12
Nov 21

The Good Life: Strategies For Everyday Wellbeing

The Good Life: Strategies For Everyday Wellbeing

Gruman, Hart, and Ianni discuss how traditional psychology approaches have focused on treating individuals with negative symptomatology, essentially attempting to fix “what is wrong with people” instead of intervening prior to the development of the symptoms with tactics designed to increase wellbeing (Gruman et al., 2017). I recently took a Coursera UPenn course on positive psychology, Dr. Seligman discusses certain premises of traditional psychology, one that it is “highly deterministic” in that childhood development or the client’s history determines their future behaviors, or that either extreme in the psychological approaches of consciousness (psychoanalysis to behaviorism) and cognitions became “major blindspots” since they did not address the notions of wellbeing, optimism, happiness, virtues, character strengths, or the good in life (Seligman, M. E. P., 2021). Peterson defines positive psychology as the “scientific study of what goes right in life” noting that “what is good about life is as genuine as what is bad and therefore deserves equal attention from psychologists” because “human goodness and excellence are as authentic as are human flaws and inadequacies” (Peterson, C., 2006). 

What is the Good Life and what can we do to get there?

“Not life, but Good Life, is to be chiefly valued.” ~ Socrates

A plethora of research and peer-review articles exist on the effectiveness of applied positive psychology interventions, simple strategies that you can easily implement into your daily life. Peterson states that the good life involves “how one rises to the occasion” with an “increased appreciation of what matters most in life” by finding a life of meaning through self-actualization, and boosting optimism that shifts paradigms into eudaimonia (Peterson, C., 2006). Abraham Maslow emphasized that self-actualization provided the ability to live the best life possible by being the best person possible by “being fully him(her)self” where through intrinsic learning “process of learning to be the best human being you can be” which is the process that self-actualized individuals chase (Maslow, 1965). If we combine intrinsic learning with a personal understanding of what makes us flourish and utilize proven applied positive psychology interventions to drive altruistic principles, virtues, and devotion to self-actualize. 

Did you happen to take the self-assessment of optimism and pessimism on page 458 of our textbook? It was surprising to score 80 on the optimism level – how did you score? There are a few assessments that I would recommend, including the VIA Character Strengths Survey to identify your top virtues and character strengths, or UPenn’s Authentic Happiness Institute’s assessment center that includes the PERMA Questionnaire to measure flourishing, Optimism Test, Gratitude, Wellbeing and Grit surveys, Satisfaction Scale, and Meaning In Life Questionnaires. Dr. Seligman identified a model of positive wellbeing called PERMA that includes five essential building blocks – positive emotion, engagement, relationships, meaning, and accomplishment – which he believes forms a “ solid foundation upon which we can build a happy and flourishing life” (Seligman, M. E. P., 2021).

Strategies To Promote Positive Emotions: One online resource that provides a wealth of information is characterlab.org, including researched-based playbooks that help guide interventions to deepen concepts of gratitude, kindness, growth mindset, grit, self-control, emotional intelligence, purpose, creativity, social intelligence, and honesty just to name a few (Character Lab, 2021). Several applied positive psychology interventions have been scientifically researched and proven to increase happiness and positive emotion and decrease negative or depressive symptoms, including the Three Good Things daily routine on what went well and Using VIA Signature Strengths in a New Way exercise, and the Gratitude Letter and Gratitude Visit exercises (Seligman, M. E. P., et al., 2005). I’ve been using the Three Good Things daily exercise for over a year now, and I can personally say that it has helped me just stay in an optimistic state of mind even during times of stress. What I like most about the Three Good Things daily practice is that it is so simple to do, it takes a few minutes, and you can involve your entire family in it. For example, my daughter and I will randomly say to each other “three good things – GO” as a cognitive-behavioral tactic to overcome pessimism and whatever daily challenge may present itself. 

