Study of optimal human functioning

Positive Strengths

Subjective Experience

Positive Psychology Examines

Personal Growth

Ivan Staroversky - www.StarOverSky.com

Appreciation of Beauty and Excellence

Creativity

Gratitude

Curiosity

Hope
Humor

Judgment
Transendence

Love of Learning

Spirituality
Wisdom & Knowledge

Forgiveness

Perspective
Bravery

Humility

Perseverance

Prudence

Honesty

Self-Regulation

Zest
Temperance

Courage
VIA Key Character Strengths

Teamwork

Love

Fairness

Kindness

Leadership

Social Intelligence
Humanity and Love

Justice

Ivan Staroversky - www.StarOverSky.com

Originality
Ingenuity

Creativity

Artistic achievement
Open mindedness
Interest

Wonder
Beauty
Excellence

Noticing and appreciating

Novelty-seeking

Curiosity

Appreciation of Beauty and Excellence

Openness to experience
Exploring and discovering

Skilled performance in various domains of life

Critical thinking

Being aware of
Thankful for the good things that happen

Gratitude

Thinking things through

Wisdom & Knowledge

Taking time to express thanks

Judgment

Examining things from all sides

Optimism
Future-mindedness

Working to achieve it

Being able to change one's mind in light of evidence

Future

, future orientation]

Weighing all evidence fairly

Hope
Love of Learning

Expecting the best in the future

Mastering new skills and topics

Wisdom

Playfulness

Transendence

Perspective

Bringing smiles to other people

Humor

Acting on convictions even if unpopular

Faith

Includes physical bravery but is not limited to it

Purpose

Persistence
Spirituality

Coherent beliefs about

Perseverance

Course of action in spite of obstacles

Authenticity

Forgiving those who have done wrong

Forgiveness

Honesty

VIA Key Character Strengths

Giving people a second chance

Letting one's accomplishments speak for themselves
Being careful about one's choices

Presenting oneself in a genuine way

Acting in a sincere way

Courage

Humility
Prudence

Vitality

Being disciplined

Self-Regulation

Zest

Temperance

Living life as an adventure

Feeling alive and activated

Valuing close relations with others

Teamwork

Love

Doing one's share

Sharing and caring are reciprocated

Being close to people
Generosity

Treating all people the same

Nurturance

Fairness
Kindness

Avoid bias

Care
Compassion

Justice

Encouraging
Maintaining good relations within the group

Energy

Not doing things halfway or halfheartedly

Social responsibility

Giving everyone a fair chance

Enthusiasm

Approaching life with excitement and energy

Controlling one's appetites and emotions

Loyalty

Being without pretense

Taking responsibility for one's feelings and actions

Self-control
Regulating what one feels and does

Integrity

Speaking the truth

Accepting the shortcomings of others

Seeing that they happen

Finishing what one starts

Taking pleasure in completing tasks

Knowing where one fits within the larger scheme

Justice

Self

Speaking up for what is right even if there is opposition

Bravery

Making (not necessarily telling) jokes

Fairness

World

Valor

Seeing the light side

Meaning of the universe

Cise counsel to others

Understand

Liking to laugh and tease

The higher purpose

Not jumping to conclusions

Altruistic love
Leadership

Emotional intelligence

Humanity and Love

Organizing group activities

Doing favors and good deeds for others

Personal intelligence
Social Intelligence

Being aware of the motives and feelings of

Ivan Staroversky - www.StarOverSky.com

Knowing what

Other people
Oneself

To do to fit into different social situations

Makes other people tick

One's Belief
Ability to accomplish a task by own efforts
Low
Desire to Act Morally
Do Good
Immediate Experience

Now

Self-efficacy

Maintain Healthy Lifestyle

High

Stress

Aids Stress Management

Decrease Pain
Absorption in own work

Mindfulness

Intense Concentration
Positive Psychology Terms

Reduction of

Improve Immune System

Present Moment

Simply Observe Experience

Depression

Overcome Eating Disorder

Intentionally-Focused Awareness
Here

Anxiety

Elevation

Associated with Depression

Loss of Self-Awareness

Benefits
Flow

Chronic Pain

Perfect Challenge
Time is Flying
Achieve a Goal

Ivan Staroversky - www.StarOverSky.com

Helps

Win a Game
Improve Skills

A philosophical approach

Asks what is going right

rather than what is going wrong.

