Tasks for the week (Wellness and flow)
- Read Chapter 1. “Happiness Revisited.” - Csikszentmihalyi, Mihali
- Read Chapter 9. “Wellness.” - Peterson, Christopher
- Class exercises to include yoga and meditation
- Fill out the wellness questionnaire
- Write two questions about this week’s topic
Csikszentmihalyi, Mihali. Flow: The Psychology of Optimal Experience
Summary
Aristotle asserted over two millennia ago that happiness is the ultimate pursuit, yet our understanding of it hasn't progressed. Despite advancements in science, health, and technology, many feel their lives lack fulfillment. The chapter emphasizes that people’s experience of true happiness is not a byproduct of external circumstances but a condition cultivated internally.
The author, drawing on studies, proposes that optimal experience, or "flow," occurs when individuals are fully engaged in challenging and meaningful activities. Happiness, thus, is not passive but an active state resulting from a sense of mastery and participation in shaping life's content.
The Flow research, originating at the University of Chicago, has become a global endeavor, influencing psychology, sociology, anthropology, and practical applications.
The chapter doesn't offer direct happiness recipes but explores the concept of optimal experience or "flow." It emphasizes achieving happiness through control over inner life, investigating consciousness, psychic energy, and the conditions fostering flow experiences. It provides insights into making various aspects of life more enjoyable and meaningful, requiring individual efforts and creativity.
Happiness is elusive due to the universe's vastness and hostility, offering no comfort for human beings. The universe operates indifferently to human desires. The chaos perceived by humans stems from desires and goals clashing with natural processes. External conditions, despite our efforts, have limited immediate impact on life quality. The pursuit of happiness depends on inner harmony, filtered interpretations of experiences, and mastery over consciousness.
The basic life goals are survival, reproduction, and comfort. However, escalating expectations with affluence create a paradox of unfulfilled desires. Mastery over consciousness is essential for contentment amid life's inherent chaos.
A pervasive lack of genuine happiness prevails, with individuals struggling to find satisfaction. External factors aren't to blame; internal disquiet stems from the ineffectiveness of traditional shields such as religion, patriotism, and social structures.
Ontological anxiety, a fear of being with no meaning, prevails, exacerbated by the specter of nuclear war. People, grappling with unmet expectations, seek relief through material pursuits, health, relationships, or escapism, but disillusionment ensues. The rise in social ills, crime rates, divorce, mental health interventions, and defense budgets indicates societal disquiet despite material progress. Existing solutions, including religion, appear less compelling in an era of scientific rationality.
Despite unprecedented material progress, today's teenagers exhibit a heightened malaise, reflected in rising statistics for single-parent families, juvenile delinquency, drug use, venereal disease, and suicides.
The declining levels of knowledge and various societal ills suggest that progress has not significantly improved the human experience. The remedy lies in individual autonomy, where people detach from external rewards and punishments, finding joy and purpose irrespective of circumstances.
Psychology plays a vital role, not just in explaining past behavior but in guiding individuals to shape a meaningful future. To combat existential despair, a fundamental change in attitude toward what holds importance is essential.
The overemphasis on delaying gratification, ingrained through societal structures, requires a shift, with individuals learning to enjoy the present rather than constantly deferring happiness to the future.
The prevailing notion that instinct and nature dictate our actions is challenged, urging individuals to recognize genetic and social influences, maintaining conscious control over their choices. The liberated view of human nature, accepting every instinct without scrutiny, is criticized for surrendering to fatalism and overlooking the potential for improvement.
We are a puppet reaching for elusive prizes dictated by societal norms. In a complex society, conflicting socializing agents, from official institutions to advertisers and the underground system of forbidden pleasures, exploit individuals, making them dependent.
Survival requires working for external goals, but individuals can avoid becoming puppets by gradually gaining freedom from societal rewards. Emancipation involves finding rewards in the present moment, cultivating an ability to enjoy the ongoing stream of experience independently of external influences. Control over consciousness, a non-cumulative knowledge, is essential for liberation, requiring emotional commitment and consistent practice. The wisdom of controlling consciousness needs constant reformulation in changing cultural contexts. The quest for autonomy and control over consciousness continues to be a central question in each epoch, with varied solutions based on evolving knowledge.
Task 2 - Chapter 9. “Wellness.”
