Psychology: Health Benefits of Positive Thinking PDF

**Psychology** **What are the health benefits of positive thinking?** - Increased life span - Lower rates of depression \- is a scientific study of behavior and mental processes Before the World War II (1939-1945), Psychology's distinct missions are to: 1. Cure mental illness 2. Nurture...

**Psychology** **What are the health benefits of positive thinking?** - Increased life span - Lower rates of depression \- is a scientific study of behavior and mental processes Before the World War II (1939-1945), Psychology's distinct missions are to: 1. Cure mental illness 2. Nurture talent 3. Make people happier \*Historically speaking, the focus of psychology is to cure mental illness. \*Before the age of scientific inquiry, people with abnormal behavior were believed to be possessed by evil spirit, or that they were witches. \*Because it was and still is a hard process of curing mental illness, psychologists took a long time to achieve this first mission. \*Fortunately, with this time and age, we can now manage mental disorders through counseling, therapy, & medication. **Positive Psychology** - was born to achieve the 2nd and 3rd missions of psychology - is a scientific study of happiness, well-being, and flourishing - is also the study of strength and virtues that enable individuals, organizations, and communities to flourish **Dr. Martin E.P. Seligman** - who is president of Former American Psychological Association, is one of the pillars of Positive Psychology **Learned Hopelessness** - a phenomenon whereby individuals believe they are incapable of changing their circumstances after repeatedly experiencing a stressful event **Learned Optimism** - believes that people can learn and cultivate positive mindset **Flourishing** - main goal of positive psychology - is the state of optimal mental health **Languishing** - the absence of mental health - is described as quiet despair, and people feels "hollow" or "empty" **Positivity** - consistently think good and feel good - Lower rates of distress - Greater resistance to common cold - Better psychological and physical well-being - Reduced risk of cardiovascular disease - Better coping skills during hardships and stress **Optimists** - people who expect good things to happen to them **Pessimists** - people who expect bad things to happen to them **Engagement** - describes a specific way of being involved with a task - also known as flow **Relationship** - a continuing and often committed association between two or more people in which the participants have some degree of influence on each other\'s thoughts, feelings, and actions. \*positive relationship makes us happy \*negative relationship has harmful effects on our health, personal happiness and life expectation **Meaning** - a compass that provides direction and a sense of purpose often termed as self-transcendence - Research shows that relationships are usually seen as most important source of meaning in life. (Emmons, 2003) - We can also find meaning by engaging in a creative endeavor (Frankl, 1996) or attaining personal goals that we have set for ourselves. - Meaning also happens when we ignite our character, strengths and virtue beyond oneself (Seligman, 2011) **Achievement** - Builds self-belief and strengthen self-esteem - The most dangerous zone is your comfort zone. - Our comfort zone is a beautiful place, but nothing ever grows here. **Vitality** - is approaching life with excitement and energy, living life as an adventure, feeling alive and activated We can achieve vitality through: A person who is mentally healthy thinks more positively and experience more positive emotions. - Stay active - Eat healthy - Meditate - Savor the moment - Good rest and sleep - Anticipate future joys **Mental Health** - a state of well-being in which the individual realizes his or her own abilities, can cope with the normal stresses of life, can work productively and fruitfully, and is able to make a contribution to his or her community (WHO, 2004) - includes our emotional, psychological, and social well- being - affects how we think, feel, and act. Factors affecting Mental Health Problems Biological factors, such as genes or brain chemistry Life experiences, such as trauma or abuse Family history of mental health problems **Early Warning Signs** - Eating or sleeping too much or too little - Pulling away from people and usual activities - Having low or no energy - Feeling numb or like nothing matters - Having unexplained aches or pains - Feeling helpless or hopeless - Smoking, drinking, or using drugs more than usual - Feeling unusually confused, forgetful, on edge, angry, upset, worried, or scared - Yelling or fighting with family and friends - Experiencing severe mood swings that cause problems in relationships - Having persistent thoughts and memories you can't get out of your head - Hearing voices or believing things that are not true - Thinking or harming yourself or others - Inability to perform daily tasks like taking care of your kids or getting to work or school **Ways to Maintain Positive Mental