Replication

A scientific endeavor

Uses the virtues of science

Controlled experiments
Generalizeable samples

To add confidence to new insights about human nature

Positive Psychology at a Glance
- Robert Biswas-Diener

Principally concerned with interventions

Move clients from healthy to healthier

Rather than

Simply alleviating pain or overcoming disorder

Built on staple research

Happiness
Trends heavily toward

Optimism
Strengths over other potentially positive topics

Ivan Staroversky - www.StarOverSky.com

Empathy
Altruism

Experiencing physical problems and mistakes

Inability to maintain appropriate attentional focus
Negative mental attitude

Flow state blockers

Example of Intrinsic Motivation

Seemingly effortless

Lack of audience response

Intrinsically joyful

Development of a positive mental attitude

Positive precompetitive affect
During contest

Perception of being prepared

Coach

Flow cannot occur

Matched
Hight
Apathy results

Flow state facilitators

Every action, movement, and thought

follows inevitably from the previous one

Like playing jazz

Physical readiness

Teammates

Skill of the performer

Your whole being is involved

You're using your skills to the utmost

Positive competitive affect

Maintaining appropriate attentional focus

Challenge of the task

Inner movement

Interesting itself
When you engage in activity

Unity with

For its own sake

No external purpose

Balance must be struck between

Something that is to be

If the task is too easy or too difficult

The Flow Experience - Csikszentmihalyi

State of consciousness

Skill level and challenge level must be

Enjoyed
Appreciated
Total absorption in a task
Optimal level of functioning
Self-contained activity

If skill and challenge are low and matched

Requirements

Mindfulness

Autotelic Experience

Meditation
Yoga
Alexander Technique
Martial arts

Done

Not with the expectation of some future benefit

Simply because the doing itself is the reward

The ego falls away

Focused attention

End in itself
Cox, R. H. (2007). Sport psychology: concepts
and applications (6th ed.). Boston: McGraw-Hill.

Geirland, John (1996). Go With The Flow.

Wired magazine, September, Issue 4.09.

Ivan Staroversky - www.StarOverSky.com

Time flies

Past
Strengths

Contentment

Virtues
Love
Work

Satisfaction
Positive Emotions

Capacity for
Courage

Knowledge
Control

Present Happiness
Future Hope
Foster Better Communities

Compassion

Justice

Resilience

Responsibility

Creativity

Civility

Integrity

Happiness

Positive Individual Traits

Parenting

Positive Psychology Focus

Nurturance

SelfPositive Institutions
Moderation

Work Ethic
Teamwork

Wisdom

Purpose
Ivan Staroversky - www.StarOverSky.com

Tolerance

Life of Enjoyment
Life of Affiliation

How People

Well-Being
Belonging
Meaning

Positive Feelings & Emotions

Experience
Forecast

How - Positive Sense of...?

Relationships

Purpose
Pleasant Life

Larger

Hobbies

Part of Normal Healthy Living

Interests

Meaningful

Entertainment

Nature
Social Groups
Organizations

Life of Engagement
Contribute Back To Something

Meaningful Life

Positive Psychology Broad theories

Optimally Engaged

Primary Activities
Immersion

Movements

Beneficial Affects of

Traditions

Absorption
Flow

Beliefs Systems

Good Life

Ivan Staroversky - www.StarOverSky.com

Positive Match

Strength + Task
Yes I Can

Life satisfaction
Criteria for happiness

People return to their weight

Psychology about self remains the same
Decreases happiness

Dieting business - Scam

Fallbackonwhattheyknow

Fearorunderstress

Goesoutintotheworld&learns

Secure
Negative Filter

Questions to ask yourself ?

School

Daily Long commute for $

What we want (aspiration)/what we have(attainment)

Babies

9th graders read tragedy books

Happiness

Learning experience
Crisis creates focus illusion
Want

Enjoy doing

Positive feelings

3Blessings

Find what you

Relationship
Play & flow
In 2 words or less

Discuss negative
Negative conditioning
What 3 things went well today?
Train your brain to focus on positive

Reframe your problems through you strength

Active

Technique

Constructive
Provide feedback to people

Acknowledge their achievement

Ask positive questions
Elicit positive feelings

Ivan Staroversky - www.StarOverSky.com

What do you want for you kids to learn in life ?

What do schools teach ?

At the end of the day before bed

Find your biggest strength in life

Positive Psychology

Money & convenience

Sadder
Pessimists

More realistic
See reality accurately
Distort reality

Self-serving direction

Overestimate their control

Optimists
Pessimism vs Optimism

Have no control at all

Wildly overestimate their abilities

80% of American men
Depressed people

Think they are above average in social skills

More accurately judge

More optimistic
We are
More pessimistic

Ivan Staroversky - www.StarOverSky.com

Particularly when

Helpless

How much control they have

Late morning
Early evening
Late afternoon
Middle of the night

Competition anxiety is inevitable

You can cope with it
Good
Bad

Others' performances

Know

Personal life distractions

Effort
Physical
Emotional
Training
Competition

Acceptance

Ability to achieve competitive goals

Self-Belief

Not being adversely affected by

Pressure of competition

Technique

Unshakable

Possess Unique

Thriving on

Remaining fully-focused

Abilities
Makes you better than your opponents

Mental Toughness In Sports

Rebound

Maintain
Success
Pain

Qualities

Pushing Back Boundaries

Bouncing back from performance setbacks

Result of increased determination to succeed
Internalized motives
Insatiable desire

Psychological Control
Under distress

Sport Focus

Cox, R. H. (2007). Sport psychology: concepts

and applications (6th ed.). Boston: McGraw-Hill.

