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POSITIVE PSYCHOLOGY:POSITIVE PSYCHOLOGY:
happiness, flourishing and flow in happiness, flourishing and flow in learning and in lifelearning and in life
Positive PsychologyPositive Psychology
Background to Positive Psychology
The importance of Happiness/Well-
being
Ideas and strategies to use with
students (and for ourselves)
Connections to other approaches
used in teaching and learning
2Jean Johnston, ILSA Annual Conference 2011
Positive PsychologyPositive Psychology Martin Seligman launched Positive Psychology in 1998
when he became President of the American Psychological Association
Positive Psychology identifies and studies the factors that create well-being rather than at cures for psychological illnesses
It proposes to make people happier and more fulfilled by using and developing their strengths
It is based on scientific research that has been carried out through controlled experiments and longitudinal studies
3Jean Johnston, ILSA Annual Conference 2011
The Importance of The Importance of Happiness/Well-BeingHappiness/Well-Being
Why is this important to us as L/S or SEN teachers?
What difficulties do our students face?
What effects can this difficulties have?
4Jean Johnston, ILSA Annual Conference 2011
Difficulties that Students Difficulties that Students FaceFace
Mental Health Difficulties: 8% of students – 83,083 in number (Epsen
Implementation Report: p. 72)
Adolescent ‘depressive episodes’ affect between 5-10% of young people (Buckley, Gavin and McNicholas: 2009)
Depression is now ten times as prevalent as it was in 1960 in developed countries – forty years ago, the mean age of first episode was 29.5
years- now it is 14.5 years (Seligman: 2003)
5
Jean Johnston, ILSA Annual Conference 2011
Mental/Emotional HealthMental/Emotional Health
6Jean Johnston, ILSA Annual Conference 2011
Negative EmotionsNegative Emotions
Negative emotions such as anger, fear, disgust and so on help us to respond appropriately to our environment – their adaptive value is easy to explain and understand (B. Fredrickson, 2003)
7Jean Johnston, ILSA Annual Conference 2011
Fredrickson 2003Fredrickson 2003
Barbara Fredrickson (2003) developed the Broaden-and-Build Theory of positive emotions. It explained that positive emotions are important to survival. They:
broaden and build cognitive processes
expand cognition and behavioural tendencies
increase the number of potential behavioural options
Fredrickson found that the expanded cognitive flexibility that is evident during positive emotional states results in resource building that becomes useful over time
.
8Jean Johnston, ILSA Annual Conference 2011
Emotional ChemistryEmotional Chemistry ‘The brain is a supremely flexible organ that changes its chemistry in adaptive
response to what is going around it .‘ ( Nettle, 2005)
Every feeling we have is a ‘neuro-chemical event’ Danger, stress and anxiety trigger the release of adrenalin and cortisol
These narrow your focus, sharpen your thinking and temporarily
increase your strength to enable you to run away fast
Dopamine is the ‘motivation chemical’ Its release into the bloodstream is energising It increases our ability to focus
Serotonin is the ‘feel good’ chemical and is calming and rewarding (MacConville 2008)
9Jean Johnston, ILSA Annual Conference 2011
Emotional Chemistry(cont.)Emotional Chemistry(cont.) Endorphins are small neuropeptides produced by the body
They are natural opiates (endogenous morphine)
They are released every time you laugh, relax and exercise
Each release makes more connections in the brain, creating
new
neural pathways
They create more bonding in the brain so they expand
cognitive processes They enable broader, more flexible, more creative thinking
(MacConville 2008)
We can increase our well-being by choosing to do activities that produce
endorphins In the same way, we can also make our thinking broader and more
flexible
10Jean Johnston, ILSA Annual Conference 2011
ResearchResearch
The concepts and claims of PositivePsychology are supported by
research evidence which includes:
physiological evidence
neurological evidence
psychological evidence
11Jean Johnston, ILSA Annual Conference 2011
HappinessHappiness
• Increases positive emotions.
• Reduces the impact of negative emotions
Nettle, Happiness: The science behind your smile (2005)
12Jean Johnston, ILSA Annual Conference 2011
What Happiness is Good What Happiness is Good ForFor
Briefly, happiness/positivity Increases our engagement in our everyday lives Broadens our mindset, our actions and our social
resources Enables creative and more flexible, global thinking Improves attention, short term memory and
problem-
solving Allows us to build up intellectual and psychological
reserves Undoes negative feelings Increases resilience and tolerance
Sonja Lyubomirsky: http://thesciencenetwork.org/search?topics+Human+Flourishing
13Jean Johnston, ILSA Annual Conference 2011
What is What is Happiness?Happiness?
Take a minute to Take a minute to think about it. think about it.
