Positive Psychology Key Terms + Concepts

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Disease Model

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Field of Psych. has focused on treating illness and NOT building strengths. Argues Psych. should NOT be a "repair shop" for broken lives

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Posttraumatic Growth

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After traumatic events, people have a greater appreciation for life, an increased sense of personal strength, and more clarity about what is important in life.

Underscores Pos. Psych's emphasis on strengths and positive coping abilities.

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Subjective Well-Being (SWB)

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involves life satisfaction, the presence of positive affect, and the relative absence of negative affect. Associated with Hedonic Happiness

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Pleasant Life, Engaged Life, Meaningful Life

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Pleasant: The "good" life where people are happy, content, and fulfilled

Engaged: Happiness focused on involvement in activities, ability to express talent, strengths and purpose.

Meaningful: Happiness derived from going beyond self-interests/ occupations. I.e Religious community, charity, or political cause. Connection to something "Larger than the self"

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Paradox of Affluence

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We are on twice as rich as we were 40yrs ago, but 10x more likely to get depressed.

Reasoning for the arrival/need for Positive Psychology field.

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Peak-end rule

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Suggests that people evaluate emotionally significant events based on the intensity, and how event ends, rather than how long the event lasts.

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Global Measures

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measures of SWB influenced by genetic temperament and personality. They show long-term stable characteristics because human traits are stable.

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Psychological Well-Being

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Includes Self Acceptance, Personal Growth, Purpose, Autonomy, Positive relations with others, and mastery.

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Self-Determination Theory (SDT)

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States that well-being and happiness result from the fulfillment of three basic psychological needs: Autonomy, Competence, and Relatedness (Close connections to others)

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Positive Affect

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Refers to emotions such as cheerfulness, joy, contentment, and happiness

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Negative Affect

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Refers to emotions such as anger, fear, sadness, guilt, and disgust

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Frederickson's Broaden-and-Build Theory

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Describes how positive emotions open up our thinking and actions to new possibilities, and how this expansion can help build well-being. Involves: 1) Experience pos. emotions 2) Broaden Thought-Action Repetoire 3) Build Enduring Personal Resources 4) Produce Upward spirals/ Transform individual

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Problem Focused Coping

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Involves altering, reducing, or eliminating source of stress. I.e seeking help from others, taking action to change a stressful situation, or gathering and evaluating info.

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Emotion Focused Coping

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Involves an attempt to change or reduce own's response to a stressful situation. I.e avoiding the problem, denying the problem, seeking emotional support, doing drugs.

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Proactive coping

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Involves efforts to prevent stress from beginning. I.e going to the doctor when symptoms occur

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Buffering Hypothesis

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States that social support from other's reducing the burden of stress. Supported by the studies on health benefits of disclosing traumatic events with others

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Direct Effects Hypothesis

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States that social support contributes to an individual's health independent of stressful situations. I.e close relationships have health benefits regardless of stress

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Flourishing and Languishing

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Flourishing: The state of optimal human functioning, opposite of mental illness.

Languishing: Divides mental health from mental illness. Feels empty. No pathology, little purpose/meaning.

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Critical Positivity Ratio

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Ratios above 2.9 indicate flourishing. That means positive affect is experienced 3x more.

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General Theory of Positivity

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2.9 is the line that seperates flourishing from languishing

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Savouring

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The capacity to attend to, appreciate, and enhance the positive experiences in life.

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Resilience

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Characterized by good outcomes, despite serious threats to adaptation or development.

"Maintenance, recovery, or improvement in mental/physical health following challenge"

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Ordinary Magic (Resilience)

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Foundation includes a flexible self-concept that permits people to change key features of their self-definition. Social resources are also important to resilience.

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Recovery

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Distinct from resilience, recovery involves a 6month period where the individual returns to life at zero, but doesn't thrive.

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Sources and Factors of Resilience

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Self-Acceptance, Autonomy, Environmental mastery, Personal Growth, and Purpose in Life

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Socioemotional Selectivity Theory

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As people realize they have fewer years to live, their energy and attention shifts away from activities and goals for the future and more on the present moment. People thus care more about experiencing connections with loved ones.

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Posttraumatic Growth

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Experiencing an increased appreciation of life, etc following trauma. Overcome challenges of 1) belief in personal invulnerability 2) Perception of meaningful world 3) The view of ourselves as positive

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Positive changes from PTG

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Changes in Perception (survivor, not victim),

Changes in Relationships (Grow closer)

Changes in Life Priorities (Purpose/life importance)

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Making sense of Loss

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Predictability, God's Plan, Acceptance of life cycle, Life Lessons, Loved one accepts death, preparation/expectation

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Affective Forecasting

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People consistently overestimate their emotional reaction to future events

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Impact Bias

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Exaggeration of strength and duration of anticipated emotional event

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Focalism

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Focused on the event, not it's consequences/ other aspects of our lives that dull the emotional affect

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Immune Neglect

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Neglecting the power of our resilience and psychological capacity to deal with problems

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Socioemotional Selective Theory

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Life satisfaction and happiness doesn't decrease with age. In fact, it may increase as we become more aware of the present moment

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Empty Self

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Material possesions cannot provide sustained life meaning. This is why eating disorders, drug abuse, and compulsive buying indicate an Empty self

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Maximizing

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Getting the best possible option

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Sufficing

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Getting what they need, but settling for something that isn't the best, but still does the job

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Hedonic Treadmill

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The belief that people are doomed to a certain level of happiness. People will experience positive affects but will later return to an average level of happiness

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Adaptation-level Theory

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Consists of contrast and habituation. After winning the lottery, everyday events become mundane. The pleasures of becoming rich will soon become normal and cease to be satisfying

