Topic-3-Eudaimonic-Wellbeing.pdf
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EUDAIMONIC WELL-BEING Prepared by: Prof Bernardo Fernandez II The definition and historical roots of eudaimonia. The concept of psychological wellbeing (PWB). The importance of meaning and purpose in life....
EUDAIMONIC WELL-BEING Prepared by: Prof Bernardo Fernandez II The definition and historical roots of eudaimonia. The concept of psychological wellbeing (PWB). The importance of meaning and purpose in life. The links between existential Agenda psychology and positive psychology. Positive death and meaning. The concept of flow and its characteristics. Self-determination theory (SDT). The three basic psychological needs. Question? Is happiness enough for a good life? 20XX presentation title 3 Eudamonia Eudaimonic wellbeing - argues that wellbeing lies in the actualization of human potential. Researchers within the eudaimonic framework argue that happiness and „the good life‟ are not simply the experiences of feeling good. There has to be more to life than just pleasure and satisfaction. Eudaimonic wellbeing - proposes that true happiness is found in the expression of virtue and doing what is worth doing. 1. Thus, the realization of human potential is an ultimate goal (Aristotle). 2. Individuals must therefore seek and pursue happiness through prudence (John Locke) and self-discipline (Epicurus). 20XX presentation title 4 Eudamonia Eudaimonia is defined as fulfilling or realizing one‟s daimon or true nature. This occurs when people‟s life activities are most congruent with their deep values (Waterman, 1993) such as developing one‟s true self (Vitterso, 2004), engaging in activities for their own sake (Csikszentmihalyi, 2002) and belonging to and serving institutions larger than oneself (Huta et al., 2003). 20XX presentation title 5 Psychological well-being Self-acceptance Positive evaluation of oneself and one‟s life Personal Growth Continually growing and developing yourself Purpose in Life Feeling that your life has a meaning both in the past, present, and future Positive Creating satisfactory relationships, of quality, trust and Relations with closeness Others Environmental Managing the opportunities and demands of the Mastery environment to satisfy your capacities and needs Maintaining your personal independence and your Autonomy convictions 20XX presentation title 6 Psychological well-being Self-acceptance “When I look at the story of my life, I am pleased with how things have turned out.” Personal Growth “For me, life has been a continuous process of learning, changing, and growth.” Purpose in Life “Some people wander aimlessly through life, but I am not one of them.” Positive Relations “People would describe me as a giving person, willing to share my with Others time with others.” Environmental Mastery “In general, I feel I am in charge of the situation in which I live.” “I have confidence in my own opinions, even if they are Autonomy different from the way most other people think.” 20XX presentation title 7 Authentic Happiness 1. PLEASANT LIFE Which enables high levels of positive emotion and gratification SELIGMAN‟S THREE ROUTES TO HAPPINESS 2. GOOD LIFE Which enables constant absorption, engagement, and flow 3. MEANINGFUL LIFE HEDONIC VS EUDAMONIC Where one uses one‟s strengths A. hedonic, pleasant activities experience in the service of something higher levels of positive affect in the short greater term; than oneself B. eudaimonic pursuits may give meaning and value in the long term Csikszentmihalyi, 2009 Flow is defined as „the intense experiential involvement in moment-to- moment activity, which can be either physical or mental. Attention is fully invested in the task at hand and the person functions at her or his fullest capacity.‟ 20XX presentation title 10 Conditions are needed to facilitate the flow experience: 1. STRUCTURED ACTIVITY WITH CLEAR GOALS AND IMMEDIATE FEEDBACK. This means that the activity must have rules and a clear outline in order to help orientate the person doing it. As we continue through the activity, we must be able to get a sense of feedback – a sense that we are on the right track towards the desired goal. Without feedback, confusion and consciousness will creep in. 2. BALANCE OF CHALLENGES VERSUS SKILLS. If the challenge is too far above our current skill level, then this will produce anxiety. If it is too low, it will produce boredom. Furthermore, if a person has no skill and there is no challenge (such as TV watching) then they will exist in a channel of apathy. 20XX presentation title 11 Conditions are needed to facilitate the flow experience: 3. COMPLETE CONCENTRATION (MERGING OF ACTION AND AWARENESS). The activity must initiate a complete merger of the activity and all consciousness. All attention is within the activity and there is no room for consciousness. Also, you lose a sense of „yourself‟ and become one with the activity you are completing. There is no time or room to be self-conscious. Everything else but the activity is irrelevant at that point in time. 4. SENSE OF CONTROL. This stems from the activity‟s ability to allow us to lose self-consciousness, thereby gaining a sense of control over what we are doing. This also ties in with the perception of skill versus challenge; thus, if we perceive the skill and challenge to match, we will feel a better sense of control. 20XX presentation title 12 Conditions are needed to facilitate the flow experience: 6. TRANSFORMATION OF TIME. This element is the unique experience of where time speeds up, and before you know it, you‟ve been engaging in the activity for hours when it felt like minutes. Or, as in dance, time can slow down, where a minute feels like hours, seconds like minutes. Basically, there is a definite distortion of time from the reality of the clock. 