Lecture 6: Social Relationships and Love

 As much as I enjoyed the overall content of this lecture, the marriage and cohabitation sections are not as applicable to me therefore; I will not be discussing these for this entry.

The evolutionary and biological factors are clearly dependent on social contact whether it is to adapt and protect oneself from psychological and physical issues or induce the hormonal changes that occur as a result. This is very relevant to me because my primary love language (Chapman, 2010) is touch, which means that when I’m in physical contact with people I care about (e.g hugs) I feel loved and give love; therefore, it could suggest that my oxytocin levels might be quite high.

The qualities of a positive couple relationship are easier for me to apply so be ready for the specifics. Of the friendship, conflict and shared meaning dimension, I have perceived that the former component is foundational in strengthening the latter two. The fondness and admiration on that face value level is clearly strengthened by verbal affirmations of gratitude (which are also suggested by Fredrickson, 2013). Building on this and the verbal self-disclosure, I find that me and my boyfriend are constantly encouraging and affirming of each other's presence through admiration of what we appreciate at the time. Also, I find that we often have to keep tabs on each other when in social situations. So, this may be displayed through constant eye contact or body language that notifies our location in the room.

Seeing as I currently volunteer at Youthline and my boyfriend has volunteered at Lifeline, we find that we’re often counselling each other and variably expressing Positive Sentiment Override (where positive comments overtake the negative) during conflict resolution. Seeing as POS is determined by love maps, conflict resolution strategies and regular fondness and appreciations, both of our previous relationships have lacked these variables, therefore, we have a greater need to express and re-work them to improve the well-being of our relationship. Our empathetic attunement towards one another is very strong because our counselling backgrounds increases that empathetic drive by regulating our ability to imagine what we’re thinking of the situation or each other without becoming defensive (as the theory also suggests). These are guided and illustrated by the shared meaning (support of each other’s careers, dreams and wishes) as we specifically aim to help people whilst increasing that creative and flexible positivity that is suggested by Fredrickson (2013) .    

Fredrickson, B. L. (2013). Positive emotions broaden and build. In E. Ashby Plant & P. G. Devine (Eds.), Advances on Experimental Social Psychology, 47, 1-53. Burlington: Academic Press. 

Gary Chapman (2010). The 5 Love Languages: The Secret to Love That Lasts. Northfield Press

Lecture 5: Religion, Spirituality and Well-being

I found that this particular lecture was surprisingly interactive as it highlighted the relevance of religion and spirituality as components of well-being. These connections are made in the social support, healthy lifestyle, personal integration, increased generativity, coping strategies and the meaning and purpose that results from religion.

I have learnt that the cosmic/global meaning of life is a holistic view of the coherent pattern and structure in the world, whereas the personal or secular meaning is personal to one’s individual sense of purpose

Meaning in Life

Of the 9 ways of finding meaning in life that are highlighted by Compton and Hoffman (2012), suffering is most applicable to me. Other than the spiritual interpretations of suffering (Emmons, 1999) which suggest an increase in self-confidence, interpersonal relationships and changing core philosophies; I personally agree with the re-evaluative and transformative experiences implied by Viktor Frankl (1992). I had an alcoholic father who, with his psychotic behaviour, caused a great deal of trauma for my mother, brother and me. With the strength derived from my spiritual foundations as a Christian and the social interactions that had catered for my vulnerability, I now embrace my sense of meaning in life. Positively dealing with my traumatic past has allowed this to develop. Having dealt with the mental health outcomes of these experiences during my 10-week counselling session, I have come to understand that my mindfulness practices were essential in developing post-traumatic well-being. As supported by mindfulness theories, this had allowed me to disengage from problematic thoughts and symptoms to increase moment-specific awareness, which had facilitated my growing optimism towards people and life. Personally, I view suffering as a rose that is fertilized by manure. Whilst the actual flower remains delicate and vulnerable, the thorns stand to protect it from potential threats. 

Compton, W. C., & Hoffman, E. (2013). Positive Psychology The Science of Happiness and Flourishing. California: Wadsworth Cengage Learning.

Emmons, R. A. (1999). The psychology of ultimate concern: Motivation and spirituality in personality. New York: Guilford Press. 

Frankl, V. (1992). Man’s Search for Meaning. (4th ed.). Boston, MA: Beacon Press.

