positive-psychology-notes-weeks-1-12.pdf

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Positive Psychology Notes Weeks 1-12
Positive Psychology (La Trobe University)
Studocu is not sponsored or endorsed by any college or university
Positive Psychology Notes Weeks 1-12
Positive Psychology (La Trobe University)
Downloaded by Siphelele Sisi Kubheka (kubhekasiphelelesisi@gmail.com)
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Positive Psychology
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Assignments
Oral Presentation
15 minute group oral presentation & peer review (750-words equiv)
20%
Written Exam
One 90 minute multiple choice examination (2,000-words equivalent).
40%
Written Assignment
One written assignment (1,500-words equiv). This Assessment is composed of two parts: PART
ONE (15%); PART TWO (25%)
40%
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Week 1: Introduction to Positive Psychology
Positive Psychology Field
" DeÞne positive psychology and explain why the Þeld came about
The term Ôpositive psychologyÕ can be traced back to Abraham MaslowÕs 1954 book, Motivation
and Personality (Maslow, 1970).
1990 Seligman and Csikszentmihalyi: traditional psychology had become weakness orientated,
majority of funding post WWII to Þxing mental health problems, very little focus on how normal
people ßourish under benign conditions.
Seligman 1998 identiÞed the two neglected missions of psychology: the building of human
strength and making people more productive; nurturing of genius, the generation of high potential.
Aim of Positive Psychology: ÒThe aim of positive psychology is to begin to catalyze a change in
the focus of psychology from preoccupation only with repairing the worst things in life to also
building positive qualities.Ó (Seligman & Csikszentmihalyi, 2000, p. 5)
Positive psychology is based on science where other domains are not.
DeÞnition of Positive Psychology: ÒThe scientiÞc study of positive human functioning and
ßourishing intrapersonally (e.g. biologically, emotionally, cognitively), interpersonally (e.g.
relationally) and collectively (e.g. institutionally, culturally, and globally)Ó (Compton & Hoûman,
2013).
ÒPP may be deÞned as the scientiÞc study of virtue, meaning, resilience, and well-being, as well
as evidence-based applications to improve the life of individuals and society in the totality of lifeÓ
(Wong, 2011, p. 72).
PERMA Model: Positive emotions, engagement, positive relations, meaning, accomplishment
Seligman, 2011
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Criticisms and Future Directions
" List criticisms of positive psychology and outline the future direction of the Þeld
Criticisms
- Positive psychologists have not always paid suûcient tribute to its historical antecedents
(Linley, Joseph, Harrington, & Wood, 2006).
- It means diûerent things to diûerent people. There is not a clear, universally understood
deÞnition (Linley et al, 2006).
- It has ignored the reality and beneÞts of negative emotions and experiences (Wong, 2011).
- It assumes that Òwe must think positive thoughts, we must cultivate positive emotions and
attitudes, and we must play to our strengths to be happy, healthy, and wise.Ó (Held, 2004).
- Even the despot, the hedonist, and the con man can all be counted happy if they have followed
at least one pathway to happiness (Kristj‡nsson, 2012).
- PP has connotations about it that the work of other psychologists is negative (Peterson &
Seligman, 2003).
- Positive psychology is a luxury only for the privileged in our society (Peterson & Seligman,
2003)
Future Directions
- Positive psychology 2.0 (Wong, 2011) Second Wave Positive Psychology (Lomas & Ivtzan,
2015).
- Inclusion and/or synthesis of negative phenomena (Lomas & Ivtzan, 2015, Pawelski, 2016;
Wong, 2011).
- More appealing to a broader cultural context (Lomas & Ivtzan, 2015).
- ÔWho do we want to be?Õ (as a human race); Ôwhere do we want to live?Õ and Ôwhat shall we
do?Õ (Csikszentmihalyi, 2014, p. 11)
Bad and Good
" Discuss why bad is stronger than good
(Baumeister, Bratslavsky, Finkenauer & Vohs, 2001, p. 323)
Òevents that are negatively valenced (e.g., losing money, being abandoned by friends, and
receiving criticism) will have a greater impact on the individual than positively valenced events of
the same type (e.g., winning money, gaining friends, and receiving praise).Ó
Evidence
React more strongly to negative events than positive events, close relationships (5:1 more positive
encounters to negative), emotions (more words for negative emotions than positive), learning;
learn more from punishment than rewards, neurological processes (large brain responses to
negative stimuli than positive stimuli), child development; poor family environment can make
genetically bright child less intelligent, doesnÕt work the other way around), social support,
information processing (processing threatening faces quicker than happy faces), memory,
stereotypes (bad reputations are easy to gain and hard to loose), forming impressions, self,
feedback, health.
Baumeister et al., 2001
Theory
The relative strength of bad over good is regarded as an adaptive response of the human
organism to its physical and social environment. Given how pervasive the relative strength of bad
is, it seems unlikely that this pattern is maladaptive.
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Positive Psychology Interventions
" Describe positive psychological interventions (PPIs)
Happiness
10% is life circumstances, 50% is genetic, 40% is intentional activities.
Caunt, Franklin, Brodaty & Brodaty, 2013.
Positive Psychological Interventions (PPIs) DeÞnition:
Òpositive psychology interventions (PPIs)Ñ that is, treatment methods or intentional activities that
aim to cultivate positive feelings, behaviors, or cognitions.Ó (Sin & Lyubomirsky, 2009, p. 468)
Positive Psychological Interventions (PPIs) Examples:
Gratitude (journals, letters, visits)
Savouring
Practicing optimistic thinking
Best possible selves (BPS): write about yourself at your best
Goal setting " Strengths
Socialising
Random acts of kindness
Compassion
Free hugs
Mindfulness
Loving kindness meditation (LKM)
Nature
Meaning
PPIs Eûectiveness
(Sin & Lyubomirsky, 2009, p. 467)
Meta-analysis of 51 PPIs
Incorporated 4,266 individuals
The results revealed that positive psychology interventions do indeed signiÞcantly enhance
wellbeing and decrease depressive symptoms
In addition, several factors were found to impact the eûectiveness of positive psychology
interventions including: Depression status (higher depression levels increases eûectiveness) "
Self-selection " Age of participants (older is more eûective than younger) " Format of interventions
(individual rather than group) " Duration of the interventions (relatively longer))
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Readings
ÔChapter 1: What is Positive Psychology?Õ in Positive Psychology in a Nutshell: the
Science of Happiness
- Positive psychology is a science of positive aspects of human life such as happiness, well-
being and ßourishing.
- Martin Seligman deÞned it as the scientiÞc study as optimal human functioning that aims to
discover and promote the factors that allow individuals and communities to thrive.Õ
- Three levels of positive psychology: subjective, individual and group levels.
- Subjective level includes the study of positive experiences such as joy, well-being, satisfaction,
contentment, happiness, optimism and ßow. It is about feeling good rather than doing good or
being a good person.
- Individual level identiÞes the parts of the good life and personal qualities necessary for bing a
good person; focuses on forgiveness, courage, wisdom, interpersonal skills and human virtues.
- Group/community level involves taking actions at something larger than ourselves. Focus on
social responsibilities, altruism, tolerance and work ethic.
- Before the Second World War, psychology aimed to cure mental illness, improve normal lives
and future high talent however the last two tasks were lost after the war.
- Facing a human crisis (the war) meant all available espouses went to the treatment and
education on psychological illness and psychopathology. Lead to a disease model of operation
happening.
- Carl Rogers introduced the concept of a fully functioning person and Abraham Maslow
emphasised self actualisation and was the Þrst psychologist to use the term Ôpositive
psychologyÕ.
- Positive psychology is diûerent from humanistic psychology because of the basis of methods,
whilst the substance and topics studied are very similar.
- Roots of positive psychology: Humanistic Psychology (Rogers, Maslow), Allport, Ancient
Greeks (Aristotle), Post-enlightenment (moral philosophy), prevention and wellness.
ÔChapter 2: The Science of Wellbeing and Positive PsychologyÕ in Wellbeing,
recovery and mental health
- Seligman identiÞed two neglected missions of psychology; building human strength, making
people more productive and nurturing of genius, generation of high human potential.
- Positive Psychological Interventions: Best Possible Selves (BPS), Forgiveness, Gratitude, Hope,
Mindfulness, Music, Positive Psychotherapy (PPT), Savouring, Self-Compassionate Writing
- Four factors are found to heighten the eûcacy of PPIs, high levels of depression, increased
age, individual interventions (over group interventions), and longer interventions.
Positive Psychology Progress: Empirical Validation of Interventions in American
Psychologist
- In a 6-group, random-assignment, placebo-controlled Internet study, the authors tested
5 purported happiness interventions and 1 plausible control exercise. They found that 3
of the interventions lastingly increased happiness and decreased depressive
symptoms.
- Positive interventions can supplement traditional interventions that relieve suûering and
may someday be the practical legacy of positive psychology.
Dig Deeper:
What interested me from these Week 1 readings is the intense eûects that World War 2 had not
only on each individual soldier and family, but the Þeld of Psychology as a whole. The shift in
focus of psychology to be mental-illness based was prominent and lasted for generations. )
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Week 2: Strengths and Virtues
Character Strengths
" Compare and contrast VIA character strengths, StrengthsFinder and Strengths
ProÞle.
Common Grounding of Strengths:
personality traits, genetic components, associated with predictable performance or cross-
situational consistency, combination of acquired knowledge and a disposition to act in a way tat
uses good judgement in pursuit of human excellence, contain notion of individual diûerences.
People with vary in their leanings towards or away from strengths.