14Jean Johnston, ILSA Annual Conference 2011
Three Levels of HappinessThree Levels of Happiness Level 1 Level 2 Level 3 (Momentary feelings) (Judgements about feelings) (Quality of life)
Joy Well-being Flourishing Pleasure Satisfaction Fulfilling one’s Potential
More immediate More sensual and emotional More reliably measurable More absolute
More cognitive More relative More moral and political Involving more cultural norms and values
(Nettle, 2005)
15Jean Johnston, ILSA Annual Conference 2011
Maslow’s Hierarchy of Maslow’s Hierarchy of NeedsNeeds
Physical, sensual needs
Well-being and satisfaction
Fulfilling one’s potential
16Jean Johnston, ILSA Annual Conference 2011
Levels of HappinessLevels of HappinessA study by Lyubomirsky (2007) has shown that our level of happiness is made up of three main components:
set point: this is what we are born with – it accounts for about 50% of our level of well-being
circumstances: account for about 10% of our level of well-being. Even if our circumstances change dramatically, we quite quickly return to our set point
intentional behaviours: the
good news is that we have a
lot of influence on our own level
of happiness. Our own actions/activities
account for about 40% of our level
of well-being (MacConville 2008)
set pointintentionalbehaviours
circumstances17
Jean Johnston, ILSA Annual Conference 2011
USING POSITIVE USING POSITIVE PSYCHOLOGY IN OUR PSYCHOLOGY IN OUR TEACHINGTEACHING
18Jean Johnston, ILSA Annual Conference 2011
Approaches that Promote Happiness and Learning
The following strategies have been found to develop positive emotions that are based on the exercise of strengths– a happiness that Seligman calls ‘authentic’.
19Jean Johnston, ILSA Annual Conference 2011
‘Practising releasing
endorphins through
exercise, meditation,
optimistic thinking and
relaxing can have huge
impact on the quality of
students’ lives’
Ruth MacConville
(2008)
An increase in happiness is generally achieved by pleasant activity training Nettles, (2005: p.151)
20Jean Johnston, ILSA Annual Conference 2011
Effects of Exercise Effects of Exercise • Produces serotonin and endorphins• Gives feelings of self-esteem and mastery• Allows ‘Time-Out from stress – potential
for engagement/Flow/meditation• Provides opportunities for social contact and reinforcing friendshipsEvidence from research:• SMILES
- the Standard Medical Intervention and Long-term Exercise Study
(Archives of Internal Medicine 1999:159, 2349-2356)
21Jean Johnston, ILSA Annual Conference 2011
ExerciseExercise
Younger children do not always get opportunities for outdoor play◦ Restrictions at home and in school
As students get older, many exercise less and less, girls in particular ◦Many students opt out because of the
competitive nature of sport
22Jean Johnston, ILSA Annual Conference 2011
Meditation/Reflection/ Meditation/Reflection/ MindfulnessMindfulness Half an hour’s meditation each day is
essential, except when you are busy. Then a full hour is needed.
Meditation actually comprises a family of techniques
that go by different names (Zen, transcendental, Vipassana etc.) and
different categories (concentrative, mindfulness, contemplative)
The core ingredient that underlies them all is the cultivation of attention
An avalanche of studies has shown that meditation has multiple
positive effects on a person’s happiness and positive emotions, on
physiology, stress, cognitive abilities and physical health as well as on
other harder-to-assess attributes, like ‘self-actualisation’ and moral
maturity (Sonja Lyubomirsky, 2007: 250-251)
St Francis de Sales 1567-1622
23Jean Johnston, ILSA Annual Conference 2011
RelaxationRelaxation
24Jean Johnston, ILSA Annual Conference 2011
HEALTH WARNING!!!Research shows that soaps in particular leave the viewer slightly depressed
Optimistic ThinkingOptimistic Thinking Research shows that optimists are more likely to persevere
in the face of difficulty
PRACTICEPRACTICE Identify barrier thoughts Visualize a future where everything is as you wanted it to be – you’ve tried your best, worked hard and achieved your goals. Describe in writing
what you imagine. Identify long-term goals and break them into sub-
goals – if barriers come into your mind, generate
resolutions25
Jean Johnston, ILSA Annual Conference 2011
OPTIMISMOPTIMISM
Optimism is not about providing a recipe for self-deception. The world can be a horrible and cruel place, and at the same time it can be wonderful and abundant. These are both truths. There is not a halfway point – there is only choosing which truth to put in your personal foreground (Lee Ross,
quoted by Sonja Lyubomirsky, 2007: 110)
26Jean Johnston, ILSA Annual Conference 2011
Signature StrengthsSignature StrengthsChris Peterson and Martin Seligman devised a
classification system for character strengths
This classification is based on strengths that are traditionally acknowledged as representing what is best in humanity
Seligman referred to these as signature strengths and described their classification as “ a classification of the sanities”
They provide a counterbalance to classifications of psychological illnesses
27Jean Johnston, ILSA Annual Conference 2011
Happiness ChallengeHappiness Challenge
Three Good Things Wishing Others Well Feeling and Communicating Gratitude Practising Mindfulness
28Jean Johnston, ILSA Annual Conference 2011
Three Good Things
The student keeps a daily record of three good things that have happened during the course of the day. The events may be small, but the student recalls what happened and perhaps records her/his contribution to the event.
