LEARNED HELPLESSNESS

Early research on learned helplessness showed that bad or traumatic events do not
in themselves produce helplessness. The crucial factor is inescapable trauma. In
learned helplessness, a person has learned that when bad things happen, nothing
they do matters. They give up and remain passive, even after conditions change and
they do actually have control over the environment.

In an experiment, They used shock treatment as a sample of bad event on people to

see if they would attempt to escape if they were once conditioned with inescapable
shock and some with escapable shock. When both groups were later placed on a cell
where they could escape, the inescapable shock group remained helpless (2/3rds of
the groups) and the escapable shock group escaped

Yet there were some (1/3) who were immune from learned helplessness. And
Conversely there were also some (1/10 people) who would remain helpless even
though they had no prior trauma.

HOW DO PEOPLE EXPLAIN BAD EVENTS

There are 3 dimensions receiving bad events to this. EXPLANATORY STYLE TEST
FACTORS

1. PERMANENT OR TEMPORARY
Do you measure it as a bad event that is permanent in nature or temporary?
People who are rejected in love and think “I’m unlovable” (permanent in nature)
are more likely to be helpless in future.
Compared to people who may attribute it to the person who rejects “its her
issues” (temporary) are more likely to be resilient.

2. EVERYWHERE OR LOCAL
Do you measure it as a bad event in just one situation in the current or pervasive
overall likely to repeat again. If you fail at a math exam. Do you decide “I’m
stupid” and this rolls into failure in other areas. Or do you just LOCALIZE it to the
one exam, and try again later?

3. UNCONTROLABLE OR CONTROLABLE
4. PERSONAL OR NOT PERSONAL
It is the OPTIMISTS who are immune to helplessness and PESSIMISTS who are prone to
it.

LEARNED OPTIMISM
HELPLESSNESS IS A MODEL FOR DEPRESSION.
OPTIMISM IS A PROTECTIVE FACTOR AGAINST LEARNED HELPLESSNESS
PESSIMISM PUTS YOU AT RISK FOR DEPRESSION.

Cognitive therapy encourages you to challenge catastrophizing

explanatory style and enables you to practice building arguments
against these thoughts in your head
Optimism is a skill that can be learned. Teaching people to realistically
challenge their pessimistic explanatory style and to learn optimistic
explanatory skills reduces anxiety and depression and increases resilience

WHAT IS IT THAT FREE PEOPLE, NON OPPRESSED, CHOOSE?

PERMA
PERMA Model

Well-being Theory

Happiness is a slippery concept. Sometimes it seems to us like the Holy Grail: mythical,
wonderful, but probably unobtainable. But Positive Psychology suggests that happiness is more
than obtainable. It is the natural result of building up our well-being and satisfaction with life.
Professor Martin Seligman spent many years developing a theory of happiness. He wanted to
identify the building blocks of well-being. He drew up a five-sided model of well-being called the
PERMA model.

These are the five elements Seligman found essential to human well-being:

Each of these elements is essential to our well-being and satisfaction with life. Together, they
form the solid foundation upon which we can build a happy and flourishing life.

Positive Emotion

When someone asks you whether you are satisfied with your life, your answer depends heavily
on the mood you are in. When you are feeling positive, you can look back on the past with
gladness; look into the future with hope; and enjoy and cherish the present.
Why?

Positive emotions have an impact that goes far beyond bringing a smile to our faces. Feeling
good helps us to perform better at work and study; it boosts our physical health; it strengthens
our relationships; and it inspires us to be creative, take chances, and look to the future with
optimism and hope. Feeling good is contagious. Seeing smiles makes us want to smile. Hearing
laughter makes us feel like laughing. And when we share our good feelings with others, they
appreciate and enjoy our company.

We have all experienced highs and lows in life, but we are doing ourselves harm when we dwell
on the lows. If we look back on the past with pain and regret, we will become depressed. If we
think of the future and worry about danger and risk, we become anxious and pessimistic. So it is
incredibly important to recognise the positive emotions we feel, so that we are able to enjoy the
present without worry and regret.

How?

