UNIT 1: MARTIN SELIGMAN’S PERMA MODEL IN MANAGING THE SELF

Positive psychology is the study of happiness, flourishing, and what makes life worth living. Positive
psychology has spurred research in a variety of areas, such as happiness, optimism, self- esteem, well-
being, motivation, flow, strengths and virtues, hope, resilience, mindfulness, and positive thinking.

Martin Seligman, one of the proponents of Positive Psychology, developed a five-core element of
psychological well-being and happiness, called the PERMA Model. Seligman believes that these five
elements can help people work towards a life of fulfillment, happiness, and meaning. It is anchored on the
Well-Being Theory which emphasizes the goal of reaching well-being. The five factors of well-being are
(P)ositive emotion, (E)ngagement, (R)elationships, (M)eaning and purpose, and (A)ccomplishment
(PERMA). Here, character strengths are relevant in order to maximize well-being obtained from each
factor. Maximum well-being leads to a state of flourishing, which is described as a state of thriving, of
being full of vitality, and prospering as individuals and as a group.

Positive Emotion is about experiencing happiness, optimism, joy, zest, amusement, hope, interest, love,
gratitude, compassion, kindness, pride, and savoring good times. It does not, however, only mean the
ability to smile, but rather focuses more on the ability to be optimistic.
Part of our capacity to experience positive emotions is genetic, and there are indeed people who are what
we term, “masayahin”, but all of us have the ability to purposefully experience more positive emotion.

How can you build positive emotions? You may want to try some of these:

 Keep a gratitude journal: Everyday, write down 5 things you are grateful for. It may be a person,
object, pet, experience, event, your own physical characteristics, talents, etc.
 Do random acts of kindness: It could be as simple as picking up litter and throwing it in the right
place, letting someone go ahead of you in a queue, sending a thank you message, etc. A simple act
of kindness goes a long way.
 Spend time with people who matter: Despite your busy schedule, set some time to catch up with
family, friends, people you have not spoken to for a while. Do this without the distraction of your
cellphone/gadget.
 Surround yourself with “real” friends: Doing so enables you to build a resilience circle, where
friends can energize and make you feel renewed during down times.
 What else can you do?

ENGAGEMENT AND FLOW

Engagement refers to “being one” with a certain activity, that you lose track of time because of being
absorbed in it. It is about doing things you enjoy, things that make you a better person, things that
promote good. Being engaged in these activities leads us to be so focused that time seems to stop – what
is referred to as “flow”. According to Professor Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi, the leading researcher in the
field, flow is experienced when our greatest strengths correspond to the challenges we face.

Do you want to achieve engagement and flow? Try these:

 Identify your strengths: What are you good at? Where do you excel? In what instances do people
compliment you?
 Be mindful: Practice mindfulness techniques that can help you be in the moment and limit
distractions so you can fully focus on what you are doing.
 Savor the moment: Be aware of your thoughts, notice how you are feeling, and take note of your
bodily sensations and reactions.
 Have a “buddy”: Sometimes, it helps to have someone who shares the same interests as you. This
can motivate you, as well as provide necessary feedback for you to improve and develop in a
particular skill or task.
 What activity engages you?

RELATIONSHIPS
As humans, we are “social beings”. We constantly build connections with others and establish positive
relationships with our family, friends, classmates, and others. This is significant and relevant to be able
to spread and receive love and joy. Building relationships with others enable us to feel loved, supported,
and valued. Our well-being is positively affected when we have good relationships with people.

How can you build good relationships? Consider these:

 Re-establish relationships with people you have lost touch with: Think of those you have not
spoken to in a while, and find ways to reach out to them.
 Give time: Create time to see (or call, text, message) friends to maintain your current
relationships.
 Show positivity: People enjoy being around those who are happy, optimistic, and hopeful.
 Develop your listening skills: When talking to someone, make an effort to really listen to, and not
just hear, what the person is saying. Make it about them, and not always about you.
 When was the last time you talked with your parents?

