Week 1 - Intro East and West

Question 1

Positive Psychology

Answer 1

Asking what is right about people instead of wrong

A scientific and applied approach to uncovering people’s strengths and promoting their positive functioning

Question 2

Self-Determination Theory
Amotivation vs. Extrinsic vs. Intrinsic

Answer 2

The need for growth drives behavior
Gaining mastery over challenges and new experiences helps to develop a sense of self

Intrinsic motivation increases goal-driven behavior
–When people are motivated by internal rewards (ex. Desire to gain knowledge), they have higher self-determination
Increase intrinsic motivation through friends, long-term goals

Extrinsic - motivated by material rewards

Question 3

undermining effect

Answer 3

when external rewards spoil intrinsic motivation

Upon providing an external reward motivation falls - intrinsic motivation undermined

Question 4

Martin Seligman - Father of Positive Psychology

Answer 4

Raising children is about identifying and supporting the strengths that they have

Question 5

Components of Positive Psychology

Answer 5

1- Scientific and applied approach
2 - Uncovering human strengths while keeping cultural context in mind
3 - Promoting positive functioning
————–Above baseline - thriving

Question 6

Other subfields focused on human weaknesses:

Answer 6

Applied psychology

Psychopathology
——-Exclusively focuses on weakness - broken down functioning
——-How to we get them to be more functional

Psychiatry
——–How do we fix

Question 7

The “Fourth Wave” of Psychology

Answer 7

1. The disease model - cure the illness
2. Behaviorism - stimulus/response
3. Humanistic Psychology - fulfill potential - carl rogers - unconditional positive regard
4. Positive Psychology - authentic happiness and a good life

Question 8

Pre WW2 - psychology had 3 missions:

Answer 8

psychology aimed to cure mental illness

make people’s lives more fulfilling

identify/nurture high talent

Question 9

After WW2 - 2 events changed

Answer 9

Veterans Admin was created - practicing psychologists could make a living treating mental illness

National Institute of Mental Health was created - psychologists discovered they could get grants for research on mental illness

Shift towards researching pathology

Question 10

The two other missions were forgotten - also the study of strength and virtue

Answer 10

Treatment is not just fixing what is broken, it is nurturing what is best within ourselves.

Presidential Task Force on Prevention, headed by Suzanne Bennett Johnson and Roger Weissberg - best practices in prevention, training in prevention, and health promotion

Medical model of personal weakness and damaged brain - left the mental health professions ill-equipped to do effective prevention

Best work is on amplifying strengths than repairing weaknesses

Humans are seen as passive
We respond to stimuli or reinforcements
Conflicts from our childhood created adult behaviors

Psychologists looked to repair damage

Seligman outlined how to work in this new field

Question 11

Underlying question: How can we prevent mental illness in those who are genetically vulnerable or live in maladaptive environments?

Answer 11

Pathologizing doesn’t help us prevent mental disorders - looking at behavior and deciding it is a problem

Certain strengths help us resist mental illness: courage, optimism, interpersonal skill, work ethic, hope, honesty, and perseverance - protective

Practitioners must help amplify strengths - identify what people are good at and bring them up

By learning about the effects of behavior and mental well‐being on the body, clients can become physically healthier

Question 12

Going From Neg to Pos - Pos story

Answer 12

Positive story about being stranded at the airport - very positive reaction, praise, request for similar stories - people want to see and hear about the good in others

Positive psychology offers a look at the other side—that which is good and strong within a cultural context, along with normative ways to nurture and sustain these assets and resources.

Question 13

A Balanced, More Complete View of Human Functioning

Answer 13

Look at strengths and weaknesses, stressors and resources
Tempting to solely focus on the good or bad but it is not good science

Psychologists adhered to pathology model
They were bright, well-meaning scientists
Operated within particular circumstances of that time
Their descriptions are accurate
They were able to help
But, this picture is incomplete

The portrayal of humankind is incomplete
–Must examine weaknesses and strengths of people in various cultural groups
—Must examine stressors and resources in environments

Question 14

Views of Reality that Includes + and -

Answer 14

Reality negotiations and social constructions
–Moving toward agreed-upon worldviews
–Remember that the “facts” are socially constructed

Question 15

We decided to develop these strategies to help you attain life’s three most important outcomes:

Answer 15

connecting with others,
pursuing meaning, and
experiencing some degree of pleasure or satisfaction.

Specifically, love, work, and play have been referred to as the three great realms of life

Question 16

Western cultural values

Answer 16

hope and physical reward

Question 17

Eastern cultures

Answer 17

emphasize enlightenment and transcendence

Question 18

“A good fortune may forebode a bad luck, which may in turn disguise a good fortune.”

Answer 18

Chinese proverb - world and its inhabitants are in a perpetual state of flux

There will be good and bad times
Expectation of desire for balance distinguishes Easterners views of optimal functioning from the more linear path taken by Westerners to resolve problems and monitor progress

Easterners - adaptive and mindful - move with the cycle of life until the change process becomes natural and enlightenment is achieved

Question 19

Western Influences:
Athenian

Answer 19

moral virtues, intellectual virtues

Importance of political community: people with good virtues create a political community and then act as a model for others

Virtue and human strength - Plato and Aristotle
Aristotle described 11 moral virtues and intellectual virtues

A and P empasized the influence of the political community - had on the development and maintenance of these virtues

people with good human virtue create such a community and then can provide a good model for others so that the masses also develop such human excellence.

