哈佛公开课《Positive Psychology 1504》学习笔记 － Why Positive Psychology

1   Introduction: Why Positive Psychology

1.1   Why Positive Psychology

1.     The importance of focusing onwhat works

If we focus onwhat is working, we'll have more working in our world, more working inourselves, more working in our relationships.

2.      Happiness is not the negation ofunhappiness

Being happy is not justthe negation of happiness. It doesn't mean just get rid of depression oranxiety that I am experiencing, I spontaneously become happy.

3.     Prevention through cultivatingcapacity

Prevention which isvery important today, the most effective way of preventing hardship, -- whetherit's depression, whether it's anxiety, -- is actually by focusing on andcultivating the positive

1.2  The importance of focusing on what works

1.2.1   Resilience

1.2.1.1  NOTES

4.     Optimistic

They wereoptimistic in the sense of thinking, "well, it may not work well thistime. It will work out later. I have learned from what had just happened."

5.      Faith and sense of meaning in life

It was doingsomething that they really believed in.

6.     Pro-socialbehaviour

And we enter anupward spiral between self-help and other-help. Because when we help others, weare helping ourselves. When we help ourselves, we help others.

7.     Focus on strengths

What am I good at? Whatam I really, really good at?

8.     Set goals

They werefuture-oriented, not just thinking about how bad things are today perhaps, butalso thinking about "this is where I wanna be 5 years or 10 years fromnow."

9.     A Role model

I want to be like her; I want to be like him.

10.  Social support

They had socialsupport. They did not say : "well I am tough enough to do it bymyself." Rather they said: "I'm tough enough to reach out forhelp."

The strength toadmit weaknesses as well, the strength to admit a need.

Now theimportant thing about social support is identifying the right people. Peoplewho, when you reach out to them, will reach back to you and will be able togive back.

1.2.1.2   Thinking

乐观、自信、目标、信仰等品格，其实我们一直都知道，只是每个人不一定可以拥有和做到，当我们意识到这些是很重要并且可以学习和培养的时候，我们是否会去学习让这些品格成为自己的一部分。

1.2.2    Asking positive questions

1.2.2.1      NOTES

11.  What makes someindividuals succeed despite unfavorable circumstances?

12.  Questions createreality. They create possibilities. A question begins a quest. Questions make a difference.

13.  It's important to study illness, mentalillness, physical illness, but it's equally important to study the healthypeople, the healthy individuals to see how they make it.

14.  And if the only question that we askourselves are the only questions that are "what are my weaknesses? Deficiencies?",then the only thing we'll see in ourselves are weaknesses and deficiencies. Andas far as we are concerned, the good things-- our strengths, our passions, ourvirtues-- the wonderful things within us do not exist.

15. Questionscreate reality.

The questions weask very often determine the quest that we will pursue, the path that we willtake, the life that we will lead, whether it's individually, whether it'sinterpersonally, whether it's organizationally.

1.2.2.2   THINKING

当我们问问题的时候，除了问出现问题的原因是什么、如何去改进这些问题外，还需要多问正面的问题，比如我们擅长的是什么、我们的有点是什么，如何可以充分利用我们的长处。

因为如果我们只问负面的问题，我们的注意力更多地关注在这些问题上，很容易会忽略掉我们的长处和激情上，某种程度上会让人感觉问题越来越严重越来越不自信。但是如何我们问what works，我们追求这些美好的品格和行为，我们的注意力自然就转移到怎样做可以让自己让事情更美好上。

1.2.3  It is important to appreciatewhat is good

1.2.3.1   NOTES

16.  When we appreciate the good, the goodappreciates-- the good grows.

Unfortunately,the other side of the same coin applies as well. When we don't appreciate thegood, when we take it for granted, the good depreciates.

17.  Our experience of the world is heavilyinfluenced by where we place our attention.

18. Whenwe identify what that student is smart at, strong at, virtuous at, good at,then we appreciate it. And when we appreciate it, it and the whole personappreciates.

19.  What would happen to a seed-- seed is potential-- flower, tree--what would happen to a seed, if it is not watered, if no light is shed on it?It will wither and die.

The exact samething with human potential. If we don't water it, if we don't shed a light onit, it will wither and die.

The same withinterpersonal relationship potential. If we don't-- we'll talk a lot aboutrelationships: how to cultivate healthy long-term relationships-- if you don'twater it, if you don't shed light, if you don't appreciate the good, the goodwill depreciate.

1.2.3.2  THINKING

欣赏和肯定对一个人来说是非常重要的，这种欣赏，包括对他人的欣赏、也包括对自己的肯定。让优点和潜能得到最大限度的发挥。

1.2.4   Active Agent

1.2.4.1  NOTES

20.  First of all, by definition, I take action. I take responsibility. Igo on to places after experiencing the pain-- it's painful, butonce I experience it, I take action.