What is it that makes us feel good? It might be spending time with friends and family, engaging in
hobbies, exercising, getting out in nature, or eating great food. We need to make sure there is
always room in our lives for these things. Positive Psychology research has identified certain
skills and exercises that can boost our experience of positive emotions. We can learn to feel
them more strongly, and to experience them for longer. Cultivating positive emotions makes it
easier to experience them naturally. Many of us have an automatic tendency to expect the worst,
see the downside, and avoid taking risks. If we learn to cultivate positive feelings about life, we
begin to hope for the best, see the upside, and learn to take great opportunities when they come
along.

Engagement

We don’t thrive when we are doing nothing. We get bored and feel useless. But when we engage
with our life and work, we become absorbed. We gain momentum and focus, and we can enter
the state of being known as ‘flow’. In Positive Psychology, ‘flow’ describes a state of utter, blissful
immersion in the present moment.

Why?

In a word: momentum. When you are lying in bed, it is often hard to convince yourself to throw off
the covers and plant your feet on the ground. You worry about the cold. You feel tired and
sluggish. You lie in bed, thinking but not getting anywhere. But when you are running, you don’t
question anything. You are flying through space: one foot goes in front of the other, and again,
and again, because it must. You are absorbed entirely in the present moment.

Not everyone enjoys running, but perhaps you feel this way when you are playing music,
painting, dancing or cooking. If you have a job you love, you probably feel this way at work. We
are most likely to fulfil our own unique potential when we are engaged in activities that absorb
and inspire us.
How?

Much of the work of Positive Psychology involves identifying and cultivating personal strengths,
virtues and talents. When we identify our own greatest strengths, we can consciously engage in
work and activities that make us feel most confident, productive and valuable. We can also learn
skills for cultivating joy and focus on the present. Mindfulness is a valuable skill taught by many
counsellors. Using mindfulness, you can learn to develop a full and clear awareness of the
present, both physically and mentally.

Relationships

Humans are social animals. We have a need for connection, love, physical and emotional
contact with others. We enhance our own well-being by building strong networks of relationships
around us, with family, friends, coworkers, neighbours and all the other people in our lives.

Why?

You know the saying, ‘a problem shared is a problem halved’? Well, it gets even better.
Happiness shared is happiness squared. When we share our joy with those we love, we feel
even more joy. And when we love, we become more loveable.

We depend on the people around us to help us maintain balance in our lives. When we are
alone, we lose perspective on the world, and we forget that others may be bearing greater
burdens than our own. But when we let other people into our lives, we remember to give as well
as take. When you belong to a community, you have a network of support around you – and you
are part of it.

How?

It is important to build and maintain relationships with the people in your life, but it is equally
important to recognise the difference between a healthy relationship and a damaging one. Some
relationships are dangerous because they are one-sided or co-dependent. Other relationships
struggle because people take each other for granted, don’t make time for each other, or can’t
seem to communicate.

The key to all relationships is balance. It is not enough to surround ourselves with ‘friends’ – we
must also listen and share, make an effort to maintain our connections, and work to make those
connections strong.

Meaning

We are at our best when we dedicate our time to something greater than ourselves. This could
be religious faith, community work, family, a political cause, a charity, a professional or creative
goal.

Why?
Studies have shown that people who belong to a community and pursue shared goals are
happier than people who don’t. It is also very important to feel that the work we do is consistent
with our personal values and beliefs. From day to day, if we believe our work is worthwhile, we
feel a general sense of well-being and confidence that we are using our time and our abilities for
good.

How?

What do you value most in this world? It might be family, or learning, or your faith. Perhaps you
feel strongly about helping disadvantaged children, or protecting the environment. Once you
have identified what matters most to you, find some like-minded people and begin working
together for the things you care about. You can find meaning in your professional life as well as
your personal one. If you see a deeper mission in the work you do, you are better placed to apply
your talents and strengths in the service of this mission.

Accomplishment

We have all been taught that ‘winning isn’t everything’. Yes, we should strive for success, but it’s
more important to enjoy the game. However, people need to win sometimes. What use are goals
and ambitions if we never reach them? To achieve well-being and happiness, we must look back
on our lives with a sense of accomplishment: ‘I did it, and I did it well’.

