#5 Positive PSYC

Applied Final Project

Lukas Otteson

Professor Tucker

PSYC 437-6980 Positive Psychology

University of Maryland University College

March 24, 2019

Positive Clinical Psychology

Madhuleena goes into depth regarding the connections between mental health and positive psychology in her article. A significant focus is put onto neuroscience and its importance in understanding mental health, how positive psychology can be used in mental health practice, comparing and contrasting positive psychology and clinical psychology, well-being and positive psychology, and other practices/actions to help improve well-being and mental health (Madhuleena, 2019).

Fuller explained the ways in which positive and clinical psychology can be used together in cognitive therapy; irrational beliefs, automatic thoughts, and schemas; social networks; practices in psychotherapy; and happiness & life satisfactions. Fuller highlights the interconnectedness that does and interdependency that should exist between the two.

Johnson & Wood really painted a picture of what exact benefits there are to be had from integrating positive psychology with clinical psychology. The illustration of this double-sided spectrum with a negative side (clinical psychology’s preoccupation of disorders and abnormal behavior) and a positive side (positive psychology’s concern for developing lives that are satisfying, meaningful, and fulfilling) is a spectacle to be had (Johnson & Wood, 2017). The idea is that clinical psychology has been so concerned with getting patients disorders and abnormal behavior dealt with, but that this goal ends with patients in a neutral state (let’s say zero). Positive psychology is about getting patients from zero into positive numbers. Johnson & Wood argue that the further into the positives patients/people get, the less likely they are to fall into the negative side (2017). With that said, it becomes important to clinical practitioners regardless of whether or not they want to have the responsibility of helping patients reach these positive states. It becomes an important way of preventing a sort of relapse into dysfunction, disorder, and poor mental health. If we can agree that patients having more positive lives means they are less likely to fall back into negativity, then it becomes something that needs to be incorporated into clinical practice and no longer a subject of scrutiny, simple preference, or disagreement.    

I picked the PERMA picture because I think it encapsulates positive psychology best, relative to the other options I found. Positive emotions, engagement, positive relationships, meaningfulness, and accomplishment are a good foundation for building the type of life that researchers of positive psychology would advocate. This image is a good representation of the value of positive psychology.

The websites I chose were chosen because I thought they illustrated the potential benefits of integrating positive psychology and clinical psychology well. Both serve to support my conviction that the two areas of study need to have a working relationship. They also support the article I chose.

I chose the article I chose for much of the same reason I chose my websites. I believe that clinical and positive psychology need to be integrated and the article I chose helps to support that. It shows why it could be valuable to integrate well.

Resilience and Wisdom

Gerszberg gives her readers 5 ways to increase resilience, wisdom, and well-being (2016). The 5 ways are: recalibrating what is meaningful, appreciating tried and true wisdom, nourishing emotional and mental well-being, learning what makes one truly happy, and adding meaning to one’s life (Gerszberg, 2016).

Chompoo identifies 4 character strengths of wisdom using positive psychology as guide (2019). The 4 character strengths of wisdom are creativity (originality/ingenuity), curiosity (interest/novelty-seeking/openness to experience), judgment (critical thinking/a love of learning), and perspective (Chompoo, 2016). Together, these character strengths work together to shape a mind filled with wisdom.

Weststrate & Gluck explained wisdom and resilience in a way that may be intuitively thought, but not often explicitly discussed. Weststrate & Gluck say that wisdom is not a given with adversity, but, rather, a result of a certain way of processing adversity (2017). If we equate wisdom and resilience, we can say the same thing about resiliency. Just because someone faces adversity, that does not mean that they are wise or resilient. As Weststrate & Gluck demonstrated, it depends on how one interprets and processing the adversity (2017). 

I chose this image because it captures what I’ve learned from this research perfectly. It supports the journal that I researched. Additionally, the image is empowering, projecting an agency in our own resilience.

I chose the web sites I chose because I found their format refreshing and the information concise. I appreciated each the list of ways to become more resilient and wise and know people who could benefit from being exposed to this information. The character strengths for wisdom can be utilized to allow readers to see where their personality may be getting in the way of the direction they’d like to be moving toward.

The journal I chose was chosen because it inspired. It gave me closure to something I’d been periodically fixated on for a while. I didn’t understand why I wanted to criticize people who claimed their adversity was evidence of their wisdom or resilience. Learning the importance of processing in developing wisdom allowed me to understand why I felt that way. It also serves to motivate people to process their adversity constructively (an important lesson, no doubt).