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VIA Strengths Framework
" Discuss the VIA strengths framework and describe its classiÞcation
Development of VIA: Used Confucianism " Taoism " Buddhism " Hinduism " Athenian philosophy
" Judaism " Christianity " Islam " Maasai (Western Kenya) " Inughuit (Greenland) " Aristotle The
Nicomachean Ethics " Jahoda (1958) monograph on Positive Mental Health " Erikson (1963, 1982)
account of psychological maturity in terms of psychosocial virtues. " Wright (1994) Òthe moral
animalÓ
Also reviewed pertinent literatures that addressed good character: " Psychiatry " Youth
development " Character education " Religion " Philosophy " Organisational studies " Psychology "
Cultural products.
Looked at " Saturday Evening Post covers by Norman Rockwell " Graûti " Tarot cards " ProÞles of
PokŽmon characters " HogwortÕs residence halls in Harry Potter.
Inclusion Criteria:
Ubiquitous " FulÞlling " Morally valued " Does not diminish others " Has non-felicitous opposite " Is
trait-like " Is measurable " Is distinct " Has paragons " Has prodigies " Can selectively be absent "
Has enabling institutions.
24 VIA Strengths: Fall under 6 Virtues
Wisdom: Creativity, open-mindedness, curiosity, love of learning, wisdom / perspective
Courage: Bravery, perseverance, honesty, zest
Humanity: Love, kindness, social intelligence
Justice: teamwork, fairness, leadership
Temperance: Forgiveness, modesty, caution, self-regulation
Transcendence: Appreciation of beauty and excellence, gratitude, hope, playfulness, spirituality
Strengths Awareness and Application
" Describe the correlates and outcomes of strengths awareness and application
ÒHere are our main Þndings: Hope and zest were substantially related to life satisfaction. Also
related substantially to life satisfaction were several other strengths: gratitude, love, and curiosity.
Modesty and various intellectual strengths (appreciation of beauty, creativity, judgment, and love
of learning) were only weakly associated with life satisfaction.Ó - Park, Peterson & Seligman, 2004.
Strengths Interventions: Generally encompass one or more of the following identifying strengths,
using strengths in a novel way, using strength s in the service of a goal.
Intervention Findings:
- Identifying personal strengths and using strengths in a new or diûerent way can lead to
subsequent gains in happiness (Seligman, Steen, Park, & Petersen, 2005).
- Training strengths can lead to greater levels of life satisfaction (Proyer, Ruch, & Buschor, 2012).
- Strengths identiÞcation and use is associated with:
- Fewer depressive symptoms (Seligman, Rashid, & Parks, 2006).
- Lower perceived stress (Wood, Linley, Maltby, Kashdan & Hurling, 2011).
- Greater self-eûcacy (Govindji & Linley, 2007).
- Greater ability to achieve goals (Linley, Nielson, Wood, Gillett, & Biswas-Diener, 2010)
Linley, Nielson, Wood, Gillett, & Biswas-Diener, 2010 Study
Hypothesis: Using oneÕs signature strengths (i.e. acting self-concordantly) will contribute to goal
progress, leading to need-satisfying experiences and greater well-being.
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34 Gallup Strengths
" List the 34 Gallup strengths and
explain how Gallup organise
them.
Equation for Strength:
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Global Study: ROI For Strengths Development Rigoni & Asplund, 2016
- Gallup studied 49,495 business units with 1.2m employees across 22 organisations in seven
industries and 45 countries.
- Studied workgroups using strengths-based interventions to examine the eûects those
interventions had on workgroup performance.
- Experimental group received a strengths intervention, control group received a less intensive
intervention.
- Examined six outcomes: sales, proÞt, customer engagement, turnover, employee engagement
and safety.
- Strengths intervention involved employees completing the CliftonStrengths assessment.
- On average, workgroups that received a strengths intervention improved on all of these
measures by a signiÞcant amount compared to the control groups.
- Strengths-based workgroups saw increases in sales and proÞts.
- Strengths-based companies use seven key strategies.
- ProÞt increased for many strengths-based workplaces.
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Readings
Strengths of Character and Well-Being by Park, Peterson, Seligman 2004
- We investigated the relationship between various character strengths and life satisfaction
among 5,299 adults from three Internet samples using the Values in Action Inventory of
Strengths.
- Strengths of character and positive experiences such as a satisÞed life are among the central
concerns of positive psychology (McCullough & Snyder, 2000; Seligman, 2002).
- However, the robust associations between life satisfaction and the strengths of love, hope, and
gratitude are not tautological and thus more intriguing. An explanatory structure for high life
satisfaction may lurk here. Gratitude connects one happily to the past, and hope connects one
happily to the future. Zest and curiosity, of course, reside in the here and now. Love-manifest in
reciprocated close relationships-is the domain in which ongoing life plays itself out in the most
fulÞlling way (cf. Diener & Seligman, 2002).
- Other character strengths were less associated with life satisfaction. In particular, in all three
samples, the least fulÞlling character strength was modesty. This Þnding might be interpreted as
an artifact of the individualism of our mainly U.S. samples, but a parallel investigation of
Japanese adults, using translated versions of the VIA-IS and various life satisfaction measures,
found exactly the same result (Shimai, Otake, Park, Peterson, & Seligman, 2003).
- We Þnd that hope, zest, gratitude, curiosity, and love are most strongly associated with life
satisfaction, and modesty and intellectual strength least so. To the extent that interventions
strive to build life satisfaction, the strengths most robustly associated with well-being might be
considered prime targets.
Chapter 11: The positive psychology of strengths, Ilona Boniwell, 2012
- Cross-cultural research on the value of strengths suggests that knowing and following your
strengths: " encourages insight and perspective in your life " makes one less sensitive to stress
" generates optimism and resilience " provides a sense of direction " helps to develop
conÞdence and self-esteem " generates a sense of vitality and energy " engenders a sense of
happiness and fulÞlment " helps achieve oneÕs goals " enables one to be more engaged at work
and perform better
- Ten criteria for VIA strengths: 1. A strength contributes to fulÞlment of the good life for a person
and others around him or her. 2. A strength is morally valued in its own right, irrespective of
whether or not it leads to beneÞcial outcomes. 3. Displaying the strength does not diminish
others, but may rather beneÞt them, causing admiration rather than jealousy. 4. A strength
cannot have an opposite that is also seen as good. 5. A strength must be manifest in a range
of a personÕs behaviours, thoughts, feelings and actions. It should be generalisable across
situations and times.
- Six virtues: " Wisdom Ð this virtue incorporates strengths related to the acquisition and use of
knowledge. " Courage Ð these strengths involve the exercise of will to accomplish goals in the
face of opposition, whether external or internal. " Love, humanity Ð interpersonal strengths. "
Justice Ð civic strengths. " Temperance Ð these strengths buûer us against excesses. "
Transcendence Ð these strengths connect us to the larger universe.
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VIA Character Strength Activity)
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Week 3: Mindfulness and LKM
ÒPaying attention in a particular way: on purpose, in the present moment, and non
-judgmentallyÓ (Kabat -Zinn, 1994, p. 4)
Kabat-ZinnÕs deÞnition suggests that mindfulness entails: 1. Self-regulation of oneÕs
attention 2. Directing oneÕs awareness to internal or external experiences 3. Metacognitive
consciousness 4. Adopting an accepting attitude
Mindfulness-Based Interventions (Clinical):
Application of Mindfulness: (non-clinical)
Mindfulness and personal development: " Lifestyle enhancement " Education and
academic performance " Workplace performance and leadership " Sporting performance "
Emotional intelligence " Mindful parenting
Mindfulness and spiritual development: " Self-actualisation " Happiness " Enlightenment
Eastern Approach
" DeÞne the Eastern approach to mindfulness
Positive thinking to Past/Future: Reminiscing or Planning
Negative thinking to Past/Future: Ruminating or Worry
- Therapeutic orientation
- Buddhist philosophy
- Involves observing present moment external events as well as internal experiences
- Opposite of automatic pilot
- The goal of mindfulness practice is to develop the self-regulatory abilities of a disciplined mind
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Criticisms of the ÔWesternised VersionÕ of the Eastern Approach to Mindfulness
Too many non-scientiÞc claims about mindfulness, McMindfulness (conversion of ancient
practice to modern version), Reduces mindfulness to an ethically-neutral technique, Too
individualist, Shifts the burden of reducing stress from the corporation to the individual
Measures of TRAIT (ÔEasternÕ) Mindfulness
Western Approach
" DeÞne the Western (Langerian) approach to mindfulness
Òa ßexible state of mind in which we are actively engaged in the present, noticing new things and
sensitive to context.Ó (Langer, 2000, p. 220)
Langerian Mindfulness:
Introduced by Langer and colleagues in 1970s
Investigates mindfulness as a cognitive mode
Examines the outcomes of mindfulness vs mindlessness (automatic pilot)
Active and eûortful mode of conscious awareness
The purpose of mindfulness is to increase cognitive and behavioural control
ENGAGEMENT, SEEKING NOVELTY, NOVELTY PRODUCING, FLEXIBITY
LangerÕs deÞnition of mindfulness therefore entails:
1. Self-regulation of oneÕs consciousness
2. Directing oneÕs attention to external stimuli
3. Engaging with it cognitively in a creative way
Interventions:
Usually brief in nature, aim is to interrupt mindlessness, prompt mindful states of awareness,
instructions given to participants, wellbeing beneÞts.
BeneÞts in improving: trait mindfulness, cognitive performance, learning skills, problem-solving
skills, creativity.
