Positive Psychology

Prof. Rupsa Karmakar

Ref: Steve Baumgardner and Marie Crothers
MODULE 1
5 D’s
• Disease
• Distress
• Dysfunction
• Deviance
• Disruption

How distress and dysfunction can be a problem to individuals - trying to prove an individual that they have it

Martin Seligman, Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi → FATHER OF POSITIVE PSYCHOLOGY

Philip zaford experiment
Milgreham’s experiment

Psychopathology
Mental illness and disease

PTG - Post trauma growth

Growth after trauma in social, contextual and environmental growth.

Research - the more happy the person is, the faster the recovery from injury is.
The none study - research in early 2000’s - different individuals perceiving happiness

Goals and perspective of positive psychology

• Embracing what the individual are given in that space
—--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Peterson 2008, Positive psychology is a scientific study of what makes life most worth living.

Positive psychology concentrates on positive experiences at three time points. The past centering on well-being,
contentment and satisfaction, the present which focuses on concepts such as happiness and flow experiences, the
future with concepts including optimism and hope.

Not only does positive psychology distinguish between wellbeing across timepoints but it also separates the subject
area into three nodes: the subjective node - which encompasses things like positive experiences and states across
past, present and future (for e.g., happiness, optimism and wellbeing); individual node - focuses on characteristics of
the good person ( for eg., talent, wisdom, love, courage, creativity); the group node - studies positive institutions,
citizenship and community.

Dyner - Happiness

Social deconstruction of clinical psychology DSM - V (Talks about many social and cultural aspects)
Health psychology

Martin Seligman brought the concept of learned helplessness to work in his experiment. He is the father of positive
psychology.

Positive psychology in relation with health psychology

 • Broaden and build theory (Fredrikson, 2001) - positive emotions like joy, contentment, interest, love, and pride
“all share the ability to broaden people’s thought-action repertoires and build their enduring personal
resources, ranging from physical and intellectual resources to social and psychological resources
• Negative emotions = more sickness
• Positive emotions = beneficial
• Health threatening effects like stress anger resentment and anxiety
• Long periods of stress = Anxiety
• Negative emotions comprise health, positive emotions restore health

The nun study - The happier they are, the longer they live. This study changed the phase of positive psychology.

Positive psychology in relation with clinical psychology

• Sole reliance on disease model
• Reducing psychology to misery
• Single head purpose → psychopathology
• Flourishing

Developmental psychology
• Deficit focus model - children who have faced adversity will face challenges in life.
• Resilience is developed (Ptsd → PTG) - CORAL REEF

Social/personality and psychology of religion

• Social support care and comfort
• Fortune is not equal to happiness
• Positive traits and personal strengths

• Roles of religion and morality

• Well- being
• Human virtues

History of positive psychology

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Positive_psychology#:~:text=Positive%20psychology%20began%20as%20a,malada
ptive%20behavior%20and%20negative%20thinking.

1. Greeks - aristotelian philosophy - spoke about how wisdom truth all had an effect on the mental health of
humans. It has two ideas: Virtue of thought, Virtue of character. Virtue of thought takes time and experience
and evolves through teaching. Virtue of character needs habit to develop.
2. Utilitarianism - Jeremy Bentham & John Stuart Mill - how we need to do greatest good for the largest amount
of people focusing on happiness. It is the first sector which wants to measure happiness and its complexity.
3. William James - He focused on the greatest virtues of human beings. Emotions and happiness were correlated
by him. And he tried to understand happiness.
4. Humanistic psychologist - Carl Rogers and Abraham Maslow - 1950s to late 1960s - IT TALKED ABOUT THE
BACK CLASH WHICH WERE STarted from previous ideas. Behavioral School of thought -Human beings are not
mere stimulus response conditions. Maslow, Rogers ideas to be incorporated.
• Humanistic psychologists believe that individuals' behavior is primarily determined by their
perceptions of the world around them and their personal meanings.
• Individuals are not solely products of their environment or their genes.
• Individuals are directed and motivated to fulfill their human potential.
Humanistic school of thought had clashes with positive psychology.
5. Eastern psychology - it believes in normal human ups and downs, cycle of life, giving ownness and
responsibility of the individual. Concept of Koshas (to be included).
https://www.healthline.com/health/mental-health/koshas#5-koshas

Before the WW 2, Psychology had 3 distinct goals

• Treating illness
• Making life more fulfilling and productive
• Identifying and nurturing talents

Post WW-II, living a good life, apart from just surviving. Shell shock syndrome
The term positive psychology was used for the very first time by Maslow in his book Motivation and Personality (1954)
1998 - Seligman revived the concept of positive psychology after he became the president of APA.

Erik froam
1998 - Seligman was elected as president of American Psychological Association (APA), and the theme for his term was
positive psychology. He is widely viewed as the father of contemporary positive psychology.
2002 - the first international conference on positive psychology was held
2006 - Harvard positive psychology course was most famous
2009 - first world congress in positive psychology took place in Philadelphia and feature talks by Zimbardo and
Seligman

Pioneers of positive psychology

Abraham Maslow - growth and development of person, introduced the concept of self actualization.
Carl Rogers - concept of real self and ideal self, and stated that the congruence between the two depends on the
status of a person's positive regard.
Martin Seligman - known as the father of positive psychology. He introduced the Perma model
ED Diener - Created the model of subjective well being. Subjective wellbeing is “based on the idea that how each
person thinks and feels about his or her life is important”
Albert Bandura - Social cognition and modeling theory. He presented the self efficacy theory based on how a person
perceives himself and the basis of their belief to reach a goal.

Areas of positive psychology:

Using strategies from positive psychology helps us to develop their personal strengths
Some of the major topics of interest in positive psychology are:
• Character strengths and virtues
• Flow
• Gratification
• Happiness / pleasure
• Helplessness
 • Hope
• Mindfulness
• Optimism
• Positive thinking
• Resilience - 7 C’s of resilience

Today positive psychology perspectives are evident in research and scholarship in many areas of human behavior.
Some of those include:

• Education
• Public health
• Health care
• Social and human services
• Economics
• Political science
• Neuroscience
• Leadership
• Organizational science

POSITIVE PSYCHOLOGY IN ORGANIZATIONAL EFFECTIVENESS

Bella’s model - orientation schema represents a hierarchy where the experience of one’s job as a calling is the most
meaningful (Donaldson, 2011)
and Persson’s Model - for cultivation of different types of values lists them as all conductive to the pursuit of meaning

Mental health is all about how people think, feel, and behave. Mental health specialists can help people with
depression, anxiety, bipolar disorder, addiction, and other conditions that affect their thoughts, feelings, and
behaviors.
Mental health is a state of mental wellbeing that enables people to cope with the stresses of life, realize their abilities,
learn well and work well, and contribute to their community. (WHO - refer to its definition on mental health)

Mental health is a term used to describe emotional, psychological, and social wellbeing. Teh quality of a person's
mental health is often measures by how adaptively they can cope…..

What are mental health disorders?

A mental disorder is characterized by a clinically significant disturbance in an individual’s cognition, emotional
regulation, or behaviour. It is usually associated with distress or impairment in important areas of functioning. There
are many different types of mental disorders. Mental disorders may also be referred to as mental health conditions.
The latter is a broader term covering mental disorders, psychosocial disabilities and (other) mental states associated
with significant distress, impairment in functioning, or risk of self-harm. This fact sheet focuses on mental disorders
as described by the International Classification of Diseases 11th Revision (ICD-11).
In 2019, 1 in every 8 people, or 970 million people around the world were living with a mental disorder, with anxiety
and depressive disorders the most common (1). In 2020, the number of people living with anxiety and depressive
disorders rose significantly because of the COVID-19 pandemic. Initial estimates show a 26% and 28% increase
respectively for anxiety and major depressive disorders in just one year (2). While effective prevention and treatment
options exist, most people with mental disorders do not have access to effective care. Many people also experience
stigma, discrimination and violations of human rights.
Why is mental health important?

1. Cope with stresses of life

2. Be physically healthy
3. Have good relationships
4. Make meaningful contributions to your community
5. Work productively
6. Realize your full potential
What can affect mental health?

