Reflection
This semester I took Pyscology1010 and I was able to participate in some pretty eye-opening discussions. Some of the discussions were about mental health and the treatment of it, behaviorism and how to change it, and memory tricks to name a few. I really enjoyed being able to read other people’s answers, and have them read mine. It was a great way to see another point of view, and there were definitely responses that I would never have even considered.
Overall, I thought this class was a great introduction to psychology because it covered the basics of mental health health and it’s treatment options. At the very minimum, it made psychology seemed more open to me as a person and explained different avenues I could look if I was pursuing an education in a special field or needed to schedule my own counselor’s visit.
Julia Wilde
Marci Campbell
Psychology 1010
June 17, 2018
Understanding Positive Psychology
Introduction:Cheer up! This phrase is used in our society as a way to provide someone else with a sense of optimism when they are feeling down. However hard it may seem to change our mood at the time, being positive has an impact on the way we think, interact in society, and make career and life decisions. According to Gallup Poll (2016) the United States is ranked 14thin the world for happiest country, and this leaves many wondering; How can a country with so much financial wellness be so relatively low on the list? This question is one of the many that psychologists involved with Positive Psychology aim to explore, and they hope that they can bring more happiness through study and technique. PP is focused on the science of making small changes in perspective to act as a catalyst in improving one’s quality of life. It looks at non-tangible things such as life satisfaction, happiness, well being, gratitude, compassion, self-esteem, self-confidence, and hope. In this paper, we will look at the roots of the positive psychology movement and a general overview of what it aims to achieve.
Literature Review:According to a Martin P. Seligman, “The 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.”(Seligman, 2000) Seligman at the time was the president at the American Psychological Association, a researcher, and founder of the theory of learned helplessness. Learned helplessness is a theory that explains how humans and animals can learn to become helpless and feel they have no control over what happens to them, further leading to feelings of depression. (Positive Psychology Program, 2018) This feeling of depression is what positive psychology aims to remove by using techniques of resilience and learned optimism. The forefront of positive psychology started Be- fore World War II, where psychology had three distinct focuses; “curing mental illness, making the lives of all people more productive and fulfilling, and identifying and nurturing high talent.” (Seligman, 2000) After the war, grants were being given out to psychologists if their research was about pathology. This left the principles of making peoples live better through the fundamentals of PP left to the way side. Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi realized the gap in public and social well-being awareness and started to study individuals who were able to maintain integrity and strength through the war although their financial, social, and previous lifestyle supporting them. He found that an individual who remained strong was a pillar for people around them who had lost hope or become depressed or withdrawn. Those that could remain optimistic and pick themselves up in times of turmoil could see the true reality of “what is and what could be” as believed by Csikszentmihalyi. (Seligman, 2000)
Application:An example of positive psychology in work comes from a story described by Martin Selingman. In it, he is weeding his garden and is in a serious manner trying to get work done. His daughter Nikki, however, is singing, dancing and throwing the weeds about. Selingman turns towards his daughter and yells at her, and she abruptly stops and walks away. A few minutes later she comes back and the following conversation between the two takes place. “Daddy, I want to talk to you.” “Yes, Nikki?"
"Daddy, do you remember before my fifth birthday?
“From the time I was three to the time I was five, I was a whiner. I whined every day. When I turned five, I decided not to whine anymore. That was the hardest thing I've ever done. And if I can stop whining, you can stop being such a grouch." (Seligman, 2000)
This conversation is a great example of positive psychology at work in Nikki’s case because she consciously improved her behavior by changing her thoughts. Seligman is said to have taken to heart his daughter’s advice and used positive psychology to not be so grouchy.
Conclusion:From this experience I learned more about the history of positive psychology. I also learned more about what positive psychology aims to achieve. From doing this research, I have become curious about how areas of my own perception and life could be improved, and have purchased a textbook on it. Exploring more of this topic will help me know more about the techniques and thought processes I could use to become more optimistic for my own life, and to be there for those around me. Overall, I have a strong sense of hopefulness for positive psychology and its effects on myself, and society as a whole.
References
This semester I took Pyscology1010 and I was able to participate in some pretty eye-opening discussions. Some of the discussions were about mental health and the treatment of it, behaviorism and how to change it, and memory tricks to name a few. I really enjoyed being able to read other people’s answers, and have them read mine. It was a great way to see another point of view, and there were definitely responses that I would never have even considered.