Measures of TRAIT (ÔWesternÕ) Mindfulness
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Own-Life
" Apply mindfulness to your own life
HASSEDÕS EIGHT-WEEK STRESS RELEASE PROGRAM
1. Perception
2. Letting go and acceptance
3. Presence of mind
4. Limitations
5. Listening
6. Self-discipline
7. Emotions
8. Expanding self-interest
Diûerent Types of Mindfulness Meditation
Body scan, focusing on one of the Þve senses, global awareness of all sensory and mental
experiences, insight or reßective practices, walking meditation.
Mindful Eating:
1. Choose a quiet mealtime when you wonÕt be interrupted.
2. Pay attention to the colour of your food.
3. Notice the smell of your food.
4. Pay attention to the texture of your food.
5. Notice the sound that chewing your food makes.
6. Notice the taste of your food.
7. Try to purposefully eat your whole meal this way
Loving Kindness Meditation (LKM)
Found to increased positive emotions, reduced migraine symptoms, decreases in pain, anger and
psychological distress, reduced depression and PTSD symptoms, increased compassion and
empathic responses to the stress of others.
Health Considerations to Practising Mindfulness:
Real-World Settings
" Justify the use of mindfulness in real world settings
Information
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Readings
Shapiro, S. L., Jazaieri, H., & De Sousa, S. (2016). Meditation and Positive
Psychology. In C.R. Snyder, Lopez, S. J., Edwards, L. M., & S. C. Marques (Eds.), The
Oxford Handbook of Positive Psychology, Oxford University Press.
- Mental health, once deÞned in terms of the absence of illness (Ryû & Singer, 1998), has
gradually become understood in a more holistic way, which also includes the positive
qualities that help people ßourish
- Three core elements: intention, attention and attitude
- Positive psychology has found to improve immune function, neuroplasticity, stress
reactivity and recovery. As well as improvements in memory, intelligence,
psychological ßexibility, creativity, attention/concentration, interpersonal relationships,
relapse prevention, happiness and positive aûect, optimism, empathy, self-
compassion, self-actualisation, moral maturity and spirituality.
- Meditation oûers paths to exceptional states of mental well-being and attentional
control that have been systematically developed and practiced for 2,500 years. In this
way, meditation may help positive psychology examine and reevaluate the current
deÞnition of ÒnormalÓ and expand Western psychologyÕs concept of mental health.
Brown, K. W., Ryan, R. M., & Creswell, J. D. (2007). Mindfulness: Theoretical
Foundations and Evidence for its Salutary Eûects. Psychological Inquiry, 18(4),
211-237.
- Characteristics of mindfulness: clarity of awareness, non-conceptual/ non-
discriminatory awareness, ßexibility of awareness and attention, empirical stance
toward reality, present-oriented consciousness and stability or continuity of attention
and awareness.
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Week 4: Positive Emotions
Emotions are experienced behaviourally and psychologically. They are multilayered.
Moods do not have to be in agreement; can laugh at something (evoking joy) even if you are in a
bad mood
Emotions more transient than moods
Negative emotions lead to speciÞc action tendencies
FredricksonÕs Top 10 Positive Emotions:
Joy, Gratitude, Serenity, Interest, Hope, Pride, Inspiration, Amusement, Awe and Love
Broaden and Build Model
" DeÞne and describe the Ôbroaden and build modelÕ of positive emotions
Barbara Fredrickson
New theoretical perspective on positive emotions
Joy: Readiness to engage in enjoyment
In children, joy is associated with the urge to: play " explore " investigate " create
Positive Emotions: Positive emotions in adults are associated with: interacting with others,
seeking out new experiences, taking up creative challenges, helping others in need.
Positive emotions also ignite changes in cognitive activity which can result in newer, and more
adaptive thought-action tendencies.
Broadening Thought-Action Repertoire: Increased awareness of potential options
Changes to how people process information
Can enhance an attention bias for positive information
Undoing Hypothesis: Positive emotions may act as antidotes to the unfortunate eûects of
negative emotions. The undoing hypothesis states that positive emotions help the body and mind
undo the unfortunate eûects.
Positivity Ratio: 2.9 > 11.6
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Positive Emotions
" Reßect on the beneÞts of positive emotions and explore ways to increase positive
emotions
ÒHappy individuals are more likely than their less happy peers to have fulÞlling marriages and
relationships, high incomes, superior work performance, community involvement, robust health,
and a long life.Ó
BeneÞts:
Happy people tend to be: " More productive " More creative " Better leaders " Better negotiators "
More likely to marry " More likely to have fulÞlling marriages " Less likely to divorce
And they are likely to: " Have more friends and social support " Have stronger immune systems "
Be physically healthier " Live longer " Be more helpful and philanthropic " Show more resilience to
stress and trauma
Subjective Wellbeing
" DeÞne subjective wellbeing and identity factors that make up subjective wellbeing
Hedonic: Ancient Greece found that enjoyable sensations is the basis for happiness
Hedonic wellbeing: feeling good
Òpleasure and freedom from pain, are the only thing desirable as endsÓ
Eudaemonia wellbeing: good life isnÕt just positive emotions, its the holistic lifestyle
Òwe are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, then, is not an act, but a habitÓ
Subjective Wellbeing: happiness, satisfaction with life and neuroticism
ie how do you feel about the world and yourself?
how satisÞed are you with your life as a whole?
how anxious, angry, jealous, depressed or lonely are you?
High happiness/satisfaction and low neuroticism
Subjective wellbeing: satisfaction with life +surplus of positive emotions
Psychological wellbeing: feeling good + functioning well
Social wellbeing: Þt between self + society)
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Readings
Chapter 2: Your emotions and you in Positive Psychology in a Nutshell: the Science of
Happiness
Negative emotions, such as anxiety or anger, are associated with tendencies to act in speciÞc
ways, which are adaptive in evolutionary terms (e.g. the Þght and ßight response). Moreover,
negative emotions seem to narrow our action repertoires (or actual behaviours) Ð when running
from danger, we are unlikely to appreciate a beautiful sunset. This function of negative emotions
can help minimize distractions in an acute situation.
The Ôbroaden-and-buildÕ theory of positive emotions, developed by Barbara Fredrickson, shows
that positive aûective experiences contribute to and have a long-lasting eûect on our personal
growth and development (Fredrickson, 2001).
1) Positive emotions broaden our though-action repertoires
2) Positive emotions undo negative emotions
3) Positive emotions enhance resilience
4) Positive emotions build psychological repertoire (resources)
5) Positive emotions can trigger an upward developmental spiral
A ratio of 3:1 or more; positive to negative results in the experience of ßourishing
A ratio of 2:1 or less results in the experience of languishing
- Negative emotions can help initiate fundamental personality changes. A leading expert on
emotions, Richard Lazarus, writes: ÔFor the stable adult, major personality change may require
a trauma, a personal crisis, or a religious conversionÕ (2003a: 105).
- Negative emotions can bring us to our depth and put us in touch with our deeper selves.
- They can facilitate learning, understanding of ourselves and knowledge of the world. Wisdom is
often gained from experiencing suûering and loss that are the necessary parts of life (Young-
Eisendrath, 2003).
- Finally, experiencing and coping with negative aûect can have positive social consequences,
such as modesty, moral considerations, care and empathy.
Emotional intelligence refers to the capacity to recognize and manage our own emotions and the
emotions of others close to us. It is often claimed to be more important than IQ for career success
and for achievement of oneÕs life goals.
Branches of EQ: perceiving emotions, understanding emotions, using emotions to facilitate
thinking, managing emotions.
Chapter 5: Subjective Wellbeing in Positive Psychology in a Nutshell: the Science of
Happiness
Happiness has been a topic of interest for many centuries, starting with ancient Greek philosophy,
through post-Enlightenment WesternEuropean moral philosophy (especially Utilitarianism) to
current quality-of-life and well-being research in social, political and economic sciences
(Veenhoven, 1991a).
There are several reasons why the Þ eld of well-being is ß ourishing at the moment:
- First, Western countries have achieved a suû cient level of aÿ uence, so that survival is no
longer a central factor in peopleÕs lives. Quality of life is becoming more important than matters
of economic prosperity.
- Personal happiness is becoming more important because of growing trends towards
individualism.
- Finally, a number of valid and reliable measures have been developed, which have allowed the
study of well-being to establish itself as a serious and recognized discipline (Diener et al.,
2001).
What is even more fascinating is that well-being is associated with longevity.
Life satisfaction represents oneÕs assessment of oneÕs own life. One is satisÞed when there is little
or no discrepancy between the present and what is thought to be an ideal or deserved situation.
Adaptation theory predicts that although happiness reacts to negative and positive life events, it
returns to baseline shortly afterwards.
Seligman oûers the happiness formula: H = S + C + V, where H stands for happiness, S for a set
range (genetic; 50%), C for the circumstances (10%) and V for the factors under voluntary control
(40%)
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Counting Blessings Versus Burdens: : An Experimental Investigation of Gratitude and
Subjective Well-Being in Daily Life, Emmons, Robert A.McCullough, Michael E
The gratitude-outlook groups exhibited heightened well-being across several, though not all, of
the outcome measures across the 3 studies, relative to the comparison groups. The eûect on
positive aûect appeared to be the most robust Þnding. Results suggest that a conscious focus on
blessings may have emotional and interpersonal beneÞts.
Do Positive Psychology Exercises Work? A Replication of Seligman et al., by Myriam
Mongrain; Tracy Anselmo Matthews, 2012
Brief, positive psychology interventions may boost happiness through a common factor involving
the activation of positive, self-relevant information rather than through other speciÞc mechanisms.
Finally, the eûects of PPEs on depression may be more modest than previously assumed.
