Introducción a Psicología Positiva 101 1- 3

Summary

Este guion de video trata sobre la importancia de la psicología positiva y cómo el enfoque en lo que funciona puede transformar la vida. El narrador, un exestudiante de ciencias de la computación, se interesa en la psicología tras experimentar la infelicidad a pesar del éxito académico. Describe el crecimiento de la psicología positiva en Harvard y su impacto en organizaciones y países, argumentando que su popularidad se debe a su enfoque en la ciencia accesible y aplicable. Explica que la psicología positiva busca equilibrar la atención entre remediar lo negativo y cultivar lo positivo en la vida, y cómo preguntas como '¿qué funciona?' pueden ser clave para el cambio personal y organizacional.

Takeaways

• 🎓 El estudio de la psicología positiva surgió como respuesta a la falta de felicidad personal y la necesidad de comprender cómo mejorar la calidad de vida.
• 🌟 La psicología positiva se enfoca en lo que funciona y promueve el bienestar, en contraste con la tradición que se centra en lo que está mal y cómo repararlo.
• 📈 La popularidad de la psicología positiva en la educación y los negocios se debe a su enfoque práctico y accesible, combinando la rigurosidad científica con soluciones aplicables.
• 🔍 La investigación en psicología positiva ha cambiado de preguntar '¿Por qué fallan?' a '¿Qué hace que algunos individuos tengan éxito a pesar de las adversidades?', lo que ha llevado a descubrir rasgos de resiliencia.
• 👶 Los niños en entornos de riesgo pueden ser resilientes y tener éxito si se les enseña a enfocarse en sus fortalezas y a desarrollar metas, optimismo y tener modelos a seguir.
• 🌱 La resiliencia no es solo una cualidad innata sino que también puede ser aprendida y enseñada, lo que ha transformado programas de intervención para mejorar resultados a largo plazo.
• 🌐 La psicología positiva ha impactado a nivel mundial, siendo adoptada por organizaciones y países para promover el crecimiento personal y el bienestar.
• 📚 La enseñanza de la psicología positiva en universidades ha sido altamente popular, a menudo siendo uno de los cursos más grandes, reflejando su relevancia y demanda.
• 🤔 La importancia de preguntar la 'pregunta correcta' se demuestra en cómo enfocar la resiliencia y el éxito en lugar de la falla y el fracaso, lo que lleva a soluciones más efectivas.
• 💡 La psicología positiva no ignora los problemas y desafíos, sino que busca equilibrar la atención entre lo que no funciona y lo que sí funciona para obtener una visión más completa de la realidad.

Q & A

¿Por qué decidió el narrador cambiar de carrera de informática a filosofía y psicología?

El narrador estaba descontento a pesar de tener éxito en la universidad en áreas académicas, sociales y deportivas. Decidió cambiar de carrera para explorar y responder a sus preguntas personales sobre la felicidad y cómo mejorarla.

¿Cuál fue la respuesta inicial del narrador al cambiar de carrera?

Inicialmente, el narrador tuvo seis estudiantes en su clase de psicología positiva, pero a medida que la palabra se esparcía, aumentó a más de 300 estudiantes en el siguiente año y cerca de 900 en el tercer año.

¿Por qué se interesó la prensa en la clase de psicología positiva enseñada por el narrador?

La prensa se interesó porque la clase de psicología positiva era más grande que la introducción a la economía, lo que era una anomalía en términos de tamaño de clase universitario.

¿Qué era la expectativa general de los entrevistadores sobre el narrador antes de conocerlo?

Los entrevistadores esperaban que el narrador fuera muy extrovertido, alegre, carismático y alto, pensando que estas características eran necesarias para enseñar la felicidad.

¿Cuál es la diferencia fundamental entre la psicología tradicional y la psicología positiva según el narrador?

La psicología tradicional se enfoca en arreglar lo que está mal, mientras que la psicología positiva también busca construir las mejores cualidades de la vida, enfocándose en lo que funciona y lo positivo.

¿Qué es la resiliencia y cómo se relaciona con la psicología positiva?

La resiliencia es la capacidad de algunas personas para tener éxito a pesar de las adversidades. La psicología positiva se centra en aprender de lo que funciona en estas personas y aplicar esos conocimientos para mejorar la vida de otros.

