Positive Psychology Principles Applied To

Consulting Psychology At The Individual

And Group Level

Toni-Jan Ifill

CCP-500

March 17, 2012

Dr. Makesha Evans

Consulting Psychology:

“a practice that focuses on consultation

to, with, or for individuals and

organizations at individual, group, and

organizational/system-wide levels

rooted in multiple areas of substantive

expertise”

(APA, 2007, p. 980).

BEFORE WE BEGIN:Housekeeping

What Is Positive Psychology, And What Is Is It Not?

Positive psychology is the scientific study of what

makes life most worth living.

It is a call for psychological science and practice to

be as concerned with strength as with weakness; as

interested in building the best things in life as in

repairing the worst; and as concerned with making

the lives of normal people fulfilling as with healing

pathology.

It is not to be confused with untested self-help,

footless affirmation, or secular religion-no matter

how good these may make us feel. Positive

psychology is neither a recycled version of the

power of positive thinking nor a sequel to the

secret.

Christopher Peterson, Ph.D.psychologytoday.com

CurrentlyFounder at Success at Work Faculty at College of Executive CoachingPast

Consulting Associate Professor at Stanford UniversityFormer Secretary, SCP at Society of Consulting Psychology

CurrentlyPast-President at APA Div 13 Fellow at Society of Consulting Psychology, American Psychological Associationprofessor at Southeast Missouri State UniversityPast

Past-President at Society of Psychologists in Management

INTRODUCING OUR AUTHORS

Dr. Sandra Foster, MPEC

Paul J. Lloyd, SCP

Dr. Martin SeligmanThe father of positive psychology and its efforts to scientifically explore human potential.

Dr. David CooperriderWidely recognized as the "thought leader" of appreciative inquiry

OTHER KEYNOTE PRESENTERS

Dr. Donald O. Clifton (1924-2003), Honoured by the American Psychological Association Clifton with a Presidential Commendation as the Father of Strengths-Based Psychology.

Dr. Barbra FredricksonDirector of the Positive Emotions and Psychophysiology Laboratory (a.k.a., PEPLab). “Broaden and Build Theory”

Dr. Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi(Pronounced: "ME-high CHICK-sent-me-high-ee," )Distinguished Professor of Psychology and ManagementFounding Co-Director, Quality of Life Research Centre

Aim of Article

• An attempt to show that positive psychology has a

respectable empirical basis and that consulting

psychologists may obtain useful applications from

this body of knowledge.

Authors’ main proposals

1. Regarding the findings of positive psychology as valuable to

practitioners is a small step in the direction as the focus of consulting

psychology (the development of those in the workplace and the

imparting of the tenants of leadership)

2. Incorporating specific elements from positive psychology can further

enhance the interventions of consultant psychology.

3. Integrate the research with suggested applications for individuals

and teams with whom the consultant psychologist is working

Support for Proposals

1. Although the existing research on the application of positive psychology is

currently limited, there is a noteworthy investigation done by Marcial Losada &

Emily Heaphy (2004). (p. 31)

2. Foster & Lloyd have also done some ‘testing’ of the applications they propose,

and have found them to be useful in the area of consulting psychology. (P. 32,

33, 36, 38)

Dr. Marcial Losada

Emily Heaphy

The Role of Positivity and Connectivity in the Performance of

Business Teams: A Nonlinear Dynamics Model.

INVESTIGATION SUMMARY

Study was run with 60 management teams who were designing their business missions and strategic plans. Losada and team tracked every single utterance of speech on three dimensions:

Positive/negativeInquiry/ AdvocacySelf/Other

High, medium/ low performance rated against three criteria: profitability, customer satisfaction ratings and evaluation by superiors, peers and subordinates.

Results: High performance teams stood out with unusually high positivity ratios,; also had higher connectivity; asked questions as much as they defended their own views and cast their attention outward as much as inward. low performance teams had very low ratios with mixed performance teams sat just above them, and had far lower connectivity, asked almost no questions and showed almost no outward focus.

Introducing Our First Keynote speaker:

Dr. Martin Seligman

Founded and directed the Positive Psychology Network (2002, p. 271-272) which focuses on three areas of inquiry : (P.31-32)

The study of positive traits: emphasising strengths and virtues as well as intelligence and athleticism

The study of positive institutions such as “democracy, strong families, and free inquiry” (Seligman, 2002, p. xiii)

The empirical study of positive emotion

With the aid of Christopher Peterson he designed the VIA (values in Action) strengths Inventory; which is mentioned in the article as one of two instruments designed to help clients identify their strengths

This instrument is seen as one of the many elements from positive psychology can further enhance the interventions of consulting psychology when applied in conjunction with the appreciative inquiry method… (pp. 31, 32)

Authors infer that Dr. Seligman is the foundation of their writing. (pp. 30)

F

Authors state that his Appreciative Inquiry method for organisations resonates with them as one area of positive psychology

Introducing Our Second Keynote speaker:

Dr. David Cooperrider

“Appreciative Inquiry is about the coevolutionary search for the best in people, their organizations, and the relevant world around them. In its broadest focus, it involves systematic discovery of what gives “life” to a living system when it is most alive, most effective, and most constructively capable in economic, ecological, and human terms.”

Cooperrider & Whitney, 2005

Cooperrider’s model urged organisations to shift from their problem-based attempts at change and instead , to focus on the identification of what is functioning well and then address the problems. (p32)

Asks clients first about what s working which allows them to be more hopeful about the future and less resistant to changes that may be required.

