Week 6

Question 1

What is positive psychology?

Answer 1

Covers research, theory and interventions about what makes life worth living.

Moves beyond studying mental illness and looks at what makes people lastingly happier.

Health is more than the absence of illness.

Question 2

What influenced positive psychology?

Answer 2

Borne out of humanistic psychology i.e. Maslow and incorporates developmental psychology (Erikson), but also touches Buddhism through mindfulness, self compassion and other Christian views of character strength and values.

Question 3

What is the PERMA model of wellbeing?

Answer 3

Positive emotion: reflect on the past positively and look to the future with optimism

Engagement: engage with the present, focus on things we care about and genuinely enjoy; ‘flow’

Relationships: enhancement of wellbeing through sharing and building relationships with others - family, friends, coworkers, neighbours

Meaning: we are at our best when we dedicate ourselves to something greater i.e. religion, faith, community, work, family

Accomplishment: Everyone needs to win; to reflect on the past positively must achieve wellbeing and happiness.

Question 4

What is ‘flow’?

Answer 4

Spending time immerses in effortless concentration.

More research required to understand implications for health

Question 5

Describe the VIA Model.

Answer 5

Wisdom and knowledge: love of learning, perspective, judgement, creativity, curiosity

Humanity: love, kindness, social intelligence

Justice: teamwork, leadership, fairness

Temperance: humility, prudence, forgiveness, self regulation

Courage: zest, bravery, honesty, perseverance

Transcendence: appreciation of beauty + excellence, spirituality, gratitude, humour, hope

Question 6

In what ways might strengths be related to health?

Answer 6

May enhance wellbeing (Proyer et al., 2013)

May influence health behaviour i.e. eating healthy food, physical health (Proyer et al., 2013)

May assist recovery from illness > gratitude, humour, kindness

Question 7

What three constructs measure subjective (hedonic) wellbeing?

Answer 7

positive affect
negative affect
life satisfaction
(PANAS-PA/NA + SWL scale)

Question 8

What are the six constructs of psychological (eudemonic) wellbeing?

Answer 8

self acceptance
positive relations with others
autonomy
environmental mastery
purpose in life
personal growth

Question 9

How does psychological wellbeing influence health?

Answer 9

eudemonic wellbeing associated with increased survival

positive relationship b/w MIL and self-reported general health

MIL associated with healthier immune functioning, optimal levels of neuroendocrine and cardiovascular markers of health, slower rates of cognitive decline and Alzheimer’s progression.

Associated with post-traumatic growth > finding meaning in suffering, coping response, flourishing

Question 10

What is the Broaden and Build Theory of Positive Emotions (Fredrickson & Cohn, 2008)

Answer 10

Positive emotions >
Novel thoughts, activities and relationships >
Building personal resources >
Enhanced health and fulfilment >
Positive emotions

Question 11

How does subjective wellbeing influence health?

Answer 11

Positive emotions facilitate adequate risk perception > mobilise cognitive and motivational resources > promote adaptive coping strategies

Positive emotion is prospectively associated with greater health enhancing behaviours

Happy people have bolstered immune systems and live longer

Question 12

What is dispositional optimism?

Answer 12

Generalised expectation that a person will obtain good outcomes in life (Carver & Schier, 2001)

Question 13

How is optimism related to health?

Answer 13

Predicts higher wellbeing > better health

Predicts better health behaviours

Helps adjustment in chronic health illness

Interventions to impact optimism increase wellbeing

Question 14

Optimism and Wellbeing (Ferguson & Goodwin, 2010)

Answer 14

Perceived social support mediated the relationship between optimism and subjective wellbeing

Perception of control mediated the relationship between optimism and psychological wellbeing

Question 15

Optimism + Wellbeing Meta-Analysis
(Alarcon et al., 2013)

Answer 15

optimism was positively related to:

psychological wellbeing
life satisfaction and happiness

general physical health, number of health problems and

negatively correlated to depression and anxiety

Question 16

Optimism + Coping
Meta-Analysis
Nes & Sergstrom (2006)

Answer 16

Dispositional optimism positively correlated with coping strategies that reduce, eliminate and manage stressors

negatively correlated with avoidance coping strategies, withdrawal from stressors/emotions

Question 17

Optimism + Health Behaviours

Answer 17

High optimism >

protective effects against antisocial behaviour/substance use

greater cardiovascular preventative behaviours

increased likelihood of making good nutritional choices

associated with persistence, self-efficacy, positive health outcomes

Pessimism >
depression, stress, isolation and anxiety

Question 18

What are the health dangers of unrealistic optimism?

Answer 18

Belief that less likely to experience negative events in the future i.e. smokers believe that they won’t develop lung cancer, or as ‘it won’t happen to me’ attitude

Question 19

Optimism + Chronic Illness

Answer 19

Optimism linked to:

better psychological and physical functioning in HIV men

longer survival in metastatic melanoma

better psychological outcomes in advanced cancer

reduced atherosclerosis and CVD mortality

better immune functioning

better adjustment to chronic pain

lowered stress in caregivers in palliative care

Question 20

Optimism Interventions
Shapira & Mongrain (2010)

Answer 20

Write down and convey sage self-advice

Intervention group found increased happiness over subsequent 6 months and diminished depression over the next 3 months

Question 21

Snyder’s Trait Hope Concept?