¿Qué cambios se produjeron en los programas de intervención psicológica cuando se comenzó a enfocarse en la resiliencia en lugar de en los problemas?

Cuando los programas de intervención comenzaron a enfocarse en la resiliencia y en lo que funcionaba, se observaron cambios significativos y positivos en los participantes, en lugar de los resultados nulos o negativos que se observaban anteriormente.

¿Qué características distinguen a los niños resilientes según el estudio mencionado en el guion?

Los niños resilientes suelen tener metas, una perspectiva optimista, role models, y se enfocan en sus fortalezas en lugar de sus debilidades.

¿Cómo se puede enseñar la resiliencia y por qué es importante?

La resiliencia se puede enseñar a través de la identificación de metas personales, el fomento de una actitud optimista, la adopción de role models y el enfoque en las fortalezas personales. Es importante porque ayuda a las personas a tener éxito y a lidiar con las adversidades de la vida.

¿Cuál es la relación entre la pregunta que se hace y el resultado que se obtiene en la psicología, según el narrador?

Según el narrador, las preguntas que se hacen en la psicología determinan el enfoque de estudio y, por lo tanto, los resultados que se obtienen. Por ejemplo, preguntarse por qué fallan ciertos individuos conduce a resultados diferentes a preguntarse por qué algunos individuos tienen éxito a pesar de las adversidades.

Outlines

00:00

😀 Iniciativa de la Psicología Positiva

Este párrafo introduce al narrador y su motivación para estudiar psicología positiva debido a su propia infelicidad. A pesar de tener éxito académico, social y deportivo en Harvard, se sentía insatisfecho y decidió cambiar de carrera. Su interés en la psicología se centró en dos preguntas fundamentales: por qué no estaba feliz y cómo podría volverse más feliz. A lo largo de sus estudios, encontró respuestas y decidió enseñar lo aprendido, iniciando con un curso de psicología positiva que rápidamente aumentó en popularidad, lo que atrajo la atención de los medios de comunicación. A pesar de las expectativas de los entrevistadores sobre su personalidad y apariencia, el éxito del curso fue atribuido al contenido y no al mensajero.

05:02

🌟 La Ciencia de la Felicidad

Este párrafo enfatiza la importancia de la psicología positiva y su difusión en diferentes contextos, como universidades, organizaciones y países. La psicología positiva se ha convertido en una ciencia de la felicidad que combina la rigurosidad académica con la accesibilidad del movimiento de autoayuda. Se destaca la necesidad de ir más allá de los enfoques tradicionales que se centran en los problemas y en la reparación, para también construir las mejores cualidades de la vida. La popularidad de la psicología positiva se debe a su capacidad de ser una ciencia accesible que puede aplicarse en la vida personal y profesional.

10:04

🔍 Enfoque en lo que Funciona

El tercer párrafo explica el enfoque central de la psicología positiva, que es centrarse en lo que funciona y no solo en lo que está roto. Antes del año 2000, la mayoría de la investigación en psicología se centraba en trastornos y problemas, pero la psicología positiva busca equilibrar esto al investigar y promover el bienestar, la felicidad y la satisfacción. Esta perspectiva también se aplica en la terapia y en el consejero de parejas, donde se abordan tanto las fortalezas como las áreas de mejora. La psicología positiva no ignora los problemas, sino que también pone de relieve lo que va bien en la vida, en las relaciones y en las organizaciones.

15:06

👶 Estudios sobre Poblaciones en Riesgo

Este párrafo aborda la historia de la investigación en psicología que se centraba en por qué ciertos individuos de poblaciones en riesgo fallaban. La mayoría de estos estudios no resultaron en cambios significativos. Se menciona el estudio de Cambridge Somerville, un programa de intervención con recursos y buenas intenciones que no mejoró la vida de los niños en riesgo. A pesar de la inversión de tiempo y dinero, no se observó ninguna diferencia positiva en la salud mental, el delito o la educación de los participantes comparados con un grupo de control.

