Author: selvam

Lecture 12: Resilience

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DOWNLOAD MY CLASSNOTES IN PDF: PP 11 Resilience
WHAT IS RESILIENCE?
Psychological resilience is the ability to bounce back from negative events.  Need for a study among street boys of Nairobi: when they get back to mainstream education why do they perform consistently better than their younger ‘normal’ counterparts?
Three Categories of Protective Factors (Garmezy, 1983): 

Dispositional attributes of the child: children themselves were easy to relate to, felt good about themselves, believed they were in control of their lives, and were self-reliant.
Family cohesion and warmth: a child experienced a warm relationship with at least one adult family member, the family felt close, and order and organization were in evidence.
Use of external support systems by parents and children, in the neighbourhood or elsewhere in the community.

Broadening and Building Theory in relation to Resilience:

When we focus on positivity, we have energy to creatively explore..
Broadening: As we explore, we acquire more resources (human, social, psychological, material).
Building: These […]

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Lecture 13: Positive Interventions

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DOWNLOAD MY CLASSNOTES IN PDF: PP 13 Positive Interventions
Gratitude Visit/Letter.  Participants are to write and deliver a letter of gratitude in person to someone who had been especially kind to them but had never been properly thanked.
Gratitude Journal (Counting Blessing) Participants are to write down three things that went well each day and their causes every night for one week.
Positive Emotion Portfolio: Pull together objects and mementos that create for you a heartfelt connection with forms of positivity (Joy, Contentment, Love, Compassion , Amusement,  Awe, etc). Assemble these into a portfolio, a physical collection that you build as a shrine to each shade of positivity. Each portfolio might contain photos, letters, quotes, or objects that carry deep personal meaning for you.
You at your best. Participants were asked to write about a time when they were at their best and then to reflect on the personal strengths displayed in the story. They […]

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Lecture 14: Mindfulness

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DOWNLOAD MY CLASSNOTES IN PDF:PP 14 Mindfulness
What is mindfulness?  In popular understanding mindfulness is often referred to as “emptying of the mind.”  An absolute emptying of the mind may not be possible straightaway, therefore, techniques such as awareness of breathing and body sensation are used as anchors to relax the body while keeping the mind attentive.  In the words of a report from the UK-based Mental Health Foundation, “Mindfulness is a way of paying attention to the present moment by using meditation, yoga and breathing techniques.  It involves consciously bringing awareness to our thoughts and feelings, without making judgments…” (MHF, 2010, p. 12).  Shapiro (2009, p.556) defines mindfulness as “the awareness that arises through intentionally attending in an open, accepting, and discerning way to whatever is arising in the present moment.”  Mindful awareness is the outcome of intentional attending (Shapiro & Carlson, 2009).  The other common definition is from Jon […]

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