Health** - Getting professional help if you need it - Connecting with others - Staying positive - Getting physically active - Helping others - Getting enough sleep - Developing coping skills A. **Sigmund Freud** - well known of his 3 layers of self: the id, ego and superego, all developing at different stages in our lives - **Id** - operates on the PLEASURE PRINCIPLE which is the idea that every wishful impulse should be satisfied immediately, regardless of the consequences. - **Ego** - develops to mediate between the unrealistic id and the external real world. It is the decision- making component of personality or the **REALITY PRINCIPLE** - **Superego** - incorporates the values and morals of society which are learned from one\'s parents and others. Also known as **MORALITY PRINCIPLE.** **Instinct** -- mental representations of internal stimuli, such as hunger, that drive a person to take certain actions. - **Life Instinct** - drive for ensuring survival of the individual and the species by satisfying the needs for food, water, air, and sex. - this includes **LIBIDO** - drives a person toward pleasurable behaviors and thoughts - can be attached to or invested in objects, a - **Death Instinct** - unconscious drive toward decay, destruction, and aggression. B. **Erik Erikson (Psycho-Social Theory of Development)** Concepts: - **Epinagenetic Principle** -- step by step process - **Psychological Crisis** -- each stages involves two opposing emotional forces - **Virtue** -- the potential positive outcomes arising from each of the crisis stage 1. **Trust Vs. Mistrust (0-1.5yrs Old )** During this stage, the infant is uncertain about the world in which they live, and looks towards their primary caregiver for stability and consistency of care. Success in this stage will lead to the virtue of **hope**. 2. **Autonomy Vs. Shame And Doubt (1.5-3yrs old )** Children at this stage are focused on developing a sense of personal control over physical skills and a sense of independence. Success in this stage will lead to the virtue of **will**. 3. **Initiative Vs. Guilt (3-5yrs old )** At this stage, the child will begin to ask many questions as his thirst for knowledge grows. Success in this stage will lead to the virtue of **purpose**. 4. **Industry Vs. Inferiority (5-12yrs old )** At this stage, the child's peer group will gain greater significance and will become a major source of the child's self-esteem. Success in this stage will lead to the virtue of **confidence**. 5. **Identity Vs. Role Confusion (12-18yrs old )** During this stage, adolescents search for a sense of self and personal identity, through an intense exploration of personal values, beliefs, and goals. Success in this stage will lead to the virtue of **fidelity**. 6. **Intimacy Vs. Isolation (18-40yrs old)** During this stage, we begin to share ourselves more intimately with others. Success in this stage will lead to the virtue of **love**. 7. **Generativity Vs. Stagnation (40-65yrs old)** We give back to society through raising our children, being productive at work, and becoming involved in community activities and organizations. Success in this stage will lead to the virtue of **care**. 8. **Ego Integrity Vs. Despair (65yrs old and above)** We contemplate our accomplishments and can develop integrity if we see ourselves as leading a successful life. Success in this stage will lead to the virtue of **wisdom**.  C. **James Marcia (Socio-emotional Theorist)** \- expanded off the Erik Erikson's 8 stages of psychosocial development, crisis and identity confusion 9. **Identity Foreclosure** -- an individual blindly accepts the values and beliefs that their parents and those around them have 10. **Identity Diffusion** -- an individual has not yet begun to explore possible identities and don't know what kind of person they want to be yet 11. **Identity Moratorium** -- an individual usually experience a crisis that lead them to an active exploration of their identity 12. **Identity Achievement** -- an individual has extensively explored and committed to a system of belief and how they plan to live their lives D. **William James (Concept Self)** - suggested that the self is divided into 2 categories: - **The I-Self** - refers to the self that knows who he or she is, which is also called the thinking - reflects the soul of a person or the mind which - **The Me-Self** - is the empirical self which refers to the person's personal experiences - divided into sub-categories: Material self, E. **Carl Rogers (Self Theory)** - he defines self as a flexible and changing perception of personal identity - self is the center of experience - when the needs of the self are denied, severe anxiety may arise - **suggested 2 components of self: (the Real-self and the Ideal-self)** F. **Albert Bandura (The Proactive and Agentic self)** - defines human agency as a human capability to exert influence over one's function functioning in the course of event by one's action - **Intentionality** - deals with the forming of intentions that action plans and strategies to realize themes or goals - **Forethought** - people set