1. Biological factors, such as genes or brain chemistry

2. Life experiences, such as trauma or abuse
3. Family history of mental health problems
4. Your lifestyle, such as diet, physical activity, and substance use (substance induced psychosis, hallucinogen
induced psychosis, opium, LSD)
5. Contextual and social environment

Over time our mental health can change

Signs of mental health concerns

• Change in eating and sleeping habits

• Withdrawing from people and activities you enjoy
• Having low or no energy
• Feeling numb or like nothing matters
• Having unexplained aches and pains
• Feeling helpless or hopeless
• Smoking, drinking, or using drugs more than usual
• Feeling unusually confused, forgetful, angry, upset, worried, or scared
• Having severe mood swings that cause problems in your relationship
• Having thoughts and memories that you can't get out of your head
• Hearing voices or believing things that are not true
• Thinking of harming yourself or others
• Not being able to perform daily tasks like taking care of your kids or getting to work or school

Role of emotions in daily life

Theory of positive emotions (Barbara)
Broaden and build theory:
Positive emotions help build physical, psychological and social resources. This theory identifies the value of positive
emotions.
The theory describes how positive emotions and actions lead us to new possibilities and how this expansion can help
build physical psychological and social resources that promote well being.
Mood - they are persistent and mood general
Feelings - they are more specific, situation specific
Mood is a more general concept than emotions because it refers to our overall feelings.
Mood lasts for a long period of time. Feelings and emotions are context specific. Emotions are temporary states that
are tied to personally meaningful events.
Hedonic happiness - immediate gratification and satisfaction
Eudaimonic happiness -
Fear is associated with desire to escape and anger is associated with the desire to attack.
Narrowing of emotions - from a biological and physiological point of view, narrowing of thought and emotions
contributes to our survival in life threatening situations. Quick action focused on dealing with a significant threat may
increase our chances of survival.
Broaden and build theory points (pg 39 - 42)

• Positive emotions broaden our thought action repertoires.

• Positive emotions undo negative emotions.
• Positive emotions enhance resilience.
• Positive emotion built enduring resources and improved well being.

Poorly managed negative emotions are not good for your health. It can cause negative impacts to us physiologically,
socially and biologically
Stress, anger etc., which are negative emotions are important for our survival but narrows our thought process, anger
leads to cardiovascular issues, digestive issues and hypertension.
Positive emotions help us grow.
Gains of being positive emotions

• Reduced stress and boosted wellbeing

• Stringer resilience
• Increased performance and engagement
• Increased healthy choices

Assignment: (Monday - 11th Dec) - Term paper , Positive Psychology Assignment 1, Role of positive emotions in daily
life, Submitted to, Rupsa Karmakar, Role of positive emotions in daily life, What are the impacts of positive emotions,
Which psychological disorders can be helped in healing by incorporating the broaden and build theory

Eastern and western perspectives on positive psychology (9 MARK)

Happiness in western perspective is gaining self esteem,
In the eastern perspective, it is more of an internal state of mind. Keeping others happy.
Individualistic society - western
Collectivistic - eastern

• Society
• Happiness and wellbeing
• Pillars of belief

Individualistic perspective:
Sense of independence
Standing out from others
Analysis of self in understanding how people think/do

Collectivist perspective:
Sense of dependence
Desire to fit in (conformity)
Group is perceived as unit of analysis

WESTERN PERSPECTIVE
Athenian perspective - Greek philosophers - Plato and Aristotle - there are 9 moral virtues that have been talked about
by Plato and Aristotle.

• Courage
• Moderation
• Generosity
• Munificence
• Magnificence
• Even temper
• Friendliness
• Truthfulness
• Wit

Judeo - Christianity - there are 7 heavenly virtues by Thomas Aquinas

• Fortitude / courage
• Justice
• Temperance
• Wisdom
• Faith
• Hope
• Charity

Islam
 • Gratitude (To Allah for his Benevolence)
• Love (of Allah for his forgiveness)
• Kindness (especially towards parents)
• Justice (emphasizing on fraternity and equality)
• Courage

EASTERN PERSPECTIVE:
Confucianism - chinese culture

• Jen - humanity
• Yi - Duty to treat others well
• Li - etiquette and sensitivity for others feelings
• Zhi - wisdom
• Xin - truthfulness

Taoism - Chinese culture - the chinese character portraying the concept of “the way” that refers to a moving head
and refers simultaneously to direction, movement method and thought. (Peterson and Seligman, 2004) the concept
was given by Lao Tzu.
Buddhism

• Love - Maitri
• Compassion - Karuna
• Joy - Mudita
• Equanimity - Upeksha

Concept of Nirvana (READ)

Hinduism
The main teachings of the Hindu tradition emphasizes the interconnectedness of all things. One’s goal within this
tradition would be to live life fully and correctly so that one would go directly to the after life without having to repeat
lifes lessons in a reincarnated form. (Steveson and Haberman, 1998)
The good life in Hindu tradition therefore encompasses individuals who are continually achieving knowledge(Self) and
working towards good actions which is called Karma.
Charvaka principle - hedonic concept of life and happiness. If u r living happiness live heavily. Talks about parlins of
life. The Indian perspective in ancient times focused on the pleasure concept of happiness similar to hedonic
happiness. It focused on the life now na dadvocated to live it to the fullest, extending seeking pleasures only and
avoiding any pain and suffering.
Difference between western and eastern perspective

1. Value system - Individualistic (W), Collectivistic (E)

2. Orientation to time - focus on future (W), focus on past (E)

PERMA Model - Martin Seligman

“Positive psychology takes you through the countryside of pleasure and gratification, up into the high country of
strength and virtue, and finally to the peaks of lasting fulfillment, meaning and purpose.” (Seligman, 2002)
Seligman (2012) selected five components that people pursue because they are intrinsically motivating and they
contribute to well being. These elements are pursued for their own sake and are defined and measured independently
of each other.
In his book, Authentic happiness (2002), Martin Seligman suggested 3 types of a happy life which can be studied

1. The pleasant life - life of enjoyment- where people enjoy and savor the various positive feelings and emotions
in their daily life. (savoring life everyday)
2. The Good life - Life of engagement - where people engage themselves deeply in various activities and
experience a flow in their life (involvement)
3. The meaningful life - Life of affiliation - where people try to derive meaning and purpose in life and contributing
more to the society than to oneself
P - Positive emotion - helps us grow as individuals, flourishing, nourishing, nurturing happiness
E - Engagement (Flow - engaging in a specific task with full potential)- idea of focus on a certain aspect that gives us
happiness and look into positivity in the work we do
R - Relationships (meaningfulness in relationship) - the kind of relationship that we are adhering to and how it is
affecting us. We are social animals and we need connectivity with others
M - Meaning - how are we making meaning in the spaces and the meaning is impacting us and our perspectives.
A - Accomplishment - achieving certain goals in our life and that leading to happiness.
PERMA MODEL LINK

Applications of positive psychology:

Positive Schooling:
• Wellbeing of the student
1. Physical dimensions of good school • Psychological approach in learning
• Good classroom 3. Socioemotional dimension
• Infrastructure • Student teacher interpersonal
• Proper facilities relationship
2. Psychological dimension
Whole school approach (Weare, 2015)
Pedrotti, 2011 - concept of positive schooling

1. Care trust respect to diversity

2. Plans and motivation
3. Goals
4. Hope
5. Contribution to the society

Theoretical model of positive psychology

VIA Model (Peterson & Seligman, 2002)
READ ROLE OF POSITIVE PSYCHOLOGY
Love and positive psychology
https://egyankosh.ac.in/bitstream/123456789/86656/1/Unit-15.pdf
What is a relationship?
Components of close relationships

• Trust
• Knowledge
• Care
• Interdependence
• Commitment
• Intimacy

Sternberg’s theory of love

Lee’s theory of love

Love styles theory - J. Lee

https://slideplayer.com/slide/15768992/
Adult attachment
Bowlby, 1979
Four main characteristics

a. Maintaining proximity with the person

b. Feeling safe with the person
c. Returning of security to the person
d. Anxiety in the absence of the person

Ainsworth Attachment theory

https://www.simplypsychology.org/attachment-styles.html
Friendship
Friendship is a “voluntary interdependence between two persons over time that is intended to facilitate socio-
emotional goals of the participants, and may involve varying types and degrees of companionship, intimacy, affection
and mutual assistance” (Hays, 1988).
Oswald (2017) documented 4 important factors that help to maintain friendships:

• Emphatic happiness - sharing of good news or positive events

• Availability of social support
• Non - judgemental acceptance
• Quality and quantity of time spent in company

Applying in close relationship

1. Spotting strengths
• Listen for passion and energy while they talk about things that excite them
• Elicit strengths by asking
• Observe energy and engagement in patterns
• Look for strength within
2. Strengths and fulfilled dreams Genogram

