Positive Psychology and Physical Health

Park, Nansook; Peterson, Christopher; Szvarca, Daniel; Molen, Randy J. Vander; Kim, Eric S.; Collon, Kevin

doi:10.1177/1559827614550277

Cited by 95 publications

(71 citation statements)

References 69 publications

(112 reference statements)

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“…The present findings include several strengths similar to items from the taxonomy of character strengths in positive psychology, that is perseverance, kindness, bravery, humour and gratitude . However, most studies on character strengths have included participants from the general population . The present study therefore adds to knowledge about the strengths and their applicability reported by people with chronic illness.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 97%

Personal strengths reported by people with chronic illness: A qualitative study

Kristjánsdóttir

Stenberg

Mirković

et al. 2018

Health Expectations

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BackgroundSelf‐management of chronic illness can be highly demanding and people need to mobilize their personal strengths to live well with their condition. More knowledge is needed about how people with chronic illness perceive and use their personal strengths as a basis for better integrating empowering person‐centred approaches into health care.ObjectiveTo explore what people with chronic illness describe as their strengths relevant to their health and well‐being.Setting and ParticipantsThirty‐nine participants (11 men) from 4 outpatient self‐management programmes were recruited to individual or group interviews. Participants included patients with chronic respiratory disease (n = 7), chronic pain (n = 18) and morbid obesity (n = 14). Interviews were analysed using content analysis.ResultsA number of personal strengths were reported and categorized into 3 domains: (i) Internal strengths, (ii) External strengths and (iii) Self‐management strategies. Internal strengths included being persistent, having a positive outlook, being kind and caring, experiencing positive emotions, being kind towards oneself, reconciling oneself with the situation, having courage and having knowledge and insight. External strengths included support from family, friends, peers and health‐care providers. Self‐management strategies included being active, planning and prioritizing, reducing stress, goal setting and seeking knowledge and help.Discussion and ConclusionThe study provides insights into personal strengths as reported by people with chronic illness. The results complement prior findings on strengths in people with health challenges and can aid in incorporating person‐centred approaches into health care.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 97%

Personal strengths reported by people with chronic illness: A qualitative study

Kristjánsdóttir

Stenberg

Mirković

et al. 2018

Health Expectations

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“…It should be noted, however, that this area of study has also faced some criticism, as positive psychology behaviors such as forgiveness may not be functional in all contexts and circumstances (McNulty and Fincham, 2012). Nevertheless, several studies have shown that human flourishing is related to mental and physical health (e.g., Park et al, 2016), and reviews and meta-analyses have shown that positive psychology interventions work in terms of improving well-being and (academic) performance (Sin and Lyubomirsky, 2009;Durlak et al, 2011;Mongrain and Anselmo-Matthews, 2012;Waters, 2012). Thus, making sure that people receive positive psychology interventions, especially those relating to purpose in life, seems a viable and inexpensive way to help millions of people to have a better and healthier life (Menec, 2003;Seligman et al, 2005).…”

Section: Ikigai Meaning In Life and Life Craftingmentioning

confidence: 99%

Life Crafting as a Way to Find Purpose and Meaning in Life

2019

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Having a purpose in life is one of the most fundamental human needs. However, for most people, finding their purpose in life is not obvious. Modern life has a way of distracting people from their true goals and many people find it hard to define their purpose in life. Especially at younger ages, people are searching for meaning in life, but this has been found to be unrelated to actually finding meaning. Oftentimes, people experience pressure to have a "perfect" life and show the world how well they are doing, instead of following up on their deep-felt values and passions. Consequently, people may need a more structured way of finding meaning, e.g., via an intervention. In this paper, we discuss evidence-based ways of finding purpose, via a process that we call "life crafting." This process fits within positive psychology and the salutogenesis framework -an approach focusing on factors that support human health and well-being, instead of factors that cause disease. This process ideally starts with an intervention that entails a combination of reflecting on one's values, passions and goals, best possible self, goal attainment plans, and other positive psychology intervention techniques. Important elements of such an intervention are: (1) discovering values and passion, (2) reflecting on current and desired competencies and habits, (3) reflecting on present and future social life, (4) reflecting on a possible future career, (5) writing about the ideal future, (6) writing down specific goal attainment and "if-then" plans, and (7) making public commitments to the goals set. Prior research has shown that personal goal setting and goal attainment plans help people gain a direction or a sense of purpose in life. Research findings from the field of positive psychology, such as salutogenesis, implementation intentions, value congruence, broadenand-build, and goal-setting literature, can help in building a comprehensive evidence-based life-crafting intervention. This intervention can aid individuals to find a purpose in life, while at the same time ensuring that they make concrete plans to work toward this purpose. The idea is that life crafting enables individuals to take control of their life in order to optimize performance and happiness.

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“…It also reflected people’s ambitious outlook after the Second World War, when health and peace were seen as inseparable (83, 84). Since then, this shift has seen a major growth in the last 30 years, primarily in areas of positive health and psychology (88–92). …”

Section: Defining Healthmentioning

confidence: 99%

The Human–Nature Relationship and Its Impact on Health: A Critical Review

Seymour

2016

Front. Public Health

179

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Within the past four decades, research has been increasingly drawn toward understanding whether there is a link between the changing human–nature relationship and its impact on people’s health. However, to examine whether there is a link requires research of its breadth and underlying mechanisms from an interdisciplinary approach. This article begins by reviewing the debates concerning the human–nature relationship, which are then critiqued and redefined from an interdisciplinary perspective. The concept and chronological history of “health” is then explored, based on the World Health Organization’s definition. Combining these concepts, the human–nature relationship and its impact on human’s health are then explored through a developing conceptual model. It is argued that using an interdisciplinary perspective can facilitate a deeper understanding of the complexities involved for attaining optimal health at the human–environmental interface.

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Positive Psychology and Physical Health

Cited by 95 publications

References 69 publications

Personal strengths reported by people with chronic illness: A qualitative study

Personal strengths reported by people with chronic illness: A qualitative study

Life Crafting as a Way to Find Purpose and Meaning in Life

The Human–Nature Relationship and Its Impact on Health: A Critical Review

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