Human Strengths and Well Being

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Positive Psychology

Abraham Maslow!!

People are driven by a desire to grow and reach their full potential… valued subjected experiences

Misconceptions about weakness

Lots of things listed…Absence of stress does not relate to successful outcomes, but ability to cope with stress… Lists other things of this nature (common sense)

Critiques of Positive Psychology

• Tyranny of positivity

• Blame the victim

• “Feel good psychology”

• Challenging the conceptions of positive and negative

• too WEIRD

Tyranny of Positivity

• A critique of positive psychology

• That we don’t need to be happy ALL the time

Blame the Victim

A critique of positive psychology, some think these idea can lead to blaming the victim like people being criticized for felling emotions that aren’t always positive

“Feel good psychology”

A critique of positive psychology, says individuals absorbed with their emotional states and people search for shortcuts to happiness

• seeking how to feel good, when in reality are not doing good

Challenging the conceptions of positive and negative

• A critique of positive psychology

• What counts as positive vs. negative experiences?

Too WEIRD

A critique of positive psychology:

• Western

• Educated

• Industrialized

• Rich

• Democratic

*Research is mostly only applied to these cultures

Culture

1. The part of the environment mad by humans

2. The set of meanings and everyday practices that a group in a time and place come to adopt/develop, and these meanings and practices facilitate smooth social coordination, clarify group boundaries, and provide space for innovation (Oyserman)

Cultural Dimensions

Material/objective culture and subjective culture

Material/objective culture

Buildings, tools, clothing, methods of transportation, etc.

Subjective Culture

• Characteristic ways of viewing the environment (theories and religion)

• Can be industrialized into government, education, religion systems, etc

Culture shock

An experience a person may have when one moves to a cultural environment which is different from their own

• negative/positive reaction a person may feel when experiencing an unfamiliar way of life due to immigration, visiting a new country, moving between social environments, etc

Individualistic cultures

Cultures that emphasize the needs and goals of the individual over the needs and goals of the group

Collectivistic cultures

Cultures that empathize the needs and goals of the group over the needs and goals of the individual

Traditional values

• Emphasize the importance of religion, parent-child ties, deference to authority and traditional family values

• People who embrace these values also reject divorce, abortion, euthanasia, and suicide

• These societies have high levels of national pride and a nationalistic outlook

Secular-rational values

• Have the opposite preferences to the traditional values.

• These societies places less emphasis on religion, traditional family values and authority

• Divorce, abortion, euthanasia, and suicide are seen as relatively acceptable

Survival Values

• Place and emphasis on economic and physical security

• It is linked with a relatively ethnocentric outlook and low levels of trust and tolerance

Self-expression values

Give high priority to

• environmental protection

• growing tolerance of foreigners

• gays & lesbians

• gender equality

• rising demands for participation in decision making within economic and political life

Tightness

Refers to cultures with strict social norms and high levels of punishment for nonconformity

Looseness

Refers to cultures with more relaxed norms and lower levels of punishment

Independent self construal

A self concept that emphasizes what makes the self different and set it apart from others

Interdependent self construal

A self concept that emphasizes what connects the self to other people and groups

Horizontal collectivism

A collectivist culture in which people are relatively equal in status

Vertical Individualism

An individualist culture in which there are status differences among members

Horizontal!?!?!?!?!?

Vertical collectivism

A collectivist culture in which there are status differences between members

Communal sharing

• A form of exchange in which members of a group share a pool of resources

• Taking when they are in need and giving when others are in need

Authority ranking

A form of exchange in which goods are divided according to a persons status in the group

Equality matching

A form of exchange in which each person gets the same as the others

Market pricing

A form of exchange in which everyone gets out in proportion to what they put in

Cognitive variation

Differences in cognitive abilities among individuals

Emotional variation

• Stress affects normal body processes as does the state of ones mind

• This may in turn affect the amount of medications one needs

Motivational variation

• Interdependent selves are motivated to uphold and enhance positive aspect of themselves

• Whereas interdependent selves may not prioritize such self enhancement

Enemyship

• A personal relationship of hatred and malice in which one person desires another person downfall or attempts to sabotage another person’s progress

