Positive Psychology:Strategies and Tools for Schools

Terry Molony, Psy.D., NCSPTeravid@yahoo.com

Minnesota School Psychology AssociationJanuary 2016

Goals

Overview of Positive PsychologyActivities to use in Schools related to the components of Positive Psychology

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What makes life worthwhile?The gross national product does not allow for the health of our children…their education, or the joy of their play. It does not include the beauty of our poetry or the strength of our marriages,…It measures neither wit nor courage; neither our wisdom nor our teaching; neither our compassion nor our devotion to our country; it measures everything, in short, except that which makes life worthwhile.

Robert F. Kennedy, 1968

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What is Positive Psychology?

Scientific study of human strengths that help people to thrive!Studying positive emotions, positive individual traits and positive institutionsIt involves happiness, creativity, resilience, compassion, courage, curiosity, meaning of life, gratitude to name a few

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Is Positive Psychology simply Positive Thinking?

Absolutely not!!!!!Body of research behind itDoes not suggest people will never and should never experience negative emotionsNot a replacement for traditional psychology based on healing mental illnesses, but a supplement or a prevention program

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Roots of Positive Psychology

• Philosophers– Ancient teachings of Aristotle, Plato, Socrates– Utilitarian philosophers: David Hume, Jeremy Bentham,

John Locke

• Religion – Taoism, Buddhism, Hinduism, Christianity, Judaism, and

Islam

• Established psychological theories– Humanism, Attribution Theory, Big Five Personality Theory

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Who is happy?

Is there a happiest time of life?Is there a gender difference?Is there a connection between wealth and well-being?Are those in relationships or with close friends happier?Does spirituality increase happiness?

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Influences on happiness

RelationshipsFinancial situation up to a pointWorkCommunity and friendsHealthPersonal freedom Personal values

Richard Layard

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Is there a happiness set-point?

H=S+C+VH= Enduring level of HappinessSet rangeCircumstancesVoluntary control

Martin Seligman

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What Determines Happiness

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What’s different about Happy People?

Happy people respond to stimuli differently than unhappy people– They forget bad things more easily

Positive outlook is related to good health outcomesPositive mood is related to more active problem solving and better attention

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Neurobiology of Positive Emotions

Oxytocin - facilitates attachment and social support and reduces stress responsesResults in active or efficient dopamine pathwaysAids in efficient functioning of the immune system.

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Broaden and Build Theory

The B and B theory suggests that when people have positive emotions, they can broaden their repertoire of behaviors and over time develop new skills and competencies that they can use to solve other problems in the future

Fredrickson

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The Undoing Effect of Positive Emotions

When people experience a negative emotion, they usually have a negative physiological response, like their heart rate goes up, they breathe quicker or some other negative sensation. If they are able to experience a positive emotion, they are able to return to the normal heart rate, breathing etc. quickly.

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The Goal

If the goal is to increase overall well-being by increasing positive emotions should we just not do any work and have fun all the time?The Pleasant Life vs. Engaged LifeHedonia vs. eudaemonia

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Components of Positive Psychology

Positive Affect FlowOptimism GratitudeUsing Signature StrengthsHope

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How happy are you?

Lyubormirsky’s Subjective Happiness ScaleSelf Report with four questionsMany Positive Psychology measures are self-reports– In order to be happy, you have to perceive

yourself as happy

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Lyubormirsky’s Subjective Happiness Scale (Adapted)

In general, I consider myself: not a very a very happy vs. very happy?Compared to most of my peers, I consider myself?Some people are generally very happy. They enjoy life regardless of what is going on, getting the most out of everything. To what extent does this characterization describe you?Some people are generally not very happy. Although they are not depressed, they never seem as happy as they might be. To what extent does this characterization describe you?