Aristotle believed that government should be charged with the development of virtue in a particular society via early education (i.e., in childhood) and training

Question 20

W - Judeo-Christian -faith hope and charity

Answer 20

Bible contains discussions of virtues in many chapters and verses

Seven Heavenly Virtues” by Thomas Aquinas

Ten Commandments given by Moses in the Old Testament as directives toward cultivating certain strengths within the Jewish tradition

Seligman (2004) interpret the acts that the commandments prohibit as falling under the category of particular cardinal virtues: “Justice is implied in prohibitions against murder

Beatitudes discussed in the Book of Matthew give a series of virtuous traits (e.g., meekness, being a “peacemaker,” mercy, righteousness, etc.) that are said to be pleasing to God

Talmud - being a hospitable host, particularly to the poor; being fair in decision making and judgments; and seeking peace in everyday life

Question 21

W - Islamic - disagreement over western or eastern

Answer 21

incorporates many virtues recognizable in other philosophical traditions and categorizes them as moral obligations - gratitude, love, kindness, courage, supporting the poor as a duty

Look out for your brother, especially if you have a lot to offer

Giving to the poor is a requirement

Question 22

W - Anishinaabe Traditions

Answer 22

The Ojibwe, part of the Anishinaabe, tell a story that guides values in this cultural group, known as “The Seven Grandfathers’ Teachings.”

First elder of the tribe was said to have received knowledge from each of the seven grandfathers with the purpose of these gifts being to help the people live a good life and to respect the creator, the earth and each other

Seven values each represented by a different animal

Wisdom, love, respect, bravery, honesty

Question 23

Eastern Influences:
Confucianism - founded by Confucius

Answer 23

Emphasis on morality as a cure for evils and looking out for others

Leadership and education are central to morality

Emphasis on morality as a potential cure for the evils of that time - encourages looking out for others - golden rule

Taking care of others in the group

Attainment of virtue - 5 virtues - humanity, treat others well, etiquette and sensitivity for others feelings, wisdom and truthfulness

Striving towards enlightenment

Question 24

E - Taoism - Lao-Tzu

Answer 24

Followers must live according to the Tao
the concept of the Way is a moving head and “refers simultaneously to direction, movement, method, and thought”

difficulty in understanding the Way stems from the fact that one cannot teach another about it

understanding flows from experiencing the Way for oneself by fully participating in life.

both good and bad experiences can contribute to a greater understanding of the Way.

humanity, justice, temperance, and propriety must be practiced by the virtuous individual without effort

Goals: achieving naturalness and spontaneity in life

Virtues: humanity, justice, temperance and propriety

Question 25

E - Buddhism by Buddha

Answer 25

Seeking the good of others is woven throughout the teachings of “the Master” or “the Enlightened One”

Buddha teaches that suffering is a part of being and that this suffering is brought on by the human emotion of desire.

In Buddhist philosophy, Nirvana is a state in which the self is freed from the desire for anything - ascended beyond human needs

End goal - a life full of love, compassion, joy, and self-control

both premortal and postmortal nirvana states are proposed as possible for the individual.
Postmortal nirvana may be similar to the Christian idea of heaven.

The paths to achieving these virtues within Buddhism require humans to divorce themselves from the human emotion of desire to put an end to suffering.

Question 26

E - Hinduism

Answer 26

emphasize the interconnectedness of all things.

One’s goal within this tradition would be to live life so fully and so correctly that one would go directly to the afterlife without having to repeat life’s lessons in a reincarnated form

quest of one’s life is to attain ultimate self-knowledge and to strive for ultimate self-betterment

Karma - better placement in reincarnation due to good actions in the previous life

“Good action” is also encouraged in the sense that, if one does not reach ultimate self-knowledge in one’s life and thus does have to return to Earth via reincarnation after death, the previous life’s good actions correlate directly with better placement in the world in the subsequent life - karma.

Question 27

Most people are collectivist

Answer 27

Lots of overlap in terms of what we value - not completely separate

Question 28

Important to mention that the same word doesn’t necessarily mean the same concept: Ex. wisdom

Answer 28

Judeo-christian - understanding god’s plan - impossible

Confucianism - transform and regulate social order

Ojibwe - cherishing knowledge

To sum up - we will try to learn from different traditions in order to understand what the good life is

Question 29

US - land of the rugged individualist

Answer 29

Any person with a good idea can succeed in the pursuit of personal goals through hard work

Think of themselves in isolation

Equal rights and freedom- depending on the subculture

Capitalist economy

Individualism was linked to the emphases on equal rights and freedom found in the US as well as the country’s capitalistic economy and open frontiers

Personal and individual goals, as exemplified by the construct of hope, seem to be the primary tool of the “rugged individualist