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Summary Reading-  

The Benefits of Being Present: Mindfulness and Its Role in Psychological Well-Being 

Brown and Ryan (2003) state that mindfulness is a conscious attribute that promotes well-being. The authors aim was to unfold the empirical and theoretically evidenced roles of mindfulness and its’ influence on one’s psychological well-being. The psychometric properties of the Mindful Attention Awareness Scale (MAAS) are also noted. Brown and Ryan (2003) highlight quasi-experimental, correlational and laboratory studies that reveal a differentiation between mindfulness practitioners and others. The range of well-being constructs; unique use of consciousness and the self-awareness associated with mindfulness are also described. The experience-sampling study reveals that positive emotional states and self-regulated behaviours are determined by mindfulness and dispositional states. The article concludes with a clinical intervention study that highlights cancer patients who demonstrated a decrease in stress and mood disturbance due to increases in mindfulness.
       

Brown, W. K., & Ryan, M. R. (2003). The Benefits of Being Present: Mindfulness and Its Role in Psychological Well-Being. Journal of Personal and Social Psychology, 84(4), 822-848. doi: 10.1037/0022-3514.84.4.

Lecture 4: Leisure and Peak Performance

During the initial aspects of the lecture, I had learnt that leisure is not necessarily a physical activity but the satisfying state of affairs during free time which are alternative to a work schedule. This clearly contributes to the subjective perceptions of one’s life satisfaction. Examples from Rogers (1976) and Argyle (1987) improved my understanding of people’s reasons for leisure activity. According to Argyle (1987) these reasons include: enjoyment of family life, relaxation, escape from routine and autonomy. I can understand how the first reason has been cited as the best predictor of leisure satisfaction because my social interactions are strong determinants of my well-being and free time choices.     

I have learnt that Csikszentmihalyi’s (1975) concept of flow is denoted by an ‘autopilot’ involvement in an activity (e.g religious rituals, playing sport) that results in a complete absorption in the moment. This accompanies a sense of complete yet effortless concentration that causes one to lose track of time as the lack of worry eases the merging of awareness and the activity at hand. I feel as though I’m able to slip in and out of this phase when I’m singing or doing something creative (e.g writing spoken word). As suggested by the conditions of flow; it is clearly the autotelic nature of the experience that causes me to become absorbed because I am not overly challenged; therefore, it requires no conscious effort but allows me to use my skill without getting bored. I also find that when I’m with my boyfriend, regardless of whether we’re talking or engaged in an enjoyable activity (e.g our band) we’re often in a state of flow together. Time seems to freeze but hours have gone by and it is as though we’re applying the principles of mindfulness (i.e being fully present in the here and now) but eventually transcending into that flow state where that initial attention is no needed.

My perception of the peak performance (PP) concept is that it is the actual behavioural activity that is enhanced, as opposed to the subjective experience involved in flow-like states. Therefore, PP involves conscious effort, focus and control over the task which could lead to mastery or crisis in achieving the intended outcomes. Of the conditions of PP described by Compton and Hoffman (2012) the self-confidence and optimism factor is the strongest determinant in my ability to reach that level of mastery through PP. The other conditions (e.g. energy level and awareness of my own body) are either enhanced or impeded by my perception of self, thereby affecting my sense of well-being through these experiences.

Argyle, M. (1987). The Psychology of Happiness. London: Methuen

Compton, W. C., & Hoffman, E. (2013). Positive Psychology The Science of Happiness and Flourishing. California: Wadsworth Cengage Learning.

Csikszentmihalyi,, M. (1975). Beyond Boredom and Anxiety: Experiencing Flow in Work and Play, San Francisco: Jossey-Bass

Lecture 3: Character Strengths

The third lecture provided insightful knowledge of one’s character strengths through current psychological definitions and historical interpretations of the construct. It was interesting to see the differentiation between virtues as a singular moral quality and character as the array of traits that represent an individual. My assumption of these concepts is that a person’s character can be comprised of virtuous qualities such as the theological virtues (i.e faith, hope and charity), which are also applicable to me. Differentiation's lie particularly in the prescriptive dichotomy of ‘good and bad’ labels that were historical attributed to these components. Subsequent definitions that encompassed a more socio-cultural and scientific lens, provided a descriptive basis on which to understand personality (Allport, 1937) and individual growth (i.e through self-actualisation).

Self-actualisation

Maslow’s and Roger’s portrayal of self-actualisation reveals that specific virtues and characteristics can lead to personal growth, such as the 15 traits of self-actualizers. In view of Maslow’s hierarchy of needs I can personally agree that self-actualisation can be achieved through meeting the safety and biological needs. Even though I’ve grown up having limited safety in my family environment, the belonging and love (provided by my mother) and esteem needs (status and responsibility of being the first born) transcend most of the other levels. This has undoubtedly contributing towards my self-actualising propensities.