The two most eûective exercises included (a) ÒThree good things in life,Ó in which participants
were asked to write three good things that happened that day and why they happened, and (b)
ÒUsing signature strengths in a new way,Ó in which participants took an online inventory of their
character strengths which provided feedback about their top Þve strengths as catalogued by
Peterson and Seligman (2004).
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Week 5: Engagement, Flow and Motivation
Flow Identity
" Outline the dimensions of ßow identity two ßow measures
ÒThe best moments in our lives, are not passive, receptive, relaxing timesÉ The
best moments usually occur when a personÕs body or mind is stretched
to its limits in a voluntary eûort to accomplish something diûcult and worthwhile.Ó
ÔBeing in The ZoneÕ
An optimal psychological state (Csikszentmihalyi)
A state of complete focus on the task at hand
Associated with positive experiences and performance outcomes.
9 Dimensions of Flow
- Challenge0skill balance
- Merging of action and awareness
- Having clear goals
- Receiving unambiguous feedback
- Total concentration on the task at hand
- Sense of control
- Loss of self0consciousness
- Transformation of time
- Autotelic experience (having an end or purpose itself).
ÒFlow is generally reported when a person is doing his or her favorite activityÑ
gardening, listening to music, bowling, cooking a good meal. It also occurs when driving,
talking to friends, and surprisingly often at work. . . . almost any
activity can produce ßow provided the relevant elements are present . . . Ó
(Csikszentmihalyi, 1997, p. 33Ð34)
Importance & Meaningfulness
Based on the ßow model, the following factors have been found to predict engagement in
learning:
- Perception of importance or meaningfulness
- Being active (rather than passive)
Peak Performance/Experience
" Compare and contrast ßow with peak performance and peak experience
Performing in a state where mind and body are one is the optimal internal experience to
which most performers aspire. Understanding the quality of athletesÕ
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experiences, optimal and otherwise, and how they are linked to their peak performance
achievements, is therefore important for those involved in sport. (Jackson, 2011)
Athletes asked to recall their subjective perceptions when performing optimally.
The experiences of elite/successful athletes compared to non0elite/less successful athletes
A psychological proÞle appeared to be linked with successful performance. This general proÞle
contained the following commonalities:
- the self0regulation of arousal
- higher self0conÞdence
- better concentration
- feeling in control but not forcing it
- a positive preoccupation with sport
- determination
- commitment
Peak Performance in Elite Athletes
In interviews with hundreds of elite athletes, 8 conditions were found that accompanied moments
when actual performance was at its peak:
1. Mental relaxation and a sense of calm, of high concentration, and often of time slowing down.
2. Physical relations with loose and ßuid movements.
3. Self0conÞdence and optimism even in the face of challenges.
4. Focus on the present and a sense of oneÕs body performing automatically.
5. High energy level along with positive emotions such as joy, as well as a sense of being ÒhotÓ/
Ócharged.Ó
6. Extraordinary awareness of oneÕs own body. Often this is accompanied by an uncanny ability
to know what the other athletes are going to do and an ability to respond instantly to them.
7. A sense of total control without undue eûort to create or maintain that control.
8. ÒIn the cocoon.Ó This refers to a sense of being in an envelope that protects ones distractions.
Additionally, it allows easy access to oneÕs powers and skills.
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Peak Experience
Maslow (1968, 1970) identiÞed characteristics that reßect a variety of emotional and cognitive
changes in peak experiences.
These changes included: " a feeling of being detached from concerns " strong concentration "
an egoless and unselÞsh perception " disorientation in time and space "
a feeling of life being meaningful, beautiful, and desirable
Flow and Experience
203 mastersÕ level swimmers " Swimmers who were intrinsically motivated (self0determined) by
engaging in swimming for their own pleasure, satisfaction, or beneÞt,
reported the highest instances of ßow " Situational determinants of perceived
competence, autonomy, and relatedness were positively and signiÞcantly related
to ßow experiences
Flow and Team Sport)
Players who lost a match experienced less ßow than players who drew or won games. There was
no signiÞcant diûerence in ßow between players who drew or won games .
Social support from the coach and performance feedback were signiÞcantly and positively associ
ated with experiencing ßow. Autonomy was not related to ßow.
Flow and social support from the coach was strongly and positively related to self
rated performance.
The more ßow soccer players experienced, the higher their performance as rated by their coach.
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Tips to Get in the Zone
Move beyond your comfort zone and challenge yourself.
Focus on process or moment0by0 moment activity.
Be self0aware, not self0conscious
Believe in your skills and stop nagging self0doubt.
ÒSet the stage,Ó or do all necessary preparations before a competition
Practice a simple meditation exercise to help focus on the present and help control unnecessary
& distracting thoughts.
Self Determination Theory
" Outline motivation in self-determination theory
Amotivation:
Òthe state of lacking the intention to act. When amotivated, people either do not act at all or
act without intent00they just go through the motions. Amotivation results from not valuing
an activity (Ryan, 1995), not feeling competent to do it (Bandura, 1986), or not expecting it to
yield a desired outcome (Seligman, 1975).Ó
Intrinsic motivation: ÒPerhaps no single phenomenon reßects the positive potential of human
nature as much as intrinsic motivation, the inherent tendency to seek out
novelty and challenges, to extend and exercise one's capacities, to explore, and to learn.Ó
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Extrinsic motivation:
Factors include external regulation, introjected regulation, identiÞed regulation, integrated
regulation
External regulation: you do something to satisfy an external demand or receive external
incentives.
Introjected regulation: where the motivation for the behaviour has been partially, but not fully,
internalised
IdentiÞed regulation: awarding a conscious value to a behaviour in such a way that the action is
accepted when it is personally important
Integrated regulation: regulations are fully assimilated with self so they are included in a person's
self-evaluations and beliefs on personal needs.
More Controlling Environment <ÑÑÑ- ÑÑÑÑ> Autonomy Supportive Environments
)
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Readings
Development and Validation of a Scale to Measure Optimal Experience: The Flow
State Scale - Jackson and Marsh
- Development of items was based on (a) past research with ßow state both within and outside of
sport settings, (b) qualitative analysis of interviews with elite athletes, and (c) quantitative
analyses conducted in the present investigation. Internal consistency estimates for the nine
FSS scales were reasonable (alpha M = .83) for administration of the scale to 394 athletes
- The ßow state, a positive experiential state, occurs when the performer is totally connected to
the performance, in a situation where personal skills equal required challenges. It is a state
aspired to by elite athletes (Jackson, 1992, in press), but also one that can be enjoyed by any
level of sport participant.
- Flow is an optimal psychological state that has been described at length by Csikszentmihalyi
(1975, 1990, 1993) and substantiated by others in a variety of settings, including work, school,
leisure, and sports
- When in ßow, a person becomes totally involved in an activity and experiences a number of
positive experiential characteristics, including freedom from self-consciousness and great
enjoyment of the process. Flow is an intrinsically enjoyable state and is accompanied by an
order in consciousness whereby the person experiences clarity of goals and knowledge of
performance, complete concentration, feelings of control, and feelings of being totally in tune
with the performance.
Chapter 4: Living in Flower in Positive Psychology in a Nutshell: the Science of Happiness
- The state of ßow happens under very speciÞc conditions Ð when we encounter a challenge that
tests our skills, and yet our skills and capacities are such that it is just about possible to meet
that challenge. So both the challenge and the skills are at high levels, stretching us almost to
the limit. If challenges exceed skills, one can become anxious.
- Clarity of goals and immediate feedback on progress, complete concentration, actions and
awareness are merged, losing awareness of oneself or self consciousness ( after each ßow
experience the sense of self is strengthened and a person becomes more than he or she was
before), sense of control over what one is doing, transformation of time, activities are
intrinsically rewarding
- Activities that lead to a ßow experience are called autotelic (from the Greek: auto = self, telos =
goal), because they are intrinsically motivated and enjoyable and have an end in themselves,
rather than in some other end product.
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Week 6: Positive Relationships
Part 1 Title
" Explain why Ôother people matterÕ when it comes to our wellbeing
Belongingness Hypothesis: Òhuman beings have a pervasive drive to form and maintain at least
a minimum quantity of lasting, positive, and signiÞcant interpersonal relationships.Ó
BAUMEISTER & LEARY PREDICTIONS
Forming Social Bonds: Prediction 1
Òsocial bonds should form relatively easily, without requiring specially conducive circumstancesÓ.
Not Breaking Bonds: Prediction 2
People are, Òat least as reluctant to break social bonds as they are eager to form them in the Þrst
place.Ó
Cognition: Prediction 3
Òpeople will devote considerable cognitive processing to interpersonal interactions and
relationships.Ó
Emotion: Prediction 4
Òreal, potential, or imagined changes in one's belongingness status will produce emotional
responses, with positive aûect linked to increases in belongingness and negative aûect linked to
decreases in it.Ó
Most strong positive and negative emotions relate to belonginess
Consequences of Deprivation
To regard belongingness as a need rather than a want, it needs to be shown that the eûects of
being deprived of it are greater than mere frustration or emotional distress.
Ball Toss Experiment
Forgas, Williams, Hippel, William von, 2005
To test social rejection, the experimenters used 3 people and a ball. 2 people are aware of the
experiment, 1 isnÕt. They exclude the singular person from the ball toss which stimulates social
rejection, resulting in increased negative emotion and further risks.
Loneliness Kills
Major public health issue
Greater health risk than obesity
As destructive to health as smoking 15 cigarettes per day
Oxytocin
Oxytocin, the Òmolecule of loveÓ
Associated with:
" Social bonding
" Trust
" Feelings of closeness
" Intimacy
" Other prosocial emotions
" Reduced stress
" Reduced anxiety
" Increased motivation to seek out social contact and support
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" Justify altruism as a route to wellbeing and positive communities
Altruism: Altruism is behaviour aimed at beneÞtting another person. Altruism involves human
behaviours that are aimed at promoting another personÕs wellbeing.
