Waimea College psychology



Assumptions of the Positive Approach (pg 90-91)52235109334500The four approaches we have looked at so far (biological, psychodynamic, behaviourist and cognitive) have all focused heavily on the uncontrollability of human behaviour. Whether it is genes and neurotransmitters, the unconscious, the environment or our internal mental processes, our behaviour is seen as beyond our control. All four approaches are deterministic, meaning that we have no free will over our behaviour. All four approaches focus heavily on pathology, meaning a focus on mental illness and its treatment. While these approaches help us seek treatment for psychological disorders, they do not really tell us anything about how to be happy, how to flourish, and how to reach our full potential. The positive approach seeks to address this imbalance in psychology. It does not seek to replace traditional psychology, but to compliment it. Rather than focus on mental illness or determinism, it seeks to provide methods to enhance human happiness, to help people in their personal growth, and as such places an emphasis on free will that is absent from much of psychology and the other approaches we have studied. -32575512065000This emphasis on maximising human happiness is not new. The question of “What makes a happy life?” is one that is as old as humanity itself. Religions have sought to answer this question by appealing to a higher power; happiness comes from worshiping God, following his/her rules, and happiness can be found in an array of holy books. Philosophers have further delved into this question, both in religious and secular ways. Happiness they argue can be found in good works, intellectual pursuits, altruism or family to name a few. The positive approach continues this search, but rather than rely on religion or philosophical ideas that are notoriously hard to prove, scientific research methods are used to identify the factors that lead to happiness, fulfilment and how humans can reach their full potential.Positive psychology is the newest of the approaches. It was started by Martin Seligman in 1998. He and others felt that traditional psychology focused too much on mental illness, and not enough on how humans can flourish and succeed. For example, from 1972-2006, the ratio of depression research publications to wellbeing publications was 5:1. Seligman and others felt that psychology had be distorted; it had moved away from a science that helps people reach their potential, and had become all about curing the sick.-363855108585The message of the Positive Psychology movement is to remind our field that it has been deformed. Psychology is not just the study of disease, weakness and damage; it also the study of strength and virtue. Treatment is not just fixing what is wrong; it is also building what is right. Psychology is not just about illness or health; it is about work, education, insight, love, growth and play. And in this quest for what is best, Positive Psychology does not rely on wishful thinking, self-deception or hand waving; instead it tries to adapt what is best in the scientific method to the unique problems that human behaviour presents in all its complexity. 00The message of the Positive Psychology movement is to remind our field that it has been deformed. Psychology is not just the study of disease, weakness and damage; it also the study of strength and virtue. Treatment is not just fixing what is wrong; it is also building what is right. Psychology is not just about illness or health; it is about work, education, insight, love, growth and play. And in this quest for what is best, Positive Psychology does not rely on wishful thinking, self-deception or hand waving; instead it tries to adapt what is best in the scientific method to the unique problems that human behaviour presents in all its complexity. 53606701079500center21545700-36385589916000With a partner, write a recipe for happiness. What ingredients do you need for happiness?51796951079500Assumption 1: The Acknowledgment of Free Will40957536449000Before learning psychology did you believe in Free Will? What about now? What do most people who have not studied psychology believe? One of the debate that we investigated at the start of the year was free will vs determinism. We can use this debate to evaluate each approach. While free will allows for personal autonomy and means we can hold people accountable for their actions, it is seen as unscientific and difficult to test. Determinism on the other hand is in line with scientific principles and it is about searching for cause and effect relationships. However a determinist stance does not allow for a person to be in control of their own behaviour, raising the ethical issue as to whether we can hold someone accountable for their actions. center215457Biological Psychodynamic Behaviourist Cognitive00Biological Psychodynamic Behaviourist CognitiveExplain below how each of the four approaches we have learned about is deterministic-173355212471000The positive approach is different, as it states that the only thing that controls our behaviour is our own free will. We are in charge of our own psychological and emotional wellbeing. This means that happiness is accessible to all, if we use our strengths and virtues to achieve and be the best we can be. The positive approach argues that being too deterministic can be detrimental, as it leaves us feeling helpless and powerless to change. Happiness comes from each of us feeling that we are in control of our lives. Having the chance to make free choices in our lives can give us psychological and physiological benefits. 