Positive Psy-1

Overview. Positive Psychology. Life Coaching. and Christian Formation

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Welcome to PSY-562:

Positive Psychology, Life Coaching, and Christian Formation

You’ve no doubt heard the adage about how a single strand of rope can be strong but not nearly as strong as three strands that are woven together. Well, that is the image we want you to hold onto as you start this course. The three strands of this course are:

· Positive psychology

· Life coaching

· Spiritual formation

In this course, you will learn about principles of positive psychology and how they apply to life coaching. You will also integrate spiritual formation into your understanding of positive psychology and life coaching. It is the interweaving of these three strands that makes this course so relevant and powerful. When we consider spiritual formation issues we will be thinking critically about how certain aspects are viewed through a biblical worldview. It is this integrative process that enriches your deeper understanding of each of these areas. And, since you’ve chosen the life coaching and positive psychology specialization, much of the course will be devoted to building knowledge and resources in preparation for work that is centered on life coaching. Hopefully, you will find this entry point into life coaching an exciting journey toward your future professional aspirations.

This course is a critical step in the capstone project that we’ve been referring to throughout the curriculum. You will make important decisions and form a concrete plan for implementing your capstone project. By the time you complete the course, you should be prepared to start the implementation process of your life coaching portion of your capstone project in the next course. You will also be working to refine your Capstone Creative portion of the capstone project that will be implemented in PSY 590. So, roll up your sleeves and get ready for a challenging but very rich course that weaves the three strands of positive psychology, life coaching, and spiritual formation into a strong, integrative cord that will serve you well in your future personal and career aspirations.

1.1 Discussion. Be a Friend

Getting Started

For this and the next several devotionals, we are going to take an experiential approach—not just reading about God’s love and plans for us, but acting on them. First, we will consider biblical teachings and how they are supported by some of the research in positive psychology. Then, we will engage in a simple but powerful exercise. Finally, we will discuss the implications of that exercise on our lives and on our relationships. The first concept for our experiential devotionals will be “friendship.”

We all know what a friend is. But have all of us experienced the wonder of true friendship? Moreover, we often think of how our friends treat us, whether they are there for us, whether they can be relied upon during the bad times. Let’s look at things a different way for this experiential devotional: Have you had the opportunity to put your ability to be a friend to the test? Have you stood by your friends during the good times and the bad times?

If we consider that one of the strongest correlates to happiness and well-being is our friendships, then doesn’t it only make sense that we pour our time and energy into others, into our friendships? Yet, how often are we really there for others? How often do we really help others to the point of making our own lives a bit uncomfortable?

Jesus calls us His friends—He is our true friend. He is there for us during the good times and the bad. He is there for us even unto the ends of the earth, even unto the ends of our lives. Have you ever experienced the desperate need for Jesus? Have you ever experienced His presence during this time of great need?

Upon successful completion of this discussion, you will be able to:

· Share a time of need when Jesus’ presence was with you.

· Experiential Devotional: Be a friend to someone in need; do something that takes time, money, effort and thought. In other words, put yourself out just a bit.

· Discuss your experience of being a friend.

Background Information

It is difficult if not impossible to think about how much love it took for Jesus to go to the cross for us. I cannot imagine someone, let alone the Living God in the flesh, loving me enough to hang from a cross in agony. I am so grateful that He protects me, us, from this kind of understanding. Perhaps understanding this kind of action, this kind of love, this kind of sacrifice, would render us motionless.

If Jesus is the epitome of all things good, of all things of love, including the very best of friendships, then He is our example of a true friend. How close do we come to being friends with one another? How much do we give to others to show them that we truly love them and value them as an integral part of our lives? For this experiential exercise, we are going to do just that: show someone how much he/she is loved and cherished as a friend.

Instructions

1. Experiential Devotional: Be a friend to someone in need; do something that takes time, money, effort, and thought. In other words, put yourself out just a bit.

2. Respond to the following:

a. Share a time of need when Jesus’ presence was with you.

b. Discuss your experiential devotional and your experience of being a friend.

3. Your postings should also:

a. Be well developed by providing clear answers with evidence of critical thinking.

b. Add greater depth to the discussion by introducing new ideas.

c. Provide clarification to classmates’ questions and insight into the discussion.