goals for themselves and foresee outcomes of prospective actions to guide and motivate their efforts expectantly - **Self-reactiveness** - widens the role of the agent to a just mere planner and fore-thinker and includes processes of self-management and self-motivation - **Self-reflection** - pertains to the real self-examining nature of the agents **Manners on How Human Agency is being done** 13. **Personal** - is exercised by individually, and the process by which a person affects what he/she can control directly 14. **Proxy** - when the people do not have the direct control over conditions or aspects of the agency 15. **Collective** - is enacted when people share common beliefs and act in a group **Philosophy** - comes from the Greek word "Philo" means "LOVE" and "Sophia" means wisdom (the quality or state of being wise) - means love for wisdom The human nature of man is made up of many components that unified and harmonized self -- physical, intellectual, moral, social, political, religious, aesthetics, sensual, sexual, and economics. **Philosophers** - are lovers of wisdom that seek for the truth and essence of life - called as **sophists** or wandering scholars - Greece is the home of philosophy - Greece is also the home of the 3 pillars (Socrates, Plato and Aristotle) **Socrates** - known to be the mankind **greatest teacher in Athens in 469 B.C.** - introduces **SOCRATIC METHOD** (a method of inquiry by answering questions with another question) - true knowledge is virtue and virtue is courage -- that courage is virtue and virtue is reason. - **Socrates is considered as dualist**. - **Physical Realms** -- changeable, transient, and imperfect - **Ideal Realms** -- unchanging, eternal and immortal - **Socrates' Dictums** - Know thyself - I know that I don't know - Unexamined life is not worth living - Ignorance of evil **Plato (The Ideal Perfect Man)** - he conveyed and expanded on the ideas and techniques of his teacher Socrates - founded the **"ACADEMY**", one of the world's first universities - **Plato is also a dualist** - Ideal world (perfect) - soul - Phenomenal world (real) - body \*Soul is imprisoned in a body \*Soul is the essence of man. What makes a man a man. - Plato believes that man in his present earthly existence is just an imperfect copy of his real original self - "man is perfect again through constant recollection and imitation of his perfect self" **Aristotle** - was the student of Plato - believes that all living beings have souls, plants and animals have souls too - **3 Types of Soul (Aristotle)** - **Vegetative soul** -- physical body that can grow and its biological needs - **Sentient soul** -- includes emotion, sensual desire and feelings - **Rational** -- soul that makes a man human **"Dignity does not consist in possessing honors, but in the consciousness that we deserve them."** **Confucius** - great Chinese philosopher who is known for his "Golden Rule" - believes that man must have virtue of kindness, uprightness, decency, wisdom and faithfulness **St. Augustine** - regarded as a saint **(St. Augustine of Hippo)** - believes that the body is united with the soul, so that man may be entire and complete - believes that the human person, being a creation of God is always geared towards the good - is convinced that **the self is known only through knowing God** In his work, Confessions, Augustine describes that humankind is created in the image and likeness of God. Everything created by God who is all good is good. This is the concept of **Imago Dei** **René Descartes** - Father of Modern Philosophy believes that the act of thinking about the self - of being self-conscious - is in itself, proves that there is a self - contends further that if man reflects thoughtfully, he will realize that there are two dimensions of human self: the self as a thinking entity and the self as a physical body **John Locke** - believes that human mind at birth is tabula rasa or blank slate - feels that the self, or personal identity, is constructed primarily from sense experiences - for him, Consciousness is what makes identity - also, knowledge is based on careful observation of experiences **"SELF IS CONSCIOUSNESS"** **David Hume** - suggests that if people carefully examine their sense experience through the process of introspection, they will discover that there is no self believes that what people experience is just a bundle or collection of different perceptions **"THERE IS NO SELF"** **Immanuel Kant** - German philosopher - believes that the self is an organizing principle that makes a unified and intelligible experience possible - the self constructs its own reality, actively creating a world that is familiar, predictable, and most significantly, mine **"WE CONSTRUCT THE SELF"** - The most important aspect of a person **is "THE SELF" "THE SELF"** knows his/her gender, feelings, emotions, his/her intelligence, memory and experience **Schema**s are mental concept by which one organizes one's world.