Peterson, Christopher. A Primer in Positive Psychology
Summary
On November 7, 1991, basketball player Magic Johnson shocked the world by announcing his retirement due to testing positive for HIV, the virus causing AIDS. Despite initial perceptions of a death sentence, Magic's resilience and return to the NBA in 1996 defied expectations. Reflecting on health and illness, the author explores historical perspectives, emphasizing the shift to the era of health promotion and the importance of lifestyle in well-being. Drawing from positive psychology, it challenges the traditional view of health as the absence of disease, advocating for a broader concept of wellness encompassing physical, mental, social, and even spiritual well-being.
In ancient Greece, thinkers like Aristotle saw no strict separation between minds and bodies, expecting their continuity and mutual influence. Greek standards of beauty encompassed inner and outer beauty. Early physicians like Hippocrates treated both physical symptoms and the psyche. French philosopher René Descartes introduced mind-body dualism, emphasizing their separateness. Descartes' view posed challenges to explaining psychological influences on physical health. While scientific fields like health psychology, behavioral medicine, and psychoneuroimmunology emerged to explore mind-body interactions, Descartes' legacy highlights the ongoing quest to understand the intricate relationship between mental and physical well-being.
The historical belief in extreme treatments stemmed from the assumption that without them, patients would inevitably die. The discovery of the immune system provided a materialistic explanation for recovery, challenging mystical notions. Understanding now reveals people can self-heal from many infectious illnesses, and germ theory is nuanced. Behavioral, psychological, and social factors significantly impact immune function and overall well-being. Health promotion surpasses focusing solely on the immune system, targeting behaviors and emotions. Successful wellness programs encompass broad, sustained efforts. Despite desires for quick fixes, achieving wellness necessitates time, effort, and a commitment to a healthy lifestyle, challenging the allure of shortcuts.
The oldest well-documented age for a male is 120 years, achieved by a Japanese man, while for females, it is 122 years, achieved by a French woman. The belief that maximum life expectancy hasn't significantly changed for centuries persists. Wellness promotion often involves New Age practices, but traditional approaches like balanced diet, exercise, and good relationships remain essential. Mental health discussions have lagged behind physical health, but psychological well-being, as defined by factors like autonomy, growth, and positive relations, is gaining attention. Mental health is viewed not just as the absence of disorder but as resilience in facing life's challenges.
Positive psychology observes how people cope with trauma and stress, finding that some thrive in the face of adversity. Resilience, as seen in children and adults, involves adaptive response patterns. The psychodynamic perspective on resilience discusses defense mechanisms, emphasizing that mature defenses correlate with longevity. Another perspective examines stress and coping through cognitive appraisal, highlighting the role of thinking styles. Mental health is also viewed in terms of maturity, with Erikson's psychosocial stages emphasizing challenges like trust, autonomy, and industry. Advancing age doesn't guarantee psychological maturity, emphasizing the importance of resilience and coping strategies throughout life.
Task 3 - Class exercises to include yoga and meditation
Well, I ask myself, can yoga and meditation bring happiness for some, if not to all?
It is a general feeling now that Yoga and meditation contribute to an increased sense of well-being and happiness. I do not know if this has been accepted by modern science but the oriental science tells us that it takes care of some negative feelings and builds some positive feelings.
Negative feelings
- Insecurity, fear, anxiety, low self esteem
- Guilt, shyness
- Fatigue, lack of energy
- Loneliness
Some positive feelings
- Creativity, Positivity, Receptivity to change
- Feeling alive and confident
- Healthy relationships
Task 4 - Fill out the wellness questionnaire
Question | Score |
In general, I feel very positive about myself | 8/10 |
I’m always optimistic about my future | 9/10 |
I am free to decide for myself how to live my life | 6/10 |
I generally feel that what I do in my life is worthwhile | 9/10 |
Most days I get a sense of accomplishment from what I do | 9/10 |
When things go wrong in my life it generally takes me a long time to get back to normal | 3/10 |
How much of the time during the past week you had a lot of energy? | 8/10 |
How much of the time during the past week you felt calm? | 8/10 |
How much of the time during the past week you felt lonely? | 8/10 |
How satisfied are you with the amount of time you have to do the things that you like doing? | 9/10 |
How satisfied are you with the quality of your local environment? | 9/10 |
Note - These are scores based on my understanding of the questions asked. I feel these should be administered by professional psychologists after having deep dive discussions with us
Task 5 - Write two questions about this week’s topic
Do we need to be happy all the time? When is it OK to not feel happy?
I see a jungle opposite me. My curiosity and sense of adventure wants me to enter the jungle. Is this a feeling of happiness? What about the dangers of entering an unknown territory without understanding the dangers?
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