1.2 Discussion. Exploring Positive Psychology and Life Coaching

Getting Started

By now you should have a good understanding of why positive psychology is such a popular and effective approach for dealing with many life situations. The part of positive psychology that people find most appealing is the focus on strengths and possibilities instead of problems and weaknesses. People want to grow and change but often get stuck in the process of making those desired changes. Instead of looking for a hidden dysfunctional behavior or life experience, positive psychology looks at the resources you have available to you right now and helps you utilize those resources toward a solution. It is a proactive way to live life and one of the main reasons it has gotten so much attention and focused research devoted to studying it in recent years. In this discussion you have the opportunity to reflect on what you’ve learned thus far about positive psychology and share some of these takeaways with others.

You’ll also go deeper into the theory and practice of life coaching. Since you’ve chosen life coaching and positive psychology as your area of specialization, this course will enable you to start exploring your life coaching style. You’ll have the chance to begin that in this discussion, as you look at broad styles that you can “try on,” much like a coat, to see how they fit. Eventually, you will have a coaching style that will fit you perfectly and be uniquely yours. You’ll begin the fitting process in this discussion by choosing between three popular coaching styles.

Positive psychology has also been associated with happiness. And who doesn’t want to be happy, right? But, from a Christian perspective, is happiness the end goal of life? Many in the Christian community prefer to make joy the goal instead of happiness. For example, can a person be in physical pain and still experience happiness? Most people would not think of pain and happiness as being able to coexist at the same time. But swap out the word “happiness” with “joy.” Can a person in physical pain also experience a sense of joy? You’ll get the opportunity to think through the distinctions with your classmates in this discussion.

Finally, you will explore the concept of wisdom. It may seem at first glance that wisdom is out of place among the other topics in this discussion. If you think about it, though, wisdom fits in perfectly with the third emphasis of the course, which is spiritual formation. The idea of being wise is central to our understanding of a biblical worldview. We are told dozens of times in the Bible about the virtues of seeking wisdom to live our lives. Here is one example from James 3:13: “Who is wise and understanding among you? Let him or her show it by their good life, by deeds done in humility that comes from wisdom.” As Christians we seek not just to gain knowledge (including our academic learning) but to be wise in the way we apply it. So, it should prove to be an interesting and rich discussion to kick off the course.

Upon successful completion of this discussion, you will be able to:

· Explain the basic tenets of positive psychology and how it applies to life coaching and spiritual formation.

Background Information

It is important in this first assignment of the course for you to see the interweaving of the three main topics of the course: positive psychology, life coaching, and spiritual formation. While they will be discussed at points as separate topics, the goal is to see the interconnectedness of the three throughout the course. Another way to say this: We use the concepts of positive psychology to help people grow by using life coaching methods to enhance our own and others’ spiritual formation.

Instructions

1. Review the rubric to make sure you understand the criteria for earning your grade.

2. Read the following chapters:

a. Chapter 1, “Wisdom,” in your textbook,  The Science of Virtue: Why Positive Psychology Matters to the Church

b. Chapter 1, “The Integration of Positive Psychology and Coaching,” in your textbook,  Positive Psychology in Coaching: Applying Science to Executive and Personal Coaching

3. Read the article  Is There a Difference Between Happiness and Joy? (new tab)  and watch the following videos:

a. Barry Schwartz - The Real Crisis? We Stopped Being Wise ( Transcript (PDF document) )

b. What is Positive Psychology? ( Transcript (PDF document) )

c. Positive Psychology ( Transcript (PDF document) )

4. respond to the following discussion questions:

a. Based on your current knowledge of positive psychology, what do you find most appealing about this approach to understanding behavior? Be specific.

b. Positive psychology is used extensively by life coaches to help others. Most life coaches who use positive psychology also have a guiding approach that fits their personality style. The three most popular styles focus on: 1) helping to solve problems, 2) identifying and living by values, or 3) promoting growth. All are important, and you’ll learn more about these approaches in the next workshop. But if you had to choose only one as a starting point for the type of coaching that most interests you, which of these approaches is most appealing? Explain.

c. Many people equate positive psychology with happiness. What is the difference, if any, between happiness and joy? Is one more foundational to overall wellbeing than the other? Explain.

d. How would you define wisdom? What is the main difference between secular wisdom and biblically-based wisdom? What role does wisdom play in helping you to grow toward spiritual maturity?

5. Your post should be between 400 and 500 words long.

a. If you use outside sources in your posts, be sure to include APA-formatted in-text citations and references at the end.

b. Use the APA 7th Edition

c. If you use outside resources in the development of your paper, be sure to appropriately cite the material. At the very least, you will have one citation for the survey.

i. Use in-text citations and APA format for direct quotations and references to the readings.