Gottmen’s theory
4 horses

1. Criticism
2. Defensiveness
3. Contempt
4. Stone walling

Sound relationship house (Dr. John Gottman)

Trust / Commitment
Intimacy
• Positive perspective
• Build Love map - knowing one another's world, • Manage conflicts - accept your partner’s
understanding each others world influence, dialogue about problems, practice
• Shared fondness and admiration - fond self soothing
towards your partner and admiring them • Make life dreams come true
• Turned towards rather than away • Create shared meaning
Emotional bank account

• Be mindful of each other needs

• Express appreciation for small things and big
• Talk about your stress
• Don't try to solve the problem rather understand it
• Show physical gestures of affection

Applying positive psychology in the family context

• Child parent relationship - kind attachment we share with our parents and values and virtues that are passed
on. Social conditioning in learning and reflecting the relationship
• Capitalization of the positive events - focus on small things
• Interjection - rephrase what your telling to a child into a positive tone
• Catching a virtue - pass on the values and virtues to the child

Safe parenting
1) Safe and Stimulating Environment: Create a safe base for the child in which they can explore, learn and grow.
Children need to feel secure so that they can develop properly. A secure attachment and strong emotional
bonds will help the child deal with any type of developmental challenges. Positive parenting also ensures to
provide such an environment that is stimulating enough for the optimal development of the child.
2) Realistic Expectations: Parents need to have realistic expectations from their child. It is important to remember
that children have their own life and they are not mere extensions of parents. As Kahlil Gibran says, Your
children are not your children They are the sons and daughters of life’s longing for itself They come through
you but not from you And though they are with you yet they belong not to you. Further, each child is different
and influenced by the context, both immediate and larger context in which they live. The ecological theory of
Bronfenbrenner (1977), later revised as Bioecological model (Bronfenbrenner & Morris, 2006) highlights the
influence of multiple systems of surrounding environment on the child’s development. The contexts of family,
school, neighbourhood, community, society and nation, with their laws, customs, and value system, social
media and digital world, technological advancements etc. – affect the child development and functioning.
Later on, he focused on the developmental processes experienced by the individual across the developmental
stages. Hence parents need to understand the child in the context of dynamic interaction of these
environments and developmental processes, and have realistic expectations.
3) Positive Discipline: Positive parenting does not use discipline in the commonly used sense, that is, it does not
use it in a negative sense such as shouting, physical punishment, threatening, shaming, blaming etc. Rather, it
uses positive discipline which includes clear and open communication, behaving in an assertive manner, and
at the same time understanding the needs of the child and using positive reinforcement. Parents exhibit
mindfulness in listening to their child and also being aware of the impact of child’s behavior on themselves.
Positive discipline as the name suggests, emphasizes the positive aspects of behavior. It states that there is no
bad child, only bad behavior and good behavior. Thus it clearly outlines the good and appropriate behaviours
for the child and also the consequence for showing good or bad behavior. It combines firmness with loving
and empathetic behaviour towards the child.
4) Self Care: The main focus in parenting is usually the child. However, parents also deserve the focus equally.
Parents need to take care of themselves so that they can be self-aware and regulate their emotions. It will also
help them be empathetic, kind and compassionate towards their own self. Parenting is a round the clock
responsibility. Parents will always do their best to serve their child’s interests. They need to take a break for
their own sake so that they can meet their child’s needs better.

Perspectives of aging
Biological perspective of aging - self degrade, systems degenerating and start to perish
Sociocultural perspectives of aging - society telling us what to do and what not to do (REF, ERIKSON)
Psychological perspective - The most important changes being in that age.

Types of aging
Primary - biological aging
Secondary aging - byproduct of disuse abuse and disease
Successful aging - Rowe & Khan, 1998 - defined it based on three factors a) no disability or disease b) high cognitive
and physical abilities, c) meaningful socioemotional interaction with others.
Mental and psychological health, feeling happy

Applying positive psychology for successful aging

Reducing ageism - Peace model (Levy,2018) which consists of positive contact with older adults, education
about aging, attitude about aging.
(harvey hans & Riff)
Focus on inclusivity and educating them in the right way
Productive aging - how much satisfied you are feeling and how much you can associate with others
Accept death anxiety - talk about flourishing, resilience, positive attitude
Positive health and positive emotions
Active lifestyle
Religious and spiritual engagement

MODULE 3
SELF-ESTEEM
Self esteem is the degree to which we perceive ourselves positively or negatively; our overall attitude towards
ourselves (Baron & Branscombe, 2012).
Expletive self-esteem - it is the way a person expresses how they feel about themselves like the things they say about
themselves.
Implicit self-esteem - it is the hidden way that one feels about themselves, it is the person's disposition to evaluate
themselves in a spontaneous, automatic or unconscious manner.
Why self-esteem is important - because it impacts various aspects of our life.

• Decision making process

• Social relationships
• Motivation
• Emotional health
• Overall wellbeing

Key elements of self esteem

1. Sense of belongingness - more like social affiliation

2. Feelings of security
3. Competence/ Self efficacy
4. Identity
5. Self confidence

Three ranges of self esteem

Low self esteem - they feel others are better than them, self doubt, they lack self assertion. They may have a negative
outlook on life and feel a lack of self-control. They have trouble accepting positive feedback. Trouble setting
boundaries. Struggle with confidence.
Balanced self esteem - it is correlated with other positive aspects of life such as happiness, life satisfaction, resilience.
4 key concepts of balanced self esteem: a firm understanding of one's skills, ability to maintain healthy relationships
with others as well as with oneself, realistic and appropriate personal expectations from others as well as self,
understanding of one’s needs and the ability to express those needs.
Overly high self esteem - express feelings of entitlement, tend to overlook their flaws and criticize others. Self esteem
is used as a coping/ buffer resource during a difficult situation.
6 Pillars of self esteem (Nathaniel Branden, 1994-95)
Self efficacy and Self respect are two main aspects of self esteem.

1. Practice of living consciously - they will be able to focus on the present rather than the past and future.
2. Self acceptance - accepting oneself unconditionally and being compassionate, also increases the ability to
learn
 3. Self responsibility - recognising that we are incharge of our own choices and decisions so that no one else can
make them or change them for us. We dont blame others for our own choices and don't expect others to make
us happy.
4. Self assertiveness - it is the practice of honoring our needs and interests and expressing them in appropriate
ways.
5. Living purposefully - it is all about our goals. If we are living purposefully we set goals, make plans that allow
us to reach them
6. Personal integrity - we have convictions about what behavior is appropriate where we keep our behavior in
line with that standard.

HUMOR
https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/cutting-edge-leadership/201504/the-4-styles-humor
The capacity to express or perceive what is funny, is both a source of entertainment and a means of coping with
difficult situations and stressful events.
Humor is considered as one of the character strengths according to positive mood, increased life satisfaction and
pleasurable and engaged life.
Components of humor:

1. Social context - it is a social phenomenon and we use it when we are with others.
2. Cognitive perspective
3. Emotional perspective
4. Behavioral perspective

Styles of humor (Martin et. al, 2003)

1. Adaptive humor - highly associated with optimism

• Affiliative
• Self enhancing
2. Maladaptive
• Aggressive
• Self defeating

Benefits of humor (Smith & Segal, 2014)

Physical health benefits:

• Boosts immunity
• Lowers stress hormones
• Decreases pain
• Relaxes muscles
• Prevents heart disease

Mental health benefits:

• Adds joy and rest to life

• Eases anxiety and fear
• Relieves stress
• Improves mood
• Enhances resilience

Social benefits:

• Strengthen relationships
• Attracts others to us
• Enhances teamwork
• Helps diffuse conflicts
• Promotes group bonding/ cohesiveness

Resilience:
According to APA, resilience is the process and outcome of successfully adapting to difficult or challenging life
experiences, especially through mental, emotional and behavioral flexibility and adjustment to external and internal
demands

• Strong coping skills

• Ask for help when needed
• Find ways to manage situation
• Able tp skills and strengths to lie challenges

Characteristics of resilient people:

• Good communicator
• Internal locus of control
• Having high emotional intelligence and managing emotions effectively
• Holding positive views of themselves and their abilities
• Possessing the capacity to make realistic plans and stick to them
• Viewing themselves as fighters rather than victims of circumstances

Types of resilience
Resilience represents an ability to handle life’s setbacks and is an overall representation of adaptability. However,
there are also different types of resilience, each of which can influence a person’s ability to cope with various forms
of stress.