Why?

Creating and working toward goals helps us anticipate and build hope for the future. Past
successes make us feel more confident and optimistic about future attempts. There is nothing
bad or selfish about being proud of your accomplishments. When you feel good about yourself,
you are more likely to share your skills and secrets with others. You will be motivated to work
harder and achieve more next time. You may even inspire the people around you to achieve their
own goals.

How?

It is important to set yourself tangible goals, and keep them in sight. In Positive Psychology
counselling, we encourage you to identify your ambitions and cultivate the strengths you need in
order to reach them. Regular counselling is a great way to keep focused on your long-term goals
and acknowledge the little successes along with the big ones. It is vital to cultivate resilience
against failure and setbacks. Success doesn’t always come easy, but if we stay positive and
focused, we don’t give up when adversity strikes
 In PERMA
R – relationships
Dawkins theory says relationships are means to
personal survival of our selfish genes. And an
evolutionary perspective.

Another theory suggests we evolve in Groups. A

group where each individual is out for themselves,
will lose against a group where members love each
other and willing to sacrifice for the benefit of the
group’s success.

Similarly, the dominance of human beings on the planet, is probably not because of
individual forebrain stuff, but because we're like wasps and termites and ants, that is,
we build fortresses together, we have means of communication together, we
cooperate

M- MEANING IN LIFE
The larger the entity you can credibly believe in belong to, and serve, the more
meaning people derive from their lives.
That means serving only yourself will not add meaning to your life. It is necessary to
an extent, but not sufficient in itself for well-being.

3 GOOD THINGS TODAY AND WHY IT HAPPENED

Markedly less depression
And addictive to do

INTERVENTIONS
 COMING UP WITH ACTIVITES THAT CONTRIBUTE TO WELL BEING
You can come up with an activity, first test on yourself, family friends, and a
handful of people. And see if the effect has been positive for all.
- Join a community of like minded people and interact
- Plastic free July
- Veganuary
- Follow social media pages \
- 3 good things today activity

If you have negative thoughts as a pessimist, Practice argueing against these

thoughts realistically. Helps prevent depression.
- Create a manual of events that usually lead to depressive thoughts and
then substitute it for a another thought that can lead to well being.

RICHARD LAYARDS OBJECTION TO POSITIVE PSYCHOLOGY

1. HAPPINESS IS NOT THE SAME AS FLOURISHING
Is it necessary for us to be happy with everyone’s sustainable lifestyle,
or is it important that we look at the movement overall and how well it is
doing.
2. WE CANNOT DEVELOP WELL BEING INDIVIDUALLY; IT ALSO
DEPENDS ON WELL BEING OF THE GROUP WE ARE WITH.
We can develop the ability to live sustainably alone, but it will always
require cooperation from those around us on some or the other level for
it be easy.

ANGELA DUCKWORTH STUDY:

1. Self-discipline and grit is twice as important as IQ for achievement.
2. Girls tend to have more grit and discipline compared to Boys.
WELL BEING IN RELATIONSHIPS WITH ACTIVE CONSTRUCTIVE

There are 4 ways in which you can respond when someone comes to
you with a good news:

Active & Constructive:

Active & Destructive: Joy Thief
Passive & Constructive: Conversation killer
Passive & Destructive: Conversation Hijacker

WHY LOOKING TOWARD FUTURE IS EFFECTIVE IN DEVELOPING

WELL BEING

More than 50% of the time if we ask someone what they are thinking,
they are likely thinking of something personal they plan to do in the
future.

MEMORY IS (WHAT HAPPENED landmark)

PERCEPTION IS (YOUR STORY OF WHAT HAPPENED landmark)

GORILLA TEST RESULTS SAYS

Memory is a hallucination of the past in service of the future.
CREATIVITY AS YOU AGE.

It is important to imagine a thriving personal future or trigger ann image

of future that excites us for us to be at our creative best while we are
struggling.

HOW CAN CREATIVITY RESEARCH PLAY A ROLE IN TACKLING

CLIMATE CHANGE?