20:10

🌱 Resiliencia y Éxito en Adversidad

En este párrafo se discute el cambio en la investigación psicológica que comenzó en la década de 1980, centrada en entender qué hace que algunos individuos tengan éxito a pesar de las adversidades. En lugar de centrarse en el fracaso, se comenzó a estudiar a aquellos que lograban triunfar. Se descubrió que características como la resiliencia, la orientación al futuro, la actitud optimista, los modelos a seguir y el enfoque en las fortalezas contribuían a los logros de estos individuos. Estos rasgos no son inherentes a superniños, sino que son aprendibles y se pueden enseñar, lo que llevó a programas efectivos que mejoraban el bienestar y la felicidad.

25:12

🛠️ Aprendiendo a Ser Resilientes

El sexto párrafo continúa la discusión sobre cómo enseñar a los niños a desarrollar características de resiliencia, como la capacidad de establecer metas, ser optimistas y encontrar modelos a seguir. Se menciona la importancia de la investigación en la enseñanza de estas habilidades y cómo programas específicos han demostrado ser efectivos en prevenir la depresión y mejorar el bienestar. La sección resalta la capacidad de los profesionales de la psicología y la educación para influir positivamente en la vida de los niños a través de la enseñanza de estas características.

Keywords

💡Psicología positiva

La psicología positiva es un enfoque dentro del campo de la psicología que se centra en el estudio de las cualidades humanas positivas y cómo promueven el bienestar y el éxito. En el guion, se menciona que la psicología positiva se enfoca en lo que funciona, en lugar de solo reparar lo que está mal en la vida. Se destaca como una ciencia de la felicidad que busca equilibrar la atención tradicional en problemas como la depresión y la ansiedad, con la inclusión de la felicidad, la satisfacción y el amor.

💡Felicidad

La felicidad es un estado de bienestar y satisfacción que se menciona como un objetivo de la psicología positiva. En el guion, se discute cómo la psicología positiva ayuda a las personas a enfocarse en lo que funciona en sus vidas, lo que a su vez puede aumentar su nivel de felicidad. Se utiliza como ejemplo de un concepto que la psicología positiva busca estudiar y promover, en contraste con el enfoque tradicional que se centra en trastornos y problemas.

💡Autoeficacia

La autoeficacia es la creencia en uno mismo para lograr logros y superar obstáculos. En el guion, se sugiere que los individuos que tienen éxito a pesar de las adversidades suelen tener una perspectiva optimista y una creencia en su capacidad para lograr sus metas, lo que es un componente clave de la resiliencia y el éxito personal.

💡Resiliencia

La resiliencia es la capacidad de las personas para adaptarse y superar situaciones difíciles o adversas. En el guion, se destaca cómo la resiliencia es un rasgo común entre aquellos que logran el éxito a pesar de las circunstancias desfavorables. Se menciona que los niños que muestran resiliencia son aquellos que tienen metas, una perspectiva optimista, modelos a seguir y se enfocan en sus fortalezas.

💡Fortalezas personales

Las fortalezas personales son las cualidades, habilidades o talentos que las personas poseen y que les permiten alcanzar el éxito y el bienestar. En el guion, se sugiere que en lugar de enfocarse únicamente en las debilidades o problemas, la psicología positiva también busca identificar y desarrollar las fortalezas personales, lo que puede llevar a resultados positivos y a una mayor satisfacción de vida.

💡Modelos a seguir

Los modelos a seguir son personas que inspiran y motivan a otros a través de sus logros y comportamientos positivos. En el guion, se menciona que los niños con resiliencia a menudo tienen modelos a seguir, ya sean figuras de la familia, maestros o figuras históricas, que les ayudan a enfocar sus esfuerzos y aspiraciones.

💡Preguntas

Las preguntas son un elemento clave en la psicología positiva, ya que dirigen la atención y el enfoque tanto en la investigación como en la intervención terapéutica. En el guion, se argumenta que las preguntas que se hacen pueden influir significativamente en los resultados, ya que si se centran en los problemas, se obtienen soluciones problemáticas, mientras que si se centran en lo que funciona, se promueven soluciones positivas.

💡Intervención psicológica

La intervención psicológica se refiere a los programas o estrategias diseñados para ayudar a las personas a mejorar su bienestar psicológico y su calidad de vida. En el guion, se discute cómo ciertos programas de intervención, aunque bien intencionados y recursos, no siempre producen los resultados esperados, lo que lleva a la necesidad de preguntarse qué hace que algunas personas tengan éxito y aplicar esos conocimientos.