21.  I'll take action and action will increaseour level of confidence And then more hope and optimism is a result.

22. Understandingthat you have to take responsibility for your life is recognizing understandingthat no one is coming.

 No one is coming to make your life better foryou. You are responsible for your life, for your self-confidence, for yourself-esteem, for your happiness. No one is coming.

1.2.4.2 THINKING

当有事情发生的时候，我们的态度应该是积极主动地面对，而不是被动地抱怨。自己承担起该承担的责任，用行动去让自己从不愉快中走出来，不要将自己淹没在痛苦中。

对自己负责，如果自己没有行动，任何人也帮不了你。你的人生想要过成怎样，你是否足够乐观、足够自信，是否快乐，这些都取决于自己的态度和行动。不要指望某一天，某人出现，从此自己就过上幸福的生活了。

1.2.5    Reframing Questions

Traditional way:

How can we keep students in school?

Positive way:

“How can wecultivate the seed of greatness in our students?”

“How can we cultivate the seed ofgreatness in our selves and families, in our communities and organization, inour nation and our world?”

Traditional way:

 "what is not working? What is theproblem? Why are so many kids failing as a result of their circumstances?"“Why do so many individuals fail?"

Positive way:

But started to ask"what do some individuals do and succeed? Why do some individuals succeeddespite the unfavorable circumstances?

What is sourceof health? What is the source of success? What is the source of wellbeing?

1.3   Happiness is not the negation of unhappiness

1.3.1.1    Notes

23.   One is the disease model: let'srun away from what is not working. The other is the health model:let's pursue my passions, what I love to do.The disease model, the optimum level is the zero: let's just be Ok; let's justnot hurt. And again, that’s important to get rid of hurt. It's important to getrid of depression. But with the health model, they are saying that's notenough; let's go beyond that. Let's go to the excitement, to the fun. Becausethe ideal is not just a tensionless state. It is the creative tension.

24.   How dowe live our lives? Running away from painful experiences? Or actively seekingpleasure? Running away from unhappiness? Or adhering to the Declaration(Declaration of Independence) and pursuing happiness? Do you want to focusprimarily on your deficiencies or your weaknesses? Or your strength?

25.  It's about where we focus, focus creates reality; it's abouthappiness is not just a negation of unhappiness.

1.3.1.2   Thinking

并不是说逃离了抑郁、痛苦、自卑、压力、焦虑等心理疾病就会感觉快乐，没有这些心理疾病很可能是处于温水煮青蛙的状态，不好也不坏，似乎没有什么不好的，但是也没有什么让自己感觉快乐的。而这又是大多数人的状态。而要内心感觉激情、快乐和希望，很大程度上是要自己主动地去追求，这也就是积极心理学所关注的内容。

1.4  Prevention through cultivating capacity

1.4.1.1   Notes

26.  It is found that the most effective way of dealing with thisphenomenon was actually tocultivate thepositive, tocultivate personalstrengths, to cultivate and identify one'spassions, to ask a question such as "what ismeaningful to me in my life? What's mypurpose? Why am I here? What do Ireally, really want to do once I graduate?"

27.  Pursuing meaning, purpose; cultivating healthyrelationships

28.  There arehuman strengths that act as buffers against mental illness: courage, future-mindedness, optimism,interpersonal skill, faith, work ethic, hope, honesty, perseverance, thecapacity for flow and insight, to name several.

29.  Cultivating capacity isabout creating a strong psychological immune system.What happens when we have a strong physical immune system? Does it mean wedon't get ill? Of course not. We do. But it means thatwe get ill less often and when we do get sick, we recover more promptly.This is exactly whatcultivatingstrength, optimism, sense of purpose, meaning, mindfulness— this is exactlywhat these characteristics do.

30.  Helpingstudents identify their passions when they come here, helping studentsidentify their sense of meaning in life,helping studentsidentify what theyreally, really, really want to do, helping studentsovercome the pull, the external pull that is often there, takingthem away from their core, helping themchipaway those limitations, those voices, helping studentsidentify who they really are, helping students identify their strengths and pursuing those.

1.4.1.2   Thinking

认识人生的意义、知道自己想要的是什么、抵抗外部的诱惑、去掉束缚、识别自己的优势并且发挥优势。

培养乐观、希望、诚实、信念、勇气、毅力、未来规划、人际技巧和职业道德等品质，可以让自己有更加健康的心理免疫系统。这并不是说，一直都会很幸福，也不是说不会遭遇痛苦或挫折，而是在人生中可以更加长时间更加快乐地生活，当有不好的事情发生的时候，自己也会用积极的心态去面对和处理。

1.5  Summary

31.  The message of the positive psychologymovement is to remind our field that ithas been deformed. Psychology is not just the study of disease, weakness,and damage italso is the study ofstrength and virtue, Treatment is notjust fixing what is wrong; it also isbuilding what is right. Psychology is not just about illness or health;it is about work, education, insight, love,growth, and play. And in thisquestfor what is best, positive psychology does not rely on wishful thinking,self-deception, or hand waving; instead, it tries toadapt what is best in the scientific method to the unique problemsthat human behavior presents in all its complexity.