Answer 21

Hope involves both agency and pathways

Hope and optimism are distinct constructs

Aspinwall & Leaf (2002) argue that Snyder’s does not address differences between hoping, expecting, planning

Question 22

How is hope related to health?

Answer 22

Predicts better wellbeing

Predicts better health behaviours

Helps adjustment to chronic illness

Contributes to better adherence for chronic conditions

Interventions to increase hope impact wellbeing

Question 23

Hope in Older Australians (Ferguson et al.)

Answer 23

Found hope and lack of avoidance are important for wellbeing in older adulthood; predicts positive affect and meaning in life

Interventions targeting hope may enhance positive ageing and contribute to a meaningful life

Question 24

Hope in Student Health
(Berg et al., 2011)

Answer 24

lower hope scores were connected to binge drinking and smoking

higher hope scores were related to greater likelihood and more frequent exercising and fat limitations

Interventions to improve college student health behaviours should target health.

Question 25

Hope + Chronic Illness and Injury

Answer 25

Associated with positive adjustment across: major burns spinal cord injuries cancer renal failure HIV/AIDS

Question 26

Hope + Rehabilitation

Answer 26

hope correlated with improved skills and functioning (Kortte et al., 2012) association b/w functional impairment and depressive symptoms, weakest in patients with higher hope (Hirsch et al., 2015) Patient with hope focused on cure, longevity and independence > terminally ill patients hoped to avoid suffering and have a peaceful death and better lives for their families (Duggleby & Wright, 2015)

Question 27

Hope Interventions (Cheavens et al., 2006)

Answer 27

Group sessions, 2 hours where discussion was around meaningful and plausible goals, uncovering opportunities, preventing obstacles, evaluating progress Found: sessions improved agency, self-esteem, purpose and contained anxiety

Question 28

What is gratitude in positive psychology?

Answer 28

An emotion expressing appreciation, being thankful, kind Interventions include writing a letter, keeping a diary for grateful things

Question 29

Mindfulness + Health

Answer 29

Paying attention in a particular way, on purpose in the precise moment, and non-judgementally

Question 30

Describe the Five Facet Model of Mindfulness (Baer et al., 2008)

Answer 30

Observing Describing Acting with Awareness Non-judging of inner experience No reactivity to inner experience

Question 31

What are the general benefits of mindfulness supported by research? (David & Hays, 2012)

Answer 31

Reduced rumination Stress reduction Boosting working memory Improved focus Less emotional reactivity More cognitive flexibility Improve relationship satisfaction

Question 32

How is mindfulness related to health?

Answer 32

Improvements in health behaviours Increased immune functioning Improved adjustment + functioning in chronic health illness

Question 33

Dispositional Mindfulness: Longitudinal Study (10wks, n=141) (Murphy et al., 2012)

Answer 33

Increased dispositional mindfulness > better eating, sleep and physical health

Question 34

Mindfulness + Chronic Illness (Di Nardo et al., 2015)

Answer 34

MBSR intervention with veterans with diabetes After 3+ months diabetes related stress decreased 41% and management of diabetes improved - better eating, activity, medication, problem solving, healthy coping

Question 35

Mindfulness + Chronic Illness Systematic Review + Meta-Analysis (Victorson et al., 2015)

Answer 35

Partial evidence of short term effectiveness of waitlist controlled mindfulness based interventions: managing symptom burden and effecting important modifiable health behaviours such as smoking and eating

Question 36

Self-compassion + Health

Answer 36

Origins in Buddhism Involves unconditional feelings of self-care, and kindness toward oneself when dealing with difficult experiences Self-kindness vs self-judgement Common humanity vs isolation from others Mindfulness vs over identification

Question 37

How are self compassionate people different?

Answer 37

They respond to personal weaknesses, failures and challenges with fewer emotional overreactions, greater emotional coping and more adaptive motivational orientations.

Question 38

Self compassion + Health (Phillips & Ferguson, 2013)

Answer 38

self compassion correlated with positive affect, ego integrity, meaning in life and negatively correlated with negative affect.

Question 39

Self compassion + Wellbeing (Zessin et al., 2015)

Answer 39

Magnitude of relationship between self-compassion and wellbeing = .47

Question 40

Overview of Self Compassion + Health (Terry & Leary, 2011)

Answer 40

Self compassion helps monitor health goals with less distraction and defensiveness > reduces negative emotional states i.e. self-blame, that interfere with emotional regulation Self compassion led to an increased in seeking of medical care when needed and compliance with medical recommendations Because they cope better with stressful events, self compassionate people may be less depleted and have greater self-regulatory resources to devote to self-care; frame problems differently.

Question 41

Self Compassion and Health Promoting Behaviours (Sirios et al., 2014)

Answer 41

Self compassion positively correlated with health promoting behaviours Self compassion may be an important quality to cultivate for promoting positive health behaviours due in part to being associated with adaptive emotions