💡Estudios longitudinales

Los estudios longitudinales son investigaciones que siguen a un grupo de individuos durante un período prolongado de tiempo para observar cambios y tendencias. En el guion, se menciona un estudio longitudinal conocido como el Estudio de Cambridge Somerville, que siguió a niños durante años y que, a pesar de los recursos invertidos, no logró reducir las tasas de delincuencia o mejora en la salud mental, lo que llevó a reconsiderar las preguntas y enfoques en la psicología positiva.

💡Realidad

La realidad en el contexto del guion se refiere a la forma en que las personas perciben y entienden su mundo y las situaciones que les rodean. Se argumenta que la psicología positiva busca ofrecer una visión más amplia de la realidad, incluyendo tanto los aspectos negativos como los positivos de la vida, para promover un enfoque más equilibrado y productivo.

Highlights

The speaker transitioned from computer science to positive psychology after questioning why they were unhappy despite external success.

Positive psychology class started with 8 students, grew to 900, and became Harvard’s largest course due to its focus on happiness.

The speaker noticed interviewers often expected them to be more outgoing or cheerful, reflecting a misunderstanding of the field's focus.

Positive psychology addresses not just fixing problems but also building strengths and focusing on what works.

The popularity of positive psychology is due to its empirical foundation combined with accessible, applicable insights.

Positive psychology helps shift focus from post-traumatic stress to post-traumatic growth, showing its application in real-world crises like the Sichuan earthquake.

The field bridges academic rigor and accessibility, distinguishing itself from the often-overpromising self-help industry.

Historically, for every article on happiness or joy, there were 21 on depression or anxiety, highlighting the imbalance positive psychology aims to address.

A study of at-risk populations, like the Cambridge Somerville study, failed to make a difference by focusing on failure rather than success.

Programs started to succeed in the 1980s when psychologists began asking what makes certain individuals succeed despite unfavorable circumstances.

The concept of resilience emerged as a key characteristic of successful individuals from at-risk populations, demonstrating the importance of optimism and goal-setting.

Resilience-building programs can be taught and have been shown to reduce the likelihood of depression by over 50% in some studies.

The research found that ordinary characteristics, like optimism, goal-setting, and having role models, can lead to extraordinary results in at-risk populations.

The focus on individual strengths rather than just weaknesses is a cornerstone of positive psychology's approach.

Positive psychology applies scientific methods to help individuals and organizations focus on strengths, resilience, and growth, making it applicable at personal, organizational, and national levels.

Transcripts

[Music]

[Applause]