MEANING
Meaning is about belonging to and serving something you think is better than the self. It is feeling and
knowing the value of what we are doing, and is an intrinsic human quality. This means that to find
meaning, we need to be able to feel a sense of fulfillment and satisfaction. Having meaning in life is
also relevant to having and feeling a sense of purpose. This experience is different for each and every
person. It is dependent on what we are passionate about. Meaningful experiences can be created each
time you choose to make an experience meaningful.

How can you build meaning in your life?

 Discover meaning: Go back to our discussion on Frankl’s ways to discover meaning. Which of
these have you already done?
 Find your passion: What interests you and makes you happy? What do you enjoy doing that
makes you a better person, and helps others as well?
 Reflect on your values: What do you value in life? How are these reflected in the things you do?
 Do something for someone: Make it a habit to be selfless, and do something to make someone
feel good.

How do you make your experiences meaningful ACCOMPLISHMENTS

Accomplishment is a positive experience. It is the sense of satisfaction at the end of a process. When we
work towards our goals and are able to achieve them, the end result would be the feeling of being
“accomplished”. Accomplishments give meaning to all performed tasks, as well as to all realistic goals
set. When we experience a sense of accomplishment, it means that we have worked towards and reached
our goals. It means we have overcome barriers and surpassed challenges. This contributes much to our
well-being, and we are able to say with confidence and pride, “I did it…I did it well!”.

How can you feel a sense of accomplishment? Let’s take a look at these:

 Set goals: Set goals that are SMART (specific, measurable, attainable, realistic, time bound) as
these are more likely to be achieved.
 Celebrate success: No matter how “small” the achievement, celebrate it and savor it. It is a
positive experience which should not be taken for granted. Reward yourself for all your
successes.
 Be patient and persevere: Remember that there is a right time for everything, and you will “get
there” soon enough. In the meantime, keep going and keep trying.
 What was your most recent accomplishment?
UNIT 2: GRIT AND GROWTH MINDSET

GRIT: WHEN TOUGHNESS IS WELLNESS

WHAT IS GRIT?

 working strenuously toward challenges,

 maintaining effort and interest over years despite failure, adversity, and plateaus in progress
 approaches achievement as a marathon
 advantage is STAMINA
 disappointment or boredom may lead most people to change trajectory
 the gritty individual stays the course (Duckworth et al, 2007).

What are the psychological assets of gritty people?

1. Interest: passion begins with intrinsically enjoying what you do
• Interests are not discovered through introspection. You have to find out what you are interested
in or develop an interest in an otherwise uninteresting task. What is important is you find out the
“why” in doing so.

2. Practice: daily discipline of trying to do things better than you did yesterday Clearly defined
stretch goal.

 Full concentration and effort

 Immediate and informative feedback
 Repetition with reflection and refinement
3. Purpose: Have the conviction that your work matters.
4. Hope: learn to keep going even when things are difficult
“Fall seven, rise eight.” So the saying goes. If you cannot work on a textual lesson, find another
way of learning it by googling a related video clip tutorial. Sometimes, engaging our other senses
(if not visual, make it auditory, etc.) to learn a subject matter can make us more hopeful because
we find results in other venues of learning.

THE GROWTH MINDSET

GRIT AND MEANTAL HEALTH Research findings show:
• Increased self-control, better mental well-being, life satisfaction, feelings of worth, resilience and
growth mindset and lower levels of perceived stress were associated with higher levels of grit. In
addition, grittier individuals believe that their skills and abilities will improve with hard work.
(Kannangara, et al., 2018)
• Lower grit levels were found among University students with self-reported anxiety and depression.
(Tuckwiller & Dardick, 2018)
• Gritty individuals: “life is meaningful” Maintain perseverance and passion in order to achieve their
long-term goals. (Masumari, et al., 2018)