• Different cultures have different views on enemyship

Acculturation

The contact between groups of people with a different cultural background… whereby changes may occur in social cultural patterns in one or both groups

Acculturation strategies

• Integration

• Assimilation

• Infliction

• Avoidance

Identity integration

Trying to connect ones own perspective with the perspective of the interaction partner… which may result in new ways of approaching the situation

Identity assimilation

Refers to giving in to the cultural perspective of the identity partner

Identity infliction

Means importing one’s cultural perspective on the interaction partner which may…

Identity avoidance

Refers to avoiding discussing cultural perspectives that are potentially conflicting

6 dimensions of intercultural effectiveness

• Cultural empathy

• Open mindedness

• Emotional stability

• Flexibility

• Social initiative

• Humility

Cultural empathy

• A dimension of intercultural effectiveness

• Is the ability to empathize with feelings, thoughts, and behaviors from different cultural backgrounds

Open mindedness

• A dimension of intercultural effectiveness

• Maintaining an unprejudiced attitude to the diverse groups and cultural norms

Emotional stability

• A dimension of the intercultural effectiveness

• Remaining calm under stress

• Managing strong emotional reactions

Flexibility

• A dimension of intercultural effectiveness

• Adapting behavioral strategies to new or restrictive circumstances in foreign culture

Social initiative

• A dimension of intercultural effectiveness

• Proactively engaging in social situation and taking the initiative

Humility

• A dimension of intercultural effectiveness

• A way of being that involves a willingness, an openness, and a desire to reflect on oneself as an embedded cultural being

• Hear about and strive to understand others’ cultural backgrounds and identities

Happiness

All people want to be happy, but cultural attitudes towards positive experiences are different

Affective ideals

Positive affective states that an individual or culture would ideally like to experience

Aversion to happiness

Some people have aversions to happiness for several different reasons, some include…

• Extreme happiness makes it more likely bad things will happen to you

• Being happy makes you a worse person (certain groups, things like distraction from god)

• Expressing happiness is bad for you and others

• Pursuing happiness is bad for you and others

Hedonic happiness

Well-being defined as pure pleasure

Eudaimonic happiness

Well-being defined as having a sense of meaning and life purpose

4 components of subjective well-being

• Pleasant affect

• Unpleasant affect

• Life satisfaction

• Domain satisfaction

Pleasant affect

• A component for subjective well-being

• AKA positive affect

• Refers to individuals’ experiences of positive mood and emotion

Unpleasant affect

• A component for subjective well-being

• AKA negative affect

• Refers to individuals’ experiences of negative mood and emotion

Life satifaction

• A component for subjective well-being

• Refers to one’s cognitive judgement concerning one’s global life experience

Domain satisfaction

• A component for subjective well-being

• Refers to one’s cognitive judgment about important domains in one’s life

High-arousal positive emotions

Things like excitement and euphoria

Low-arousal positive states

Things likes relaxation and peacefulness

Most commonly experiences emotions

• Joy

• Sadness

• Anger

• Fear

• Disgust

• (and surprise)

Secular-rational values

People who hold secular-rational values tend to…

• not be religious

• skeptical of authority figures in general

• reluctant to affirm a simple difference between good and evil

Survival values

• Place emphasis on economic and physical security

• It is linked with a relatively ethnocentric outlook and low levels of trust and tolerance

Self-expression values

• High priority to environmental protection

• Growing tolerance of foreigners, gays, and lesbians (gender equality)

• Rising demands for participation in decision-making in economic political life

Equation for subjective well-being

SWB (subjective well being) = SWL (general satisfaction with life) + positive affect - negative affect

Thriving

Well-being is strong, consistent, and progressing

Struggling

Well-being that is moderate or inconsistent

Suffering

Well-being that is at high risk

Impact bias

The tendency to overestimate the length/intensity of future feelings in reaction to either your previous good or bad occurrences

Hedonic adaptation

• Tendency to get used to almost everything that happens to us

• Research has also suggested that the hedonic adaptation is fasted and more likely to be complete in response to positive than negative experiences