Seligman et al.’s research found that the two interventions which increased positive state and emotion for the longest amount of time of six months were participant’s daily use of the Three Good Things and Using VIA Signature Strengths in a New Way exercise while noting that the Gratitude Letter and Gratitude Visit had the largest amount of positive change within a month’s time (Seligman, M. E. P., et al., 2005). I would also recommend implementing a daily creative journal, which can either be digital or physical in nature, to use for writing or drawing as well as for daily motivation and inspiration to keep track of your self-actualization goals. 

References

Gruman, J. A., Schneider, F. W., & Coutts, L. M. (2016). Applied Social Psychology: Understanding and Addressing Social and Practical Problems (3rd ed.). SAGE Publications, Inc.

Maslow, A. (1965). Self-actualization and beyond. THE NEW ENGLAND BOARD OF HIGHER EDUCATION. Published. https://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/ED012056.pdf

Peterson, C. (2006). A Primer in Positive Psychology (Oxford Positive Psychology Series) (1st ed.). Oxford University Press.

Playbooks. (2021). Character Lab. https://characterlab.org/playbooks/

Seligman, M. E. P., Positive Psychology: Martin E. P. Seligman’s Visionary Science. (2021). Coursera.org. https://www.coursera.org/specializations/positivepsychology

Seligman, M. E. P., Steen, T. A., Park, N., & Peterson, C. (2005). Positive Psychology Progress: Empirical Validation of Interventions. American Psychologist, 60(5), 410–421. https://doi.org/10.1037/0003-066x.60.5.410

 


15
Nov 19

Master of optimism 

My husband is an optimist. Last year was the toughest year of our lives, but mostly his. He had an open heart surgery and unfortunately he suffered a stroke as a complication. He has come a long way since then and is recovering well with a few hiccups here and there. However, 99% of the time he has been upbeat and always sees the silver lining in everything. I attribute much of his recovery to his attitude. I don’t know anyone who had to endure such tragedy yet come back winning like him. As Schneider et al. (2012) state that optimists make external attribution for bad events. That’s what I think my husband does. He didn’t blame himself or anyone for the surgery and the stroke. Instead, he attributed that to a situational occurrence that while he can’t change it, he can recover from. On a tough day he seems to always find a way to tilt the balance and make optimism outweigh pessimism, something that I still have to learn (Schneider et al., 2012). Affleck, Tennen, and Apter’s (2001) study suggests that the day-to-day levels of happiness of people who suffer from rheumatoid, arthritis, asthma, and fibromyalgia are positively related to their optimism (as cited in Schneider et al., 2012). Additionally, Affleck et al. (2001) assert that optimists can regulate their moods better than pessimists (as cited in Schneider et al., 2001). I found this to be true with my husband. Not that he is never sad or discourage. He is at times. However, he acknowledges his feelings and attributes his sadness and discouragement to external events such as lack of sleep, dehydration, a tough day at the gym, etc. Thus, he constantly teaches himself to be optimistic. Furthermore, he also seems to have mastered the art of problem-focused coping which refers to engaging behaviors that target to correct the stressful situation that is perceived to be controllable and amenable to change (Schneider et al., 2012). Everyday, he focuses on what he can control, his recovery, and let go of what he can’t control, his stroke. More importantly, he is surprisingly really good with emotion-focused coping as well, as he is actively doing everything he can to regain his emotional stability back. Emotional-focused coping is a behavior and cognition that does not directly address the source of stress but targets to reduce an individual’s level of emotional distress (Schneider et al., 2012). He meditates, does yoga, and listens to music to divert and reduce his emotional distress. All of these help him, and in turn help us, cope with our misfortune and make us appreciate life and each other even more. Whenever we are down, we spend time counting our blessings, which are fortunately in abundance, and disputing our misfortunate, which luckily are very few, similar to what Schneider et al.(2012) suggest. We have learned first handed that optimism will take you far and at times it’s the only thing you have left. So, be an optimist. If you are not, the good news is that optimism can be learned and with enough practice everyone can master it. Become one. 