• Survival mentality
• Effective emotional regulation
• Feeling of control
• Problem solving skills

3 factors of psychological resilience according to boney well and tonaryu, 2019)

• Recovery
• Resistance
• Reconfiguration

Physical resilience
It refers to how the body deals with change and recovers from physical demands, illnesses, and injuries. Research
suggests that this type of resilience plays an important role in health. It affects how people age as well as how they
respond and recover from physical stress and medical issues.
Physical resilience is something that people can improve to a certain extent by making healthy lifestyle choices. Getting
enough sleep, eating a nutritious diet, and engaging in regular exercise are just a few ways to strengthen this type of
resilience.
Mental resilience
It refers to a person’s ability to adapt to change and uncertainty. People who possess this type of resilience are flexible
and calm during times of crisis. They use mental strength to solve problems, move forward, and remain hopeful even
when they are facing setbacks.
Social resilience
It may also be called community resilience, involving the ability of groups to recover from difficult situations. It involves
people connecting with others and working together to solve problems that affect people both individually and
collectively.
Aspects of social resilience include coming together after a disaster, supporting each other socially, becoming aware
of the risks that the community faces, and building a sense of community. Such responses can be important during
challenges such as natural disasters that affect communities or large groups of people.
Comprehensive research into resilience has found several protective and promotive factors that make some
individuals more resilient. They include self-regulation skills, effective schooling, good parenting, genetics, mindset,
and community resources (Lopez et al.,2021)
Emotional resilience
It involves being able to regulate emotions during times of stress. Resilient people are aware of their emotional
reactions and tend to be in touch with their inner life. Because of this, they are also able to calm their mind and manage
their emotions when they are dealing with negative experiences.
This type of resilience also helps people maintain a sense of optimism when times are tough. Because they are
emotionally resilient, they understand that adversity and difficult emotions won't last forever.
6 signs of resilience (Boniwell & Tunariu,2019; Neenan, 2018)

1. Reframing - looking at a problem or situation from a different, more helpful perspective can help the individual
cope
2. Using the power of positive emotions - it broadens our thinking and enables us to come up with alternative
strategies for solving problems more creatively. They can also improve our sense of belonging, helping us bond
with supportive individuals and groups and boosting our sense of accomplishment and ideas of purposeful
living.
3. Ongoing active engagement in trusted social networks - social support from trusted friends, colleagues, and
family members can leave us feeling less isolated and help us adopt a better perspective regarding what is
happening.
4. Identifying and using signature strengths - engaging our strengths can leave us feeling more authentic,
increasing our sense of meaning and control whe we take on new challenges or overcome adversity.
5. Practicing self-care - self care activities should promote physical, emotional and mental well being, including
getting adequate sleep, eating a healthy diet, exercising regularly, and finding time for relaxation and hobbies.
6. Developing meaning and purpose in life - this involves finding purpose and meaning in life, whether in work,
relationships, or other personally fulfilling activities.
7. Adopting a positive outlook - cultivating a positive outlook and a growth mindset might include practicing
gratitude, focusing on the good things in life, reframing negative thoughts, and seeing setbacks as
opportunities for learning and growth, while maintaining a hopeful outlook.
8. Improving self-awareness - developing self awareness includes learning to understand thought, emotions, and
behaviors to improve responses to stress and adversity and recognizing when to seek support.
9. Adopting effective coping strategies - healthy coping mechanisms include positive self-talk, visualization,
exercise, goal focus, social support, mindfulness, and relaxation techniques.

Resilient individuals are typically more adaptable, open to new changes and experiences, and adoptable, open to new
changes and experiences, and adopt a healthy perspective when they see setbacks as opportunities for learning
(Neenan,2018)

How to build resilience

Learning resilience, positive psychology offers proven interventions and approaches for benefiting individuals mental
wellbeing and resilience. While there are many, we can group several of these approaches as follows (Boniwell &
Tunariu, 2019; Shapiro, 2020)

Positive psychology interventions:

1. Active interventions
2. Calming intervention
3. Identity intervention
4. Optimizing intervention
5. Overcome a lack of confidence - 4 Cs of mental toughness - Confidence, commitment, control, challenge
(Clough et al., 2021)
6. Overcome low & negative self-esteem - according to Carol Dweck (2017) and her research into growth
mindsets a fixed mindset can lead to poor self-esteem. If we think we are only of value when we are successful,
then we are at risk of harshly judging ourselves when things go wrong. Dweck (2017) asserts that we should
recognize that none of our skills or abilities are fixed or limited. We can grow, learn, and unlearn through hard
work and determination and can change how we see ourselves and the opportunities around us.

Conclusion
Resilience is the capacity to remain flexible and adaptable while facing life’s challenges. It is a complex concept
involving traits, environmental factors, and a learned capacity that comes from experiences.
In the context of psychology, resilience can be understood as the combined abilities to recover from, resist, or
reconfigure following stress or adversity. It is a vital resource that can protect individuals from the harmful effects of
stress and help them regain a sense of control in their lives, even leading to growth and positive change.
Resilience can be developed and maintained through various techniques, including seeking support, setting goals,
learning from experiences, discovering and using strengths, developing coping strategies, and promoting a positive
outlook.
Developmental perspective of resilience
Resilience is about how an individual is surviving but in a positive manner
Ryff and Singer (2003a, p. 20), define resilience as “maintenance, recovery, or improvement in mental or physical
health following challenge”
READ CHP RESILIENCE - BAUMGARDNER - PG 61
[DEVELOPMENTAL PERSPECTIVE
CLINICAL PERSPECTIVE
SOURCES OF RESILIENCE
SOURCES OF RESILIENCE IN CHILDREN
SOURCES OF RESILIENCE IN ADULTHOOD AND LATER LIFE
SUCCESSFUL AGING]

Sources of resilience in adulthood and later life

6 dimension

1. Self acceptance
2. Personal growth
3. Purpose in life
4. Environmental mastery
5. Autonomy
6. Positive relationship with others

7 C's of resilience (Dr. Keneth Ginsburg)

1. Competence
2. Confidence
3. Connection
4. Character
5. Contribution
6. Coping
7. Control

Resilience - Describes the feeling knowing that you can handle a situation effectively.
Competence- It is the ability to know how to handle stressful situations effectively. To build competence individuals
develop a set of skills to help them trust their judgements and make responsible choices. Skills can be interpersonal
and intrapersonal.
Confidence - it ,entions that true self confidence is routed in competence. It is the belief in one’s own abilities in
competence. Individual gain confidence by being able to demonstrate their competence in real situation
Connection - close ties to family, friends and community provide a sense of security and belongingness. These
individuals are more likely to have strong values and are less likely to seek out alternative destructive behaviors.
Character - individuals need a fundamental set of right and wrong to make responsible choices, contribute to society,
and experience self worth. Morals, values and understanding of self. They are in touch with their values and are
comfortable sticking to that. Individuals with a strong sense of character demonstrate a caring attitude towards
others.
Contribution - dr. jinsberg says that having a sense of . contributing to one's community reinforces positive reciprocal
relationships. Hearin, appreciations and ideas of contributions increases the willingness to take actions and make
choices.
Coping - when people learn to cope with stress effectively they are better prepared to handle adversity and setbacks.
People who have a wide repertoire of coping skills (social and stress reduction skills) are able to cope more effectively
and are better prepared to overcome life's challenges.
Control - developing and understanding internal control he;ps individuals act as problem solvers instead of victims of
circumstances. When individuals learn that they can control the outcomes of their decisions they are more likely to
view themselves as capable and competent. The concept of self control is very crucial when speaking about resilience.
Developing resilience in children
Fostering resilience in children

1. Empathy - validate their emotions , resonating what they are feeling and accepting the way they are.
(validation, resonation and acceptance)
2. Making meaning - trying to know the best possible outcome of a solution, understanding, inferences of a
situation
3. Problem solving - deconstruct the ideas of decision making, process of decision making.
4. Tolerating uncertainty - situation not under our control and still trying to tolerate it
5. Modeling resilience - (bobo doll experiment)

Happiness (ALLEN CORR)

Resilience (Bongardner) ptg by carol ryff

Happiness
Wellbeing is a two fold process that involves feeling good and functioning well
Hedonic & Eudaimonic perspectives of happiness
Hedonic happiness focuses on personal happiness involving pleasure, joy and satisfaction. This is a common sense of
happiness where a good life involves enjoyment and satisfaction.
Subjective well being refers to the subjective evaluation of one's life i.e., how does one perceive and evaluate/ judge
one’s life. SWB is consisting of three components: (Bombargardner pg 70)

1. Life satisfaction
2. Presence of positive affect
3. Relative absence of negative affect

Eudaimonic happiness refers to a deeper sense of meaning in life. Aristotle’s eudaimonic view of happiness states that
a good life involves living according to one's daimon (true self). The eudaimonic happiness involves utilisations of
individuals strengths, abilities, talents, values and skills. Hence it is also called psychological wellbeing. Competence,
personal growth, self acceptance, autonomy, feeling of meaning and purpose and social contribution is involved in
PWB psychological well being.
PANAS scale is used to measure happiness.