(stereotype) **Self-Concept** is a schema that contains knowledge about a person **Sociology** - is the study of social life of individuals, groups, and societies. It focuses on the understanding of social rules and processes that connect and separate people not only as individuals but as members of groups, associations, and institutions. **Theories Of Social Interaction** **Social Exchange Theory** - In sociology and social psychology, the idea that social change and stability represents a process of cost-benefit analyses between parties. This theory is founded upon the works of Homans and Blau. - The social exchange perspective argues that people calculate the overall worth of a particular relationship by subtracting its costs from the rewards it provides. - Worth= Rewards- Costs **Social Construction of Reality** - Some sociological theorists have argued convincingly that there is little actual reality beyond that produced by the process of social interaction itself. - This is the principle of the social construction of reality, the idea that our perception of what is real is determined by the subjective meaning that we attribute to an experience, a principle central to symbolic interaction theory. **Looking Glass Self (Charles Horton Cooley)** - we learn who we are by interacting with others. - our view of ourselves comes not only from direct contemplation of our personal qualities but also from our impressions of how others perceive us - the self is the product of our social interactions. **Self (George Herbert Mead)** - self begins at a privileged, central position in a person's world. - young children picture themselves as the focus of everything around them and find it difficult to consider the perspectives of others. - Mead developed a useful model of the process by which the self emerges, defined by three distinct stages: the preparatory stage, the play stage, and the game stage. - **The Preparatory Stage** - children merely imitate the people around them, especially family members with whom they continually interact - **The Play Stage** - Mead was among the first to analyze the relationship of symbols to socialization. As children develop skill in communicating through symbols, they gradually become more aware of social relationships. As a result, during the play stage, they begin to pretend to be other people. Just as an actor "becomes" a character, a child becomes a doctor, parent, superhero, or ship captain. - **The Game Stage** - The child of about age eight or nine no longer just plays roles but begins to consider several tasks and relationships simultaneously. At this point in development, children grasp not only their own social positions but also those of others around them. **Generalized other** - refers to the attitudes, viewpoints, and expectations of society as a whole that a child takes into account in his or her behavior **Impression Management (Erving Goofman)** - is a process by which people control how others perceive them. can be seen as a type of con game We willfully attempt to manipulate others' impressions of us. - Goffman regarded everyday interaction as a series of attempts to con the other. In fact, trying in various ways to con the other is, according to Goffman, at the very center of much social interaction and social organization in society: Social interaction is just a big con game! **Dramaturgy** - it assumes the people are actors on a stage in the drama of everyday social life - people present different faces (give off different impressions) on different stages (in different situations or different roles) with different others **Statuses** - to refer to any of the full range of socially defined positions within a large group or society, from the lowest to the highest **Ascribed status** - is assigned to a person by society without regard for the person's unique talents or characteristics. - takes place at birth; thus, a person's racial background, gender, and age are all considered ascribed statuses. - though these characteristics are biological in origin, they are significant mainly because of the social meanings they have in our culture **Achieved status** - comes to us largely through our own efforts. - we must do something to acquire an achieved status--- go to school, learn a skill, establish a friendship, invent a new product **Master Status** - a status that dominates others and thereby determines a person's general position in society **Social role** - a set of expectations for people who occupy a given social position or status. **Roles** - a significant component of social structure. Viewed from a functionalist perspective, roles contribute to a society's stability by enabling members to anticipate the behavior of others and to pattern their actions accordingly. Yet social roles can also be dysfunctional if they restrict people's interactions and relationships. If we view a person only as a "police officer" or "supervisor," it will be difficult to relate to him or her as a friend or neighbor. **Role Conflict** - occurs when incompatible expectations arise from two or more social positions held by the same person. Fulfillment of the roles associated with one status may directly violate the roles linked to a second status.