Chapter 1: Adjusting to Modern Life

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Chapter 1 Adjusting to Modern Life
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The Paradox of Progress

• Sources of Paradoxical Experience
• Time
• Gains vs. Losses
• Economics
• Abundance vs. Dissatisfaction
• Choices
• Appeal vs. Regret
• Technology
• Progress vs. Devastation

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Possible Explanations for The Paradox of Progress

• Fromm
• Changes in Value Systems
• Toffler
• Alienation due to rapid cultural change
• Kasser
• Excessive Materialisim

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The Search for Direction

• Self-realization Programs
• Cults
• Popularity of Dr. Talk shows

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The Search for Direction Self-Help Books

• Value?
• Shortcomings
• Psychobabble
• Advice Largely unsupported by research
• Lack of explicit directions

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The Search for DirectionFinding A Self-Help Book

• Clarity in communication
• Plausible expectations about immediate change
• Rooted in Theory Research
• Provide explicit directions for changing
  behaviors
• Focus on a particular topic

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The Search for DirectionApproach of our
Textbook

• Accuracy in knowledge of psychological principles
  is valuable
• Critical attitude about psychological issues and
  enhance critical thinking
• Provide doorway to other resources
• Personal Responsibility

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Guidelines for Thinking Critically

• Ask questions, be open to wonder
• Define the problem/terminology
• Examine the evidence
• Analyze biases assumptions in self others
• Avoid emotional reasoning
• Dont oversimplify
• Tolerate uncertainty

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Text Definition of The Psychology of Adjustment

• Psychology is
• the science that studies behavior and the
  physiological and mental processes that underlie
  it
• the profession that applies the accumulated
  knowledge of this science to practical problems.

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Text Definition of The Psychology of Adjustment

• Adjustment is the psychological processes
  through which people manage or cope with the
  demands and challenges of everyday life.

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The A, B, Cs of Psychological Processes

• A Affect (emotion) or Attitude (an evaluative
  feeling toward something)
• B Behavior (action)
• C Cognition (belief)

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Alternative Definition to The Psychology of
Adjustment

• Adjustment examines how peoples
  affect/attitudes, behaviors, and beliefs
  influence their coping with the demands and
  challenges of their everyday life.

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A, B, C Connections
FREE YOUR MIND
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A, B, C Connections
Affect

• The A, B, Cs are part of a dynamic system
• Adjustment can be thought of in terms of A, B, C
  links (e.g., A?B, A?C, B?C, B?A, C?A, C?B).
• Often the links between A, B, Cs are reciprocal
  in nature.

Behavior
Cognition
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The Scientific Approach to Behavior

• The commitment to empiricism.
• Empiricism is the premise that knowledge should
  be acquired through observation.
• Thus, the conclusions of scientific psychology
  are based on careful, systemic observation rather
  than speculation or common sense.

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The Scientific Approach to Behavior (cont.)

• Advantages of the scientific approach.
• Clarity and precision empiricism demands that
  scientists state exactly what they are referring
  to in their hypothesis.
• Relative intolerance for error.
• Scientists ideas are subjected to empirical
  tests.
• Their ideas and research are scrutinized by other
  scientists.

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The Scientific Approach to Behavior (cont.)

• Experimental research looking for causes.
• The experiment is a research method in which the
  investigator manipulates one (independent)
  variable under carefully controlled conditions,
  and observes whether any changes occur in a
  second (dependent) variable as a result.

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Schachter (1959)
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The Scientific Approach to Behavior (cont.)

• Measuring correlation.
• A correlation coefficient is a numerical index
  of the degree of relationship that exists between
  two variables.
• It provides two pieces of information
• The direction (positive or negative) of the
  relationship,
• The strength of two related variables.

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The Scientific Approach to Behavior (cont.)

• Positive Correlations indicate that two
  variables covary in the same direction.
• High scores on variable x are related to high
  scores on variable y.
• Negative Correlations indicate that two
  variables covary in the opposite direction.
• High scores on variable x are related to low
  scores on variable y (see Figure 1.3).

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The Scientific Approach to Behavior (cont.)
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The Scientific Approach to Behavior (cont.)

• Strength of the correlation is indicated by the
  size of the correlation coefficient.
• Correlation coefficients can range from 0 to
  1.00 (for positive correlations) and from 0 to
  -1.00 (for negative correlations).
• Coefficient near 0 indicate there is no
  association, or a very weak association between
  variables.
• Coefficients near either 1.00 or -1.00, indicate
  strong associations (see Figure 1.4).

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The Scientific Approach to Behavior (cont.)
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The Scientific Approach to Behavior (cont.)

• Advantages of using correlations.
• They allow us to explore variables not suitable
  for experimental research.
• (e.g. it may not be ethical to purposely
  manipulate some variables.)
• They allow investigation of a broader array of
  psychological phenomena than is possible in
  experimental research.