Merging of Seligman and Maslow

In my opinion, the road to authentic happiness  can be defined by the interplay between (Seligman’s) pleasant life, engaged life and meaningful life and (Maslow’s) hierarchy of needs. I have come to this conclusion due the common goal of optimal individual functioning which is also foundational to positive psychology. I can see how this can positively and negatively affect one’s character/personality and overall well-being. Another perspective might even suggest that one’s personality influences the implications of Seligman and Maslow’s concepts. 

VIA Character Strengths

Having completed the the VIA classification of Character Strengths via the authentic happiness website I discovered that my top strength was curiosity and interest in the world, followed by: forgiveness and mercy, gratitude, capacity to love and be loved and social intelligence. These particular qualities vary across the 4 of the 5 major clusters (i.e wisdom and knowledge, humanity, temperance and transcendence) with a greater emphasis on Humanity. Of the 24 strengths my lowest was caution, prudence and discretion which mean that I may have to work on my other Temperance qualities. It was interesting to note the outcomes of this task because I was expecting the strengths that were lower in the list to have been higher up. This is clearly a reflection of my self-perception.  

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Reading Summary 
The Cultivation of Character Strengths:

Park and Peterson (2010) introduce the article with studies and relevance of wisdom in different aspects of academia (e.g psychology, philosophy, education and theology) in order to the good life. The authors specify definitions and studies of wisdom which are derived from these fields. Some of these examples originate from Peterson and Seligman (2004), Aristotle (2000), Sternberg (1985, 1988, and 2004) and others. The discussion amongst these articles theorizes wisdom as an implicit theory, moral virtue, and a storehouse of experiences. Park and Peterson’s rationale for analyzing and encouraging character strengths is prized on the idea of wisdom as the driving force in overcoming challenges and building psychosocial virtues. The positive psychology driven Values in Action (VIA) Project is guided by the 24 proposed Values in Action (VIA) Classification of Character Strengths which are grouped under 6 virtues. The article displays two tables that highlight the criteria for Character strength and the actual VIA 6 cluster (wisdom and knowledge, courage, humanity, justice, temperance and transcendence) and the 24 facets that follow. The authors support these tables with evidentiary literature and studies that encourage character strengths. The ‘Target for Intervention’ section implies that working on a particular strength may alternatively strengthen or affect the others. Table 3 is an elaboration of this idea as all character strengths are assessed according to enabling factors, societal institutions and deliberate interventions that are also supported by empirical research. The authors support this information with the reliability and validity of each component as they conclude with guidelines for cultivating character.    

  

Allport, G. W. (1937). Personality: A psychological interpretation. New York: Holt.

Aristotle. (2000). Nicomachean ethics (R. Crisp, Trans.). Cambridge, England: Cambridge University

Press.

Compton, W. C., & Hoffman, E. (2013). Positive Psychology The Science of Happiness and Flourishing. California: Wadsworth Cengage Learning.

Peterson, C., & Seligman, M. E. P. (2004). Character strengths and virtues: A handbook and

classification. New York: Oxford University Press/Washington, DC: American Psychological

Association.

Sternberg, R. J. (1985). Implicit theories of intelligence, creativity, and wisdom. Journal of Personality

and Social Psychology, 49, 607–627.

Sternberg, R. J. (1998). A balance theory of wisdom. Review of General Psychology, 2, 347–365.

  

Sternberg, R. J., & Stemler, S. E. (2004). Wisdom as a moral virtue. In T. A. Thorkildsen &

H. J. Walberg, Nurturing morality (pp. 187–198). New York: Kluwer.

Lecture 2: Measuring Quality of Life, Happiness and Subjective Wellbeing

Psychological research is prized on the validity and reliability of objective and subjective assessments. These methods aim to operationally define complicated constructs and pave the way for future research (Billington, Landon, Krageloh, & Shepherd, 2010)

Objective and Subjective Assessment

Objective assessment is devoid of personal and emotional prejudices due to the observable materials (e.g income and education level) studied by researchers.  In contrast, subjective measurements rely on the perceptions, judgements and unobservable phenomena (e.g thoughts, feelings, beliefs, attitudes and preferences) of individuals. Even though both approaches cannot be merged, I have understood that the unique qualities of each can assess varying dynamics of the socio-economic and individual measures of QOL, authentic happiness and SWB. 

