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16 Cards in this Set
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Positive assumption: acknowledgement of free will |
(to change emots). self-directing. good life exprncd if (use strngths/virts to enhnc lv). (Seligman) happiness not genes/luck. recog strs/wrk on them mk lf btr. cntrst dtrmnst aprchs. e.g. biological sgsts thoughts/flngs dtrmnd by physio mkup. psych childexp. bhvrst inlfnc envrn stim. (Ed Diener and Seligman, 2002) carried out rsrch happiness fctrs. e.g. lkd at ties studnts had to frnds/fmly (time invst). strongest ties = happier, neg corl depression. we are in ctrl. |
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Positive assumption: authenticity od goodness and excellence |
pos emots natural/auth as neg ones. psych pay eq atn to pos. (Seligman, 2002) belief that traits like virtue/happiness less authentic is obstcl in rsrch. We have inhrnt traits 'sig strs' (kindness/generosity/humour). need to nurture them. trdtnly, psych focuses on disrdrs, neg states, pos psych changes philosophy. celeb gd things in lif. infltnl on thrpies. help patient achieve fulflmt. e.g. depression focus on good traits (altruism), help dvlp. such undrstnd acts as bfr. |
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Positive assumption: focus on the good life |
i.e. factors that contrbt most predomntly to well-lived life. (Seligman, 2003) 3 desirable lives (happiness comes from): pleasant - pursuing pos emots in rel past, pres, and fut. good - pursuing activities that postvly absorb/engage us. meaningful - deep sense of fulfilment by living for purpose mch grtr than one's self. good life plc of happiness, god rels, work. to achv, nd to dvlp strs/virts. good life is combntn of 3 elmnts: -pos connection to others (ability to love/trust/dvlp spiritl cons) -pos indiv traits (integrity/morality/creativity/bravery) -life regulation qualities, qualities we need to dvlp to regulate, monitor and ctrl our bhvr in ordr to acmplsh goals (autonomy/indep/faith in our dec-makng, wisdom to guide bhv) |
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Positive explanation for relationships |
pos rels contrib to healthy w-b. pos psych is fcsd on thriving hpns, so rels are imprtnt. Authenticity of goodness and excellence pos emotes (kind/love/gen) authentic, expln why rels form. entering/maintaining rel allows dvlpmnt and exprsmnt of sig strs. in turn, striv tw happier life. allows to nurt quals. socially prgrmd to work hard to find/build rels. in turn, if rels pos contrbt to hpns. The good life strive tw GL (hap/good rels/work). one elmnt = pos con to others (ability to love/trust/forgive) essential for healthy rel frmtn/mtn. GL comes from pursuing actvts that absorb/engage. all kinds of rels help achv this. may become besotted and absorbed in romantic partner, exprnc GL. (Pew Research Centre, 2005) married people = 43% vs 24% 'very happy'. Friendships encourage expression of auth emots (kindness/gen/altruism) for both parties. rewrds from frndshp act as buffer to prvnt neg states e.g. deprssn. one of key ingrdnts to hpns. using sig strs to promote mutually useful and altruistic frndshps assure physical/emot/mental w-b. (Howell et al., 2009) people feel happier when engaged in activities that increase their connection to a friend |
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How positive assumptions apply to quality of life therapy |
QoLT helps indiv exprnce lif sat thrgh promotion of their authenticity. focus on incr hpns and optimsm to imprv QoL, while hvng same aim as others - dcrs worry/dysf. free will. ppl w/mental health issues feel lack of ctrl (help regain ctrl = +lif satis). we can dvlp str/virts to live enhncd life. dvlp strs = better eqpd to deal with chals (instd of atkng problms as they ocr). pos emots = coping strats. |
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Main principles of quality of life therapy |