Synthesizing Happiness

Dan Gilbert focused on the human ability to synthesize happiness with our thoughts and perceptions in his presentation (2012). He compared natural happiness (getting what you want) and synthetic happiness (processing things in a way that serves to aid the pursuit of happiness) (2012). Gilbert’s speech gives listeners empowerment to take control of their lives and their happiness a little more than they may have beforehand (2012).

Malcolm Gladwell explained the pursuit of happiness in a creative way that empowers listeners to understand the individual nature of their own happiness as opposed to some societally imposed universal standard for happiness. Through explaining breakthroughs in the spaghetti sauce business, Gladwell is able to illustrate that there is no singular perfect recipe for either spaghetti sauce or happiness (2004). Gladwell’s presentation serves to give listeners the support to deviate from the norm if that norm hinders their abilities to be optimally satisfied with their lives.

Lee & Kawachi explored some ideas that can be related to the idea of synthesizing happiness in their study. Lee & Kawachi looked at 4 categories of personal values (prioritizing social relationships, extrinsic achievements, physical health, and spirituality) and compared their prevalence in those who were and were not happy (2019). They found that those who were religious and those who prioritized social relationships were the happiest and that those who valued extrinsic achievement and health were less likely to be happy (Lee & Kawachi, 2019). This journal bolsters the idea that natural happiness (getting what you want) is not the “be all, end all” of happiness. Peoples’ values and priorities could play an even larger role in being a happy person, overall.

I chose this image because I think it properly showcases the complexity of happiness. Within the image, it becomes apparent that much of what it takes to be happy comes from within. This all serves to bolster the reasons to become better at synthesizing happiness and begin to ween off of a dependency on getting what you want.

The web sites chosen were chosen because they communicate important aspects in the journey that is synthesizing happiness. It is important to know that your happiness is individual, and will require you to take your own path. The contrast between natural and synthetic happiness is an important one to show and is shown. These sites give insight into what people need to know to synthesize their happiness, a foundation.

The journal chosen was chosen because it is able to show the value of personal values in pursuing happiness. The patterns discussed in the journal serve to increase the importance of taking synthetic happiness seriously. The values that lend themselves toward natural happiness were associated with lower levels of happiness and that is telling.

Mindfulness

The Nour Foundation video delved into the idea of mindfulness and how it can be beneficial for those who are willing to invest into it. The most valuable part of the video to me was the part where they instructed listeners to separate themselves from their thoughts and feelings (2013). The speakers also highlight the present prevalence (or lack thereof) of mindfulness within the modern human population and detail the reasons why such lack of mindfulness is potentially harmful to the future of humans (2013).

Kabat-Zinn illustrated mindfulness in a way that is both accessible to newcomers and furthers knowledge for those who have studied it before (2007). As the ideas that having just moments and the past & future merely being concepts can serve to enable a hedonistic lifestyle, the best part of this presentation was the expression of the idea that knowing ourselves (and others) is an adventure (one that never ends) (2007).

Rowland, Wenzel, and Kubiak explored the effects of mindfulness on happiness and daily life (2018). They found that momentary mindfulness was positively associated with low arousal positive affect, lower switching tendency to negative affect, more stability, and reduced low arousal negative affect inertia (Rowland, Wenzel, & Kubiak, 2018). This study adds to the growing literature showcasing mindfulness as a valuable tool for increased happiness and well-being.

I chose this image because it showcases what mindfulness takes and what it includes. It is able to show what kind of effort it will take to be mindful. It simultaneously displays the benefits of practicing mindfulness.

The sites chosen were selected because of their depth and accessibility. The videos could be valuable to previous/current students of mindfulness and those who are entirely unfamiliar. Information is given that can help anyone interested with varying levels of exposure and/or experience to this content.

The journal I selected was chosen because it was able to show benefits of mindfulness. Mindfulness was shown to help avoid negativity in a number of ways. It also was associated with more positivity too. It does a good job of supporting the current literature regarding mindfulness.

Altruism

Peter Singer described the benefits to living a life filled with altruism and challenged listeners to be more altruistic (2013). Singer described ways in which one can calculate the impact that their money is able to help those who they are donating to and I found the example of a person deciding to become a banker instead of an aid and then becoming a benefactor of 5 different aids because of the financial flexibility that they had as a result of the profession they held as an inspiration (2013).

