Positive approach
CHOW YUET TIN CHLOE
acknowledgement of authenticity of goodness
focus on 'the good life'
free will and excellence
introduced by Martin Seligman
Assumptions Myers and Diener (1995)
Acknowledgement of free will Aim
that humans are in charge of their own To find who is happy
emotions and have the free will to change how they direct their
emotions. Method
-Diener and Seligman (2002) strong ties to friends and family
literature review
will have a ^level of happiness and vlevel of depression
-deterministic -> detrimental as leaves us feeling helpless and Procedure
powerfuless to chance -no procedures
Authenticity of goodness and excellence Findings
role of a positive therapist is to facilitate positive well-being 1. No real difference on ages to be happy
and help to achieve fulfillment. 2. No difference on sex to be happy
-positive traits such as virtue and happiness have been 3. Culture is a big influence to vary people being happy
neglected and are seen less authentic than negative traits
4. 'Money buy happiness' shows a positive correlations
-signature strength - character strengths that are most
essential to who we are 5. The best indicators of a happy person are self esteem, sense of personal control,
optimism and extraversion
Focus on 'the good life'
-the pleasant life-positive emotions and daily satisfaction 6. More friends shows higher positive emotion
-the good life-discovering our strengths and enhancing our lives 7. People with great work satisfaction also have a better life satisfaction
-the meaningful life: using our strengths for a greater purpose 8. Religious people report higher levels of happiness
Mindfulness Conclusion
1. A viable theory of happiness must recognise the importance of adaption
Gaining control of thoughts 2. Another component of a theory of happiness is cultural worldview
-focus on our present thoughts, emotions and feelings to 3. A third important component is values and goals
become aware of all incoming thoughts and feelings and 4.Knowing a persons's age, race, sex and income does not inform us about how
also to accept them.
happy a person is
The goal:to gain greater awareness of unhelpful or
5. A welcome complement to the long-standing research of depression and
negative thoughts that often dominate us in order to can
anxiety
gain control over them and spend less time dealing
6. Help people rethink their priorities and better understand how to build a world
with them.
that enhances human well-being
Meditation and mindful breathing
-sitting meditation is most effective helps people reprocess
their internal experiences and helps them to accept that
thoughts (and the emotions that follow) are impermanent
–they come and go.
Informal practices of mindfulness
-the opposite of multi-tasking, it is making the
conscious decision to focus on one single task.
Contemporary debate Evaluation of positive approach
Relevance of positive psychology Strength Weaknesses
in today’s society A shift in focus for psychology Not a new idea
Education Applications Can happiness be measured?
Work
Free will approach Ignoring individual differences
Leisure and lifestyle advice
Health
CHOW YUET TIN CHLOE
acknowledgement of authenticity of goodness
focus on 'the good life'
free will and excellence
introduced by Martin Seligman
Assumptions Myers and Diener (1995)
Acknowledgement of free will Aim
that humans are in charge of their own To find who is happy
emotions and have the free will to change how they direct their
emotions. Method
-Diener and Seligman (2002) strong ties to friends and family
literature review
will have a ^level of happiness and vlevel of depression
-deterministic -> detrimental as leaves us feeling helpless and Procedure
powerfuless to chance -no procedures
Authenticity of goodness and excellence Findings
role of a positive therapist is to facilitate positive well-being 1. No real difference on ages to be happy
and help to achieve fulfillment. 2. No difference on sex to be happy
-positive traits such as virtue and happiness have been 3. Culture is a big influence to vary people being happy
neglected and are seen less authentic than negative traits
4. 'Money buy happiness' shows a positive correlations
-signature strength - character strengths that are most
essential to who we are 5. The best indicators of a happy person are self esteem, sense of personal control,
optimism and extraversion
Focus on 'the good life'
-the pleasant life-positive emotions and daily satisfaction 6. More friends shows higher positive emotion
-the good life-discovering our strengths and enhancing our lives 7. People with great work satisfaction also have a better life satisfaction
-the meaningful life: using our strengths for a greater purpose 8. Religious people report higher levels of happiness
Mindfulness Conclusion
1. A viable theory of happiness must recognise the importance of adaption
Gaining control of thoughts 2. Another component of a theory of happiness is cultural worldview
-focus on our present thoughts, emotions and feelings to 3. A third important component is values and goals
become aware of all incoming thoughts and feelings and 4.Knowing a persons's age, race, sex and income does not inform us about how
also to accept them.
happy a person is
The goal:to gain greater awareness of unhelpful or
5. A welcome complement to the long-standing research of depression and
negative thoughts that often dominate us in order to can
anxiety
gain control over them and spend less time dealing
6. Help people rethink their priorities and better understand how to build a world
with them.
that enhances human well-being
Meditation and mindful breathing
-sitting meditation is most effective helps people reprocess
their internal experiences and helps them to accept that
thoughts (and the emotions that follow) are impermanent
–they come and go.
Informal practices of mindfulness
-the opposite of multi-tasking, it is making the
conscious decision to focus on one single task.
Contemporary debate Evaluation of positive approach
Relevance of positive psychology Strength Weaknesses
in today’s society A shift in focus for psychology Not a new idea
Education Applications Can happiness be measured?
Work
Free will approach Ignoring individual differences
Leisure and lifestyle advice
Health