I'm so happy that you're taking this

course and you know it's not always easy

being happy in fact I got into this

field of positive psychology because of

my unhappiness I was an undergraduate

studying computer science at Harvard

doing very well academically doing very

well

socially doing very well in athletics

and I was unhappy looking at my life

from the outside everything seemed great

but from the inside it didn't feel that

way and I didn't know why I was baffled

and then I remember halfway through my

second year very called Boston morning I

got up went to my academic advisor and

told her that I'm switching course and

she said where to and I said well I'm

leaving computer science and going into

philosophy and psychology and she asked

me why and I said because I have two

questions first why aren't I happy

second how can I become happier and it's

with these two questions that I

proceeded to get my undergraduate degree

and then went to do some graduate work

in psychology and actually did become

happier through my studies and when I

graduated I wanted to share what I've

learned with others and that's when I

started to teach the first year when I

taught a class on positive psychology I

had eight students two of them dropped

out that left me with any mathematicians

in the room six through word of mouth

the class grew somewhat and the

following year I had over 300 students

and then the third year when I taught a

class on positive psychology I had close

to 900 students making it

course at Harvard and at that point the

media became interested why because here

was the class that was larger than

introduction to economics and they

wanted to understand why this was before

the economic crisis so I would be called

in for newspapers radio television and I

started to notice a certain pattern in

these interviews so I would walk in and

subsequently the interviewer or the

producer would walk me out and say

something to the effect of tal thank you

very much for doing the interview but

you know I expected you to be different

and I would ask as nonchalantly as I

could of course as if I didn't care how

different and they would say well I

don't know we expected you to be more

outgoing

okay next interview same thing how

different I asked and they said well I

did not expect you to be more more

cheerful next interview same thing how

different I asked and they said well

less less introverted next interview

same thing how different I asked well

less shy because you know I'm shy I'm an

introvert especially in the context of

interviews and on and on interview after

interview more outgoing more cheerful

more extroverted less shy less

introverted and on and on but here is

the best one so this is an interview in

New England cable news a television

channel just outside Boston drove there

we had a long interview which I actually

thought was quite good but at the end of

the interview the interviewer walks me

out and says tal thank you very much for

doing the interview but you know and now

the usual comes I expected you to be

different now just so that you

understand and I hope you will

understand by this time my self esteem

is on the floor but still still with

some semblance of nonchalance I asked

how different and the interviewer looks

at me and says I didn't know tall I

expected you to be taller

taller you tell me is 1 meter 70 or okay

one meter 68 and a half not enough to

teach happiness and I thought about this

whole pattern of why they expect someone

different and I think I understand why

you see there to explain to themselves

their viewers their listeners a certain

phenomenon

what's this phenomenon here is a class

that's larger than introduction to

economics and how do you explain this

phenomena of course by looking at the

teacher who must be extremely outgoing

very cheerful unbelievably charismatic

and tall right I mean why did you come

here today why are you taking this

course the problem though is that they

were looking in the wrong place you see

they were looking at the teacher at the

messenger where they needed to look at

was at the content at the message how do

I know that I know that because there

are literally hundreds of college

campuses around the world where positive

psychology is being taught on just about

every campus where it's taught it's one

of the if not the largest course more

and more organizations are taking up

ideas from positive psychology whether

it's McKinsey arguably the leading

consulting firm in the world a Boston

Consulting Group

whether it's McDonald's whether it's

Verizon whether it's the U n more and

more nations are taking up ideas from

positive psychology so I recently came

back from China where I spoke to

psychologists to therapists working with

survivors from this sitch one earthquake

I mean the stories that you hear they're

unbelievable imagine you're a 10 year

old girl sitting down next to your best

friend and suddenly she disappears never

to see her again or parents losing only

children again using positive psychology

in order to help where possible where

possible to shift from post-traumatic

stress disorder to post-traumatic growth

Australia is now using more ideas from

positive psychology in its schools

why the popularity whether it's on the

national level whether it's on the

organizational level or in schools why

because it works because essentially for

the first time we have a science of

happiness you see until very recently

this whole realm of life flourishing of

happiness of joy of motivation success

has really been dominated by the self

health movement what do we have in the

self-help or New Age movement we have

literally and I'm not exaggerating

thousands of books coming out each year

the books are interesting they're

accessible many are well written we have

thousands of seminars offered all over

the world the speakers are charismatic

they are cheerful they're tall

attracting the masses to the workshops

but and there is a very big but here

many of these workshops many of these

seminars many of these books not all but

many over promise and under deliver so

these are the five things you need to do

to be happy here are the three things to

keep in mind if you want to be the great

leader or parent the one secret of

success and flourishing over-promising

not always delivering on the other hand

you have academia what do we have in

academia we have a lot of rigor a lot of

substance things are analyzed reanalyzed

and meta analyzed good stuff important

stuff things that work empirical

foundations scientific but and there is

also a very big but here most of the

