THE HISTORY & BASIC TENETS OF POSITIVE PSYCHOLOGY POSITIVE PSYCHOLOGY AGENDA 5/7/15. Bickford & Red, 2015

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1 POSITIVE PSYCHOLOGY Rebekah Bickford, Psy.D., NCSP, BCBA-D Pat Red, M.S. AGENDA History & Basic Tenets of Positive Psychology Positive Psychology in Schools Positive Emotions Engagement Positive Relationships Meaning Accomplishment Applications in Teacher Prep THE HISTORY & BASIC TENETS OF POSITIVE PSYCHOLOGY 1

2 POSITIVE PSYCHOLOGY The aim of positive psychology is to begin to catalyze a change in the focus of psychology from preoccupation with the worst things in life to also building positive qualities. (Seligman and Csikszentmihalyi, 2000) WHAT IS POSITIVE PSYCHOLOGY?... the scientific study of what goes right in life, from birth to death and all stops in between... and takes seriously those things in life that make life most worth living (Peterson, 2006, p. 4). MARTIN E. P. SELIGMAN Professor of Psychology at U. of Penn Past-President of APA Known for: Learned Helplessness Learned Optimism The Optimistic Child Positive Psychology 2

3 MIHALY CSIKSZENTMIHALYI (CHEEK Distinguished Professor of Psychology and Management at Claremont Graduate U. Founder and co-director of the Quality of Life Research Center (QLRC) Known for: Studying happiness Studying creativity Flow SENT ME HY EE) THE POSITIVE PSYCHOLOGY MOVEMENT In the past, psychology primarily focused on pathology Seligman and Csikszentmihalyi proposed PP in an effort to study wellbeing PP seeks to broaden the realm of psychological concern to include positive subjective experiences, individual traits, and institutions (Seligman & Czikszentmihalyi, 2000) SELIGMAN AND CSIKSZENTMIHALY 3

4 POSITIVE PSYCHOLOGY IN SCHOOLS The Pillars of Positive Psychology Positive Emotions Positive Individual Traits Positive Institutions Bickford & Red, 2015 POSITIVE PSYCHOLOGY THEORY 4

5 POSITIVE EDUCATION Positive Education - incorporation of the science of positive psychology into the life and work of schools Benefits teachers personally Creates relationships that distinguish excellence Produces students capable of living a good life POSITIVE EDUCATION MODEL ucation/model-for-positive-education FOUNDING PP SCHOOLS Geelong Grammar School, Corio, Victoria, Australia Strath Haven High School, Wallingford, PA 5

6 FOSTERING WELL-BEING IN SCHOOLS Things to do with students PP Exercises Mindfulness Things to do for students Praise Classroom PBIS Schoolwide PBIS Developmental Psychology; Education; Journal of Positive Psychology; David Lynch Foundation; British Journal of Psychiatry; Journal of Child and Family Studies MINDFULNESS HELPS TEACHERS Better understand own emotions Communicate more effectively with students Manage students they find difficult Set up a positive learning environment Strengthen their relationship with students Slow down when they need to Build community 6

7 USING POSITIVE PSYCHOLOGY TO ENHANCE STUDENT ACHIEVEMENT: A SCHOOLS-BASED PROGRAMME FOR CHARACTER EDUCATION!! BY TINA RAE AND RUTH MACCONVILLE UG AND GRADUATES IN GENED AND SPED CLASSROOMS PBIS in the classroom Teach a routine in a classroom matrix Teach a procedure Implement a positive notes intervention Teach a routine in a classroom matrix elem 7

8 MS Teach a procedure in a classroom or to a small group in a SpEd setting HS, SCP elem LOCKER SIGN OUT LISTENING BODY MS Sp purpose pre school 8

9 HIGH SCHOOL SCIENCE POSITIVE NOTES Intended as a class wide intervention, reduced to an individual or small group for the purposes of this application so the students can experience applying a Universal positive reward system. * Caldarella, Christensen, Young, & Densley, 2011 (Elem level) * Nelson, Young, Young & Cox 2009 (MS level) MS 9