Krehbiel preaches the idea that giving to others is not only good for them, but good for the one giving as well. The article is a concise summary of the benefits to which one can garner from a life of altruism.

Fehr & Fischbacher outlie the reasons why humans may behave altruistically (through the lens of evolution and anthropology) to help explain why we behave altruistically, how it is rewarded, and where we are limited altruistically (2003). Ideas like reciprocal-altruism, reputation-seeking, and gene-culture coevolution are reasons to believe that it was simply beneficial to behave altruistically, but the intricacies and nuances of altruism within the human species are highlighted in the journal (2003). The journal makes it clear that we have a lot of reasons to believe that altruism was beneficial to the prosperity of our species, but, also, that we are more complicated that any of these reduced evolutionary theories suggest.

I chose this image because it makes an important distinction that needs to be made when discussing altruism. Altruism does not seek reward; it is selfless. I think that each have their own important purposes, but it is important to distinguish the two because of the particular beauty of altruism. Doing something without expecting a reward, for the benefit of someone else, is a special behavior.

The selected sites explore what altruism is and the value of it. Altruism is shown to be valuable to not only the one being helped, but also the one providing the help. These sites each contribute to making those points very clear, and even inspiring.

I chose the journal I did because of the explanatory nature of altruism. I particularly enjoyed the exploration of why we may have benefited from altruism in our ancestral past and why we are still limited in our ability to be altruistic. Through this exploration, there is also a clear outlining of the reasons why we should continue to carry on with altruistic behavior (to benefit in the same ways our ancestors did).

Reflection

            Positive psychology has proven to be more than what I bargained for. I am grateful for all that I have been exposed to throughout this course (whether the task was more or less daunting). In the end, it has been a valuable experience and I’ve learned things that I can keep with me as I continue seeking meaning, purpose, fulfillment, and happiness in my life. I’ve learned about synthesizing happiness, wisdom, resilience, altruism, mindfulness, and the application of positive psychology within clinical practice. All of this will serve to aid me on my own journey through life and whatever challenges I may face throughout it. Additionally, what I’ve learned in this class will help me help others. I am working toward becoming a Clinical Psychologist in my future and this class could help make the difference between me being the type of psychologist that is preoccupied with negativity and unconcerned with helping patients get to a positive state once neutral and the type of psychologist that helps them develop the mindset and life that they deserve (a positive one). All that I’ve learned here can be felt throughout multiple dimensions of my own life: my psychological well-being, social well-being, and emotional well-being. Conversely, I will be able to be that much more helpful with aiding others in their pursuit to improve their own psychological, social, and emotional well-being. On top of all of that, the exposure to the Jungian typology tests not only helped me understand myself better, but also others. This increased understanding will help me help myself and others, and make my own life more satisfying overall.

Synthesizing happiness is an idea I had been familiar with, but I had never had it broken down the way that this phrase does. I learned that I needed to be cognizant of how my thoughts affected my emotions and behaviors, but I hadn’t had it put into a neat little phrase like that. It was always much more difficult and complicated to explain, but now I can put all of what I learned into that nice box with a bow on it. It is easier to conceptualize “synthesizing happiness” than it is to explain all that goes into taking responsibility for one’s happiness, actively. Even thinking about this all beforehand, it allows me to act with greater conviction moving forward. I can talk to others about synthesizing happiness with the confidence from knowing more about it than just my experience.

Wisdom was something I had trouble defining. I likely would have described as something like learning from mistakes and recognizing things from experience. However, after taking this class, I am able to better explain what it is. I now know wisdom to be something that is more a product of effort, an active process, than it is something that we passively develop. After learning that adversity does not necessarily lead to wisdom, but that processing of said adversity would be the determining factor, I can move forward being able to tell others, with greater conviction, of how much their thoughts impact the lives they live.

 Resilience is similar to wisdom in some ways. I would not have said that before this course. However, upon further exploration, there are certainly some parallels. Resilience is not a given either. Facing adversity does not necessarily give somebody resilience either. Resilience is a product of processing as well. Although there is a bit of new genetic research being conducted regarding this, the processing aspect of developing resilience is not at contention. Whether the pro-resiliency processing is done as a result of genetics or how someone is nurtured, the processing is still seen as playing a crucial role in the formulation of resiliency.