Question 30

Emphases in Individualism

Answer 30

Concern for the individual greater than concern for the group = individualistic

when the average person in a society is disposed toward individual independence

Question 31

3 Core Emphases Individualism

Answer 31

Sense of independence
–individualistic societies - norm for each person to see themselves as independent of the surrounding group of people

Desire to stand out relative to others - Need for Uniqueness
—people follow their own motives and preferences instead of adjusting their desires to accommodate those of the group
–individualistic person thus sets personal goals that may not match those of the groups to which they belong
—Have to be moderately similar to others
—Uniqueness attributes affect social acceptability
—Attractiveness of scarce commodities

Use of the self/indivdual as the unit of analysis in thinking about life
—-explanations of events are likely to involve the person rather than the group.
—the various definitions of individualism draw upon worldviews in which personal factors are emphasized over social forces

Question 32

Secondary Emphases individualism

Answer 32

individualistic person pursues what is enjoyable to him or her, in contrast to collectivistic people, who derive their pleasures from things that promote the welfare of the group.

people in individualistic societies often are somewhat informal in their interactions with others, whereas people in collectivistic societies are more formal in their interactions, as they attend to the expected and important norms that determine such behaviors

tend to be rather short term in their thinking, whereas collectivists are more long term in their thought patterns.

Goals are for oneself
Pursuit of what is enjoyable for oneself
Group norm may be followed but only when personally advantageous
When to pursue relationships?
Short term thinking
Informal social interactions

Question 33

Hunter-gatherer ancestors’ behavior

Answer 33

Survival

Social bonds

Elliot Aronson “social animals”

Social psychologists have argued that people prosper when they join together and work toward shared goals
Default setting

Question 34

Core Emphases Collectivism

Answer 34

Average person disposed toward group interdependence

Dependence
–Draw meaning and existence from being part of an important group of people
—Goes with expectations of the group, concerned with the welfare of the group, and is dependent upon the other members

Conformity (Need to fit in)
—Oyserman - assumption that groups bind and mutually obligate individuals
—Inherent social approach in which the movement is toward ingroups and away from outgroups

Perception of the group as the fundamental unit of analysis
—-reflect close linkages in which people see themselves as part of a larger, more important whole.

Question 35

Secondary Emphases Collectivism

Answer 35

Collectivist is defined in terms of the characteristics of the groups to which they belong

Pay closer attention to the rules

Subjgate personal needs for those of the group

Satisfaction stems from the group’s reaching its desired goals and from feeling that one has fulfilled the socially prescribed duties as a member

Interchanges between people are characterized by mutual generosity and equity

Interpersonal relationships pursued even when there are no obvious benefits to be attained

Formal in interactions - monitor social context carefully to form impressions of others and to make decisions

Lower need for uniqueness

Emphasis on maintaining harmony

Question 36

Demographics Related to Collectivism

Answer 36

People in lower social classes are more likely to be collectivist in their perspectives

More collectivist as they grow older

Question 37

The Stories We Tell

Answer 37

Western fairytales - hero fights alone and takes on dangers singlehandedly - individual independence is valued over needing someone elses assistance
—Transactional if there is helping
—Personal gain despite potential loss to another
—Many stories emphasize seeking personal fortune

Eastern - harmony, interdependence, sharing, collaboration

Western - independence, personal gain (sometimes despite potential loss), or fortune

Question 38

Orientation to time

Answer 38

Western - individuals look to the future, strengths valued reflect future-oriented thinking

Eastern - looking backward and recognizing the wisdom of their elders

Question 39

Thought Process

Answer 39

Eastern - circular thinking style - yin yang
—Circular and constantly changing nature of the world
—Dark part represents the feminine and passive and the light side represents the masculine and active

Easterner - if you achieve happiness, unhappiness is close
Aim for balance - strength of endurance
Great suffering will be balanced by great happiness

Western - happiness has a straight line to the goal - looking carefully for obstacles and finding possible ways around them - strength of hope used to achieve this

Question 40

identity dimension

Answer 40

“a set of personal attributes which have a common core of meaning”

Question 41

Compassion

Answer 41

Western - Aristotle
Greeks - happiness = life with no ties to duty and the freedom to pursue individual goals

Eastern - confucianism, taoism, buddhism, hinduism

Confucian - discussed within the concept of jen - encapsulate all other virtues

Taoist - humanity also reflects behaviors that must occur naturally without premeditation

Buddha - karuna is woven throughout buddhism as a virtue on the path toward transcendence

Nirvana - complete harmony, balance, and equilibrium

Harmonious social network - harmony central to happiness
Often mistakenly equated with conformity
Reflected in the virtue of justice

Question 42

Cassell - 3 requirements for compassion

Answer 42

(1) the difficulties of the recipient must be serious,

(2) the recipient’s difficulties cannot be self-inflicted

(3) we, as observers, must be able to identify with the recipient’s suffering

“unilateral emotion” (Cassell, 2009, p. 394) that is directed outward from oneself

Possessing compassion helps the person to succeed in life and is viewed as a major strength within the Eastern tradition
may come more naturally to a person from a collectivist culture than to someone from an individualist culture
—compassion is essential for dealing with daily life tasks