10 elem MS intermediate 10

11 POSITIVE EMOTIONS COGNITIVE RESTRUCTURING Coping typically refers to the down-regulation of a negative emotion while emotion regulation also includes the maintenance or augmentation of a positive emotion (Eisenberg, Fabes, & Guthrie, 1997). Cognitive restructuring: efforts to actively reinterpret stressful or negative events in more neutral or positive terms ELEMENTARY RESTRUCTURING Thoughts$&$Feelings$Worksheet$ Name:$_$_$_$_$_$_$_$_$_$_$_$_$_$_$_$_$ Problem:$_$_$_$_$_$_$_$_$_$_$_$_$_$_$_$$ _$_$_$_$_$ 1.$What$are$you$ thinking?$ _$_$_$_$_$ 2.$How$does$this$ thought$make$ you$feel?$ _$_$_$_$_$ 3.$List$the$proof$ for$and$against$ this$thought.$ _$_$ _$_$ _$_$ _$_$ _$_$ _$_$ _$_$ _$_$ _$_$_$_$_$_$_$_$_$ 4.$What$is$a$different$ way$of$thinking$ about$this$problem?$ _$_$ _$_$ _$_$ _$_$ _$_$ _$_$ _$_$ _$_$ _$_$_$_$_$_$_$_$_$ 5.$How$does$the$new$ way$of$thinking$ make$you$feel?$ $ $ $ $ R.$Bickford,$Psy.D.,$2012$ 11

12 LEARNED OPTIMISM ACTIVITY Adversity Beliefs Things go awry, something unwelcome happens Automatic thoughts arise Consequences How we feel about what happened is affected by our thoughts Disputation & Decatastrophizing We can make an argument to counter our thoughts and beliefs Energization Our feelings and behaviors improve as a result of disputing and decatastrophizing our automatic thoughts and beliefs $ The$A&B&C&D&E s$rethinking$a$situation$ HS STUDENT WITH AUTISM A&$what$is$the$nature$of$the$ ADVERSITY,$the$bad$event$or$ problem?$ B&$Identify$any$negative$BELIEFS$ triggered$by$this$problem.$ C&$what$is$the$CONSEQUENCE$of$ the$problem,$how$are$you$feeling$ and$acting$as$a$result?$$ D&$DISPUTE$the$negative$belief,$ challenging$it,$thinking$of$other$ possible$reasons$for$the$problem.$ From The ABCDE Disputation Technique (or, 5 Ways to Get Rid of Negativity) Sonja Lyubomirsky in The How of Happiness E&$Consider$the$more$optimistic$ explanations$for$your$problem$to$ ENERGIZE$you.$ $ DEVELOP OPTIMISM IN CHILDREN Teach optimistic and pessimistic attribution styles Use scenarios to create opportunities for student to practice recognizing attribution style, changing style, and role-playing Encourage mindfulness of own attribution style (Molony, Hildbold, & Smith, 2014) 12

13 MINDFULNESS MEDITATION ACTIVITIES TO ENHANCE POSITIVE EMOTION Create a positivity portfolio that includes things that can elicit feelings of relaxation or well-being Use positive media, such as movies and books Be mindful of positive experiences Schedule time to savor positive feelings (Molony, Hildbold, & Smith, 2014) ENGAGEMENT 13

14 THREE-GOOD-THINGS EXERCISE Write down three good things that happened each day for a week. The three things can be small in importance ( I answered a really hard question right in language arts today ) or big ( The guy I ve liked for months asked me out!!! ). Next to each positive event, they write about one of the following: Why did this good thing happen? What does this mean to you? How can you have more of this good thing in the future? /learn/educatorresilience FLOW INCREASE FLOW IN CHILDREN Teach the concept of flow Use scales and self-monitoring to build awareness of different states (flow, boredom, relaxation, frustration, anxiety, etc.) Have children identify their flow activities, in and out of school Have students design opportunities for flow at school and teach them to appropriately advocate for their use (Molony, Hildbold, & Smith, 2014) 14

15 CORE POSITIVE PSYCHOLOGY EXERCISES A JIGSAW CLASSROOM ACTIVITY What Went Well Gratitude Letter Avoiding Sink Holes 15 Minute Bounce Back Reframe the Situation Sugar vs. Lemon The Opened Door Who s Bugging You REFLECTIONS OF UG TEACHER PREP STUDENTS Most of my journal entries of what went well had to do with the progress of my students in direct result of my praise to them. This whole experience has also led me to praise my own kids more at home which has led to better behavior. During the beginning I think I was stressed out about school, and family issues, when the score goes up to 3.05 is around when I started my wellness journal so it is evident that it s really working! REFLECTIONS OF UG TEACHER PREP STUDENTS While doing this weekly journal I found myself waking up in better moods with somewhat more energy. I think this is because right before I went to bed I focused on three things that went well that day. This mindset change to happy, positive things throughout the day helped me go to bed more relaxed and wake up more refreshed. 15