Ivan Staroversky - www.StarOverSky.com

Regain after events

Switch on/off as required

Unexpected
Uncontrollable

Mastery
Mastery vs Pleasure

Pleasure

Sense of accomplishment
Feelings of

Enjoyment
Satisfaction

While performing a task

Spiegler, M. D., & Guevremont, D. C. (2010). Contemporary behavior

therapy (5th ed.). Belmont, CA: Wadsworth, Cengage Learning.

Ivan Staroversky - www.StarOverSky.com

Not perfection

Out of control
Obsessive
Types of Passion Robert Vallerand

Shields from
Takes mental energy

Hormones

Ivan Staroversky - www.StarOverSky.com

In control
Increases well-being

Secondary

Goals
Activities

Constantly Challenge Negative

Self Talk

Rationalize
Explain
Goal-Directed Thinking

Hope

Find routes to desired goals

Motivations to use routes

Learned Optimism
Vertical Agitation

Ivan Staroversky - www.StarOverSky.com

Focus on

One portion of the problem at a time

Accountable for Solving the Problem

We are finite
1. we have the capacity for self-awareness
Gives significance to life

Awareness of death as a basic condition

We are finite

We have a limited amount of time to do things

There will be anxiety

Death means that

Neurotic
Anxiety that is out of proportion to the situation

6. Awareness of death and nonbeing

We are free to choose

2. Freedom and Responsibility

Types of anxiety

Existential guilt = occurs when we

Humanistic Psychology Six

Existential Propositions

A person has to reinterpret the experience

to make it congruent with their self-concept

Choose not to choose

Let others define or make choices for us

Existentialist therapists

We cannot depend on anyone else for our own confirmation

define from within

5. Anxiety as a condition for living

3. Striving for Identity and Relationship to Others

We alone must give a sense of meaning to life

We alone must decide how we live
When we are able to stand alone and dip within ourselves
for our own strength

When we receive information which is

inconsistent with our self-concept
The more inaccurate yourself concept

We act in what Sartre calls "bad faith"

Part of the human condition is aloneness

"Whenever you leave the sure basis of the now and become
preoccupied with the future, you experience anxiety (Perls)

The more likely you will have clashes with other people

If we don't accept responsibility for our actions

Neurotic anxiety

Death can't be faced without anxiety

We experience anxiety

But we have the opportunity to relate to others

We must accept responsibility for our actions

Do not strive to eliminate normal anxiety

Life can not be lived

We can choose, and thus we can shape our destiny

We are basically alone

When we make a decision or change

Normal

We can act, or not act

Our relationships with others are based

on fulfillment, not our deprivation

Concerns the struggle for significance and purpose in life

Anxiety as a condition of living (Carl Rogers)

Therapists would encourage clients to help create a value

system that is based on their way of being

To ward off anxiety

4. The Search for meaning

Sometimes people experience meaninglessness

We create meaning working, loving, and building
Life is not meaningful in and of itself

Ivan Staroversky - www.StarOverSky.com

Rather an individual creates and discovers meaning

Tend to be independent
Applied his creative genius to rethink
fundamental assumptions of time and space
Showed concern for all humankind and
worked to help improve human lives

Albert Einstein

Qualities

Have complex personalties

William James

Defied the religious orthodoxy of his time

to propound ideas considered heretical

Baruch Spinoza

Fought for a moral idea of

freedom, at great personal cost

Efficient perception of reality

Acceptance of self and others
Historical Figures

Spontaneous and natural

Abraham Lincoln

Was an architect and philosopher of a new form of

government built on democratic principles

Focus on problems outside themselves

Thomas Jefferson
Self-Actualized People

Became what many considered to be the

greatest cellist of the twentieth century

Love freedom
Have a high need for privacy

Eleanor Roosevelt

As a founder of psychology, he
brought a creative new perspective

Showed great creativity and achievement

in the face of hardship and discrimination

Resist social pressures

Characteristics

Pablo Casals

Need for privacy/sense of detachment

Fresh appreciation and Peak experiences
Social Interest and Profound relations
Democratic

George Washington Carver

Creative
Friedman, H. S., & Schustack, M. W. (2012). Personality: classic theories
and modern research (5th ed.). Boston: Pearson Allyn & Bacon.