            Altruism is something that I’ve been familiar with for a few years now. I’ve had my ups and downs with it. I became too sensitive toward the struggles of others and empathetic to the point where it wasn’t good for my health. I had to begin looking for balance. However, I seemed to over-correct. This class helped me find my balance. I took stock and realized that I can afford to give more than I am while maintaining my personal/financial security. Understandably, it is a tough balance to strike when striving to create your own sense of security, but being exposed to the content on altruism in this class was the push I needed to make my actions match my beliefs, thoughts, and convictions.

Mindfulness was something I became familiar with when I spent time studying Buddhism and its practices. In devoting myself to practices and believing in what information was taught, I was able to better myself and my behavior with others. I was able to become happier and better to others. It actually lent itself to helping me with my psychological, social, and emotional well-being. With mindfulness, I began to truly accept my own moment-to-moment responsibility for things that happen in my life and for my reactions to those things (whether they were within my control or not). The content on mindfulness in this class served as a reminder to sharpen up my skills.

Positive psychology within clinical practice is something that I’ve learned needs to be taken seriously. Positive psychology needs to be taken seriously in terms of research (which it is not in some circles) and in clinical practice. With positive psychology being taken more seriously in research, the respect in clinical practice should come. Perhaps the research that I’ve been exposed to and that which has shaped my attitude toward positive psychology (in terms of its value to clinical psychology) has been discounted thus far. The exposure to this information in this class has inspired me to ensure I am the type of psychologist who values helping patients not only get to a place (mentally) where they are not a hinderance to themselves or filled with dysfunction, but to a place where they are actually thriving with happiness, a sense of meaning and purpose, well-being, satisfaction, and satisfaction. Personally, the information I came across on this topic helped me understand how far I’ve come and feel gratitude for all that people have been gracious enough to expose me to throughout my early adulthood. Without taking a positive psychology class, professors, friends, family, and authors have given me bits and pieces that added up to what I needed to get to a point that is somewhere on the positive side of the continua. I find myself in a place where I feel much less likely to fall back into my old habits and state of mind. I used to be depressed and my own enemy, mentally. Thanks to what I came across in this class, I can understand better how far I’ve come and better help others get away from both the neutral zone of the continua and the negative side.

My social well-being is going to benefit from this class because I am going to understand myself and others better. The University of Wollongong Australia says, “Social wellbeing is the extent to which you feel a sense of belonging and social inclusion; a connected person is a supported person in society,” and adds that “lifestyles, ways of living together, value systems, traditions and beliefs are all important to our social well being and quality of life.” Understanding yourself is always important because you have the responsibility to mold and shape the person that all the people interacting with you are interacting with. I can better understand my social weaknesses and work on them. Additionally, the prioritization of positive relationships can be re-categorized in my mind. Instead of being a source of distraction or non-productivity in life, I can now understand the instrumental role that this plays in my life. Understanding others and wherever they may be on the continua is important too because it will enable me to think, speak, and listen from a place of understanding rather than judgment. This difference will take anyone far in their pursuit of social well-being.

Emotional well-being is something I’ve spent significant effort working on throughout my early adulthood. I’ve come a long way. This class has helped me understand exactly how much work I’ve done toward getting into the positive side of the continua. Again, I’ve gained greater perspective of how much gratitude I owe to all that has helped teach me the valuable lessons that I would have otherwise have had to have waited to learn in this class.

The most important elements of psychological well-being are self-acceptance (the degree positive attitudes you have about yourself, your past behaviors and the choices that you have made), relationships with others (feeling connected, respected, and well-loved while sharing aspects of themselves, experiencing intimacy, and usually feeling secure in their relations), autonomy (independent, self-reliant, can think for themselves, do not have a strong need to conform, and don’t worry too much about what others think about them), environmental mastery (the degree to which one feels competent to meet the demands of situations and feeling they have the resources and capacities to cope, adjust and adapt to problems, and are not overwhelmed by stress), personal growth (see one’s self as changing in a positive direction, moving toward potential, becoming more mature, increasing self-knowledge, and learning new skills), and a sense of purpose (seeing one’s life as having meaning, working to make a difference in the world, feeling connected to ideas or social movements larger than themselves, and having a sense that they know what their life is about) (Henriques, 2014). As far as my psychological well-being, this class has helped me develop greater self-acceptance, autonomy, confidence, personal growth, and sense of purpose. When it is broken down like this, it really showcases just how much I got out of this class!

            Positive psychology has taught me a lot. I didn’t know what to expect coming into this class, but I am pleasantly surprised. Sure, sometimes the work got difficult, but at the end of the day, I have learned things that make me a better person, student, and future psychologist.