16 REFLECTIONS OF UG TEACHER PREP STUDENTS ( battling with depression and anxiety for three years now) This journal has helped and continues to help me lift my spirits up! Instead of being thankful for what I don t have, the three simple things each day make me thankful for what I do have. It even helped me sleep better at night. When I get into bed my mind constantly is turning but by keeping the journal by my bed I was able to write the positive things down and go to sleep happy. They were right when they said never go to bed angry! Going to bed happy gives me sleep! I even tried to do yoga for a week! After finishing the positive notes I took the happiness quiz again and received a score of 3.5 which is 70%. This was a 24% increase from when I first took the test in February. Being positive with the student has helped me feel optimistic about the future! (mother noticed happier in am) POSITIVE RELATIONSHIPS TRADITIONAL DISCIPLINE VS. PBS Traditional PBIS Focuses on the student s problem behavior Goal is to stop undesirable behavior Replaces undesired behavior with a new behavior or skill Alters environments Attempt to stop behavior through the use of punishment Teaches appropriate skills Rewards appropriate behavior Bickford)&)Red,)2015) 16

17 DECADES OF RESEARCH ON PRAISE RATIOS An ideal ratio of 5:1 positive to negative interactions has been demonstrated in varied areas including Marital Relationships Parent-Child Relationships Juvenile Justice Institutions Effective Workplaces Classrooms Schools (Flora, 2000) IMPROVING YOUR RATE Self-assessment and self-monitoring options: Record an hour of your teaching each day and randomly select 10 minutes to listen to and code Use golf counters, one for positive and one for negative Use tallies, prompts, MotivAider Feedback MONITORING YOUR RATE 17

18 GRATITUDE ACTIVITIES FOR ALL NASP s Gratitude Works program Gratitude visit Gratitude journal Count your blessings before sleep Say it when you see it Display gratitude messages Gratitude Post-It notes Teachers model gratitude (Molony, Hildbold, & Smith, 2014) GRATITUDE AND HAPPINESS APP $4.99 MEANING 18

19 THE MEANINGFUL LIFE Use your signature strengths and virtues in the service of something much larger than you are. ~ Martin Seligman, 2002 If a person learns to enjoy and find meaning in the ongoing stream of experience, in the process of living itself, the burden of social controls automatically falls from one's shoulders. " Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi, 1990 THE MEANINGFUL LIFE Five components for a meaningful life: 1. Purpose: Present events draw meaning from their connection to future outcomes objective goals and subjective fulfilment." 2. Values, which can justify certain courses of action." 3. Efficacy, the belief that one can make a difference." 4. Self-worth and reasons for believing that one is a good and worthy person apparently are what results from emersion in our natural talents or what we excel at. -Baumeister & Vohs, 2005 USING CHARACTER STRENGTHS Identify signature strengths (authentichappiness.com) Look for opportunities to use strengths (writing assignments, art, performances, projects, service learning, etc.) Notice how it feels to use strengths Improve school climates by noticing and appreciating others strengths Use strengths to facilitate transitions (enhance confidence, share student s strengths with new staff) Display strengths in school (Molony, Hildbold, & Smith, 2014) 19

20 ACCOMPLISHMENT GRIT: THE WORK OF ANGELA DUCKWORTH CREATING GRITTY KIDS Dr. Duckworth has offered the most viable approach to creating gritty kids It s an approach that did not grow directly out of her work, but comes from the research of a colleague One thing we've found is that children who have more of a growth mind-set tend to be grittier. The correlation isn't perfect, but this suggests to me that one of the things that makes you gritty is having a growth mind-set. The attitude I can get better if I try harder should help make you a tenacious, determined, hardworking person. Angela Duckworth,

21 DR. CAROL DWECK: MINDSET MINDSET In a fixed mindset, people believe that their talents, abilities, intelligence and personality are all fixed traits. People with a fixed mindset tend to attempt to prove the existence of their good attributes, rather than actively develop them. They may have great talents, but also believe that talent alone can lead to success. In a growth mindset, people believe that they can develop and foster their basic abilities including intelligence, talent, and personality through hard work and dedication (i.e., grit). A growth mindset leads to resilience in the face of failure, and a love of learning. 21