Foster & Lloyd, in their experience using this model, found that clients felt more energised by the elaboration of what was going well in their work; and hence are better able to create solutions for challenges faced in their organisation. (p. 32)

Authors’ see this assessment as one of the important/ practical ways of empirically applying positive psychology principles

Introducing Our Third Keynote speaker:

Dr. Donald O. Clifton (1924-2003),

In 1998, the Father of Strengths Psychology, Donald O. Clifton, Ph.D. along with Tom Rath and a team of scientists at Gallup, created the online Strengths Finder assessment. In 2004, the assessment's name was formally changed to "Clifton Strengths Finder" in posthumous honour of its chief designer.

Clifton Strengths Finder is a web based talent assessment instrument that provides and statistical assessment based on positive psychology principles

The Strengths Finder is intended for development based upon existing capacities and not for clinical assessment of diagnosis of psychiatric disorders (p.32)

The goal is desired behavioural change resulting from the strengths based development (p.32)

Authors were encourage by their use of strategies based on Fredrickson’ research.

Introducing Our Fourth Keynote speaker:

Dr. Barbra Fredrickson

Fredrickson’s “broaden and build” model advocates the use of positive emotions in the workplace. In her studies, the use of positive words broadened the repertoire of those in the workplace. That is, when people were in an environment characterized by positive emotions and words, they became more generative and creative their actions, more tolerant of others, and more receptive to new ideas.

Her Model won the 2000 first-place Templeton Positive Psychology Prize.

Foster & Lloyd applied the theory (first case study where n=10) and found that the theory (as small interventions) helped consulting clients think more broadly and creatively. (p. 34)

“the excellence of

daily life depends not

only upon what we do but how we

do it.” (p. 34)

Introducing Our Fifth Keynote speaker:

Dr. Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi

Well known for his notoriously difficult name, in terms of pronunciation for those who do not speak Hungarian.

Best known for his theory of FLOW

“flow” is the term he coined to name this state which is described as: Feeling like effortless action;Involving goals that demand specific responses and where clear, relevant feedback is available; Involving activities that require high levels of skill and concentration;Generating a “paradox of control,” meaning the feeling of being nearly out of control—yet feeling exhilarated at the completion of the task because one was able to maintain control over one’s movements or the environment; and Losing self-consciousness—while untroubled by worry about what others may think.

(P. 35)

“Therefore, what we pay attention to, throughout our waking hours, becomes an important variable in how we experience the quality of our lives.” (p.34)

“the excellence of

daily life depends not

only upon what we do but how we

do it.” (p. 34)

Dr. Mihaly CsikszentmihalyiContinued...

He designed the Experience Sampling Method (ESM)

The ESM is an attempt to provide a valid instrument to describe variations in self-reports of mental processes. It can be used to obtain empirical data on the following types of variables:

a) frequency and patterning of daily activity, social interaction, and changes in location; b) frequency, intensity, and patterning of psychological states, i.e., emotional, cognitive, and conative (instinctive) dimensions of experience; c) frequency and patterning of thoughts, including quality and intensity of thought disturbance.

Larson &. Csikszentmihalyi (1987)

Foster & Lloyd applied this method to a case study with a client and found thatThe ESM information allowed him to identify ways to redirect his focus and rediscoverthe rewards for behaving like a leader even when his boss would be unlikely totake notice. (pp. 36)

Authors‘ Conclusion & Recomendations

Conclusion

As consulting psychologists, we have the opportunity to assist leaders and

teams in besting the competition and, at the same time, creating the

atmosphere that urges those in business to examine their business practices,

and exhorts them to transform what they are doing and how they are doing

it. (p. 38)

Perhaps we can begin with ourselves first as practitioners. If we take time

to look carefully and mindfully at how we are spending our time, the

information can be revealing. We can use the ESM, logs, or feedback from

significant others with whom we live to help us look at what is actually

occurring in our daily lives. With this information, we can begin to ask what

we would like to have happen more often. (p. 38)

Authors‘ Conclusion & Recomendations

Recomendations

The authors encourage us (as consulting psychologists) to consider (even)

some principles of positive psychology in our strategising of intervention.

Foster and Lloyd propose a few applications that we (as consulting

psychologists) can test to see how feasibile they would be:

Positive Enquiry

Clifton Strengths Finder

VIA Strengths Inventory

Broaden and Build theory application (see their testing)

ESM Method and Observation of Flow

TAKING IT HOME….To JA!

• With all the pessimism circulating our economic status, lack of jobs and discontent

in the workplace, Foster and Lloyd provide a more refreshing and uplifting

alternate ending. The question is, are we willing to try?

• The authors do not guarantee success and are not ‘pushing views’ but rather

suggesting possible options for a successful outcome.

• These principles and methods would make for great research here in the Jamaican

and Caribbean workplace context.

REFERENCES

Cooperrider, D & Whitney, D (2005). Appreciative Inquiry: A Positive Revolution in Change . San Francisco: Berrett-Koehler

www.pursuit-of-happiness.org/history-of-happiness/martin-seligman/

www.strengths.org/clifton.shtml

http://strengths.gallup.com/default.aspx

http://www.spring.org.uk/2008/12/discover-your-character-strengths-in- 15.php

Csikszentmihalyi, M., & Larson, R. (1987). Validity and reliability of the Experience-Sampling Method. The Journal of nervous and mental disease, 175(9), 526-536. Lippincott Williams & Wilkins.

http://www.spring.org.uk/2008/12/discover-your-character-strengths-in- 15.php

http://fredrickson.socialpsychology.org