academic writing most of what comes out

from the universities from the ivory

tower is not accessible I mean think

about it how many people outside of us

of course except for us how many other

people have read the last issue of the

Journal of Personality and Social

ecology other than us who has the what

well that's the leading journal in my

field getting good stuff important stuff

not accessible in fact the head of my

PhD program once estimated that the

average academic journal article is read

by seven people and that includes the

author's mother not always because my

mother doesn't read my academic journals

any therapist you know I said in jest

but it's sad it's sad because again good

stuff important stuff but not accessible

and this is where positive psychology

comes in where positive psychology comes

in explicitly as part of its mandate is

to create a bridge between the ivory

tower and Main Street in other words

what it attempts to do is bring the

rigor the scientific foundation the

empiricism from academia and merge it

with the accessibility of the self-help

or New Age movement and this explains

its popularity whether it's on

university campuses with organizations

or on the national level it's accessible

science that can be applied and what I

want you to think about when I talk

about these IDs is how you can apply

them to your personal lives how you can

apply them to your workplace with your

children with your partner with your

boss with your colleagues employees in

your community because the more

connections you can make to this

material the more it will sink in the

more you'll be able to apply it as a

result so what I want to do today is

introduce you to be just very basic

essentials the tip of the iceberg of

what positive psychology is about

unfortunately I cannot go beyond the

essential the basics because I was told

that we need to be out of here by

midnight so I'll be brief

so what is the essence of positive

psychology what is psychology while

standing on one foot here it is positive

psychology is about focusing on what

works what does this mean so if you

looked at the landscape of psychology as

a whole until the year 2000 for every

one article on happiness job

satisfaction joy love for every one

article on one of these topics there

were 21 articles on depression anxiety

in schizophrenia or job toxicity this

was the ratio in the field what positive

psychology says let's even the playing

field not go to the other extreme but

let's have more equity within psychology

second if I go to a therapist what is

the first question but the therapist

will ask me either explicitly or it will

be implicitly hovering in the air what

is the first question what is wrong what

happened that brought you here what's

not working in your life if I go with my

partner to a couple's counselor what is

the first question that is explicitly or

implicitly asked what's the problem why

are you here what's not going well in

your relationship that needs fixing or

an organizational behaviorist usually

comes into a company and the first

question is what's wrong what are the

deficiencies what do we need to work on

otherwise why am I here now these are

good questions important questions what

positive psychology says and shows

through studies and research is that

it's not enough what we need is to go

beyond these questions and ask questions

such as what is going well in your life

or what's going well in your

relationships because you wouldn't be

here if there weren't things that were

working that were going well what are

the strengths of your organized

or your personal strengths as a leader

or your employees competencies what's

working in the words of Marty Seligman

considered the father of positive

psychology the aim of positive

psychology is to catalyze a change in

psychology from a preoccupation only

with repairing the worse things in life

to also building the best qualities in

life with an emphasis on also positive

psychology is not about ignoring what is

not working whether it's in myself in my

relationship or in the organization

positive psychology is about also not

ignoring what is going well in myself in

my organization in my relationship it's

about getting a broader view of reality

of that which exists and just like there

is a lot of pain a lot of anger a lot of

hatred in the world there is also a lot

of and actually a lot more off joy love

satisfaction and happiness and positive

psychology is there to take the extreme

and even the playing field whether it's

in research whether it's on the couch

whether it's in an organization whether

it's on the national level now assuming

for now assuming because I'll give you

many more studies later but let's assume

for now that focusing on what works

works that it helps to focus also on the

positive assuming that it's good for the

individual for the group for the

organization how do we get people how do

we get our partners how do we get our

family members how do we get our

colleagues how do you get ourselves to

focus also on what works and the answer

to this question lies in the questions

that we ask let me illustrate the

importance of questions through a case

study the case of at-risk population

there's been a lot of research a lot of

studies done in this area and most of it

started after World War two so toward

the late 40s started in the United

States then spread Europe Africa

Australia Asia Middle East the rest of

the world and the research question that

guided most psychologists sociologists

doing work in these areas was why do

these individuals fail why do so many

individuals from at-risk population

areas end up doing drugs at an early age

or wise crime rampant why do so many

girls become pregnant in a young age why

are the school dropout rates so high

important questions good questions

however very little actual change came

about as a result of these questions let

me give you one example of a study that

emerged from this research question

which is both typical and atypical

atypical in terms of the amount of

resources that went in typical

unfortunately in terms of the results so

this was called the Cambridge Somerville

study it was put together by the

presidents of two universities in

Cambridge the president of Harvard and

the president of MIT and they got

together and said we are going to create

the Rolls Royce of psychological

interventions the best program for

at-risk population and that we're going

to apply the resources their brains

their goodwill in Somerville also

referred to by some as slum ervil where

there are many people who fit the