This foregrounds positive feelings in the student’s
mind
29Jean Johnston, ILSA Annual Conference 2011
Writing the SelfWriting the Self Writing regularly about oneself is extremely effective in boosting positive emotions The writing does not need to be about happy events Nettle (2005) believes that it is effective because writing gives us space to be more mindful of our thoughts
30Jean Johnston, ILSA Annual Conference 2011
WOW!WOW!Wishing Others WellWishing Others Well
Give opportunity for students to: share/listen to good newschoose a ‘person to be kind to this week’
(needs very careful management and mature students!)
write a letter to a prisoner of conscience
FEELING GRATITUDEFEELING GRATITUDESuggest that they might:Write a letter, visit or email someone to whom you are grateful for some thing and
tell him/her how you feel
31Jean Johnston, ILSA Annual Conference 2011
Random Acts of KindnessRandom Acts of KindnessClosely related to WOW and to ‘Three Good Things’ is the idea of doing one unsolicited ‘Good Deed’ for another person each day. It could be:
Clearing the table Picking up something that someone has dropped Holding open the door Washing the car Putting out the wheelie bin Doing the shopping –
or one of thousands of other small but significant acts that make other people’s lives just a little bit more pleasant
32Jean Johnston, ILSA Annual Conference 2011
MindfulnessMindfulness
We engage all the time in ‘future-mindedness’, or what Seligman calls ‘mindlessness’
Activity
In order to bring our minds into the present, a simple breathing exercise for a few moments can help to focus the mind on the present. This is done by simply sitting quietly breathing in and out, watching the breathing and thinking simply of the breathing. If the mind strays away from the breathing, observe that it has happened and just return to concentrate on the breathing
This has the effect of slowing down, relaxing and opening the mind
33Jean Johnston, ILSA Annual Conference 2011
Mindfulness Practise with Mindfulness Practise with Younger StudentsYounger Students
Ruth MacConville has some lovely suggestions for younger students:
Mind in a Jar - Fill a clean glass jar with water. Point out its clearness to the children and compare it perhaps to your mind when it is quiet a peaceful. Now put in a little bit of sand and swirl it around. Now it’s like your mind when it’s busy, full of all kinds of thoughts. Quietly watch the sand as it sinks to the bottom and your mind clears
Rain Stick – this is a tube with beads or rice inside. The children take it in turns to turn the rain stick over and listen to the beads falling. Listen to the silence when the ‘rain’ stops
(MacConville, 2008)
34Jean Johnston, ILSA Annual Conference 2011
FlowFlow Flow is a term coined by the psychologist Dr Mihaly
Csikszentmihalyi, an associate of Martin Seligman
It describes a state of optimal experience and involvement in an activity during which we are performing at our best
During flow individuals are completely involved in what they are doing; our skill level matches the challenges of the task, we feel compelled to persist at what we are doing until we get it right and we lose track of time
Flow provides an important pathway to happiness as it provides the deep satisfaction of successful engagement
(Ruth MacConville, 2008)
35Jean Johnston, ILSA Annual Conference 2011
FLOWFLOW
Csikszentmihalyi, (2002)
36Jean Johnston, ILSA Annual Conference 2011
CONDITIONS FOR ‘FLOW’CONDITIONS FOR ‘FLOW’
COMFORT ZONE
STRETCH ZONEScaffolding may be put in place to support weaker students in achieving FLOW in their work
PANIC ZONE
Tal Ben-Shahar (2007)
This area equates to Lev Vygotsky’s Zone of Proximal Development/Learning(Vygotsky, 1978)
37Jean Johnston, ILSA Annual Conference 2011
Setting GoalsSetting Goals
Csikszentmihalyi (1990) explains that having meaningful
goals and a clear sense of purpose is essential to attaining
flow
Achievement of flow may be assisted in the classroom by:
the provision of clear goals and success criteria for all tasks that are set
allowing adequate time for the students may engage with each task
38Jean Johnston, ILSA Annual Conference 2011
Well-Being and Well-Being and ‘Flourishing’‘Flourishing’
Well-Being TheoryPERMA
Positive Emotion Engagement Relationships Meaning Achievement
39Jean Johnston, ILSA Annual Conference 2011
Happiness, Flourishing and Flow in Learning and in Life
40Jean Johnston, ILSA Annual Conference 2011
References and Further References and Further ReadingReadingBooks
Csikszentmihalyi, M. Finding Flow (1997) Csikszentmihalyi, M. Flow {2nd Edition} (2002) Frederickson, B. Positivity (2009) Lyubomirsky, S. The How of Happiness (2007) MacConville , R.,Teaching Happiness (2008) Nettle, D., Happiness: The science behind your smile (2005) Seligman, M., Authentic Happiness (2003) Seligman, M., Flourish (2011) Thich Nhat Hanh, Happiness (2009)Websiteshttp://www.evenhappier.com/docs/broaden-and-build.pdfhttp://www.fredrickson.socialpsychology.orghttp://www.positivityratio.comhttp://www.bbc.co.uk/2/shared/bsp/hi/pdfs/24_01_11_happiness_challenge_finalhttp://www.actionforhappiness.org
http://www.icepe.ie (Teaching Happiness: Positive Psychology for behaviour and learning)
http://www.authentichappiness.sas.upenn.edu/questionnaires.aspx 41Jean Johnston, ILSA Annual Conference 2011