Ivan Staroversky - www.StarOverSky.com

Resistant to enculturation

Intuition

Self-actualization

Emotions

Transcendence

Meaning
Healthy relationships

Values
Human Potential Humanistic Psychology

Mortality

Spirituality
Intentionality

The self

Creativity

Holism

Responsibility

Ivan Staroversky - www.StarOverSky.com

Insight
Authenticity
Congruence

Caring for the client

Core Conditions Of Counseling
- Humanistic Psychology

Self-discovery

Unconditional positive regard

Empathy
Phenomenological assessment strategies

Ivan Staroversky - www.StarOverSky.com

Fritz Perls

Charlotte Buhler

Carl Rogers

Abraham Maslow

Victor Frankl
Karen Horney

Humanistic Psychologists

Gordon Allport

Alfred Adler
Carl Jung
Rollo May

Albert Ellis

Virginia Satir

Ivan Staroversky - www.StarOverSky.com

Having
Hope

Goals
Follows

Motivation to work toward goals

Ways to achieve those goals
Have obstacles
Knowing

Ivan Staroversky - www.StarOverSky.com

You have more pathways to a goal

Than blocking obstacles

Pleasure
Flow

States of
Virtues
Talents

Social system
Institutions

Promoted by

Analyze

Make normal life more fulfilling

Goals of Positive Psychology

Ways

Importance of using the scientific method

How things go right

Find and nurture genius and talent

Determine

Not
Intention

Emphasize

Peterson, C. (2006). A primer in positive

psychology. Oxford: Oxford University Press.

Ivan Staroversky - www.StarOverSky.com

Simply to treat mental illness

Compliment
Not replace

Traditional psychology

Capacity for self-awareness

Freedom

Tension between

Responsibility

Creating ones identity

Establishing meaningful relationships

Meaning

Existential Therapy - Six

Existential Propositions
Search for

Purpose
Values
Goals

Accepting anxiety as a condition of living

Awareness of death and nonbeing

Ivan Staroversky - www.StarOverSky.com

Clarifying our life direction and core values

Taking full responsibility of our own life
Assuming responsibility for our decisions and actions
Holding ourselves accountable

Purpose
Responsibility

Being a moral agent

But a positive outcome is not inevitable

Sometimes, the personal costs of being responsible can be too high

Deliberating your daily plans

Pursuing one's calling and mission in life with passion and commitment
Full awareness of the situation and the consequences of one`s actions

DrPaul TPWong PURE Meaning in Life

The natural outcome of leading a purposeful and responsible life

Organizing our activities

Enjoyment/Evaluation

Knowing right from wrong

Understanding

This stage involves reflection and sometimes re-evaluation of PURE

Understanding the legal/ethical principles in decision making

Self-knowledge of our strengths and weaknesses
Understanding/knowing the world we live in
Achieving a sense of coherence

Ivan Staroversky - www.StarOverSky.com

Philosophy
Meaning makes life worth living
Love yourself for your inner qualities
Need wisdom and courage to live well
Do what is right no matter what

Resilience
Self-esteem
Wisdom

Meaning
9 Pathways to Flourishing
- Dr Paul TP Wong

Virtue
Spirituality

Responsibility

Freedom

Ivan Staroversky - www.StarOverSky.com

Make sense of life

Provides the royal road to the good life
The good life based on inner goodness
Survival
Flourishing
Free to choose a meaningful life

Challenges

Specific

Find the motivational support to overcome life's

Obstacles

Establish goals

Confidence
Self-efficacy
Optimism

Attaining valued goals

Reflect back on their lifelong progress in

"I will get this done"
"Keep going!"

Long-term

Tap into their motivational resources of

Set mastery (learning) goals

See more meaning in their lives

External Goals
Other-set goals
Not extrinsic motivation

External obstacles

Characteristics of People with High-Hope

Pursue other avenues when stumped

Achievement goals

Not on

Engage goals with intrinsic motivation

Less easily distracted by

Generate

Performance

Not

Rely on internal self-set goals

Have reservoirs of internally generated determination

Multiple pathways

Do not stick stubbornly with one approach

Vague

Not

Mastery motivational orientation.

Constructing values

Short-term

Task-irrelevant (distracting) thoughts

Negative feelings

Cox, R. H. (2007). Sport psychology: concepts

and applications (6th ed.). Boston: McGraw-Hill.

Ivan Staroversky - www.StarOverSky.com

Image by Costalonga

Better secure jobs

Better keeping jobs
Less turnover
Less burnout
Characteristics Of Happy
People - Shawn Achor

More resilient
Superior productivity
Greater sales

Ivan Staroversky - www.StarOverSky.com

1. Clear Goals

Autotelic
End In Itself

2. Immediate Feedback

9. Activity

Done for its Own Sake

3. Balance
8. Time Distortion

Disappears

7. Self-Consciousness
6. No Worry of Failure

Every step of the way

4. Merged
9 Elements of Flow -Czikszentmihalyi
5. No Distractions

Ivan Staroversky - www.StarOverSky.com

Challenges
Skills
Action
Awareness