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Positive Affect

Experience happy feelings over time– Past

Satisfaction, contentment, pride, serenityForgive past grievances, accepting losses

– FutureOptimism, hope, confidence, trust, faith

– PresentPhysical-warmth, yumminessHigher level- elevation, inspiration, bliss

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Positivity Ratio

• 3 to 1 positivity ratio predicts flourishing!• Let’s take the Positivity Ratio Survey

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Activities to Increase Positive Affect

Positivity Portfolio– Gather special objects or mementos that elicit

strong connections with each different positive emotions, such as Joy, Gratitude, Serenity, Interest, Hope, Pride, Amusement, Inspiration, Awe, Love.

– Make a portfolio for each one and use them when you are beginning to feel stressed or need a boost.

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Activities to Increase Positive Affect

Make sure you spend time laughing oftenSavor experiences- Be mindful of how they feel, sound, taste, look like. Pay attention to all your sensesMake time to be with loved ones, and friendsCultivate leisure activities that increase positive affect and that broaden and build

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Flow Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi

Task is challenging but controllableAble to concentrateClear goalsImmediate feedbackSense of control over actionsSense of self disappearsSense of duration of time is altered

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Flow Diagram

24Sources: Adapted from Massimini & Carli 1988; Csikszentmihalyi 1990

CH

ALL

EN

GE

S

SKILLSLow

High

High

Anxiety ArousalFlow

Worry

ApathyBoredom

Relaxation

Control

Flow ActivitiesTeach the vocabulary and components

of FlowDevelop scales (1-5) to measure boredom, anxiety, frustration as well as relaxation and enjoyment to they can learn about themselvesHelp them to identify Flow experiences they have in their daily lives

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Flow Activities

Connect Flow to school– Do they ever get lost in certain subjects or

assignments because of interest?– Do they like projects better than tests?

Design Flow experiences– What kind of assignments would they give if they

were the teacher?– Advocate with the teacher about how they can

learn better when they are in the flow.

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Flow Activities

Help children Self-Monitor– When they get a task, ask them to rate it in terms

of things like ChallengeInterestSkill

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Gratitude

The grateful person experiences more positive emotions, they avoid taking things for granted and therefore are less likely to get used to positive life experiencesGratitude seems different from pleasure or happinessGratitude appears to be related to satisfaction with life, less depression and anxiety, more helpfulness and empathy

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What a wonderful world it would be!

The grateful feelings in the person who receives reinforces the person who gave. This helps to prompt the giver to continue to give to others. It also prompts the receiver to give to others.

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Is there a negative side to gratitude?

Will encouraging people to consider their indebtedness to another, lead them to feel angry and resentful to the giver?Research does not support this. Gratitude is perceived as a pleasant emotion, i.e. contentment

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Gratitude Bulletin Board

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Gratitude Activities

Send a gratitude letter to someone – Give post-its to students to surprise people with

messages of gratitude– Students can send a letter to people like the bus

driver or cafeteria workers

Count your blessings– Every day pay attention to the things that you are

thankful for– Often an effective remedy for sleep problems

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Gratitude Activities

Keep a gratitude journal, write about things you are grateful for– Social interactions, awareness of physical health,

overcoming obstacles, beauty of nature

Make a bulletin board with people’s note of gratitude. It may inspire others reading it to feel grateful too.

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Gratitude Activities

Think of accomplishments in your life and who has helped you to succeed. Teach this to children. Mentoring and Check In-Check Out programs can help children learn about gratitude. The Mentor can role model it for the child.http://www.nasponline.org/communications/spawareness/2009_gratitudeworks.aspx

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Optimism

A belief that all will turn out wellA propensity to look at the bright sideA way of explaining what happens in life– Attributions

Global or SpecificPermanent or TemporaryPersonal or Impersonal

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BIG and little Optimism

BIG OPTIMISM

-Someday there will be world peace

-Some day there will be no such thing as hunger or poverty

little optimism

– I’m going to find a good parking space at the mall!

– The party is going to be fun!

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Good events

Optimists – Global

I do great in all my classes

– PermanentI always have done great

– PersonalI’m just so smart

Pessimists– Specific

I only do good in math

– TemporarySo I did good this time. I hardly ever do good

– ImpersonalThe test was easy

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Bad Events

Optimists– Specific

It was just this one test I did bad on

– Temporary I usually do ok

– ImpersonalThe test was too hard and I didn’t have enough time to study

Pessimists– Global

I fail every test, math reading or science! It doesn’t matter

– PermanentI always fail! Every year I do bad.