402209050673000The argument that free will is beneficial is supported by research that has found that feeling that we can control our lives predicts high job satisfaction and better job performance. A sense of control over our lives is also related to better health outcomes. In one famous example, residents of a nursing home lived longer and reported better health when they were empowered to take control over their own lives (Langer and Rodin, 1976). Further research by Diener and Seligman (2002) found that students who had the strongest ties to friends and family, and who chose to spend more time with them reported a higher level of happiness and lower levels of depression. This suggests that our emotional state is in our own control.Assumption 2: Authenticity of Goodness and ExcellenceThe other approaches that we have looked at in psychology have had a negative slant. They focus overly on the negative aspects of life; mental illness, stress, conflict etc. However, the positive approach argues that such a focus gives us an unbalanced view of human behaviour. Seligman (2002) argues that positive traits such as virtue and happiness have been neglected, and are seen as less authentic than negative traits. Seligman argues that positive emotions and experiences are every bit as authentic as negative ones. 569277566574400The positive approach focuses on these positives; celebrating the good things in life and to improve wellbeing and fulfilment, rather than just fixing what is wrong (e.g. mental illnesses). In this way, the positive approach takes a more positive attitude towards the treatment of mental illness. Rather than focus on the symptoms and trying to fix the problems, the positive approach focuses on developing the individual’s positive traits, such as altruism or competence. By bettering the individual and a focus on self-improvement, mental illness can be treated in a much more positive way. An example of a theory that focuses on the positives of human behaviour is Seligman’s theory of signature strengths. This refers to those character strengths that are most essential to who we are. Through the use of questionnaires, Seligman found that the most satisfied, upbeat people were those who had discovered and exploited their unique combination of “signature strengths”. Examples of these strengths are a love of learning, bravery, humour, creativity and persistence. 40513035877500Look at The Happiness Institute’s list. What do you feel are your signature strengths? How can you exploit these strengths for a happier life? -47551918859500Assumption 3: Focus on “The Good Life”214687636788100Imagine you are on your deathbed looking back at your life. How would you know if you had had a “good life”? 4122264171323000Seligman (2003) argues that the way to happiness, and the way to experience the best life you can is to develop our strengths and virtues (see the signature strengths above). By bettering ourselves, and strengthening our natural qualities, we can live “a good life”. Seligman argues that we should start by achieving a pleasant life, then a good life, then finally, the optimum which is a meaningful life. -59969-402850“The Pleasant Life is realised if we learn to savour and appreciate such basic pleasures as companionship, the natural environment and our bodily needs. We can remain pleasantly stuck at this stage or we can go on to experience the Good Life, which is achieved through discovering our unique virtues and strengths, and employing them creatively to enhance our lives. According to modern theories of self-esteem life is only genuinely satisfying if we discover value within ourselves. Yet one of the best ways of discovering this value is by nourishing our unique strengths in contributing to the happiness of our fellow humans. Consequently the final stage is the Meaningful Life, in which we find a deep sense of fulfilment by employing our unique strengths for a purpose greater than ourselves.” pursuit-of- 44335702413000Essentially, the three can be broken down as followsThe Pleasant Life: positive emotions and daily satisfactionThe Good Life: discovering our strengths and enhancing our livesThe Meaningful Life: using our strengths for a greater purposeSeligman argues that the way to live a good life is to develop positive connections with others, to have positive individual traits, and develop life regulation qualities (see pg 90 for more information)-43193812685370040830535279600What do you think of this idea of the pleasant, good and meaningful life? What kind of life do you feel you have? Do you aspire to a “meaningful” life? ................
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