WHOQOL

The World Health Organization Quality of Life (WHOQOL) scale is a subjective assessment that attempts to balance the rigidity of biomedical approaches and self-perceptions of patients and clients. Initially I wondered how this would apply cross-culturally; however, Rex Billington provided very efficient examples of how this barrier is overcome with multiple (accurately) translated versions. I can see how this could be a problem if the 4 domains (i.e physical health, psychological, social relations and environment) and the facets of each could easily be lost during an English to Hindi translation. The domains are also understood differently in these cultures due to the individualistic (New Zealand) and collectivist (Indian) social structures. It would be interesting to note the influence of societal structures on people's responses. 

The latter aspects of the lecture comprised of other assessments (i.e Panas and Ryff) that varied in terms of their validity and reliability but highlighted the importance of these two components nonetheless. These examples illustrated the relevance of precise definitions for the general population by avoiding psychological jargon that might hinder the subjective responses of test-takers.

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Classroom Activity: WHOQOL-BREF

The applicability of the WHOQOL to clinical settings sparked a further interest in its qualities which became evident after we personally conducted the WHOQOL BREF. Having reflected on the domain-specific questions, it became clear how this 26 item tool could operationally define one’s QOL. The questions were easy to answer (due to the likert scale responses) and portrayed each domain accordingly. The 10 minute response time allowed for quick reflection of each statement. The challenge was maintaining a  pre-test two week perspective of the applicable items. It was difficult when past experiences almost hindered each subjective response, therefore a great deal of concentration was needed to overcome this barrier and answer effectively.

2^nd attempt at WHOQOL-BREF with a 50 minute response time

I volunteered to take the assessment a second time to assist an AUT student who was analysing the effect of varying response times and the quality of responses that resulted. I was part of the 50 minute group. Surprisingly, my responses had varied since I’d last taken the test due to the lengthened time in which to answer each item. This allowed us to thoroughly examine each statement and analyse the underlying variables formed the final response. It was also easier to limit my thoughts within the two week span because of the understanding that there was lots of time to spare. I was able to reflect on the test multiple times and still have half an hour left. Therefore, during the focus group it was necessary to suggest a shorter response time because 50 minutes was too long. A 20-30 minute span may have been more appropriate to achieve the outcome the researcher was hoping for.         

Billington, R., Landon, J., Krageloh, U. C., & Shepherd, D. (2010). The New Zealand World Health Organization Quality of Life (WHOQOL) Group. New Zealand Medical Association, 125(1315), Retrieved from:

http://journal.nzma.org.nz/journal/123-1315/4128/  

Lecture 1: Introduction to Positive Psychology

The introductory lecture was not only informative but truly challenged my preconceived ideas of positive psychology. My understanding of this field is now grounded in the fact that it does not aim to replace psychopathology but promote and surface the positive attributes of individuals (e.g character strengths) by attempting to improve one’s overall well-being.

The overview of religious and philosophical interpretations of happiness proved to be a very interesting section of the lecture. The ‘compare and contrast’ layout made it easier for me to validate my existing perceptions of these perspectives and created a revised understanding of unknown ideas such as Aristotle’s virtue based eudaimonia, the self-discipline of Stoics, and the ‘simple pleasure’ approach of Epicureans. I realised that I personally relate to Divine Command Theory seeing as it is specific to my Christian roots in the morality that is guided by the obedience towards God and the well-being that is constructed on a life of purpose. The three theological virtues are essentially the foundation of my value system as I aim to express and attain happiness through faith, hope and charity (by displaying unconditional love).  Therefore, my sense of authentic happiness is built on the meaningful life (purpose and goal-driven factors) that is suggested by Seligman (2002) as opposed to the pleasant and/or good engaged life.

The self-fulfilment tendencies achieved by the concept of flow are practically emphasised when I’m absorbed in musical tasks (e.g singing, playing my violin) and other creative effortless activities. I have come to understand that it is the participation in these activities that contributes to aspects of my subjective well-being (SWB). Furthermore, seeing as SWB refers to the level of affect (everyday positive attributions) and life satisfaction (correlation between expectations and present conditions); I can easily say that it is my optimistic, extroverted, religious and relationship-dependent influences (also indicated by current research) that impede or encourage these two outcomes. I have understood that even though there are overlaps; there is a clear distinction between happiness, SWB and Quality of life (QOL); with the latter more focussed one’s perception of life in relation to the physical, psychological and socio-cultural features that influence one’s standards, concerns and expectations of themselves and the environment.  QOL is also very broad and holistic whereas; the former two concepts can be more specific. 

  

Seligman, M. (2002). Authentic Happiness: Using the New Positive Psychology to Realize Your Potential for Lasting Fulfillment. New York: Free Press.