Week 9 - Motivation, Positive Psychology, and Humanism

Positive psychology

How do we have a good life?

humanism

The science of what it is to be human

existentialism

Is concerned with the meaning of life

phenomenology

is concerned with how it feels to be alive

free will

The basis of _____ ____ is that how we interpret the world (phenomenology) is psychologically more important than the world itself

construal

a person’s particular experience of the world

introspection

observation of one’s own perceptions and thought processes, which we think makes us human

connection with awareness

What is the purpose of existentialism?

biological, social, psychological

What are the three parts of experience

thrown-ness

The circumstances of the time and place in which you were born, impacting your construal

angst

anxiety about the meaning of life

anguish, forlornness, despair

What are the three parts of angst

bad faith

If you do not consider the meaning of life you are living in ____ ____

cowardly life, unhappiness, it’s impossible

What are the three problems of living in bad faith

Authentic existence

What is the alternative to bad faith?

what does life want from me?

What should people be asking in regards to the meaning of life, that makes them the most happy?

phenomenal field

People can be understood only from the perspective of their _______ _____, same idea as construals

actualization

Goal of existence is to satisfy this need, Carl Rogers

the hierarchy of needs

How human motivation is characterized, lower needs must be met first

career choice, employee motivation, happiness in different cultures

Three practical applications of the hierarchy of needs?

conditions of worth

These limit your freedom to act and think

fully functioning person

The goal of humanistic psychotherapy is to help the client become a _____ _________ _______

be authentic, unconditional positive regard, show empathy

What three things to humanistic therapists need to do to ensure a positive outcome?

positive psychology

• scientific and applied approach

• uncovering human strengths while keeping cultural context in mind

• promoting positive functioning

absence of disease

positive psych says that health means more than the _____ __ ______

virtues

character strengths

mindfulness

• origins in Buddhist philosophy

• can help reduce stress, enhance creativity, improve memory, and free people from recurrent thoughts

• reduces overreactions to bad events

• impossible to do all the time

flow

state of engagement with activity and lack of self-awareness

challenges abilities and proximal goals

what are the two conditions of flow

vastness

anything that is experiences as larger than the self

accommodation

Piagetial view of adapting to stimulus

vastness and accommodation

Two themes of Awe

awe

Leads to a balanced view of ones strengths and weaknesses

boredom

When a challenge is too easy relative to skill

anxiety

when demands exceed capabilities

foolish risks or fail to anticipate problems

Optimistic people are less fearful, but also take ______ _____ or ___ __ ______ _______