– PersonalI’m just not smart

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CAVE technique

Content Analysis Verbatim TechniquePredicted who would win the world series and who would win presidential debates

Listen to the music that children listen to. What are the attributions?

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ABC and now D

A-Adversity (the event)B-Belief (thoughts and interpretation cause consequences)C-Consequences (how you behave and feel after an adversity)D-Disputing

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Four Pillars of Effective Disputing

Evidence gathering– Is there evidence against the belief

Generating alternatives– Perspective taking

De-catastrophizing- What if’s

Develop a plan of attack

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De-catastrophizing

What is the worst thing that can happen?Is it likely to happen?What is the best thing that can happen?Which is more likely to happen?

Usually the answer is somewhere between the worst and the best thing that can happen.

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Optimism Activities

Teach the skills about attributions and how to dispute themRead common scenarios that happen to children and have them do “Thumbs up/Thumbs down” where the attributions are Optimistic or PessimisticHave children role play situations and identify as Optimistic or Pessimistic attributions

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Optimism Activities

Regarding the scenarios, ask them to identify the opposite attribution, so they can learn that attributions are not factsHave students make up their own examples for other students to guessAfter they learn about attributions, ask them to pay attention during the week to their own and others’ attributions. Notice when they say “Always” and “Never”

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Signature Strengths

CourageJusticeHumanityTemperanceWisdomTranscendence

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Signature Strengths Bulletin Board

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Virtues in Action

http://www.ppc.sas.upenn.edu/ppquestionnaires.htm

At this website there are many questionnaires that you can complete regarding positive psychology

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Courage

BraveryPersistenceIntegrityVitality

Ability to accomplish goals and overcome obstacles

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Justice

CitizenshipFairnessLeadership

Underlies community life

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Humanity

LoveKindnessSocial Intelligence

Interpersonal strengths that involve caring for and befriending others

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Temperance

Forgiveness and mercyHumility and modestyPrudenceSelf-regulation

Strengths that protect against excess

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Wisdom

CreativityCuriosityOpen-mindednessLove of learningPerspective

Cognitive strength that entail the acquisition and use of knowledge

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Transcendence

Appreciation of beauty and excellenceGratitudeHopeHumor Spirituality

Forge connections with the larger universe and provide meaning

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Activities to Develop Signature Strengths

Take the signature strengths test on the Penn websiteOr develop questions appropriate for the level of students you are working withPay attention to notice the signature strengths that the children and students are using. Bring them to the attention of the other person

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Activities to Develop Signature Strengths

Work to develop other signature strengths you admireTeachers can design writing activities related to signature strengths. Assignments can be focused on writing about signature strengths of the main character, historical figure. Young children can draw a picture of how the character is using a signature strength

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Activities to Develop Signature Strengths

Signature Strengths can help ease transitions. Information about students strengths can be discussed across levels and students can have more confidence about making the transition if they can use their strengths.Group projects can be developed with students with different strengths grouped together to complete different tasks.

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Hope

Ability to plan a pathway to a desired goal despite obstacles

PlusMotivation to do it

High hope people set achievable goals and look at obstacles as challenges

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Developing hope in children

We can help children develop hope by encouraging them to develop achievable goals, by listening to them and nurturing their talentsNoticing their accomplishments, the things they valueHelping them to stretch their goals

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Developing Hope

Use stories and books that illustrate how someone with hope was able to overcome obstaclesStart with short term goals and then link them togetherStrong behavior plans can help to develop hope

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Developing Hope

Listen carefully to children and help them to verbalize their goals. Be careful not to force goals on them. Meaningful goals must be intrinsically motivating.Keep track of progress. If the student is getting off course from the goal, reassess to get back on track or to modify the goal

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Thank you!

• Please see bibliography for suggested readings• Email if you have questions

(teravid@yahoo.com)• Email if you have time to let me if you are

using positive psychology activities and how they are working!

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