(Michael Frisch) developed in 2006. advocates life/goal persp. integrates principles from Beck's CBT, combined w/pos psych i.e. promt of happiness in order for ppl to live lif of contentmnt/satisfctn. The quality of life inventory qolt starts w/assmnt of client's life using qoli. used to identify problem areas, and plan intervtn and measr efcts of intrvtn. qoli (e.g. health/creativity/rels w/children) assesses 16 areas, deemed by Frisch to have most inflnc on qol. enables both to ident areas client wishes to focus on. intervtn thn bgns to increse contentmnt and w-b in target areas. Casio model 5-fold model of life satisf. satisf in any area is made up of: Attitude Standards (evaluation of fulfilmnt) Importance Overall satisfaction (with other areas in life that aren't of immediate concern) Three pillars of QoLT 1st = helping client foster feelings of str/inner abundnce (calm, rested, ready to meet new chals). this means client has energy to live beyond moment, and strive for better qol. 2nd = finding meaning in life. helps client identify/articulate goal for each valued area. 3rd = quality time. client encouraged to spend time resting/reflecting/problem solving. 3p introduced same time as intervtn on 16 areas, forms basis of QoLT and coaching. |
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Effectiveness of quality of life therapy |
QoLT for adolescents (Toghyani et al., 2011) 20 iranian male studnts w/low swb questionnaire scores. exp/ctrl group. exp = 8 qolt x ses. sig imprv in swb in follow up asmnt. QoLT for depression (Grant et al., 1995) particpnts showed aptitude, interest in, bibliotherapy (use books to overcome mental health issues). 16 dprsd vlntrs wkly meeting to discss manual on qol. end of trtmnt, all partpcnts showed sig incrses in qol and self-efficacy. QoLT for patients suffering with multiple sclerosis (Aghayousefi and Yasin Seifi, 2013) 30 patients with MS. matched and randomly allocated to exp/ctrl. grp. expr = 10 sessions of QoLT focused around casio model. sig decr in deprsn/anx. QoLT verses 'other' positive psychology therapies no evd to sgst qoLT is any more efctv than adopting pos psych princps and virts in one's life (e.g. practising gratitude). (Emmons and McCullogh, 2003) college students who kept gratitude daily journal reported higher levels of pos states of alertness, enthusiasm, determntn. those who wrt wkly journal exercisd more rglrly, felt btr about lives as whole, and were more optimistic about upcoming week than those who recorded hassles/neutral events. |
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Ethical issues of quality of life therapy |
A 'positive' approach to therapy unlike other therapies (e.g. psychodynamic) past is not dragged up to expln bhv so anx is avoided. contrast to cog therps, no client blame (neg states not focus). doesn't offer determinist stance, free will. Moving too fast? therpsts may be 'jumping the gun' in their strats to help w-b. assumes positive states are essntl for w-b (this is subj) (Azar, 2011) cites rsrch shown that optimism doesn't benefit everyone. defensive pessimists have perfrmnc dmgd if optmsm and other pos emots frcd upn them. |
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Myers and Diener (1995): methodology and procedures |
Article is review of rsrch on happiness. mainly from 80s/90s. Interviews and questionnaires one way to assess happiness = self-report SWB. interviews, closed q's (very/not at all satisfd). questionnaire multi-item scale. quantitative measurements. Observation ask what ppl doing at crtn time. beepers, msg sent back of what they're doing/thinking. way of sampling bhvr. Correlations consider what fctrs co-vary with it. some may contrbt to hppiness, some may be conseqnc of being happy. not always clear. e.g. ppl w/high SWB tend to have pos appraisal of life events. h/e this could be cause or effct of happiness. Reviews study is review of other rsrch. some rsrch is also based on mult studies. some of these are reviews, some are meta-analyses. |
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Myers and Diener (1995) findings |
