yet” o I cant do this yet Grit  Having a long term goal, sticking to that goal, achieving that goal

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Week 2 

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9/21

Fredrickson  Mini vacations each day  Its not the big vacations to the Bahamas but the simple pleasures like going on a walk with a friend, listening to music, etc.  Broaden & build theory  Your body needs the little breaks  The constitution only gives you the right to happiness… o It is hard work o No one hands it to you Definitions of Happiness  Myers & Diener o It’s a subjective phenomenon for which the final judge is whoever lives inside a person’s skin  If you say you're happy you must be happy o Subjective Well Being—SWB (Diener)  1. Frequent Experiences of Positive Emotions  Mini vacations  Not the big things because you get accustomed to it  Must be frequent  2. Infrequent Experience of Negative Emotions  It still happens  It isn’t as intense & it doesn’t last as long  But they still go through it  Happy people have fully functioning emotional systems  They experience the full range of emotions

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 Don’t shun the dark side  Emotions serve the purpose of signaling of bodies 1 & 2 = affective component—less stable  3. Life Satisfaction  The thought in your head that you are satisfied 2) Eudaimonia o eu-good o daimon-spirit o Knowing what you're good at & using it to help others o SWB—feeling good vs. Eudaimonia—doing good A. Rogers—fully functioning person B. Maslow—Self-actualization C. Ryff & Singer—PWBC (psychological well-being)  Self acceptance  becoming ok with who you are w/ all of your flaws  Environmental mastery  able to manipulate things in your environment so you can grow  Autonomy  are my goals self-selected  Personal growth  Positive relations w/ others  Purpose o How to become better & grow o These are outcomes

o If you have these things you're golden  D. Deci & Ryan—SDT (self-determination theory) o 2 diff. kinds of goals  Extrinsic (wealth, fame, status)  Intrinsic (community, affiliation, growth) o If you have intrinsic goals you will fulfill your fundamental psychological needs  1. Competency—good at something  2. Autonomy—self-selected goals  3. Relatedness—good relationships o You have to be successful w/ intrinsic goals  Eudaimonia & Hedonism o Studies show E causes H & also H causes E o Positive emotions preceded positive outcomes (meta-analysis)  Feeling good does matter  When I feel good my outcomes are incredible o They are both important  You should strive on doing good & also feeling good o There is a lot of overlap so we want to get both o The mood part isn’t just something to throw away  

Interview w/ Diener  What are the key ingredients to happiness? o Social relationships  Having people that love you & that you love

 We have a need to love o Positive mental attitude  An approach attitude  Focus on what is good in life  Makes you want to pursue & do other things o Realizing money is not the key  Not that it doesn’t count but it has to have the right place o Having important goals & values that matter to you  We have to be involved in life & be active  Happiness is a process not a pleasure  Goals should be relevant to your values  Consistent w/ what is important to you  Unhappy people are more like to… o Have unhappy relationships/marriages o Get divorced  Happy people are more like to… o Have better relationships o Volunteer more o Rated higher by supervisors o Better health o Make more money o It makes you perform better 9/28

3) Authentic Happiness (2002)  3 main paths to authentic happiness 1. Pleasant Path o Positive emotions about past (contentment), present (joy), and future (hope) 2. Meaningful Path o Connect to something larger than yourself o Using what you're good at to help others o Are you helping others 3. Engagement Path o “Being in the zone”  Which are related most to life satisfaction? o 1 meaningful 2 engagement 3 pleasant  How do they define pleasure? o Their operational definitions aren’t that great o Their questions don’t really seem to define the meaningfulness of the pleasant path

10/5 4) Flourishing  Languish or flourish (Fredrickson) o Barely hold onto life or become the best version o They don’t just feel good but they are doing good & adding value to the world

 Corey Keys—facts about US 1. Measures of mental illness & measures of mental health form 2 distinct continua in the US o + & - does not operate on one single continuum they are 2 separate o If I’m not depressed or anxious I’m not necessarily happy o Not I am & I am not, I am & I kinda am o Not 2. Measures of disability, chronic physical illness, psychosocial functioning, & health care utilization reveal that anything less than flourishing is related with increased impairment & burden to self & society o Goal is to not be not impaired but to be flourishing o People who are more impaired are not engaged w/ life 3. Only a small portion of people are flourishing o 17%  What approach should people take to flourish? o Take more than one way to do it o Rather than just saying here is one intervention o It should be a two prong approach o Lets make life less bad, & more better  3 conceptions of health 1. Pathogenic approach  Absence of disease  If I’m not sick I’m doing well 2. Salutogenic approach  Presence of positive states  If you have positive states in life you are good 3. Complete state model

 Combination of the 2  Have to have some good, be low on the bad  13 dimensions to flourishing o Positive Emotions (if you added infrequent – it would be SWB) 1. Positive Affect  calm, peaceful 2. Avowed Quality of Life  are you satisfied w/ life o Positive Psychological Functioning (PWB) 3. Self-acceptance  + attitudes about yourself  life most things about yourself 4. Personal Growth 5. Purpose in Life 6. Environmental Mastery  can you select & manage environments properly 7. Autonomy  are your behaviors guided by your internal standards or someone else’s  do I do what I do because I want to or because others tell me 8. Positive Relations with Others  warm trusting relationships  trust is a function of character & competence  if I tell you I’m going to do something will I  do you have the ability to do what you say you will

o Positive Social Functioning (Soc. WB) 9. Social Acceptance  do accept that others are diff  do you have positive outlooks on people 10. Social Actualization  do you believe people in society can grow/develop  do people have potential 11. Social Contribution  do you see what you do as being useful to & being valued by society  if you're surrounded by people who don’t value what you bring to the table then… 12. Social Coherence  you have an interest in society 13. Social Integration  do you feel like you belong to a community  do you comfort & support from your community  woven into community you live in 10/7  

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Keys found empirically that the + & - are distinct but yet correlated  Used CFA—confirmatory factor analysis  You draw a diagram & say is my pic reflective of the data—to what degree yes or no Model 1—Independence model

 Did this model work? no  No arrows  

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Model 2—Psychiatric/unipolar Dimension  All of these but related to health?  Better but still not there Model 3—Mental Health & Illness are distinct but not correlated  Gets better  Health & mental illness aren’t related to each other Model 4—Complete Mental Health  Anything less than complete mental health results in impairment & disability  ...