Egotism:
Public praise " Material rewards " Honours
To lesson torment
Feel good about ourselves
Escape a sense of guilt
Empathy-Altruism Hypothesis
Is there such a thing as ÒpureÓ altruism that comes from human empathy? This has been regarded
as a plausible underlying motive for helping actions. This is in contrast to the previous emphasis
on egotism as the sole motive.
Acting with the goal of beneÞting another Ð does exist and is part of human nature.
Cultivating Altruism
Engage in community work as a volunteer.
Teaching people to have greater empathy for the circumstances of others.
" DeÞne high quality connections (HQCs) and list ways to foster HQCs in the
workplace
High-Quality Connections (HQCs): Short-term, positive dyadic interactions marked by respectful
engagement.
HQCs: Workplace BeneÞts
- Better physical and psychological health
- Improved cognitive functioning
- Improved learning behaviours
- Improved creativity
- Enhanced work engagement and commitment
- Promotes organisational citizenship behaviours)
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Readings
Other People Matter: Two Examples, Christopher Peterson
- Good relationships with other people may be a necessary condition for our own happiness,
even in markedly individualist cultures like the contemporary United States.
- For Nancy, feeling happier about herself started the weight loss, and feeling happier about
herself was the result of her new friends.
Loneliness and Death, Dale Archer
- The results: social isolation, loneliness and living alone can increase mortality risk by 29%,
26%, and 32% respectively, after adjusting for age, gender, socio-economic status and pre-
existing health conditions.
- One of many fascinating points here is that it doesnÕt seem to matter if you are quite happy
living alone and donÕt feel lonelyÑyour health is still at greater risk than someone living with
another. In addition, those who are objectively isolated and subjectively lonely are at an even
greater risk for a reduced life expectancy.
- Social relationships have a positive impact behaviourally, psychosocially, physiologically.
- Healthy social ties beneÞt the immune system, heart and endocrine functions. Just as a socially
and emotionally supportive childhood promotes both a physically and mentally healthy
upbringing, having a socially supportive adulthood lessens the devastating illnesses that stress
can trigger.
- Married adults have lower instances of heart disease, and were less likely to get pneumonia or
cancer. In addition spending time with others in healthy relationships, including friendships,
augments the immune system.
Positive Processes in Close Relationships, Shelly L. Gable and Natalya C. Maisel
- Stronger and more satisfying close relationships were consistently related to lower mortality.
- Close relationships, the most important of our Òsocial ties,Ó are not only related to health and
mortality, they have also been shown to have a strong association with subjective reports of
happiness and life satisfaction
- GottmanÕs (1998) program of research has highlighted several important predictors of divorce,
such as contempt, negative aûect reciprocity, stonewalling, belligerence, and criticism. In fact,
conßict and negative aûect management in relationships have been widely thought to be the
most important factors inßuencing relationship satisfaction and stability
- As the Þelds of both positive psychology and close relationships advance, researchers need to
continue to examine how the presence of positive processes in relationships can aûect
relationship quality, and individual functioning, health, and well-being beyond the mere absence
of negatives processes.
Enhancing well-being and alleviating depressive symptoms with positive psychology
interventions: a practice-friendly meta-analysis, Nancy L. Sin, Sonja Lyubomirsky
The results revealed that positive psychology interventions do indeed signiÞcantly enhance well-
being (mean r=.29) and decrease depressive symptoms (mean r=.31). In addition, several factors
were found to impact the eûectiveness of positive psychology interventions, including the
depression status, self-selection, and age of participants, as well as the format and duration of
the interventions. Accordingly, clinicians should be encouraged to incorporate positive
psychology techniques into their clinical work, particularly for treating clients who are depressed,
relatively older, or highly motivated to improve. Our Þndings also suggest that clinicians would do
well to deliver positive psychology interventions as individual (versus group) therapy and for
relatively longer periods of time. )
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Week 7: Meaning and Purpose
Meaning
" DeÞne meaning in life and identify related variables
- Coherence in oneÕs life
- Goal directness or purposefulness
- ÔThe ontological signiÞcance of life from the point of view of the experiencing individualÕ
- What does my life mean?
It is generally positive, linked to wellbeing, facilitator of adaptive coping, marker of therapeutic
growth.
Pursuit of important goals, development of a coherent life narrative.
Equated with: " Authentic living " Eudaimonic theories of wellbeing (focus on personal growth and
psychological strengths)
Positively related to: " Work enjoyment " Life satisfaction " Happiness " Other measures of healthy
psychological functioning
Less meaning in life is associated with: " Greater need for therapy " Depression and anxiety "
Suicidal ideation and substance abuse " Other forms of distress
Measure in Life Questionnaire (MLQ):
10-item
7-point Likert scale (range 1 Òabsolutely untrueÓ to 7 Òabsolutely trueÓ)
2 subscales
Presence of meaning (5-items, one reverse coded question; e.g. ÒMy life has a clear sense of
purposeÓ)
Search for meaning (5-items; e.g. ÒI am searching for meaning in my lifeÓ)
Psychological Wellbeing:
Six-dimensions:
1. Self-acceptance
2. Positive relations with others
3. Autonomy
4. Environmental mastery
5. Purpose in life
6. Personal growth
A person who scores high in purpose has goals in life, a sense of directness, feels there is
meaning to present and past life, holds beliefs that give life purpose, has aims and objectives for
living.
Victor Frankl
" List 3 ways that Viktor Frankl says we can Þnd meaning in our lives
Viktor Frankl, Austrian neurologist and psychiatrist, holocaust survivor
Ò What man actually needs is not a tensionless state but rather the striving and struggling for a
worthwhile goal, a freely chosen task Éman is ultimately self-determining, man does not simply
exist but always decides what his existence will be, what he will become in the next moment.Ó
How to survive suûering: imagination, savouring, love, gratitude, awe, joy, arts, kindness, humour
and hope.
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3 ways to discover meaning:
1. By creating work or doing a good dead
2. By experiencing something or encountering someone
3. By the attitude we take toward unavoidable suûering
Job Craft
" Explore job crafting and list three ways to job craft
Job: Þnancial rewards
Career: advancement
Calling: purpose in life
Calling and character strengths: The level of positive experiences and calling have been found to
be higher when four to seven signature strengths were applied at work compared to less than
four.
Job crafting: we use the term job crafting to capture the actions employees take to shape,
mould, and redeÞne their jobs
ÓJob crafters are individuals who actively compose both what their job is physically, by changing
a job's task boundaries, what their job is cognitively, by changing the way they think about the
relationships among job tasks, and what their job is relationally, by changing the interactions and
relationships they have with others at work.Ó)
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Readings
Steger, M. F. (2017). Where are we now? Meaning in life and wellbeing. In M. Slade,
L. Oades & A. Jarden (Eds.), Wellbeing, Recovery and Mental Health, Cambridge
University Press.
Therefore, the deÞnition used here is that meaning in life is the set of subjective judgements
people make that their lives are (a) worthwhile and signiÞcant, (b) comprehensible and make
sense, and (c) marked by the embrace or pursuit of one or more highly valued, overarching
purposes or missions.
SigniÞcance: ÒMeaning in life necessarily involves people feeling that their lives matter, making
sense of their lives, and determining a broader purpose for their livesÓ
Comprehension: Meaning in life scholarship long has incorporated the ability to make sense of life
or to construct a comprehensive mental model of oneÕs existence as a central feature of meaning.
For life to be meaningful, it cannot be a chaotic whirl of nonsense or confusion. People need to
feel that enough of their life is predictable and consistent to allow them to develop a sense of
identity and self, attachment to others, the ability to navigate through the physical and social
world, and the vital associations and connections among all of those moving parts.
Purpose: Here, meaning is experienced as what people are trying to do to enact their values.
Thus, meaning refers to peopleÕs pursuits of their most important strivings and aims in life
Given the incredible psychological diversity and ßexibility of humans, the easy answer is that it
does not matter what makes life meaningful for someone, as long as that person thinks it is
meaningful.
A uniÞed model of meaning in life is one more step on the way to more clearly accounting for how
people develop and encounter meaning, and for delineating the role of meaning in optimal
psychological functioning.
Steger, M. F., Frazier, P., Oishi, S., & Kaler, M. (2006). The Meaning in Life
Questionnaire: Assessing the Presence of and Search for Meaning in Life. Journal
of Counseling Psychology, 53(1), 80-93.
The MLQ oûers several improvements over current meaning in life measures, including no
item overlap with distress measures, a stable factor structure, better discriminant validity,
a briefer format, and the ability to measure the search for meaning.
MAN'S SEARCH FOR MEANING by Viktor Frankl | Core Message
Wells of Meaning;
pursuing a life task, loving selßessly, suûering bravely
Suûering is a valuable task
Loving is elevating those around you
Meaningful Work. (2019). Psychology Today. https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/
the-meaning-in-life/200906/meaningful-work
First, the work we do must make sense; we must know what's being asked of us and be able to
identify the personal or organizational resources we need to do our job. Second, the work we do
must have a point; we must be able to see how the little tasks we engage in build, brick-by-brick
if you will, into an important part of the purpose of our company. Finally, the work that we do must
beneÞt some greater good; we must be able to see how our toil helps others, whether that's
saving the planet, saving a life, or making our co-workers' jobs easier so that they can go home
and really be available for their families and friends.