Modals on happiness
Carol Ryff’s Six factor model of psychological well being

• Self acceptance
• Personal growth
• Positive relation with others
• Environmental mastery
• Autonomy
• Purpose in life
They together contribute to happiness in one's life.

Corey Keyes Dual continuum model (2003)

Concept of flourishing and languishing

Emotional wellbeing Psychological well being Social wellbeing

• Presence of positive • Self acceptance • Social

affect • Autonomy acceptance
• Absence of negative • Environmental mastery • Coherence
affect • Positive relations with • Integration
• Life satisfaction others • Contribution
 • Happiness • Personal growth • Actualisation
• Purpose in life

Flourishing with mental illness - good mental health despite having mental illness
Flourishing w/o mental illness - good mental health and no mental illness.
Languishing with mental illness - poor mental health and mental illness is there
Languishing w/o mental illness - poor mental despite having no mental illness

PERMA model by Seligman (Already taught)

SOCIAL DETERMINATION THEORY BY RYAN DEI (READ)

Indian perspective of happiness

(RP - Kumar 2003)
Vedas gita and upanishads
Suka - happiness, Kushi
Dhuka - unhappiness
Charvaka principle - hedonic concept of life and happiness. If u r living happiness live heavily. Talks about parlins of
life. The Indian perspective in ancient times focused on the pleasure concept of happiness similar to hedonic
happiness. It focused on the life now na dadvocated to live it to the fullest, extending seeking pleasures only and
avoiding any pain and suffering.
Transcendent perspective - it focuses on going to the Anandha or pure bliss and going to the higher self.
Collectivist perspective - understanding of good will, relationship, kinship is very important to reach the higher self.
Vasu Deva Kurumbakam - the whole world is one family. Happiness comes from looking into others' happiness.
Indian thought and philosophy proposes 4 main goals of human life:

1. Dharma
2. Artha
3. Kama
4. Moksha

Artha and Kama focus on Preya (what we desire). - Materialistic and psychological values of life
Dharma and Moksha focuses on Shreya (what is good). - Reaching the higher self
Factors affecting happiness (Allen corr) REF

The science of happiness

The concept of happiness comes from ancient Greek philosophy.
Two important concepts emerged from the understanding of happiness

1. Happiness is enduring - you feel pleased and comfortable at the moment

2. Happiness is global - I am happy all throughout and there is no specific domain in my life to be satisfied. The
concept of specificity and selectivity is not here.

Ancient greek ideas of happiness

Aristotlian philosophy -
Epicurean concept of happiness - about living life everyday and being happy everyday.
Stoicism - happiness is not one factor that makes us happy, it is a factor that needs to live and rejoice everyday.
It talks about what happiness is by living it everyday
McMahon(2006) researched the Greek philosophy of happiness. Greeks often believed in the concept of luck and that
nothing is under control.
Onus of happiness when it is on you, the depth of happiness also increases. Giving the responsibility of happiness to
the individual.
Aristotle and his principles - Epicurean - Stoicism
Theories of happiness
Need and goal satisfaction theories - individuals have a need and goal that is the end point. Need is when we desire
something and destination is the goal. If our body is in a state of disequilibrium we cannot reach the goal. So we need
our body to be in equilibrium to attain those goals. We have a goal and that is why we have a need to attain the goal.
It focuses on the idea that reduction of tension, satisfaction of needs and moving towards a valued goal leads to
happiness
Process or activity theories - individuals need some activity and process to motivate us and help us be happy.
This theory states that engagement in an activity produces happiness.
Concept of flow (Mihaly) - doing something, getting involved in that.
Genetic and personality predisposition theory
E more explore and more happiness and have a balance
I more chances of have Neuroticism, bcs of internalization
Temperament, we are born with one and it is nurtured and groomed by family and environment, psychosocial
environmental factors.

Biological foundation of happiness

1. Endogenic factors - biological cognitive personality and ethical subfactors. They are major concepts that
determine happiness.
2. Exogenic factors - exogenic behavioral social cultural economical geographical, life events and aesthetics
subfactors

Genetic factors
Genes and transmission of genes are important factors that determine happiness of a n individual
Among all related genes with mood and emotional characteristics, effects of two genes are studied directly on
happiness. 5HTTPLR & MAO-A are transporter genes. It recycles serotonin from synaptic cleft to presynaptic neuron.
Serotonin transporter linked promoter region → 5 HTTLPR. Monoamine oxidase A →MAO-A provides instructions
for making an enzyme of monoamine oxidase.
Function of MAO-A gene: It is a part of enzymes that break down molecules called monoamine through a chemical
reaction known as oxidation. Among the monoamines broken down by monoamine oxidase A there are certain
chemicals that act as neurotransmitters which transmit signals between nerve cells and brain. MAO-A is involved in
the breakdown of neurotransmitters, serotonin, epinephrine, and norepinephrine. signals transmitted by serotonin
regulate mood , emotion, sleep and appetite. Epinephrine and norepinephrine control the body's response to stress,
dopamine transmits signals within the brain to produce smooth physical movements. This enzyme plays a major role
in the controlled self destruction of cells (Apoptosis) which is an important process in the development of many tissues
and organs. Tyramine - monoamine oxidase helps in breaking tyramine.
Functions of 5HTTPLR: This gene is coding serotonin distribution in brain cells and therefore leads to mood regulation.

READ 1st chap of bomgardner

Chp 4 resilience, aging and adulthood
5 and 6th chp of bongardner also learn from allen cohr

Brain area related happiness

• Prefrontal cortex
• Amygdala
• Insular cortex
• Anterior cingulate cortex

The Limbic system is used to regulate emotions.

The idea of positive and negative effect
Serotonin and dopamine are major indicators of happiness.
Emotional information and emotional destructuring.
Adrenaline - found in adrenal gland above kidney
Sympathetic and parasympathetic functions are controlled and regulated by it.
Causes of happiness (Allen Corr)

• Personality traits of happiness - Diener & Seligman - E High - High internal locus of control; I high - are not
open to experience and are high on neuroticism making it difficult for them to cope with things
• Cultural factors are influencers of happiness - Collectivist and Individualistic society playing a role in the
environment that we are exposed to which determines our perspectives and happiness as well.
• Genetic and environmental factors - we are born with a certain kind of temperament due to genes and how
the environment is grooming the individual, this will influence the way they perceive and experience
happiness.
• Optimism, self esteem and locus of control are found to be the major correlates of happiness
• Heritability and happiness set point - Twin studies is a longitudinal study and it was found that wellbeing and
happiness are very important aspects to understand an individual. 44-53% of all the components are heritable.
David Lykken (1999)
• Culture and the concept of happiness - it is a major determinant of intersectionality. Culture also plays a role
in determining our happiness through the environment and the activities we get involved in. Triandis (2000)
• Optimizing well-being - Setting a relationship and increasing that bond plays a very important role to optimize
our wellbeing and be a happier individual with satisfaction.
• Environmental factors and biological factors add on a lot to happiness in our lives.

Concept of BDNF (To be learnt)

Relationship and happiness (READ PG 41 OF ALAN CORR DOC)
Marriage - It has contributed to the overall wellbeing of an individual. Symbolic interaction is taking place. It is
structurally functioning.
Marriage provides psychological and physical intimacy, a context within which to have children and build a home, a
social role as a spouse and parent, and a context within which to affirm identity and create posterity.
Kindship - Close supportive relationships between parents and children, between siblings, and between extended
family members enhance the social support available to all family members. This social support enhances subjective
well-being and from an evolutionary perspective we are ‘hard-wired’ to derive happiness from this contact with our
kinship network.
Friendship - a study of the happiest 10 percent of a group of 222 college students, Diener and Seligman (2002) found
that their most distinctive attribute was their rich and fulfilling social life. These students spent a significant amount
of their time socialising with friends and were rated by themselves and their friends at being outstanding in making
and maintaining close friendships.
Acquaintances - Co-operation with acquaintances, who are neither family nor close friends, is a potential source of
happiness and a way of avoiding unhappiness due to loss of status and inequalities which inevitably arises from regular
involvement in competition. When we keep in mind that we will have to co-exist with acquaintances for the long term
and that working together will bring greater dividends than working alone, we are more likely to co-operate. In all
important relationships, make a commitment to engage in equitable and reciprocal behaviour rather than exploitative
behaviour.
Religion and spirituality - Moderate correlations have been found between happiness and involvement in religious
activity in North American studies (Myers, 2000). Religious coping to be mentioned.