22 VALUES IN ACTION Honesty. Loyalty. Perseverance. Creativity. Kindness. Wisdom. Courage. Fairness. These and sixteen other character strengths are valued in every culture in the world. We believe that you can get more satisfaction out of life if you identify which of these character strengths you have in abundance and then use them as much as possible in school, in hobbies, and with friends and family. Students take the Values in Action Signature Strengths test (go to Test Center) and use their highest strength in a new way at school in the next week. Several sessions in the curriculum focus on identifying character strengths in themselves, their friends, and the literary figures they read about, and using those strengths to overcome challenges. ENHANCE HOPE & GOAL SETTING Share developmentally appropriate stories about hope helping people through difficult times Teach goal setting, starting with short-term and working toward long-term Focus on goals that are intrinsically motivating Use progress monitoring and celebrate success (Molony, Hildbold, & Smith, 2014) RECOMMENDED WEBSITES Authentic Happiness: Geelong Grammar School: Mindful Schools: Positive Psychology Center: VIA Institute on Character: 22

23 REFERENCES Akin-Little, K. A., & Little, S. G. (2004). Re-Examining the Over Justification Effect. Journal of Behavioral Education, 13(3), Baumeister, R. & Vohs, K. (2005). Meaningfulness in life. In C. R. Snyder & S. Lopez, Handbook of positive psychology, pp ). Oxford UK: Oxford University Press. Beaman, R., & Wheldall, K. (2000). Teachers' use of approval and disapproval in the classroom. Educational Psychology, 20(4), Chalk, K., & Bizo, L. A. (2004). Specific Praise Improves On-task Behaviour and Numeracy Enjoyment: A study of year four pupils engaged in the numeracy hour. Educational Psychology in Practice, 20(4), Cook, B. G., Landrum, T. J., Tankersley, M., & Kauffman, J. M. (2003). Bringing Research to Bear on Practice: Effecting Evidence-Based Instruction for Students with Emotional or Behavioral Disorders. Education & Treatment of Children, 26(4), REFERENCES Diener, E., & Lucas, R. E. (1999). Personality and subjective wellbeing. In D. Dobbs, J., & Arnold, D. H. (2009). Relationship between preschool teachers' reports of children's behavior and their behavior toward those children. School Psychology Quarterly, 24(2), Duckworth, A. L., Kirby, T., Tsukayama, E., Berstein, H., Ericsson, K. (2010). Deliberate practice spells success: Why grittier competitors triumph at the National Spelling Bee. Social Psychological and Personality Science, 2, REFERENCES Duckworth, A. L., Peterson, C., Matthews, M. D., & Kelly, D. R. (2007). Grit: Perseverance and passion for long-term goals. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 92(6), Duckworth, A. L. & Seligman, M. E. P. (2005). Self-discipline outdoes IQ predicting academic performance in adolescents. Psychological Science, 16, Flora, S. R. (2000). Praise's magic reinforcement ratio: Five to one gets the job done. The Behavior Analyst Today, 1(4), Frankl, V. E. (1984). Man's Search for Meaning. New York: Washington Square Press. 23

24 REFERENCES Fredrickson, B. L., & Losada, M. F. (2005). Positive Affect and the Complex Dynamics of Human Flourishing. American Psychologist, 60(7), Hart, B., & Risley, T. R. (1995). Meaningful differences in the everyday experience of young American children. Baltimore: Brookes. Gottman, J. M., Coan, J., Carrere, S., & Swanson, C. (1998). Predicting marital happiness and stability from newlywed interactions. Journal of Marriage & the Family, 60(1), Kamins, M. L., & Dweck, C. S. (1999). Person versus process praise and criticism: Implications for contingent self-worth and coping. Developmental Psychology, 35(3), REFERENCES Kahneman & N. Schwarz (Eds.), Well-being: The foundations of hedonic psychology. (pp ). New York, NY US: Russell Sage Foundation. Mueller, C. M., & Dweck, C. S. (1998). Praise for intelligence can undermine children's motivation and performance. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 75(1), Sawka-Miller, K. D., & Miller, D., N. (2007). The third pillar: Linking positive psychology and school-wide positive behavior support. School Psychology Forum: Research in Practice, 2(1),