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Week 8: Accomplishment (Best Possible Selves)
Best Possible Selves (BPS)
" Discuss the method and beneÞts of the best possible selves (BPS) activity
Strengths: ÒA pre-existing capacity for a particular way of behaving, thinking, or feeling that is
authentic and energising to the use, and enables optimal functioning, development and
performance.Ó - Linley, 2008
Writing about Traumatic Experiences: ÒI Þnd this better than counselling, IÕm so grateful for the
counselling, but I tend to feel like a victim, or a client. Whereas, when IÕm writing my stories IÕm in
chargeÓ
Best Possible Selves (BPS): ÒThink about your life in the future. Imagine that everything has
gone as well as it possibly could. You have worked hard and succeeded at accomplishing all of
your life goals. Think of this as the realisation of all of your life dreams. Now, write about what you
imagined.Ó - King, 2001
BPS Study:
Participants: " 82 (mostly Swedish) student participants (51 women and 31 men), mean age was
29.6 years, (range 21Ð50) " 44 participants in the BPS intervention condition (38 in control)
Measures: " Dispositional optimism " Extroversion and neuroticism " Positive and negative aûect "
Positive and negative future expectancies.
BeneÞts of BPS:
- The BPS manipulation led to signiÞcantly larger increase in positive aûect and positive future
expectancies than the control.
- The results indicate that imagining a positive future can increase expectancies for a positive
future.
- Less upsetting than writing about trauma
- SigniÞcant increase in subjective wellbeing " High life satisfaction " High positive aûect " Low
negative aûect
- Decreased illness
Goals that Support Wellbeing
" Write goals that support wellbeing
Authentic: We should truly value and own our goals. People are happier working towards
authentic goals.
Intrinsic: Remember self-determination theory!
Interest, enjoyment and inherent satisfaction.
Avoid goals about making money, boosting our ego, increasing our power or fame.
Approach: People who frame their goal as an avoidance goal are less happy and more anxious
and distressed than people pursing approach goals.
Harmonious/Congruent: Goal conßict is related to somatic complaints.
Goal conßict makes it less likely that our goals are acted on or thought about and can cause goal
ambivalence.
Flexible: Our life circumstances change as we go through diûerent stage in life:
If goals cause a large amount of stress, it may be better to start Ôgiving up commitmentÕ rather
than Ôgiving up eûort.Õ
Focus on replacing goals youÕve out-grown rather than giving them up.
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Change of Activity: Goals around pursuits of activity make us happier: Links to adaptation theory,
Goals around new challenges or opportunities, Not changing our circumstances, such as getting
a new laptop, mobile or car.
Intimacy: Goals with themes of intimacy are linked to greater happiness: Examples of goals
around intimacy are Ôbeing a good listenerÕ or Ôbeing a good role model.Õ
Power goals such as, Ôconvince others IÕm rightÕ can counter personal happiness.
Hope Theory
" Explain Hope Theory
Higher hope consistently is related to better outcomes in academics, athletics, physical health,
psychological adjustment, and psychotherapy.
Set goals in regard to their own standard, not only one elseÕs; linked with goal achievement.
These observations are very consistent with Charles SnyderÕs hope theory. Hope has both
cognitive and aûective elements. According to Snyder, there are three components associated
with hope: 1) having goal-oriented thoughts; 2) developing strategies to achieve goals; and 3)
being motivated to expend eûort to achieve goals. An individualÕs belief in their ability to realise
these components determines the likelihood they will develop a sense of hope.
Pathway thinking
Hope mapping
Goal Setting Task
I am using my top 5 strengths by:
Love: having a boyfriend and demonstrating my aûection
Love of learning: pursuing an academic route and focusing on my studies
Perspective: Advising myself and other on when things are out of our control/ bigger picture
Hope: setting goals for the future and looking forward to them
Self-regulation: regarding impulses such as shopping, needed in everyday life)
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Readings
Chapter 7: Meaning making and motivation in life goals in Positive Psychology in a Nutshell:
the Science of Happiness
Values: things that are important to us, internalised in our upbringing, subject to change (needs
are constant
Needs are inborn, they exist even if we are not aware of them and are universal. Values, on the
other hand, are learnt or chosen, are parts of our consciousness and are speciÞc to each of us.
Motivation: Intrinsic motivation reßects the inborn human tendency to seek out novelty and
challenges, to explore the world, to exercise our capacities. When we are intrinsically motivated,
we do something for the sake of it, simply out of enjoyment or interest. We are extrinsically
motivated when we do an activity for the sake of something else or to attain some other outcome
Life goals: which are also called core goals, personal strivings, personal projects, life tasks and
future aspirations Ð are speciÞc motivational objectives by which we direct our lives. They are not
the same as needs because they are formulated at the conscious level.
The self-concordance model claims that well-being is higher when people select goals that are
based on identiÞed, integrated and intrinsic motivation (see previous section) (Sheldon, 1994).
Chapter 3: Optimism and Hope in Positive Psychology in a Nutshell: the Science of
Happiness
Optimists have a generalized sense of conÞdence about the future, characterized by their broad
expectancy that outcomes are likely to be positive. Pessimists , on the other hand, have a
generalized sense of doubt and hesitancy, characterized by their anticipation of negative
outcomes.
Optimism can be learnt but there may be a genetically inherited component to optimism. There
are occasions when pessimism can do more to ensure the safety of your life. Optimistic thinking is
associated with an underestimation of risks.
Perhaps our Western societies need some realists: people who follow current aûairs, feel for the
suûering around the world and assume some responsibility for the causes and implications of this
adversity. People who choose to do something about it, despite their limited chances of success.
Hope is a construct that is closely related to optimism, although the two are not identical.
To put it more simply, we feel hopeful if we: (a) know what we want, (b) can think of a range of
ways to get there and (c) start and keep on going. Pathway thinking, or generating several
workable routes to the goal, is very important because a particular route may not always be the
best. Even if the main route is blocked, a hopeful person will Þnd other options open to him or her.
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The Health BeneÞts of Writing about Life Goals in Personality and Social Psychology
Bulletin Article by Laura A. King
In a variation on PennebakerÕs writing paradigm, a sample of 81 undergraduates wrote about one
of four topics for 20 minutes each day for 4 consecutive days. Participants were randomly
assigned to write about their most traumatic life event, their best possible future self, both of
these topics, or a nonemotional control topic. Mood was measured before and after writing and
health center data for illness were obtained with participant consent. Three weeks later, measures
of subjective well-being were obtained. Writing about life goals was signiÞcantly less upsetting
than writing about trauma and was associated with a signiÞcant increase in subjective well-being.
Five months after writing, a signiÞcant interaction emerged such that writing about trauma, oneÕs
best possible self, or both were associated with decreased illness compared with controls.
Results indicate that writing about self-regulatory topics can be associated with the same health
beneÞts as writing about trauma.)
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Week 9: Accomplishment (Growth Mindset)
Fixed v Growth Mindsets
" Compare and contrast Þxed and growth mindsets
Fixed mindset: i.e. intelligence is a Þxed entity
Growth mindset: i.e. intellectual ability can be increased through learning
CAROL DWECK ON MINDSET ÒGrowth mindset brainÉ itÕs on Þre. TheyÕre processing the error
deeply, learning from it and correcting it.Ó
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Mindset Domains
- Intellectual attributes
- Personality
- Talent
- Physical attributes
- Managerial skills
People can hold diûerent mindsets about diûerent attributes. They can believe that their
intelligence is Þxed, but their personality is malleable.
Growth Mindsets
" Justify growth mindset interventions
Can mindsets be developed?
Mindsets can reßect relatively stable beliefs that individuals hold, however, they can also be
taught or primed.
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Other-focused mindsets:
Teachers with a Þxed mindset did not produce maximal growth in students who had entered their
classroom with lower achievement.
Teachers with a growth mindset promoted growth in students who were initially behind. Many of
these caught up to higher achievers.
Grit
" DeÞne and describe grit
Grit is the dedication and passion for long term goals.
Grit and Achievement
- Grit did not relate positively to IQ
- Grit was was highly correlated with Big Five personality trait of conscientiousness
- Grit positively related to GPAs but negatively to SATs
- Grit predicted retention of West Point Army cadets
- These ÒÞndings suggest that the achievement of diûcult goals entails not only talent but also
the sustained and focused application of talent over time.Ó)
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How to Build Grit
Duckworth suggests interventions for growth mindset.
Is Grit Overrated?
Other factors, such as general IQ, physical Þtness and years of schooling explain more variance in
retention than grit (Eskreis Winkler, Duckworth, Shulman, & Beal, 2014).
A meta-analysis on grit found that the grit was only moderately related to performance and
retention. The authors also state that only the perseverance component of grit may be the primary
utility of grit (CredŽ, Tynan, & Harms, 2017).
)
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Readings
Martin, A., Bostwick, K., Collie, R., & Tarbetsky, A. (2016). Implicit theories of
intelligence, In V. Ziegler-Hill & T. K. Shackelford (eds.), Encyclopedia of Personality
and Individual Diûerences, Springer International Publishing.
- Implicit theories of intelligence refer to the beliefs individuals hold about the nature of
intelligence. Individuals tend to see intelligence as something that is a Þxed and
immutable entity (entity theory or entity belief) or as a malleable dimension that can be
changed or improved upon (incremental theory or incremental belief). According to
Dweck (2000, 2006), individuals develop theories, beliefs, and deeply held schema
about human attributes.
- Task Choice: The implicit theory an individual adopts also has implications for task
choice. Incremental theorists tend to adopt learning goals; they embrace tasks that
involve the possibility of making errors, which are diûcult and which, therefore, involve
some possibility of ÒfailureÓ
- Self Worth: For example, entity theorists (who believe intelligence is Þxed) tend to feel
good about themselves when they demonstrate relative ability (Dweck and Leggett
1988). In contrast, incremental theorists (who believe intelligence is malleable) tend to
feel good about themselves when they develop mastery (Dweck and Leggett 1988).
