Chapter #11: Humanistic and Positive Psychology

Humanistic Psychology

Study of awareness, free will, happiness, and related aspects of the mind that are uniquely human and give life meaning

Phenomenology

Conscious experience of the world; everything a person hears, feels, and thinks

Central Insight

Phenomenology is psychologically more important that the world itself; basis of free will

Construal

Person’s particular experience of the world

Introspection

Observation of one’s own perceptions and thought processes

Existentialism

Broad philosophical movements; regain contact with experience of being alive and aware

Biological Experience (Imwelt)

Sensations you feels by virtue of being a biological organism; pain, hunger, heat, etc.

Social Experience (Mitwelt)

What you think you feel as a social being; emotions, interpersonal relationships, etc.

Psychological Experience (Eigenwelt)

Experience of experience itself of introspection; reflection; Meaning of life? Goals? What do I want?

Throw-ness

Time, place, and circumstances into which you were born

Existential Anxiety/Angst

Unpleasant feelings caused by contemplating meaning of life

Forlorn

Being alone in your choices; living with the consequences of your own actions

Despair

Inability to change crucial aspects of the world; hopelessness

Optimistic Toughness

Ability to stay positive, keep going, and view hardship as temporary and fixable

Anicca

All things must pass

Enlightenment

Caring for others the same as yourself; you matter as much as others matter

Nirvana

Serene, selfless state; result of enlightenment

Anatta

The idea that the independent, singular self you sense inside your mind is an illusion

Self-Actualization - Rogers

People have one basic tendency to actualize, maintain, and enhance their own experience

Hierarchy of Needs - Maslow

The ultimate need of motivation is to self-actualize; lowers needs must be met first

Conditions of Worth

Standards or behavioral expectations a person believes they must meet to earn acceptance, and positive regard from significant others

Personal Construct

Individual theories of each person based on how their construals are assembled; bipolar dimension along which people or objects are arranged

Role Construct (Rep) Test

Identify three important people and how two of them are similar; notice the characteristic of why the third is disccriminated

Chronically Accessible Constructs

Cognitive schemas stored in long-term memory yet are persistently active or easily retrievable; guides perceptions, interpretation, and social information

Personal Construct Theory (PCT)

Unique framework a person uses to interpret, organize, and predict events in their life

Sociality Corollary

You can relate to and interact with another person effectively to the extent that you understand how they think and view and world; learning about others the more you know them

Constructive Alternativism

All present interpretations of the universe are open to revision, replacement, or alternative construction; constructs can be altered

Maximizers

Believe one should seek to get as much as one possible can; never enough

Satisfiers

Believe some outcomes are good enough; higher happiness overtime and better sense of control

Mindfulness

Reduces stress, chances creativity, improves memory, and frees people from disturbing, recurring thoughts

Flow

Concentrations and total lack of distraction elevates mood and time passes quickly; challenge must match skill

Awe

Emotional response to perception stimuli

Hedonic Well-Being

Defines happiness as maximizing pleasure, seeking comfort, and avoiding pain

Eudaimonis Well-Being

Life fulfillment, personal growth, and human potential is achieved by aligning core value and purpose rather than seeking pleasure