description of an at-risk population so

they create this program and this was

not going to be a quick fix they create

a five-year program where they get the

best minds the best hearts people who

really want to make a dip

Frantz psychologists psychiatrists

social workers tutors to help these

children and because it was going to be

a serious study that we're going to

follow these kids for 40 years almost

throughout their lives and because it

was going to be a serious study there

was also going to be a control group so

there were 250 kids who got everything

and 250 kids who got nothing not fair

but life is often not fair so they

followed these kids for five years

during the program and then 40 years

into their adulthood and the results

were shocking so they looked at

psychological well-being how happy were

they during the 5 years and then 40

years subsequently and they found zero

difference between the two groups they

looked at depression anxiety mental

health in general and they found zero

differences between the two groups they

looked at crime rates whether it's as

children or later on as adults how many

of them end up in jail zero difference

between the two groups

finally finally they found two

differences and two major differences

the first one was in terms of levels of

alcoholism the second one was the number

of children that ended up in white

versus blue collar jobs good right

alcoholism getting good jobs important

differences good differences right not

so good because the differences were in

the opposite direction meaning the

control group had less cases of

alcoholism the control group

participants were more likely to get

into white-collar jobs later on in life

now as you can imagine there's been a

lot of studies about this study trying

to explain what

wrong and some of the things that they

came up for example was that in the

experimental group the intervention

group what was created was a sense of

entitlement or lack of taking

responsibility and we'll talk about the

importance of taking responsibility

later on in this lecture the reason

though that I'm bringing this study up

is to illustrate a rather typical result

that came out of the research question

why do these individuals fail with good

intentions with smarts with virtually

unlimited resources and very little

actual change came about as a result of

intervention programs emerging from this

and related research questions that

focus on the problems but on what needs

to be fixed bless you all this changed

in the 1980s in the 1980s with the

emergence of people like Ellis Eisen

Allen Langer Aaron Antonov ski a

different question came onto the scene a

different focus and the question that

these psychologists and sociologists

began to ask was what makes some

individuals succeed despite unfavorable

circumstances because you see not

everyone failed there were some who

succeeded and succeeded big time there

were not the majority but they were

there and psychologists started to study

them to focus on them and this in the

words of Robert Frost made all the

difference

programs that hadn't been working for

decades were suddenly working for

example John kabat-zinn

and Richard Davidson introducing an

eight-week program raising levels of

well-being happiness physical health

care enriched

teachers at University of Pennsylvania

introduced a two-week program that

reduced the likelihood of depression in

this population by more than 50% for the

long haul look at the difference that a

question makes why because the question

gets us to learn from what works it got

the sociologists the psychologists the

psychiatrists to focus on successful

children and when they did that they

identified the characteristic of

resilience among them this was what

distinguished then the minority from the

rest now in the 1980s when they came up

with this idea when they did this

research

very few people used the word resilience

today we all use it whether it's in the

board room whether it's in the classroom

it's important until the 1980s there

were two researchers from Hawaii who

talked about resilience Vernor Smith

very few people heard about them today

they're well known in the field and

initially when they studied resilience

when they focused on these successful

kids they said oh these must be super

kids some genetic anomaly that occurred

in a one in a thousand but when they

studied them deeper when they looked

into what constitutes the resilience and

consequently the outcome the realize

that these were not extraordinary kids

these were not super kids in fact these

were ordinary kids with ordinary

characteristics that led to Extra

Ordinary results so what are some of

these ordinary characteristics these

kids set goals for themselves they were

future oriented they did not ignore the

here and now but they also had

personally meaningful goals things that

they strive toward these kids had an

optimistic outlook

they weren't detached Pollyannish Oh

everything is just going to be fine and

dandy not at all

but they had hope they had faith they

believed that things would work out well

if when they put in the effort after the

struggles these kids had role models

whether it was mom or dad whether it was

a teacher whether it was a historical

figure but someone that they said I want

to be like her I want to be like him

someone that they looked up to admired

and finally these kids were focused on

their strengths they did not ignore

their weakness but they primarily

focused on what was working what they

were good at now

when psychologists looked at these

characteristics they said 20 minutes

these characteristics can be learned we

can teach them which is exactly what

they started to do with the other

children who did not internalize these

characteristics naturally or from their

environment or parents or a teacher they

started to teach them how to set goals

and we know how to do that today we have

research going back 50 years whether

it's la clay from deci ryan Luba Mirza

Sheldon and many others organizations do

it regularly and these children started

to set goals these kids learned how to

be more optimistic we know how to teach

it Marty Seligman has two books learned

optimism and the optimistic child with

quite straightforward techniques ideas

of how to teach optimism this by the way

is exactly what Karin ravaged did in her

two week program that reduced the

likelihood of depression by more than

50% in this population we can help

people identify role models first of all

be the role model ourselves but also get

them to read about people who are worth

admiring bring people from the community