- Resilience: Yeager and Dweck (2012) suggest that implicit theories might also predict
individualsÕ responses to adversity and challenge. They found that a view that
intelligence can be developed (an incremental theory of intelligence) leads to increased
resilience in academic settings.
- Adaptability: Along similar lines, Martin et al. (2013) suggested that adaptability
(studentsÕ capacity to eûectively adjust to novel, uncertain, and variable situations and
circumstances) is also shaped by studentsÕ beliefs about the malleability of intelligence.
- Persistence: It is also the case that students with an entity view are more likely to
exhibit a helpless response and less persistence in the face of academic diûculty.
- People vary in the degree to which they believe these capacities have the potential to
change. Accordingly, some people hold the view that they are bound to particular
abilities (entity theorists), while others believe that their abilities can develop
(incremental theorists). A
Crede, M., Tynan, M., & Harms, P. (2017). Much Ado About Grit: A Meta-Analytic
Synthesis of the Grit Literature. Journal of Personality & Social Psychology, 113,
492-511.
- Grit has been presented as a higher order personality trait that is highly predictive of
both success and performance and distinct from other traits such as
conscientiousness. This paper provides a meta-analytic review of the grit literature with
a particular focus on the structure of grit and the relation between grit and
performance, retention, conscientiousness, cognitive ability, and demographic
variables. Our results based on 584 eûect sizes from 88 independent samples
representing 66,807 individuals indicate that the higher order structure of grit is not
conÞrmed, that grit is only moderately correlated with performance and retention, and
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that grit is very strongly correlated with conscientiousness. We also Þnd that the
perseverance of eûort facet has signiÞcantly stronger criterion validities than the
consistency of interest facet and that perseverance of eûort explains variance in
academic performance even after controlling for conscientiousness. In aggregate our
results suggest that interventions designed to enhance grit may only have weak eûects
on performance and success, that the construct validity of grit is in question, and that
the primary utility of the grit construct may lie in the perseverance facet.
- Grit as a predictor of performance and success and as a focus of interventions holds
much intuitive appeal, but grit as it is currently measured does not appear to be
particularly predictive of success and performance and also does not appear to be all
that diûerent to conscientiousness. We hope that greater rigor in scale development, a
greater focus on the perseverance facet, and a more nuanced approach in study
design will help future grit researchers to develop boundary conditions for grit in its role
as in inßuence on performance and success.
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Week 10: The Upside of Negative Phenomena
Importance of Negative Emotions
" Discuss why understanding negative emotions is important to being your whole
self.
Òwell0being is not the algebra of positive minus negative but positive plus
negative. In other words, the capacity to transcend and transform negative provides an additional
source of well0being to positively based well0 being." (Wong, 2011,p. 75)
Mood Meter App
Roles of Comfort and Discomfort
" Compare the roles of comfort and discomfort in achieving the good life.
ÒRelative wealth and advances in technology mean that, nowadays, we enjoy unprecedented
comfort. They also mean that we increasingly view discomfort as toxic, unmanageable, and
intolerable.Ó
Robert Biswas-Diener: Òdiscomfort and comfort are especially important pieces of
the conversation and in the context of the pursuit of happinessÓ
Upsides of Sadness, Anger, Guilt and Doubt
" Describe the upsides of sadness, anger, guilt and doubt.
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BeneÞts of Sadness:
- Produced higher quality and more eûective interpersonal persuasive messages than
positive mood (Forgas, 2007).
- Perceived as useful when eliciting help to prevent a loss
- Linked to greater ability at theory of mind tasks, such decoding mental states
- Linked to decreased false memory eûects compared to positive mood
Evidence from the Laboratory
- Positive or negative mood states of participants induced through music of Þlm
- Participants given cognitive or behavioural tasks
- Eûects of mood states on these tasks is then assessed
BeneÞts of Anger:
- Anger is a tool that helps us read and respond to upsetting social situations. As for its ben
eÞts, research overwhelmingly indicates that feeling angry increases optimism, creativity,
and eûective performance, and that expressing anger leads to more
successful negotiations and a fast track for mobilising people into agents of change.Ó
Anger and Optimism:
- Study design looking at people in induced angry and neutral states.
- Participants in one experimental condition were induced to be angry.
- Participated in a card game that included bankruptcy cards. The
game was designed to look at risk0taking.
- People who had been induced to be angry took bigger risks.
Anger and Creativity:
- 1. Participants in one condition received angry feedback on a task (study also contained a
neutral condition).
- 2. Then they completed the ÒBrick taskÓ
- 3. Participants with a high need to understand the rules of a
situation and who prefer a sense of control in a situation performed better after angry
feedback.
- However, less grounded, more rebellious people had their creativity quashed by anger.
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Anger and Performance:
- 19 construction manager in UK
- Semi0structured interviews
- Some angry outbursts were regrettable and ineûective
- Others were eûective at resolving issues
- Anger frequently enacted to help individuals progress a project
- Eûectiveness was not the amount of anger, but rather the context
Anger and Negotiations:
- Participants given task of negotiating highest price for a batch of mobile phones (a real0
world reward was directly tied to their performance.
- Some participants paired with angry buyers; others with happy or neutral buyers.
- In the face of anger, participants were less likely to make strong demands.
- The researchers suggested that angry people are regarded as powerful and of high
status during negotiations.
Guilt:
- ÒWe arenÕt saying that itÕs always good to feel guilty. But at times it certainly
conveys beneÞts, one of which is that when you feel guilty youÕre more motivated to improve
your behaviour than your less0 guilt0prone0peers.Ó
Doubt:
ÒteachersÕ doubts about their teaching eûcacy often have important beneÞts for teacher learning
and educational reform. Moreover, these teacher eûcacy doubts are essential for the
widespread success of educational reform particularly for reforms that promote progressive,
meaning centered education.Ó (Wheatley, 2002, p. 5)
BeneÞts of Doubt:
BENEFITS FOR TEACHER LEARNING AND CHANGE
" Fostering disequilibrium and change
" Fostering self0reßection
" Supporting motivation to learn
" Supporting responsiveness to diversity
" Fostering productive collaboration
THE RELATIONSHIP TO LEARNING RESEARCH
Confusion:
ÒConfusion is expected to be more the norm than the exception during complex
learning tasks. Moreover, on these tasks, confusion is likely to promote learning at
deeper levels of comprehension under appropriate conditionsÓ)
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Readings
Chapter 2: Your emotions and you. In Positive Psychology in a Nutshell: the Science
of Happiness, Open University Press. Please only read pages 13-18.
- It appears that the ratio of 3:1 or above of positivity to negativity results in the
experience of ßourishing, and anything below this ratio (e.g. 2:1) in the experience of
languishing. Negative emotions can help initiate fundamental personality changes. A
leading expert on emotions, Richard Lazarus, writes: ÔFor the stable adult, major
personality change may require a trauma, a personal crisis, or a religious conversionÕ
- Negative emotions can bring us to our depth and put us in touch with our deeper
selves.
- They can facilitate learning, understanding of ourselves and knowledge of the world.
Wisdom is often gained from experiencing suûering and loss that are the necessary
parts of life.
- Finally, experiencing and coping with negative aûect can have positive social
consequences, such as modesty, moral considerations, care and empathy.
1. Perceiving emotions
2. Using emotions to facilitate thinking
3. Understanding emotions
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Cohen, S., Doyle, W. J., Turner, R. B., Alper, C. M., & Skoner, D. P. (2003). Emotional
Style and Susceptibility to the Common Cold. Psychosomatic Medicine, 65(4),
652-657.
For both viruses, increased positive emotional style (PES) was associated (in a dose-
response manner) with lower risk of developing a cold. This relationship was maintained
after controlling for pre-challenge virus-speciÞc antibody, virus-type, age, sex, education,
race, body mass, and season (adjusted relative risk comparing lowest-to-highest tertile =
2.9). Negative emotional style (NES) was not associated with colds and the association of
positive style and colds was independent of negative style. Although PES was associated
with lower levels of endocrine hormones and better health practices, these diûerences
could not account for diûerent risks for illness. In separate analyses, NES was associated
with reporting more unfounded (independent of objective markers of disease) symptoms,
and PES with reporting fewer. The tendency to experience positive emotions was
associated with greater resistance to objectively veriÞable colds. PES was also
associated with reporting fewer unfounded symptoms and NES with reporting more.
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Week 11: Physical Health and Physical Activity
Vitality is the sixth element of PERMA that has been added in recent times
Helplessness can be learned, may compromise peoples immunity
In the same way, optimism can be learned
Pessimism: get depressed much more readily than optimists, that they underachieve in their jobs,
in the classroom, and on the sports Þeld, and their relationships are rockier (Seligman)
Optimism and Physical Health
" Discuss the relationship between optimism and physical health.
Optimism, Pessimism and Cardiovascular Disease
None of the usual risk factors predicted death: not blood pressure, not cholesterol, not even
extensive damage from the Þrst heart attack. Only optimism, eight and a half years earlier,
predicted a second heart attack: of the sixteen most pessimistic men, Þfteen died. Of the sixteen
most optimistic men, only Þve died
Optimism may strengthen people against cardiovascular disease, pessimism may weaken people
Emotion and Infectious Illness
People with high positive emotion before the rhinovirus develop fewer colds than people with
average emotion. And they, in turn, get fewer colds than people with low positive emotion. The
eûect was found to be bidirectional, with high positive emotion strengthening volunteers
compared to average, and low positive emotion weakening volunteers compared to average.