Who are the happy people? (Inglehart, 1990) 170,000 ppl 16 countries no diff. mean 80% satisfaction w/life. (Herzog et al., 1982) diff age = diff factors contrbt. older ppl = social relations/health more important. (McCrae and Costa, 1990) ppl do exprnc crises but not restrctd to age. Is happiness related to gender (Inglehart, 1990) 170,000 ppl 16 countries. 80% men + women 'fairly satisfied'. (Haring et al., 1984) gender accounts for 1% of person's gwb. (Robins and Regier, 1991) women 2x vulnrbl to depression. Is happiness related to race or culture? (Diener et al., 1993) African-Americans report nearly 2x happiness as Euro-Americans. (Inglehart, 1990) notable diff betw countries. Port 10% happy, comprd w/ 40% netherlands. ppl in indiv cultures report higher SWB than collectivist cultures. Is happiness related to money? 1993 survery 75% college students 'well off financially' esntl goal, compared w/39% in 1970 (Astin et al., 1987). (Diener et al., 1993) correlation of +.12 btw income and happiness. (Diener et al.,1985) survey Forbes rich list 37% less happy than avg americn. (Argyle, 1986) ppl who win lottery only rprt brief incrs in happiness. Poor countries = money is goals = more important. Happy people some people are just happier than others. (Costa et al., 1987) found those ppl happy in 1973 were also a decade later. The traits of happy people not clear whether traits are cause or effect of happiness. -high self-esteem 'i'm fun to be around' -sense of personal ctrl (cope w/stress better) -optimism 'i expect to succeed' -extraversion outgoing. hpper w/ppl or alone The relationships of happy people for most ppl benefits of rels outweigh strains. (Burt, 1986) ppl who can name several close friends are happier. (Lee et al., 1991) married ppl 39% happy vs 24% (Wood et al., 1989) meta-analysis 93 studies both men&women reported similar levels of happiness for marriage and non-marriage. Work and the 'flow' of happy people working ppl happier. work prvds personal idntty, sense one's life matters. work can be unsatisfying/stressful. (Mihaly Csikzentmihalyi) introduced conc of 'flow' (ext to which we become absorbed in activity so other things matter less). Csikzentmihalyi used beepers, happiest when engaged in mindful challng exprncing flow. The faith of happy people (Poloma and Pendleton, 1990) in north america&europe religious ppl report high happiness. (Gallup, 1984) ppl with 'spiritual commitment' 2x likely to say very happy. (Witter et al., 1985) happiness is associated with str of relig affiliation and freq of worship attndnc. |
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Myers and Diener (1995) conclusions |
3 elements identified that are a part of a theory of happiness. The importance of adaptation efct of pos/neg emots fade over time. e.g. loterry ST incr in happiness. or ppl who go through trauma (holocaust) recover hope and happiness. Recent longitudinal study found only events in last 3 mnths influence SWB. due to human capacity to adapt to life circumstncs. Cultural world view cultural attitudes predispose ppl to interprt life evnts difrntly. some cultrs construe world as benevolent and controllable, others emphasise neg emots such as anx/ang/guilt. Values and goals ppl with high SWB have goals. money/intelg only mttr if relv to goals. explains why money is more importnt in poor cntrs. The future a person's happiness not predictable from age/gender/affluence. is associated with race/culture. ppl who are happy possess cert traits, tend to have close rels, enjoy work and are religious. the importance of such understanding is psychologists can help build a world that enhncs wb. |
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Myers and Diener (1995) evaluation: methodology and procedures |
Self-report data collected about SWB is subj. no way of challenging/confrmng. questionnaire social desirability. rsrch found ppl who say they are happy also tend to give soc desrb answers. h/e when friends rate happiness, their ratings correlate. confirms validity of orig answer. Correlations can't establish cause/effect. intervening vars. e.g. rel btw hpns/marriage may be due to other things in marriage (not the rel) e.g. larger income. don't know direction of rel. (Mastekaasa) happy ppl more appealing as mrg prtnrs. could be happiness makes marriage more likely. The samples largely western samples. much rsrch in USA. roots of happiness may differ in other cultures. may be collectivists are equally happy just don't express it as happiness (their pleasure comes from success of group). |
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Myers and Diener (1995) evaluation: alternative evidence |