Positive and negative Affect

Russell(1980) - Circumplex model of emotion
James Russell developed a circumplex model based on subjective feelings. In his early study. In an early study, Russell
(1980) asked participants to sort 28 emotion words into categories based on perceived similarities. Then, Russell used
a statistical technique to group the emotion ratings based on positive correlations - in essence, grouping similarly
related emotion words together in a circle. This multidimensional scaling analysis revealed two bipolar dimensions -
valence and activation. Thus, any emotion can be described using an unpleasant/ pleasant dimension (i.e. valance)
and a high arousal/ low arousal (i.e., activation).
Environment and happiness (REF PG 47 - ALLEN CORR)
Wealth - Professor Ed Diener (2000) at the University of Illinois has found that people in economically disadvantaged
nations have lower set-points for happiness.
Geographical location - Strong positive feelings are associated with being in natural rather than artificial environments.
Good weather leads to positive emotions. Moderate correlations have been found between the quality of housing and
life satisfaction. Music has been shown in surveys and mood induction experiments to induce short term positive mood
states and to reduce aggression.
Physical state and happiness
Physical exercise leads to positive mood states
Health -
Exercise -

Life satisfaction:
Satisfaction is a latin word that means to make or do enough. Satisfaction with one's life implies a contentment with
acceptance for one's life circumstances, or the fulfillment of individual wants and needs for one's life as a whole. In
essence, life satisfaction is a subjective assessment of the quality of one's life. Because it is inherently an evaluation,
judgment of life satisfaction has a large cognitive component.

Distinction from related constructs

Life satisfaction vs subjective well being - According to ED Dyner and his colleagues (1999) subjective well being or
happiness, has both an affective (emotional) and a cognitive (judgemental) component. The affective component
consists of how frequently an individual reports experiencing a positive or negative affect. Life satisfaction is
considered to be the cognitive component of this broader construct.
Life satisfaction vs life domain satisfaction - researchers differentiate between life domain satisfaction and life as a
whole or global life satisfaction. Life domain satisfaction refers to satisfaction with specific areas of an individual's life
such as work, marriage and income, whereas judgements of global life satisfaction are much more broad consisting of
individuals comprehensive evaluation of their life.
Rutt veehoven - 4 qualities of life
Outer qualities Inner qualities

Life chances Live ability of environment Life ability of a person

Life results Utility of life Satisfaction

This classification of meaning depends on two distinctions. Vertically there is a difference between chances for a good
life and actual outcome of life. Horizontally there is a distinction between external and internal qualities. Together
these distinctions mark 4 quality of life, all of which have been denoted by the word happiness.
The left top quadrant denotes the meaning of good living conditions. Ecology - concept of balance of environment
maintained by humans. Living conditions contribute to happiness. Economists sometimes use the term welfare for this
meaning.
The right top quadrant denotes inner life chances, that is how well we are equipped to cope with the problems of life.
Doctors and psychologists also use the term quality of life and wellbeing to denote this particular meaning. In biology
the phenomenon is referred to as adaptive potential.
Utility of life, the left bottom quadrant rep[resents the notion that a good life must be good for something more than
itself. This presumes some higher values, such as ecological preservation or cultural development.
Satisfaction with life finally the bottom right corner represents the inner outcome of life. That is the quality of the eye
of the beholder. As we deal with conscious humans this quality boils down to subjective speciation of life.

4 kinds of satisfaction:
Passing Enduring

Part of life Pleasure Part satisfaction

Life as a whole Top experience Life satisfaction

Pleasure - passing satisfaction with a part of life is called pleasure. It can be sensorically and mentally. The idea that
we should maximize such satisfactions is called hedonism.
Part satisfaction - enduring satisfaction with a part of life is called part satisfaction. Such satisfaction can concern a
domain of life such as working life, and aspects of life such as its variety.
Top experiences - Passing satisfaction can be about life as a whole, in particular when the experiences are intense,
pervasive and oceanic. This ecstasy kind of satisfaction is usually referred to as top experiences or bliss.
Life satisfaction - enduring satisfaction with one’s life as a whole is called life satisfaction and also commonly referred
to a happiness or subjective well being.

MODULE 5
Character strengths and virtues
“In short, if one is entitled to everything, then one is thankful for nothing.” ― Christopher Peterson, Character
Strengths and Virtues: A Handbook and Classification
In 1998, in his Presidential Address at the American Psychological Association, Martin Seligman stated, “Psychology is
not just the study of weakness and damage, it is also the study of strength and virtue. Treatment is not just fixing what
is broken, it is nurturing what is best within ourselves” (Seligman, 1998).
Concept of characteristics:
It is about looking into positive factors and strengths.
What are strengths?
A strength can be defined as a natural capacity for behavior, thinking, or feeling in a way that allows for optimal
functioning and performance in the pursuit of valued outcomes. (Linley & Harington, 2006). It is something that an
individual has a natural inclination towards. However, environmental factors and experiences may nurture and
support the development of specific strengths or hinder their development, e.g., a child feels motivated to pursue
her/his creative instincts if there is encouragement from significant others rather than ignoring or disregarding the
child’s original thinking.
What cannot be strengths?
1. Talents (what we naturally do well) - These are naturally occurring patterns of thoughts, feelings, and
behaviour. They are potential strengths.
2. Skills (what we train ourselves to do) - These are specific competencies we develop or acquire because they
are needed to do our job well, relate better with people or the environment.
3. Interest (our passions) - Preference towards certain activities or goals that are significant to the individual.
Character strengths and interests are closely linked. We might choose interests that give the opportunity to
display our strengths.
4. Resources (our external supports from social environment) - these are systems available in our environment
that help us to live well, e.g., social network of family and friends, access to health and education etc. We use
our character strengths (like gratitude, empathy, and social intelligence) to build and maintain these
resources.
 5. Values (what we internally hold it here) - it translates to behaviour if we work on it - internalized goals and
desires that are socially and morally approved. Strengths are values in action. When our values get translated
into behaviour, we are displaying our character strengths

Galups institute- The global Gallup Poll shows that most people, across countries and cultures think that focusing on
weaknesses will help them improve more than focusing on strengths (Hodges & Clifton, 2004). However, research on
the significance of strengths, across cultures, suggests that recognizing, developing, and using your strengths have
manifold benefits.
(Galups institute) Benefits of character strengths
• Brings about greater understanding, perceptivity, and perspectives in your life.
• Provides a sense of direction.
• Create a feeling of vitality and energy
• Helps to buffer against stress
• Generates hopes and optimism
• Enhances confidence and self esteem
• Fills one with a sense of joy and fulfilment
• Increases motivation and helps achieve one’s goal
• Improves engagement and performance at work (Cliffton and Anderson, 2001)

Values in Action (VIA) Classification

Christopher perterson and martin seligmen created their own “manual of sanities” which focused on what is good
about people specifically on the character strengths that allows for a good life.
They devised the VIA (values in action) framework to conceptualise character strengths. It was their handbook for
human health and flourishing.
They defined character strengths as a universally recognized subset of morally valued personality traits (Peterson &
Seligman, 2004). Peterson and Seligman generated an exhaustive list of virtues and strengths that were common
across cultures by using various methods including literature survey, deliberation with leading scholars in the field,
and referring to ancient religious and philosophical texts. They refined this list of hundreds of strengths thus obtained
based on ten criteria. This resulted in the identification of twenty-four-character strengths, that are grouped under six
virtues (which are the core universal characteristics emphasized by philosophers and religious leaders)
6 virtues 24 characteristics - VIA Classification (SHOULD LEARN IT BY HEART)

We apply the concepts of positive psychology majorly in supportive psychotherapy.