As much as the research indicates doom, many argue that fluffy

fantasies of saving the planet may not be possible for human race. But
in order to tackle issues with creativity, we have to force ourselves to
 stay climate positive and have a distant future we can work towards.

The level of creative achievement is dictated by OPENNES TO NEW

EXPERIENCES.

What are the dimensions of eudemonic well-being?

Psychologist Carol Ryff makes the case for no less than six dimensions of
eudaimonia:

1. Autonomy ("I have confidence in my opinions, even if they are contrary to

the general consensus")
2. Environmental mastery ("I am quite good at managing the many
responsibilities of my daily life")
3. Personal growth ("I think it is important to have new experiences that
challenge how you think about yourself and the world")
4. Positive relations with others ("People would describe me as a giving
person, willing to share my time with others")
5. Purpose in life ("Some people wander aimlessly through life, but I am not
one of them")
6. Self-acceptance ("I like most aspects of my life")
 Creative Life is associated with quite a few
dimensions of eudaimonia.
 Specific strategies to facilitate creativity
(“I often let my mind wander to come up with new ideas,” “I take walks to
come up with new ideas,” “I typically create new ideas by combining
existing ideas,” “I am always thinking (fantasizing) about how to do
everyday things differently”)
 Strong belief in unconscious processes
(“I believe in unconscious processes that facilitate my creative work,” “I
have been able to use many ideas for creative work that have occurred in
my dreams”)
 Use of all senses for creative work
(“I tend to use my visual sense a lot in my creative work,” “I tend to use my
sense of smell a lot in my creative work,” “I tend to use my sense of taste a
lot in my creative work”)
 High need for solitud0e
(“I am secretive about my new ideas,” “I physically isolate myself from
other people when I am working on creative ideas”)

INDICATION OF NON-CREATIVITY- motivated to

work based on deadlines.
those who reported being more motivated to develop
a final product (“I work most creatively when I have deadlines,”
“If I do not have a concrete (visible) creative product to show (such as
a written composition, work of art or music, etc.), then I think I have
failed”) tended to score lower in overall creative
capacity, and higher in stress and extrinsic
motivation (being more motivated to accomplish a task for
external rewards, such as money or grades).

DIFFERENCE BETWEEN PLEASANT LIFE vs MEANINGFUL LIFE.

Has a similar correlation to
DIFFERENCE BETWEEN PLEASURE vs POSITIVE EMOTIONS

CREATIVE PEOPLE DARE TO LOOK WITHIN THEMSELVES AND THE

DARK AREAS OF THEIR THOUGHTS. They show sings of both well-being
and of a chaotic mind prone to anxiety-depression. This is mostly because
there is OPEN TO CHANGE and new possibilities. They have the ability to
contradict their own thought and look at all sides of a story. They come with
both pessimistic and optimistic tendencies.

APPLICATION OF POSITIVE PSYCHOLOGY IN

SCHOOLS AND TEACHING – HOLISTIC LEARNING. Increased learning and

scores. Ability to maintain interest in studies. And encouraging the strengths
of students rather than trying to remove short-cominng. Results are self-
sustained even after positive training is removed for a year.

JOURNALISM- How we can stop seeing victimhood and encourage uplifting

stories. A skewed view of the world has created divisive nature today and
journalism can help bridge the gap as much as it has played a role in dividing
it.

THEOLOGY – an understanding of shared culture and values among different

religions can create more unity and play a role of moral guidance. Religion is
mostly focussed on what must be avoided rather than what must be done

DATA SCIENCE- Positive psychology has helped detect pessimism and

optimism level by comparing the language used among different
demographics. This is also a key predictor of diseases in certain areas and
match the same numbers as the people affected by cardiovascular diseases.
This means people’s mental health can become a near perfect predictor of the
physical diseases prevalent in certain areas. It is not necessary the pessimist
person themselves get the disease, it could be people around them and the
neighbourhood that is also affected by the same energy.

Data science can play a role in indicative mental health of a person even
before the person can detect it themselves. This can be helpful if alert
systems could be created to warn ourselves and our closed ones.