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Dynamic-Equilibrium Model

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Expands on the treadmill idea. People have different baselines of happiness that they return to depending on their personality

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Self-Relevance

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Comparisons made will only affect you if they relate to your interests. These comparisons will be meaningful and affect pride, etc

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Measuring Personal Goals

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Involves Personal projects (essays), Strivings (trying to help others), and life tasks (largest goals)

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Basic Human Needs

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Bottom to top:

Physiological needs (food, water, etc)

Safety+Security (Safe living environment)

Belongingness (desire for love, intimacy)

Esteem (approval, respect)

Cognitive Needs (need for knowledge)

Self-Actualization (Express inner potential)

Transcendence (Spiritual/Religious need)

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Intrinsic and Extrinsic Goals

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Self Explanatory, intrinisic goals lead to increased happiness

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Autonomous and Controlled Motivation

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Autonomous motivation is your own and is freely chosen. Controlled motivation is not personally expressive (i.e parents decision)

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Self-Determination Theory

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Self-concordance defined according to four degrees of internalization and ownership. 1) Intrinsic, external, introjected and identified...these refer to different reasons for pursuing a goal.

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Self Control

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Someone's ability to initiate and guide themselves towards a future goal

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Delay Gratification

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Those who hold out for a better award turn out to be better at managing stress and are more competent academically

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Control Theory

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Provides an idealized model based on "feedback loops". Based on TOTE (test, operate, test, exit)

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Self-Discrepancy Theory

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Compares the actual self, ideal self, and ought to be self. Discrepancies arise over the 3 selves as they are compared

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Standards, Monitoring and Strengths

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Standards indicate when a goal has been achieved, Monitoring ensures it is achieved, and strengths help us achieve them

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Implementation Intentions

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Define our plan of action by specifying exact steps necessary to achieve the goal. Planning to ride a bike everyday while watching the news is an implementation intention.

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Commitment and Confidence

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Two other factors important to goal-striving and achievement

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Approach Goals

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positive outcomes that people hope to move toward or maintain (being nice to a roommate)

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Avoidance Goals

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Increases the discrepancy with the current self's state. Seeks to "stop arguing with roommate" Difficult to regulate because all possible paths must be blocked, instead of a single path being defined.

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Intergoal Faciliation

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The achievement or pursuit of one goal enhances the success towards another goal

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Action Identification Theory

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Actions occur on different levels of important. "Being a good parent" can be broken down into smaller actions that must be achieved in order for the larger purposed action to be achieved, and the person to be happy

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Ironic Effect of Mental Control + Rebound Effect

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The more we try, the worse it gets. Rebound Effect involves suppressing a thought or idea, and later thinking about it more and more.

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Hot and Cool Systems

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Hot system is activated when a threat arises or immediate pleasure can be achieved. In order for self control, one must stay cool in hot situations

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Psychological distance

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The distance between self and the situation around them, being unable to look at the bigger picture

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Positive and Negative Affectivity

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How often someone experiences positive and negative emotions

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Five Factor Model

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The five features which make up individual personality. (Extraversion, Neuroticism, Agreeableness, Conscientiousness, Openness to Experience.

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The Value of Self Esteem

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The need for positive self-regard is one of the most powerful human motives. Life-satisfaction may begin with self-satisfaction.

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Sociometer Theory

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This theory takes into account evolution, arguing that self-esteem's purpose is to monitor social inclusion and exclusion

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Contingencies of Self-Worth

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Approval of others, Appearance, Competition, Academic Competence, Family Support, Virtue, and God's Love.

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Defensive Pessimism

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Channels anxiety about potential failure into successful achievment

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Positive Illusion and Depressive Realism

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Positivity can sometimes be unrealstic, and a balancing act of depressing realism brings us back down to earth about our expected future

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Virtues and Strengths

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Review Table:10.2. Realize the sailboat model that strengths push us forward, but we must also manage and minimize our weaknesses.We must utilize and specialize our strengths

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Balance theory

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Describes the practical intelligence necessary to take wise action. Must have tacit knowledge that is built up over time/experience. Wise people take into account 1) Own interests 2) Interests and needs of important others 3) The interests of the community.

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Wisdom and Being an Expert

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Wisdom is assessed through: Factual knowledge, procedural knowledge, lifespan contextualism, relativism of values, and awareness of uncertainty.

Wisdom seems to peak around middle-age. Wise people are not always happier

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The SOC Model of Effective Life Management

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Selection; Choosing appropriate goals

Optimization: Involves self-regulation, monitoring of progress, etc

Compensation: Being smart and demonstrating adversity when one path is blocked

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The Search for Meaning (Transcendence and religion)

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The three needs for meaning are purpose, value, and self-efficacy (control over their lives)

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Self-Worth

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The fourth basis of meaning. Self-worth relfects peoples need for positive evaluation and self-esteem

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Religion and Spirituality

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Religion: A search for significance in ways related to the Sacred

Spirituality: Search for the sacred

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Attachment Theory

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The relationship between parent and child, similar to God and man. can go wrong with avoidant, or anxious attachment

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Characteristics of Intimate Relationships

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Knowledge, Trust, Caring, Interdependence, Mutuality, and Commitment

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Exchange relationships and Communal Relationships

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Exchange relationship: Distant friendship built upon mutual benefits. If one side benefits more, resentment may build

Communal relationship: Typical of our close friends, lovers, and family

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Self-verification theory

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We desire people's affirmation of our own self-view. We want to be "known" not necessarily "adored" This means that we choose a partner that understands us, how we see ourselves

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Minfulness

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The antidote to mindlessness. Review pg.279-281 before the exam (Important)