Yearly (1990) summarized the modern field of virtue ethics. First, the typical definition of a virtue in effect identifies it
as a personality trait i.e., “disposition to act, desire, and feel that involves the exercise of judgement and leads to a
recognizable human excellence or instance of human flourishing.”
Virtues are not segregated mechanisms with automatic effects on behavior. Virtues are typically numerous drawn
from different level of abstractness and potentially in conflict.
A hierarchy of virtues is therefore introduced by most philosophers to help determine when one or more virtue should
be manifested.
In the act of displaying a virtue, someone does not think of the virtue per say for the way of life to which it is related.
Enumerated virtues and their hierarchical organizations depend on teh way of life/ the cultural ethos in which they
are embedded.
6 Virtues:

1. Wisdom – this virtue incorporates strengths related to acquisition and use of knowledge
2. Courage – these strengths involve the exercise of will to accomplish goals in the face of internal or external
opposition
3. Love, Humanity – interpersonal strengths that involves inclination towards forming connection with others
4. Justice - civic strengths that contribute to society
5. Temperance (self-regulation) - these strengths buffer us against excesses
6. Transcendence – these strengths help us to establish a meaningful connection with the larger universe

Wisdom – wisdom and knowledge as a virtue

• Refers to general intellectual strength involving the development and use of knowledge
• Not necessarily follow education or a high IQ
• More practical intelligence and good judgement based on learning life’s lessons- perhaps through hardships
• A wise person puts things in proper perspective and avoids the pitfalls of narrowly focused and self-interested
understandings.
• Wisdom means being able to offer good counsel to others about how to live and how to understand and deal
with life’s challenges, uncertainties and choices.

Courage

• Emotional strength to overcome fear in the face of opposition and adversity.

• Exemplified in confronting and accepting one’s own death; dealing with a debilitating illness or disease;
honestly confronting one’s own limitations, weaknesses, or bad habits; and standing up for one’s convictions;
despite the possibility of negative consequences (e.g., chastisement by others)

Humanity

• Our capacity for sympathy, empathy, compassion and love in our relationships with others.

• It is the basis for nurturing and caring relationships focused on another’s needs rather than one’s own needs
and interests.

• It is expressed in our willing ness to help others in need, to be kind, to be generous, and to respect the feelings
and values of others.

Justice

• Essential ingredient in healthy societies, communities and relationships with others.

• This virtue is shown when people are fair minded and even handed rather than being biased by self interest.
• Includes strengths that contribute to community, well-being, such as working cooperatively with others and
taking the initiative to develop and follow through on goals and projects.

Temperance

• It is the strength to control excesses and restrain impulses that may harm the self and others
• Expresses idea of ‘willpower’ in the face of temptations
• Temptations and benefits of restraint might be focused on eating; drinking; smoking; expressing of anger,
hatred, or arrogance toward others; or excessive self-promotion at the expense of others.
• Some of the psychological processes are involved in self-control and self-directed actions that are relevant to
temperance.
• It is a kind of ongoing self-awareness and self-discipline that affirms the “look before you leap” dictum of
everyday wisdom.
• Temperance also involves the ability to let go and forgive the indiscretions and hurtful actions by others.
Transcendence

• To transcend means to go beyond or rise above the ordinary and the everyday.
• Transcendent thinking lifts us out of usual concrete preoccupations of daily life and out of an individualized
sense of self by providing a broader view of the world and the universe.
• It puts things in perspective and keeps us from worrying about or striving for things that don’t really matter
• Religion and spirituality are the clearest examples of transcendence because they involve a belief in higher
power and greater purpose for life
• It beliefs connect the individual to a more encompassing understanding and a deeper meaning of life.
• The character strength of religiousness clearly fits the virtue of transcendence.

Character strengths
Wisdom and knowledge - cognitive strengths that entail the acquisition and use of knowledge

1. Creativity - thinking of novel and productive ways to do things

2. Curiosity - taking an interest in all ongoing experience
3. Open mindedness - thinking things through and from all sides
4. Love of learning - mastering new skills, topics, and bodies of knowledge
5. Perspective - being able to provide wise counsel to others

Courage - emotional strength that involve exercise of will in the face of opposition, external or internal

6. Authenticity - speaking the truth and presenting yourself in a genuine way

7. Bravery - not shrinking from threat, challenge, difficulty or pain
8. Persistence - finishing what one starts despite obstacles along the way
9. Zest - approaching life with excitement and energy

Humanity - interpersonal strengths that involve “tending and befriending others”(Daniel gold winner )

10. Kindness - doing favours and good deeds for others

11. Love - valuing close relationships
12. Social intelligence - being aware of the motives and feelings of the self and others
Justice - civic strengths that underlie healthy community life

13. Fairness - treating people the same according to notions of fairness and justice
14. Leadership - organizing group activities and seeing that they happen
15. Team work - working well as member of a group or team

Temperance - strengths that protect against excess

16. Forgiveness - forgiving those who have done wrong

17. Modesty - letting one’s accomplishments speak for themselves
18. Prudence - being careful about one's choices, not saying or doing things that might be later regretted
19. Self regulation - regulating what one feels and does

Transcendence - strengths that forge connections to the large universe and providing meaning

1. Appreciation of beauty and excellence - noticing and appreciating beauty, excellence and/or skilled
performance in all domains of life
2. Gratitude - being aware of and thankful for good things that happen
3. Hope – expecting the best and working to achieve it
4. Humor – liking to laugh and tease; bringing smiles to other people
5. religious/spirituality – having coherent beliefs about the higher purposes and meaning of life

Signature strengths (Niamec,2018)

Every human being possesses each of the 24 character strengths. However, some strengths are more dominant than
the others. These are called signature strengths. Positive Psychologists emphasize the development and use of one’s
signature strengths. These are character strengths that an individual possesses, recognizes and uses frequently in
various aspects of their life. Signature strengths are those that represent ‘the real you’, they bring with them a sense
of authenticity. There are three key features that can help us recognize our signature strengths (Niemiec, 2018)

• Strengths that are dominant that the others are said to be signature strengths
• These are character strengths that individual possess, recognize and use frequently in different aspects of life

Essential – our signature strength feels like an integral part of who we are. Represents our positive traits. Others may
use this to describe us
Effortless - using our strengths feels natural and easy. Doing an activity that feels effortless and experience the flow in
the process indicates that we are using our strength.
Energizing - expressing signature strengths is invigorating and intrinsically motivating. You feel energized doing
activities that put these strengths to use ,and you look forward to engaging in such activities again.

Other classifications of strengths

Clifton Strengths finder
Donald Clifton and Edward Anderson from the Gallup Corporation (Clifton & Anderson, 2001–02) developed another
popular method of conceptualizing strengths known as Clifton’s StrengthsFinder or Gallup’s StrengthsFinder. They
defined a strength as the ability to provide consistent, near perfect performance in a given activity (Hodges & Clifton,
2004). According to them, a strength is a combination of talent, knowledge and skill.
Strength = Talent + Knowledge and Skill
This definition too highlights the instinctual aspect of strengths in that it comprises a natural talent.
A talent represents a capacity to do something. Therefore, your achievements and successes are directly related to
your talents. Knowledge comprises facts and lessons learnt.
Skill refers to the specific steps required to perform a particular activity. A talent when polished, honed and built upon
by acquiring the necessary competence and expertise becomes a strength.
Thus, for a talent to become a strength one needs to invest time and energy in it. practice and develop it. Talent,
knowledge and skills are all important for building strength. Clifton StrengthsFinder identifies 34 strengths or talents
mainly in the work setting whereas the VIA classification identifies universal strengths that are applicable across life
domains.
The Search Institute’s 40 Developmental Assets
The Search Institute’s Developmental Assets (Benson et al., 1998) framework focuses on children - what makes
children healthy, resilient and flourish?
Developmental Assets are the relationships, opportunities, and character strengths that are strongly related to
children and youths’ well-being (Scales, Roehlkepartain, & Shramko, 2017).
There are certain external resources in our environment that support and promote psychological growth, resilience
and thriving in children. For example, family support, adult role models, positive peer influences, safe neighborhoods,
etc.
There are also internal resources specific to every child that nurture healthy psychological development, e.g., high self-
esteem, values such as honesty and integrity, social and interpersonal capabilities, etc
Higher levels of these developmental assets have been linked to several positive outcomes in both males and females,
across racial/ethnic backgrounds, and socio-cultural contexts. These include better grades in school, positive emotions,
greater engagement in community activities, better health, ability to delay gratification, and decreased engagement
in risky behaviors like violence and alcohol/drug use (Scales, Roehlkepartain & Shramko, 2017; Roehlkepartain, 2015).