Ryff’s model of psychological well-being

• Life purpose

• Autonomy

• Personal growth

• Environmental mastery

• Positive relationships

• Self acceptance

Life purpose

• Part of Ryff’s model of psychological well-being

• A sense of purpose, direction, and meaning in life which often merges from setting and pursuing a valued goal

• Hold beliefs that gives purpose to life

Autonomy

• Part of Ryff’s model of psychological well-being AND Self determination theory

• Having the capacity to make decisions and take action in accordance with our own convictions

• If necessitates being self determined and responsible for our actions…resist to social pressure

Personal growth

• Part of Ryff’s model of psychological well-being

• A desire and capacity to realize our potential through authentic self expression and seeking new experiences

• Feeling of continued development

Environmental mastery

• Part of Ryff’s model of psychological well being

• The ability to choose, create, or manage the varied and complex environments in which we live

• It involved the ability to control both internal and external factors

Positive relationships

• Part of Ryff’s model of psychological well being

• The capacity to connect with others, develop relationships, care for others, express empathy & affection, and experience love & intimacy

• Understand give and take human relationships

Self acceptance

• Part of Ryff’s model of psychological well being

• Knowing, liking, and ultimately accepting ourselves, including our weaknesses and dark sides

• Feel positive about past life

Eudaemonic conceptions of happiness

Emphasize the idea that “we flourish by fully exercising out human capacities”

Self determination theory

Suggests that there are 3 innate elementary psychological growth needs (as opposed to deficit needs) that people seek to satisfy through their interaction with their environments…

• Competence

• Autonomy

• Relatedness

Competence

• Part of the self determination theory

• One needs to be effective in dealing with the environment

Autonomy

• Part of Ryff’s model of psychological well-being AND Self determination theory

• Having the capacity to make decisions and take action in accordance with our own convictions

• If necessitates being self determined and responsible for our actions…resist to social pressure

Relatedness

• Part of the self determination theory

• One needs to have close, affectionate relationships with others

PERMA

• A model of flourishing… stand for…

  • Pleasure

  • Engagement

  • Relationships

  • Meaning

  • Accomplishments

Flow

• A states in which people are so involved in an activity that nothin else seems to matter

• The experience is so enjoyable that people will continue to do it even at a great cost

• Just for the sheer sake of doing it

8 characteristics of flow

1. Complete concentration on the task

2. Clarity of goals and reward in mind and immediate feedback

3. Transformation of time (speeding up/slowing down)

4. The experience is intrinsically rewarding

5. Effortlessness and ease

6. There’s balance between challenge and skill

7. Actions and awareness are merges, losing self conscious rumination

8. There is a feeling of control over the task

Emotions

Relative intense feelings characterized by physiological arousal and complex cognitions

Moods

Relatively long lasting feelings that are diffused and not directed toward particular regrets

Facial expressions and emotions across cultures

Different cultures agree strongly on which facial expressions to reflect different emotions

Emotional regulation

• The ability to control when and how emotions are expressed

• Very important for well being

Emotion regulation styles

• Avoidance

• Suppression

• Uncontrolled/dysregulated

• Integrative emotion regulation

Integrative emotion regulation

“Sometimes feeling negative emotions helps me to understand important things about myself”

Negative emotions

• Trigger specific action tendencies:

  • Fear is linked w/ the urge to flea

  • Anger is linked w/ the urge to attack

  • Disgust is linked w/ the urge to expel

• Relates to survival

The broaden effect

Positive emotions open us up

The build effect

Positive emotions transforms us for the better

Cultivating positive emotions

• Be open

• Be appreciative

• Be curious

• Be kind

Pennebaker paradigm

• An expressive writing method where individuals write about their deepest thoughts and feelings about a significant emotional experience… aiding to gain help and insight

  • Systematic written disclosure of emotional upheaval

  • Often involving several timed sessions

Emotion approach style

Involves active movement towards (rather than away from) a stressful encounter

• A way of dealing with problems in one’s life

Emotional processing (EP)

Attempts to understand emotions

Emotional expression

Free and intentional displays of feeling

Motivation

A need/desire that energizes and directs behavior