one idea of study is happiness remains mostly the same (occasional ups/downs). called 'happiness set-point' could be due to genetics. 5-HTT gene linked to happiness. ctrls lvls of serotonin. (Schinka et al., 2004) ppl w/5-HTT gene report higher lvls of life satisf. not all psychs agree. (Sonja Lyubomirsky, 2013) happiness 50% genes, 10% circumstances, 40% self-control (factors indiv has influence over). she arrived at these %s from review of studies asking ppl about happiness. comparing happiness in twins and family members, and ppl with 'easy' and 'hard' lives (to estimate role of circumstantial factors) |
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Myers and Diener (1995) evaluation: ethical issues and social implications |
Psychological harm very little risk to harm, no bhv is manipltd. h/e depressed ppl may not wlcm being asked about happiness. might make them more depressed. rsrchrs must be sensitive to particpnts' needs and debrf. imprtn note: ethical guidelines (british psychological society code of ethics) advise psychs to practise within boundaries of competnc. don't help someone who discusses depression. refer to professional. Socially sensitive research makes us think diffrntly about certain groups. (Inglehart, 1990) 10% port 40% netherlnds. ppl may assume portuguese ppl they meet will be less happy. don't know if sample used were fair representation of populations. |
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What are the strengths of the positive approach? |
A shift in focus for psychology authentic emotions (not focusing on disorders). to experience good life. pos emots not neg. only neg = limits undrstndng of human condtn. (Sheldon and King, 2001) psychology has trdtionlly failed to encrge human growth. Instd it has neg bias 'when a stranger helps another person, psychologists are quick to find the selfish benefit in the act'. psychs need to build on whts right about humn nat. look at fut instd of past. Applications applied in many fields to help ppl. e.g. educ/stress manag/occupational psychology/therapy. resilience training for US Army following extended cmpgns in Afghan/Iraq. focuses on building mental toughness by ident/dvlping sig strs, prevent mental problms. In USA pos psych curricula. involves intentnl actvts to incrs overall w-b through dvlpmnt of pos cognitions, flngs and bhvrs. US dep of edu awarded 2.8m dollar grant for pos psych to be taught to 9th graders. Pos psych curric also likely to come to UK. Free will approach unlike other aprchs, not determnst. not pre-dtrmnd nor rstrctd. freedom to dvlp sig strs. humns self-regulating, not victims of past. dvlp sig strs to live good life. in order for humans to flourish, they must recognise they have free will to change. |
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What are the weaknesses of the positive approach? |
Not a new idea not as new as may seem. pos potential of humans 1st clbrtd by Abraham Maslow and the humanistic psych movemnt in 50s/60s. critics say seligman ignores work of Abraham Maslow, Carl Rogers, Carl Jung who were first to criticise exstng apprchs as being rooted in negtvy. humanistic movement in times of behavrst/psychoanlyst. positive clms to be diff as it adopted a 'scientific study' of w-b. Can happiness be measured? idea of what happiness is differs from ppl. problem when it comes to measuring happiness and developing 'scientific' measurements for this subjective state of mind. advncs in neuroscience has allwd resrchrs to objctvly measure emot exprnc of happiness. (Wager et al., 2003) meta-analysis pos emots more likely to actvt the basal ganglia than neg emots. Ignoring individual differences ignores indiv and cult differences. (Christopher and Hickinbottom, 2008) suggest apprch is ethnocentric, based on culture-bound Western ideas on indiv autonomy and fulfilmnt. they claim america is culture preoccpd with idea that pos emots, attitds and thoughts are obligtry for 'good life', where neg emots are genrly consdrd to be smthn to avoid. they point out collectivism is 70% of world pop, and cult contxt shd not be overlkd when dtrmng pos quals. (Julie Norem, 2001) further highlights danger. she studies 'defnsv psmsts' who dl with anx by thnkng of evrythng that cld go wrng. her studies show, by procsng all realistc posblts, defnsv psmsts deal w/anx and wrok harder to avoid antcptd pitfalls. forcing optimsm can dmg perfmnce. |