Cancer and All-Cause Mortality
I conclude that optimism is robustly associated with cardiovascular health, and pessimism with
cardiovascular risk. I conclude that positive mood is associated with protection from colds and
ßu. I conclude that highly optimistic people may have a lower risk for developing cancer. I
conclude that healthy people who have good psychological wellbeing are at less risk for death
from all causes.
Optimism Intervention and Physical Health
Change in optimism can change physical health ie less visits to the doctor, depression etc
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Why Are Optimists Less Vulnerable to Disease
1. Optimists take action to have healthier lifestyles
2. Social support
3. Biological mechanisms (more t-cells in the blood to Þght disease)
Positive Health: Òthe deÞnition of positive health is the group of subjective, biological, and
functional assets that actually increase health and illness targets.Ó (p. 210)
Physical and Mental Health Benefits of Physical Activity
" Outline the physical and mental health beneÞts of physical activity
Physical Activity: Physical activity can boost mood and enhance work performance in a number
of ways
Fit individuals have less deaths from all-cause mortality, even an obese Þt person has signiÞcantly
lower death rate than an unÞt thin person.
ÒGo outside with curiosity and collect things that represent what season it is. Maybe youÕd like to
keep these on your desk, or bedside table. Write down how the season makes you feel. What do
you like and dislike about the season? What are your favourite colours, smells and sounds in this
season?Ó
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Links between Perception of Stress and Physical Health
" Explore links between perception of stress and physical health
It isnÕt stress itself that is bad for you, itÕs you beliefs about stress that can be detrimental ie if you
think stress is helping you preform, it is good for you.)
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Readings
Chapter 3: Optimism and Health. In Positive Psychology in a Nutshell: the Science of
Happiness, Open University Press. Please read pages 19-26 only.
Optimists experience less distress than pessimists when dealing with diûculties in their lives. For
example, they suûer much less anxiety and depression. Optimists adapt better to negative events
(including coronary artery bypass surgery, breast cancer, abortion, bone marrow transplantation
and AIDS). Optimism protects new mothers against developing depression following the birth of
their baby. Optimism is conducive to problem-focused coping, humour, making plans, positive
reframing (putting the situation in the best possible light) and, when the situation is uncontrollable,
accepting the reality of the situation. Optimists are capable of learning lessons from negative
situations. Thus optimists have a coping advantage over pessimists. " Perhaps surprisingly,
optimists donÕt tend to use denial, whereas pessimists often attempt to distance themselves from
the problem. Optimists are not simply people who stick their heads in the sand and ignore threats
to their well-being. For example, they attend to health warnings and usually discover potentially
serious problems earlier rather than later. " Optimists exert more continuous eûort and tend not to
give up, possibly assuming that the situation can be handled successfully in one way or another.
Pessimists, on the other hand, are far more likely to anticipate disaster Ð and, as a result, are more
likely to give up. " Optimists report more health-promoting behaviours (like eating a healthy diet or
having regular medical check-ups) and enjoy better physical health than pessimists. " Optimists
seem to be more productive in the workplace.
Although there may well be a genetically inherited component to optimism, and early childhood
experiences certainly shape our optimisticÐ pessimistic viewpoint, we can use several strategies
to counter pessimism.
Wong, P. T. P. (2011). Positive Psychology 2.0: Towards a balanced interactive model of the
good life. Canadian Psychology, 52(2), 69-81.
In view of the rapid expansion of PP, it becomes increasingly diûcult to have a comprehensive
deÞnition that encompasses diûerent aspects of PP. [Martin Seligman], Steen, Park, and
[Peterson] (2005) remain committed to the three-pillar deÞnition of PP as "an umbrella term for the
study of positive emotions, positive character traits, and enabling institutions" (p. 410). It is worth
noting that Seligman et al. recognize that "a complete science and a complete practice of
psychology should include an understanding of suûering and happiness, as well as their
interaction", but they consider relief of suûering and enhancement of happiness as "two separate
endeavours" (p. 410). According to PP 2.0, these are inherently interdependent endeavours. The
focus on what is good about people in times of peace and prosperity is only half of the story. The
whole story of PP is about how to bring out the best in people in good and bad times in spite of
their internal and external limitations. Thus, PP may be deÞned as the scientiÞc study of virtue,
meaning, resilience, and well-being, as well as evidencebased applications to improve the life of
individuals and society in the totality of Ufe.
Prominent positive psychologists typically consider meaning as one of the components of
happiness or the good life (Park, Peterson, & Ruch, 2009; Peterson & Seligman, 2004; Seligman,
2002). However, the construct of meaning is much broader and richer. It is much more than being
an antecedent or outcome measure of happiness. Based on implicit theories, research of lay
people's beliefs of what constitutes the ideal good life or the ideal meaningful life, when money is
no longer an issue, Wong (1998) has identiÞed eight sources of meaning: happiness, achievement,
intimacy, relationship, self-transcendence, self-acceptance, and fairness. This Þnding has been
replicated in several other cultures (Kim, Lee & Wong, 2005; Lin & Wong, 2006; Takano & Wong,
2004). The Personal Meaning ProÞle (PMP) as reported in Wong (1998) and McDonald, Wong, and
Gingras (in press), excludes the happiness component in order to minimize the problem of
confound when PMP is used to predict well-being. The seven major sources of meaning are very
similar to the major sources of happiness (Myers, 1993).
The central, integrating function of meaning. Meaning serves a vital function in integrating various
aspects of human needs and functions. The centrality of meaning can also be appreciated from
the stand point of meeting the basic human needs (Baumeister & Vohs, 2004) for purpose,
eûcacy and control, value and justiÞcation, and self-worth. Furthermore, there is extensive
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literature on the relationships between meaning and various indices of well-being in personality
and social psychology.
Steptoe, A. (2019). Happiness and Health. Annual Review of Public Health, 40, 339-359.
Research into the relationship between happiness and health is developing rapidly, exploring the
possibility that impaired happiness is not only a consequence of ill-health but also a potential
contributor to disease risk. Happiness encompasses several constructs, including aûective well-
being (feelings of joy and pleasure), eudaimonic well-being (sense of meaning and purpose in life),
and evaluative well-being (life satisfaction). Happiness is generally associated with reduced
mortality in prospective observational studies, albeit with several discrepant results. Confounding
and reverse causation are major concerns. Associations with morbidity and disease prognosis
have also been identiÞed for a limited range of health conditions. The mechanisms potentially
linking happiness with health include lifestyle factors, such as physical activity and dietary choice,
and biological processes, involving neuroendocrine, inßammatory, and metabolic pathways.
Interventions have yet to demonstrate substantial, sustained improvements in subjective well-
being or direct impact on physical health outcomes. Nevertheless, this Þeld shows great potential,
with the promise of establishing a favorable eûect on population health.
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Week 12: Compassion
Self-Compassion
" Describe 3 Components of Self Compassion
Kristen Neû: Researcher in Self Compassion
Self Kindness v Self Judgement:
- Treating self with care and understanding rather than harsh judgement
- Kindness is an active stance, desire to alleviate oneÕs own suûering
- Actively soothing and comforting oneself
Common Humanity v Isolation:
- Seeking own experience as part of larger human experience not isolating or abnormal
- Recognising that life is imperfect
Mindfulness v Over-IdentiÞcation:
- Avoiding extremes of suppressing or running away with painful feelings
- Allows us to ÔbeÕ with painful feelings as they are
- Notice your suûering and be with your suûering
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Readings
Neû, K. D., & Germer, C. K. (2017). Self-compassion and psychological wellbeing. In
E. M. Seppala, E. Simon-Thomas, S. L. Brown, M. C. Worline, D. Cameron, & J.
R.Doty (Eds.) The Oxford Handbook of Compassion Science, Oxford University
Press.
Self-compassion involves being touched by and open to oneÕs own suûering, not
avoiding or disconnecting from it, generating the desire to alleviate oneÕs suûering and to
heal oneself with kindness. Self-compassion also involves oûering nonjudgmental
understanding to oneÕs pain, inadequacies, and failures, so that oneÕs experience is seen
as part of the larger human experience. This chapter will provide an overview of theory
and research on self-compassion and its link to psychological well-being, which is the
goal of clinical practice. It will discuss what self-compassion is and what it is not (e.g., a
form of weakness, selÞshness, etc.), and provide empirical evidence to support these
distinctions. Finally, it will discuss methods that have been developed to teach individuals
how to be more self-compassionate in their daily lives, some clinical implications of self-
compassion training, and future directions for research.
Neû, K. D., & Germer, C. K. (2013). A Pilot Study and Randomized Controlled Trial of
the Mindful Self-Compassion Program. Journal of Clinical Psychology, 69(1), 28-44.
The aim of these two studies was to evaluate the eûectiveness of the Mindful Self-
Compassion (MSC) program, an 8-week workshop designed to train people to be more
self-compassionate. Study 1 was a pilot study that examined change scores in self-
compassion, mindfulness, and various wellbeing outcomes among community adults (N =
21; mean [M] age = 51.26, 95% female). Study 2 was a randomized controlled trial that
compared a treatment group (N = 25; M age = 51.21; 78% female) with a waitlist control
group (N = 27; M age = 49.11; 82% female).
Study 1 found signiÞcant pre/post gains in self-compassion, mindfulness, and various
wellbeing outcomes. Study 2 found that compared with the control group, intervention
participants reported signiÞcantly larger increases in self-compassion, mindfulness, and
wellbeing. Gains were maintained at 6-month and 1-year follow-ups. The MSC program
appears to be eûective at enhancing self-compassion, mindfulness, and wellbeing.
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