“40 Development Assets”

Wisdom
It is described as mastering the basic dialectics of shaping human existence, such as the dialectics between good and
bad, positivity and negativity, dependence and independence, certainty and doubt, control and lack of control,
finiteness and eternity, strength and weakness, selfishness and altruism.
Components of wisdom

1. Knowledge
2. Wise action
3. Judgment
4. Virtue

Baltes & Staudinger; Kramer (2000); Strenberg (1995)- wisdom can be considered a positive personal characteristic.
It involves valuable subjective experiences and it is a life orientation that contributes to productivity and wellbeing at
the individual, social group, and societal levels.

Wisdom as a foundational virtue:

Strenberg identified six groupings of attributes that characterize a wise person.

1. Reasoning ability: Uncommon ability to look at a problem and solve it through good logical reasoning
ability, by applying knowledge to particular problems, by integrating information and theories in new ways,
and by possessing a huge store of knowledge.
 2. Sagacity: A keen understanding of human nature, thoughtfulness, fairness, good listening
abilities, knowledge of self, and placing value on the advice and knowledge of others.

3.Learning from ideas and the environment: Places value on ideas, is perceptive, and learns from others’
mistakes.

4.Judgment: Has good, sensible judgment at all times, takes a long-term rather than a short-term view, and
thinks before acting and speaking.

5. Expeditious use of information: Learns and retains information from experience (both mistakes
and successes), willingness to change one’s mind based on new experience.

6. Perspicacity: Demonstrates perceptiveness, intuition, ability to see through things, read between the lines;
and discern the truth and the right thing to do

Baltes (1993) identified seven properties describing the nature of wisdom (taken from Baltes & Staudinger, 2000)

1. "Wisdom addresses important and difficult questions and strategies about the conduct and meaning of life."
2. "Wisdom includes knowledge about the limits of knowledge and the uncertainties of the world."
3. "Wisdom represents a truly superior level of knowledge, judgment, and advice."
4. "Wisdom constitutes knowledge with extraordinary scope, depth, measure, and balance."
5. "Wisdom involves a perfect synergy of mind and character, that is, an orchestration of knowledge and virtues."
6. "Wisdom represents knowledge used for the good or well-being of oneself and that of others."
7. "Wisdom is easily recognized when manifested, although difficult achieve and specify."

Balance theory of Wisdom

• According to Sternberg's balance theory, wise people are skillful in balancing three interests and three
possible courses of action in arriving at solutions to life problems. The three interests are (a) one's own
interests and needs (intrapersonal); (b) the interests and needs of important others like a spouse, friend, or
employer (interpersonal); and(c) those related to community, country, environment, or religion
(extrapersonal).
• Balancing these multiple interests to achieve a common good requires consideration of three courses of action
concerning whether and how much individuals need to (a) change themselves (adaptation); (b) change their
environment, including others; or (c) select a new environment altogether.
Wisdom as expert knowledge in the conduct of life

1. Factual knowledge - Extensive knowledge of the pragmatics of life. Knowing the "whats" of the human
condition and human nature (e.g., differences among people, social relationships, society, social norms, etc).
2. Procedural knowledge - Knowing "how". Strategies and approaches for solving life's problems, achieving goals,
dealing with conflict, etc.
3. Lifespan contextualism - Knowledge of different life settings and social environments (e.g.,work, education,
family, leisure, and friends), and how these roles and settings change over time, both for individuals and for
society.
4. Relativism of values - Awareness of individual cultural differences in values and life priorities. Wise people are
committed to the common good, so this does not mean "anything goes". Relativism means consideration and
sensitivity to value differences among people from different backgrounds.
5. Awareness and management of uncertainty - Recognizing the limits of knowledge. The future cannot be fully
known ahead of time. An understanding of how to cope effectively with the uncertainty of knowledge about
the world

(REFER BOUMGARDENER PG 225 - 231)

- Does wisdom increase with age?

- Are “experts” wiser that non-experts?
- Are wise people happier??
https://www.slideshare.net/ANNEEARYA1/concept-of-wisdom

SOC Model of Wisdom (REFER BAUMGARDNER PG 228)

Bases on how effectively we are managing life

Selection - optimisation - compensation
Berlin Wisdom Project
Wisdom has defined waltheirs and collegues earlier work involved an understanding of both the deeper purposes and
meanings of a good life and an understanding of the means by which a gpod life could be acheived.

• Inter-relationship between what and how

Concept of selection - It is the first step in life planning and is an integral part of persoanl development and wellbeing.
Selection of appropriate things and used.
Optimisation - it refers to all the choices and actions that lead to successful goal acheivment.
Compensation - it refers to development of alternative means for acheiving and maintaining goals when previously
effective means are blocked.

TRANSCENDENCE: RELIGION AND SPIRITUALITY

Meanings of Life, Roy Baumeister (1991) describes four needs that underlie the pursuit of meaning: purpose, value,
self-efficacy, and self-worth. These four needs help explain the basis for people's motivation to find meaning in life,
but they do not specify the specific sources of need satisfaction.

• The need for purpose refers to a desire for direction in life. Organizing life around the pursuit of personally
significant goals and ideal end states are major ways people fulfill their need for purpose. Working on, making
progress toward, and achieving important goals and ideals are important sources of meaning.
• A second need is for value. The need for value is fulfilled by finding justifications for actions that affirm the
positive value of one's life. People want to believe their actions are "right" or "good" as judged by a system of
values.
• A third need is for a sense of self-efficacy. People need to feel that they have control over the things that
happen to them so that life does not seem chaotic, capricious, and beyond their control. An important form
of control, particularly relevant to religion and spirituality, is interpretive control.
• Self-worth is the fourth basis for meaning. Self-worth reflects people's need for positive self-evaluation and
self-esteem. Unlike values, which are tied primarily to morality, a sense of self-worth may be based on a variety
 of non-moral qualities and activities. Talents, accomplishments, recognition and admiration from others, and
favourable social comparisons (i.e., doing better than others) may all contribute to a sense of self-worth.

Pargament attempts to combine substance and function in his definition of religion and spirituality.
He defines religion as "a search for significance in ways related to the sacred" (1997, p. 32), and spirituality as a "search
for the sacred" (1997, p. 39). "Search" Incorporates a functional view of religion and spirituality as a means to address
life's most important questions. "Sacred" identifies the special substance of this search that distinguishes religion and
spirituality from other life domains.

RELIGION/ SPIRITUALITY AND WELLBEING

• Health practices
• Social support
• Psychosocial resources and meaning
• Religious orientation
• Intrinsic and extrinsic religious orientation - adherence to religion is seen very differently, gives social support
when it comes to extrinsic point of view

Attachment theory and relationship with God

1. Secure attachment - "God is generally warm and responsive to me. He always seems to know when to be
supportive and protective of me, and when to let me make my own mistakes. My relationship with God is
always comfortable, and I am very happy and satisfied with it" (Kirkpatrick & Shaver, 1992, p. 270).
2. Avoidant Attachment - "God is generally impersonal, distant, and often seems to have little or no interest in
my personal affairs and problems. I frequently have the feeling that He doesn't care very much about me, or
that He might not like me" (Kirkpatrick & Shaver, 1992, p. 270).
3. Anxious/Ambivalent Attachment - "God seems to be Inconsistent in His reactions to me. He sometimes seems
warm and responsive to my needs, but sometimes not. I'm sure that He loves me and cares about me, but
sometimes He seems to show it in ways I don't really understand" (Kirkpatrick & Shaver, 1992, p. 270)

Styles of Religious Coping

1. Self-Directing Style - In this approach, people rely on themselves rather than God to solve their problems.
People maintain their church affiliation, but score low on measures of religiousness.The self-directing style
was associated with a heightened sense of personal control in life, higher self esteem, and a religious quest
orientation
2. Deferring Style - The deferring style refers to people who put their problems and responsibility for solutions
in God's hands. "Rather than trying to come up with the right solution to a problem myself, I let God decide
how to deal with it. lowest levels of personal competence,self-esteem, and effective problem-solving. The
strong reliance on an external source of coping may contribute to feelings of helplessness and passivity.
3. Collaborative Style - In this style, God and the individual are active partners in the problem-solving process.
"When it comes to deciding how to solve a problem, God and I work together as partners."A collaborative
style was associated with a strong intrinsic religious orientation and commitment to religious beliefs and
practice. The collaborative approach to problem solving showed positive correlations with personal control,
competency, and self-esteem.