7. ACTIVITY FOR THE SAKE OF ACTIVITY (AND A WISH TO REPEAT). This component refers to the activity‟s ability to make you want to do it all over again. No rewards, no external forces. Simply, you like doing it and want to repeat it. 20XX presentation title 13 Conditions are needed to facilitate the flow experience: 8. PERSONALITY If you are someone who enjoys life and appears to be intrinsically led in his or her daily endeavors. You have skills that enable you to have an innate general curiosity in life, persistence, low self-centeredness, and an ability to be motivated by intrinsic rewards. These people would be described as having an autotelic personality and are more susceptible to experiencing flow. 20XX presentation title 14 Who‟s in flow? Csikszentmihalyi The activities in which Activities that tend and Larson (1984) we are most likely to to inhibit flow (and found that experience flow are: induce apathy and teenagers tend to sports and activity, boredom) include feel their happiest, dance participation, housework, strong and creative arts, sex, watching TV and motivated when socializing, studying, being idle. with friends, and the listening to music, opposite when reading and alone. paradoxically working. However, many other activities can produce the experience of flow. 20XX presentation title 15 Dangers of flow In class, we get asked quite a lot whether flow is a morally good phenomenon. This is an interesting question that challenges the assumption that flow equals peak performance. The answer is that flow can be found in activities that are both morally good and bad (for example, gambling). Research has also demonstrated a potential to become addicted to flow-inducting activities (for instance, rock climbing, video game playing), where the activity becomes necessary for daily functioning (Csikszentmihalyi, 1992). Overall, engaging in flow- inducing activities that challenge and stretch you as a person, within reason, can have a tremendous positive affect on your overall wellbeing. 20XX presentation title 16 Applying flow theory 1)Change environments to facilitate flow and 2)Help others find flow 20XX presentation title 17 When we are no longer able to change a situation – we are challenged to change ourselves… - Viktor Frankl (1905-1997) 20XX presentation title 18 Meaning and Purpose in Life Researchers argue that when one is faced with meaninglessness, one can encounter several negative experiences. Thus, researchers would argue that the search for meaning and purpose is more relevant than the search for happiness (Wong, 2009). 20XX presentation title 19 Meaning and Purpose in Life Structural properties of personal meaning systems, 1.Differentiation (how diverse the sources of meaning are), 2.Elaboration (how people construct their own links and connections between events to give life purpose) and 3.Coherence measures (how well do all the features fit together) 20XX presentation title 20 Meaning and Purpose in Life Developing a purpose in life and identifying reasons to live help mediate between stress, coping and suicidal behaviour (Mei-Chuan et al., 2007). Individuals who report enhanced levels of depression, hopelessness and suicidal thoughts are much more likely to use emotion-oriented coping strategies. Avoidance coping strategies, when used in a healthy way, can be a positive approach to wellbeing, as they can channel negative thoughts into other area of life, thereby potentially creating reason for living (Mei-Chuan et al., 2007). 20XX presentation title 21 Self-determination Theory Argues that there is an evolutionary adaptive function of three basic psychological needs. Autonomy is the Competence is the Relatedness is the tendency to self- tendency to be interested regulate one‟s behavior tendency to feel and open, to seek in accordance with learning/mastery connection and personal volition (rather caring with group than external control). It opportunities (promote is also the tendency to acquisition of new skills). members (it resist coercion, The need for competence promotes group pressure, and control; to manifests in early motor cohesion and regulate one‟s behavior play, manipulation of in accordance with objects, and exploration of mutual protection). one‟s own needs (and surroundings. The situational affordances), tendency to experience which promotes better satisfaction from learning survival than organizing behavior to meet for its own sake – and the external demands. tendency to explore and 20XX presentation title 22 seek challenges. Three Basic Psychological Needs 20XX presentation title 23 psychology aims to merge the two areas while endeavoring to find Existential and the answers to life‟s difficult Positive Psychology questions (death, freedom, isolation, meaninglessness, identity and happiness). Existential psychology denotes Existential psychology focuses on that there are three types of „human existence and the human mature happiness: drama of survival and flourishing‟ authentic happiness (comes (Wong, 2009: 361). Traditionally, from being an authentic existential psychology has been individual); deemed to be fixated on the eudaimonic happiness (comes darker side of human life (such as from doing virtuous deeds); and the view that happiness is derived chaironic happiness (a spiritual from accepting suffering as the gift of happiness that is bestowed; essence of the human condition). it is independent of our abilities and circumstances especially within suffering). Existential and Positive Psychology Existential psychologists also accept that contentment can actually be a negative thing, leaving a void in a person‟s life with no goals or achievements left to strive for. Discontent has the potential for personal growth. Ultimately, pursuing happiness may not be the aim of life; however, existential psychologists deem that by pursuing meaning and authenticity one will eventually achieve happiness. 20XX presentation title 25 Happiness is a process – not an end result, ongoing, and the result of forgoing self-interest and serving something higher than the self. What we like about this is that it acknowledges the importance of both negative and positive elements of human functioning that are essential for personal growth. 20XX presentation title 26 Death and Positive Psychology Even death, the most feared concept in human existence, is a potential avenue for growth and development. „Positive death‟ or „good dying‟ is proposed to have a link with the good life. By embracing death, we can live more authentically, thereby enhancing the likelihood of self-actualization. There are three attitudes towards death: Neutral Death When one accepts that death is a part of life and attempts to live Acceptance life to the fullest; Approach When one accepts that there is an afterlife that will be Acceptance pleasurable; Escape Which perceives death as the preferable option to a miserable Acceptance life. 20XX presentation title 27 THANK YOU! From Positive Psychology Family! 20XX presentation title 28