Overall, I thought this class was a great introduction to psychology because it covered the basics of mental health health and it’s treatment options. At the very minimum, it made psychology seemed more open to me as a person and explained different avenues I could look if I was pursuing an education in a special field or needed to schedule my own counselor’s visit.
Julia Wilde
Marci Campbell
Psychology 1010
June 17, 2018
Understanding Positive Psychology
Introduction:Cheer up! This phrase is used in our society as a way to provide someone else with a sense of optimism when they are feeling down. However hard it may seem to change our mood at the time, being positive has an impact on the way we think, interact in society, and make career and life decisions. According to Gallup Poll (2016) the United States is ranked 14thin the world for happiest country, and this leaves many wondering; How can a country with so much financial wellness be so relatively low on the list? This question is one of the many that psychologists involved with Positive Psychology aim to explore, and they hope that they can bring more happiness through study and technique. PP is focused on the science of making small changes in perspective to act as a catalyst in improving one’s quality of life. It looks at non-tangible things such as life satisfaction, happiness, well being, gratitude, compassion, self-esteem, self-confidence, and hope. In this paper, we will look at the roots of the positive psychology movement and a general overview of what it aims to achieve.
Literature Review:According to a Martin P. Seligman, “The 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.”(Seligman, 2000) Seligman at the time was the president at the American Psychological Association, a researcher, and founder of the theory of learned helplessness. Learned helplessness is a theory that explains how humans and animals can learn to become helpless and feel they have no control over what happens to them, further leading to feelings of depression. (Positive Psychology Program, 2018) This feeling of depression is what positive psychology aims to remove by using techniques of resilience and learned optimism. The forefront of positive psychology started Be- fore World War II, where psychology had three distinct focuses; “curing mental illness, making the lives of all people more productive and fulfilling, and identifying and nurturing high talent.” (Seligman, 2000) After the war, grants were being given out to psychologists if their research was about pathology. This left the principles of making peoples live better through the fundamentals of PP left to the way side. Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi realized the gap in public and social well-being awareness and started to study individuals who were able to maintain integrity and strength through the war although their financial, social, and previous lifestyle supporting them. He found that an individual who remained strong was a pillar for people around them who had lost hope or become depressed or withdrawn. Those that could remain optimistic and pick themselves up in times of turmoil could see the true reality of “what is and what could be” as believed by Csikszentmihalyi. (Seligman, 2000)
Application:An example of positive psychology in work comes from a story described by Martin Selingman. In it, he is weeding his garden and is in a serious manner trying to get work done. His daughter Nikki, however, is singing, dancing and throwing the weeds about. Selingman turns towards his daughter and yells at her, and she abruptly stops and walks away. A few minutes later she comes back and the following conversation between the two takes place. “Daddy, I want to talk to you.” “Yes, Nikki?"
"Daddy, do you remember before my fifth birthday?
“From the time I was three to the time I was five, I was a whiner. I whined every day. When I turned five, I decided not to whine anymore. That was the hardest thing I've ever done. And if I can stop whining, you can stop being such a grouch." (Seligman, 2000)
This conversation is a great example of positive psychology at work in Nikki’s case because she consciously improved her behavior by changing her thoughts. Seligman is said to have taken to heart his daughter’s advice and used positive psychology to not be so grouchy.
Conclusion:From this experience I learned more about the history of positive psychology. I also learned more about what positive psychology aims to achieve. From doing this research, I have become curious about how areas of my own perception and life could be improved, and have purchased a textbook on it. Exploring more of this topic will help me know more about the techniques and thought processes I could use to become more optimistic for my own life, and to be there for those around me. Overall, I have a strong sense of hopefulness for positive psychology and its effects on myself, and society as a whole.
References
- Gallup, Inc. (2017, March 20). The Happiest and Unhappiest Countries in the World. Retrieved from https://news.gallup.com/opinion/gallup/206468/happiest-unhappiest-countries-world.aspx
- Seligman, M. E., & Csikszentmihalyi, M. (2000, January). Positive Psychology: An introduction. American Psychologist, 55, 5-14.
- What is Positive Psychology & Why is it Important? Definition Examples. (2018, May 14). Retrieved from https://positivepsychologyprogram.com/what-is-positive-psychology-definition/