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The Scientific Approach to Behavior (cont.)

• Disadvantages of using correlations.
• Correlations only tell us that two variables are
  related, not how the two variables are related.
• x could be causing changes in y
• y could be causing changes in x, or
• z, a third variable, could be causing changes in
  x and y (see Figure 1.7).
• Thus, we cannot determine cause and effect from
  correlations alone.

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The 3rd Variable Problem in Establishing Causality
Figure 1.7
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The Roots of Happiness An Empirical Analysis

• What makes people happy?
• What is not very important
• Money the correlation between income and
  happiness is very weak (.13) in U.S.
• Age age accounts for less than 1 of variation
  in reported happiness.
• Gender gender also accounts for less than 1 of
  variation in reported happiness.

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The Roots of Happiness (cont.)

• What is not very important (cont.)
• Parenthood good and bad aspects of parenthood
  offset each other.
• Intelligence there is no association between IQ
  and happiness.
• Physical attractiveness attractive people enjoy
  many advantages in society, but the relationship
  with happiness is very weak.

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The Roots of Happiness (cont.)

• What is somewhat important
• Health health and happiness have a positive
  correlation of .32.
• Social activity people who are satisfied with
  their friendships report above-average levels of
  happiness.
• Religion people with sincere religious
  convictions are more likely to be happy.

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The Roots of Happiness (cont.)

• What is very important
• Love and marriage across cultures, for men and
  women, married people are happier than people who
  are single or divorced.
• Work job satisfaction is strongly related to
  happiness.
• Personality extraversion (or positive
  emotionality) is a strong predictor of happiness.

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The Roots of Happiness (cont.)

• Conclusions regarding roots of happiness
• Subjective feelings of happiness are more
  important than objective measures.
• 2. Happiness is relative.
• We evaluate our happiness relative to what others
  around us have, and
• We evaluate our happiness relative to our own
  expectations.

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The Roots of Happiness (cont.)

• Happiness is affected by hedonic adaptation.
• -This occurs when the mental scale that
  people use to judge the pleasantness-unpleasantnes
  s of their experiences shifts so that their
  neutral point, or baseline for comparison, is
  changed.
• (e.g. when circumstances improve, such as income,
  our baseline for happiness increases as well, so
  we dont feel happier.)

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• Does Happiness
• Well-Being?

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Subjective vs. Eudaimonic Forms of Well-Being

• Subjective Well-Being (e.g., Diener, 1984)
• Hedonic (Affective) qualities
• Life-Satisfaction
• Positive/Negative Affectivity
• Eudaimonic/Psychological Well-Being
• Self-Realization
• Ryff (1989) A Multicomponent view

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Eudaimonic Well-Being

• Ryff (1989) proposed that psychological
  well-being is comprised of 6 components
• Autonomy
• Environmental Mastery
• Personal Growth
• Positive Relationships with Others
• Purpose in Life
• Self-Acceptance

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Relationships Between Eudaimonic Subjective
Well-Being

• Life Satisfaction
• Autonomy (r .38)
• Environmental Mastery (r .48)
• Personal Growth (r .43)
• Positive Relationships (r .36)
• Purpose in Life (r .39)
• Self-Acceptance (r .65)
• Note Findings based on (Goldman, Brunnell,
  Kernis, Heppner, Davis, 2005) reported in
  Kernis and Goldman (2006).

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Application Improving Academic Performance

• Tips for developing sound study habits.
• Set up a schedule for studying.
• Find a place to study where you can concentrate.
• Reward your studying.

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Improving Academic Performance (cont.)

• Improving your reading.
• SQ3R is a study system designed to promote
  effective reading that includes five steps
• Survey glance at headings of material.
• Question convert these into questions.
• Read try to answer the questions.
• Recite recite your answers out loud.
• Review go back over key points.

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Improving Academic Performance (cont.)

• Tips for getting more out of lectures.
• Use active listening.
• Prepare for lecture by reading ahead.
• Write down lecturers thoughts in your own words.
• Ask questions during lecture.

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Improving Academic Performance (cont.)

• Tips for applying memory principles.
• Engage in adequate practice.
• Use overlearning continued rehearsal of
  material after you have first appeared to master
  it.
• Use distributed practice breaking up studying
  is more effective than cramming.
• Minimize interference before an exam, try not
  to study material from other classes.

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Improving Academic Performance (cont.)

• Organize information outline material from your
  text to enhance retention.
• Emphasize deep processing try to make material
  personally meaningful.
• Use verbal mnemonics, or memory aids.
• (e.g. the narrative method see Figure 1.14.)
• Use visual mnemonics.
• (e.g. the Method of Loci see Figure 1.15.)