Applied Positive Psychology Therapy (APPT) 703-4

Transcription

1 Tel Aviv University The Bob Shapell School of Social Work MA in Coping with Stress, Crisis and Trauma Applied Positive Psychology Therapy (APPT) Semester I, Wednesday, 12:15-13:45 Instructor: Prof. Tammie Ronen address: Office: Room 206 Office hours: Monday, 10:00-12:00 (by appointment) Telephone : Course Overview and Objectives For decades, therapists focused almost exclusively on mental illness, adopting a disease-based model of client functioning that almost completely overlooked individual strengths, virtues, and areas of well-being, focusing instead upon pathology, weaknesses, and deficits. During the last decade, a major shift occurred from focusing on pathological characteristics to focusing on individual differences and diversity in coping with such disordered responses. This shift reflects the human wish to lead more productive and fulfilling lives, and to identify and nurture talents. Positive psychology is the subjective level that values subjective experiences and studies the field of subjective well being, contentment, and satisfaction, hope and optimism, flow and happiness. It is the scientific study of ordinary human strengths and virtues.

2 Research points to the role of self control skills as well as social relationship as major sources of happiness and well beings for most human beings. The course will focus on the main theory in the area of positive psychology, flow, happiness and subjective well being. After a short description of the basic theoretical model, the course will focus on how these theoretical principles can be successfully translated into specific intervention techniques, to empower people, increase happiness and flow. Three major assumptions will be emphasized as guiding the application of positive psychology principles in developing programs for helping people change: 1. The long range goals of most human beings are to feel good and to be satisfied. 2. Failures to materialize these goals are the result of lack of skills or knowledge 3. The goal of therapy is not to "cure" clients from their pathologies, but to train them in skills that would enable them to achieve psychological well being. The course will focus on techniques for increasing happiness in general, and a unique intervention based on positive psychology principles to decrease aggression among children and adolescents. References Ben Shahar, T. (2007). Happier New York: Mc Graw Hill. Biswas-Diener, R., & Dean, B. (2007). Positive psychology coaching: Putting the science of happiness to work for your clients.. Hoboken, NJ: John Wiley & Sons. Carr, A. (2004). Positive Psychology: The science of happiness and human strength, Hove and New York: Brunner-Routledge. Csikszentmihalyi, M. (1966). Creativity: Flow and the psychology of discovery and invention. New York: Harper Collins.

3 Csikszentmihalyi, M. (2000). Creativity: An overview. In A. Kazdin (Ed.). Encyclopedia of psychology. Washington D.C. & New York: Amercian Psychological Association and Oxfor University Press. Csikszentmihalyi, M. (2002). (2 ed). Flow: The classic work on how to achieve happiness. London: Rider Dalai, Lama & Cutler, H.C. (1998).The art of happinesslondon: Hodder & Stoughton. Diener, E. (1984). Subjective well-being. Psychological Bulletin, 95, Diener, E., Suh, M., Lucas, E., & Smith, H. (1999). Subjective well-being: Three decades of progress. Psychological Bulletin, 125(2), Frederickson, B. (1998). What good are positive emotions? Review of General Psychology, 2, Fredrickson, B.L. (2009). Positivity, New York: Crown Publishers. Fredrickson BL, & Losada MF (2005). Positive affect and the complex dynamics of human flourishing. Amrican Psycholgy. 2005;60: Gable, S.L., & Haidt, J. (2005). What (and why) is positive psychology? Review of General Psychology, 9, Gilbert, D. (2005). Stumbling happiness. New York: Vintage books. Isen A.M., Daubman K.A. & Nowicki G.P. (1987). "Positive affect facilitates creative problem solving," Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, vol. 52 (1987), pp Joseph, S., & Linley, P.A. (2006). Positive therapy. London: Routledge. Keyes, C. L. M. (2002). The mental health continuum: From languishing to flourishing in life. Journal of Health and Social Behavior, 43,

4 Keyes, C. L. (2006). Subjective well-being in mental health and human development research worldwide: An introduction. Social Indicators Research, 77, Keyes, C.L. & Haidt J, (2002). (Eds). Flourishing: Positive Psychology and the Life Well-Lived. Washington, DC: American Psychological Association. Keyes, C. L., & Ryff, C. D. (2000). Subjective change and mental health: A selfconcept theory. Social Psychology Quarterly, 63, Keyes, C. L., Wissing, M., Potgieter, J. P., Temane, M., Kruger, A., & van Rooy, S. (2008). Evaluation of the mental health continuum short form (MHC SF) in Setswana-speaking South Africans. Clinical Psychology and Psychotherapy, 15, Layard, P. (2005). Happiness, London: Penguin. Linley PA, Joseph S. (2004). Positive Psychology in Practice. Hoboken, NJ: John Wiley and Sons, Inc; Lopez, S. J (2008), Positive psychology: Exploring the best in people, Volumes 1 4. Westport, CT: Praeger Publishers; Lopez, S.J. & Snyder, C.R. (Eds.)(2003). Positive psychological assessment: A handbook of models and measures. Washington, D.C.: American Psychological Association. Lyubomirsky, S. (2007). The how of happiness, London: Sphere. Magaletta,P.R., Oliver, J.M. (1999). The hope construct, will, and ways: Their relations with self-efficacy, optimism, and general well-being. Journal of Clinical Psychology, 55, Magyar-Moe, J.L. (2009). Therapist' s guide to positive psychological interventions New York: Elsevier Academic Press. Niven, D. (2000). Happy people: What scientists have learned and how you can use it. New York: HarperCollins.

5 Ronen, T. (1996). Constructivist therapy with traumatized children. Journal of Constructivist Psychology, 9, Ronen, T. (2003). Cognitive constructivist psychotherapy with children and adolescents. New York: Kluwer/Plenum. Ronen, T., & Ayelet (2001). In and out of anorexia: The story of the client, the therapist and the process of recovery. London: Juessica Kingsley. Ryff, C.D. (1989). Happiness is everything, or is it?explorations on the meaning of psychological well being. Journal of Personality and Socuial Psychology, 57,(6) Ryff, C.D. & Keyes, C.L.M. (1995). The structure of psychological well being revisited Personality & Social Psychology, 69, (4) Seligman, M.E.P. (1999). The president's address. American psychologist, 54, Seligman, M. E. P. (2002). Authentic happiness. New York: Free Press. Seligman, M.E.P., & Csikszentmihalyi, M. (2000). Positive psychology: An introduction. American Psychologist, 55, Seligman M.E.P, Rashid T, & Parks A.C. (2006). Positive psychotherapy. American Psychology, 61: Seligman, M. E. P., Steen, T. A., Park, N., & Peterson, C. (2005). Positive psychology progress: Empirical validation of interventions. American Psychologist, 60, Shmotkin, D., & Lomranz, J. (1998). Subjective well- being among holocaust survivors: An examination of overlooked differentiations. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 75,

6 Duckworth AL, Steen TA, Seligman MEP (2005). Positive psychology in clinical practice. Annual Review of Clinical Psychology.;1: Assignment: Participate in all lectures Reading the suggested articles Handing final assignment Final Assignment: Pick one of the concept being studied in the course such as optimism, happiness, flourishing, positive thinking, positive thinking, coping, self-control, etc. 1. Describe the concept: What it means, definition, the way it is being described in the literature, its importance 2. Based on research articles what do you know about the link between the concept and human mental health 3. Propose techniques for increasing the frequency of this concept among human being. 4. What do you think of the importance of this concept for functioning, are their dangerous and limitations The assignment should be 4-6 pp, double space Use at least 4 items from the literature