 

References

Schneider, F.W., Gruman J.A.,  & Coutts, L.M. (2012). Applied Social Psychology: Understanding and Addressing Social and Practical Problems. Second Edition. Thousand Oaks, CA: SAGE Publications, Inc. 


23
Mar 19

Start Early

Students in our school systems today are taught science, math, English, history, and perhaps a foreign language and a musical instrument. These are essential topics, but are children taught everything they need to succeed in society when they graduate? I think one major topic is lacking: social skills. We may believe that parents are responsible for teaching their children how to interact socially but all too often these skills are not taught at home or in the classroom. I think one of the main reasons that parents do not teach these concepts is that they do not know what to teach. When I was taking social psychology a few semesters ago, I found myself wishing that I had been taught so many of the principles while I was in elementary and high school.

According to Webster-Stratton and Reid (2004) socially competent children are more likely to be academically successful. The social skills that they list as necessary for school age children include: “emotional literacy, empathy or perspective taking, friendship and communication skills, anger management, interpersonal problem solving” (Webster-Stratton & Reid, 2004, p. 96). I believe that many of these core competencies can be taught through social and positive psychology.

According to the concept of belief perseverance, we have the tendency to maintain our original beliefs despite being taught that they are incorrect (Schneider, Gruman & Coutts, 2012). Even when we are exposed to the truth multiple times, our beliefs will most likely not change unless we adopt an alternative strategy. This alternative strategy is when we think about why the new information we are being taught is correct and come up with an explanation for why our old beliefs are incorrect (Schneider et al., 2012). Because it is so difficult to change our beliefs once they have been formed, I believe that we should attempt to instill correct beliefs in people at as young an age as possible. While I do not have any children of my own, I do have eight nieces and nephews, and I am researching ways to teach them some of the principles I wish I had learned at a young age.

In the realm of positive psychology there are 2 main concepts that I believe would be useful to children: optimism and hope. The concept of “learned optimism” can be taught to children and proves helpful in academic pursuits, results in improved mental and physical health, prevents depression, and reduces anger in adolescents (Lopez & Snyder, 2011, p. 665). Hope is a construct that is defined as an individual’s belief in their ability to devise paths to a goal and their ability to follow those paths to attain their goals (Lopez & Snyder, 2011). Children with high levels of hope are more capable of solving the problems they will encounter throughout their lives. Hope and optimism will improve their sense of self-efficacy and their perceived ability to steer the course of their lives.

I also think there are several concepts related to social psychology that would be beneficial for my nieces and nephews in their social interactions. These include:

  • Attribution theory – internal vs. external attribution for self and for others
  • Self-Concept – introspection and how it helps us improve ourselves
  • Attitudes – how they shape who we are and what we believe
  • Stereotypes – prejudice, discrimination, self-fulfilling prophecies
  • Pro-social Behaviors – what motivates us to help others

I plan to use the concept of intrinsic motivation versus external rewards (Schneider et al., 2012) as I teach this material by focusing on how fun it is to learn new things. I am hoping to impart some of the joy that I experienced when I first learned these concepts. It will be a lot of work to determine the right methods to teach these concepts to young people, but I think my efforts will be rewarded by seeing them become mature, well-rounded adults.

 

References:

Lopez, S., & Snyder, C. (2011). Handbook of positive psychology (pp. 636-675). Oxford: Oxford Univ. Press.

Schneider, F. W., Gruman, J. A., & Coutts, L. M. (2012). Applied social psychology: Understanding and addressing social and practical problems (2nd ed.). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications.

Webster-Stratton, C., & Reid, M. (2004). Strengthening Social and Emotional Competence in Young Children—The Foundation for Early School Readiness and Success. Infants & Young Children17(2), 96-113. doi: 10.1097/00001163-200404000-00002


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