References

Chompoo. (2019, March 4). The 4 character strengths of wisdom in positive psychology. Retrieved from https://positivepsychologyprogram.com/wisdom/

Fehr, E., & Fischbacher, U. (2003). The nature of human altruism. Nature, 425(6960), 785. https://doi-org.ezproxy.umuc.edu/10.1038/nature02043

Fuller, J. R. (n.d.). Clinical Psychology and Positive Psychology. Retrieved from https://jryanfuller.com/happiness-positive-psychology/

Gerszberg, C. O. (2016, October 20). 5 ways to increase resilience, wisdom, and well-being. Retrieved from https://www.mindful.org/5-ways-increase-resilience-wisdom-well/

Gilbert, D. (2012, April 26). The surprising science of happiness | Dan Gilbert [Video file]. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4q1dgn_C0AU

Gladwell, M. (2004, February). Choice, happiness and spaghetti sauce [Video file]. Retrieved from https://www.ted.com/talks/malcolm_gladwell_on_spaghetti_sauce

Henriques, G. (2014, May 15). Six domains of psychological well-being. Retrieved from https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/theory-knowledge/201405/six-domains-psychological-well-being

Johnson, J., & Wood, A. (2017). Integrating positive and clinical psychology: Viewing human functioning as continua from positive to negative can benefit clinical assessment, interventions and understandings of resilience. Cognitive Therapy & Research, 41(3), 335–349. https://doi-org.ezproxy.umuc.edu/10.1007/s10608-015-9728-y

Judaism Unbound. (n.d.). Happier - Tal Ben-Shahar [Graphic]. Retrieved from https://www.judaismunbound.com/podcast/2018/1/12/judaism-unbound-episode-102-studying-happiness-tal-ben-shahar

Kabat-Zinn, J. (2007, November 12). Mindfulness with Jon Kabat-Zinn [Video file]. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3nwwKbM_vJc

Key Step Media. (2018, February 7). Retrieved from https://www.keystepmedia.com/research-mindfulness-mental-performance/

Krehbiel, A. (2018, December 14). The link between altruism and happiness: Do good, feel good. Retrieved from https://achievehappy.wordpress.com/2018/12/14/the-link-between-altruism-and-happiness-do-good-feel-good/

Lee, M.-A., & Kawachi, I. (2019). The keys to happiness: Associations between personal values regarding core life domains and happiness in South Korea. PLoS ONE, 14(01), 1–14. https://doi-org.ezproxy.umuc.edu/10.1371/journal.pone.0209821

Madhuleena. (2019, March 13). The connections between positive psychology and mental health. Retrieved from https://positivepsychologyprogram.com/positive-psychology-and-mental-health/

Nour Foundation. (2013, February 12). Becoming conscious: The science of mindfulness [Video file]. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5TeWvf-nfpA

Paper Napkin Wisdom. (n.d.). Episode#13: Resilience is no accident! [Photograph]. Retrieved from https://papernapkinwisdom.com/ep-13-resilience-is-no-accident/

PEDIAA. (2016, June 27). Altruism versus prosocial behavior [Graphic]. Retrieved from http://pediaa.com/difference-between-altruism-and-prosocial-behavior/

Rowland, Z., Wenzel, M., & Kubiak, T. (2018). A mind full of happiness: How mindfulness shapes affect dynamics in daily life. Emotion. https://doi-org.ezproxy.umuc.edu/10.1037/emo0000562.supp

Singer, P. (2013, March). The why and how of effective altruism [Video file]. Retrieved from https://www.ted.com/talks/peter_singer_the_why_and_how_of_effective_altruism#t-32223

University of Pennsylvania. (n.d.). Introducing a new theory of well-being [Graphic image]. Retrieved from https://www.authentichappiness.sas.upenn.edu/learn

University of Wollongong Australia. (n.d.). Social Wellbeing. Retrieved from https://www.uow.edu.au/student/wellbeing/UOW112638.html

Weststrate, N. M., & Glück, J. (2017). Hard-Earned Wisdom: Exploratory Processing of Difficult Life Experience Is Positively Associated with Wisdom. Developmental Psychology, 53(4), 800–814. Retrieved from http://ezproxy.umuc.edu/login?url=http://search.ebscohost.com.ezproxy.umuc.edu/login.aspx?direct=true&db=eric&AN=EJ1134737&site=eds-live&scope=site