Introducing Psychology

by Carol Ciccarelli

  Another exercise to build Hope and Optimism is called Two Doors. This exercise is called such because of the idiom “when one door closes another open.” This exercise is different from many in that it asks the individual to identify and examine negative aspects of life during the day. The first part in this activity is to identify which doors have closed, so to speak. This can be a negative experience or an emotion. This needs to be examined and within it identified the negative emotions associated and the strengths that could be used to relieve it. The second step is to identify how this negative emotion or experience led to a beneficial outcome. This may be a difficult prospect for some but it is important to remember that one positive outcome can simply be the challenging aspect of it. Simply by examining these things and realizing that in and of itself can be a positive experience is a powerful notion. If this activity is done it can improve Bravery and other strengths that help in the overcoming of obstacles. Gifts of Time is another activity used by Positive psychologists to increase well-being and help people flourish. The purpose of this exercise is to increase connectedness and build Relationships. It has great improvements for Social Intelligence and Kindness. In addition, this activity can help build empathy and bring joy to others. This activity is a time-consuming one and difficult to work into a daily schedule so should be done several times a week if possible. Outside of the typical schedule, a person should make time to spend with others. This time should be scheduled with the person and meet a need or desire they have. This can be something simple like playing cards with people at the retirement home or as involved as helping a friend’s home renovation. After giving these Gifts of Times one should record their feelings and thoughts around the situation. Identify the Character Strengths used and shared with the other person. Lastly, reflect on the benefits of simply giving time to another had on your outlook and emotions.

  Increasing Creativity can often be difficult for those that are not so strong in this particualr Character Strength. One activity that can help with Creativity has already been discussed, Two Doors. This next activity, Not My Problem, will bring Creativity into action and build problem-solving skills and techniques to handle difficult situations. Often problems or difficult issues have multiple ways to solve or relieve them. The difficulty comes when creating new way to handle these situations. This exercise asks the individual to write down a problem from the day or past week. When writing down the problem, focus on the issues that make it so difficult to figure out. This will help further clarify the issue and the Character Strength that would best help to alleviate the issue. The next step in the process is to imagine a different person writing down the same problem but with a different solution. This different person can be a role model or close acquaintance. This can even be a fictional person with different values of Character Strengths than the person doing the exercise. It is important to be detailed when rewriting the problem and solution from this different point of view. Not only will this exercise help to solve problems, but it will build creativity. Positive psychology is focused on improving things that are already functioning at a high level. Even if the problem seems small or easy to fix, this exercise will push Creativity.

  Building many Character Strengths first requires being aware of their use during the day. This next exercise is designed to increase this awareness and subsequently increase the use of Character Strengths. Gratitude Rock is an activity that can be altered slightly to help with the awareness and building of a variety of strengths. For now though it will focus on gratitude. The focus of this activity is an object, according to the title a rock but any object will do. It is essential that this object be chosen specifically for this task and used on for it. Once to rock has been chosen some time must be taken to attach a significant amount of meaning to it. This rock will become the physical embodiment of whatever Character Strength is focused on, Gratitude in this example. Depending on the size and shape of the rock it can be kept in a pocket or purse, it can be put on a desk or computer, it can even be part of a landscape seen throughout the day. Once meaning has been attached to the object it should remind one of the Character Strength every time they see it. When reminded this way, take a second and list a couple things that fit under the Character Strength it is associated with. If Gratitude Rock reminds a person only once a day about something to be grateful for it can be an effective tool for increasing happiness. Most likely, the more often the rock is seen the more situations or experiences will leave a positive impression.

  There are many activities to build Curiosity and Love of Learning. Like many other Character Strengths and activities this one involves journaling. Many journaling activities involve making lists and schedules of the day and this one is no different. The first step is to make an accurate schedule of a typical day. Detail is important in this exercise but more so in the following steps than this one. The next step in the process is engaging Creativity and will drive Curiosity in everyday life. Once the schedule is complete one should identify the areas in the schedule that hold little or no interest. This can be the daily commute or making lunch before leaving for work. Whichever of these elements is least invigorating should be chosen. Once identified, those activities or experiences should be removed to another list or schedule. This list is all about brainstorming different methods or avenues to approach these tasks. Simply changing what someone makes for breakfast every day will be a change that drives thought. Similarly, taking a different route to or from work will increase opportunity to activate Curiosity in life. Once this task had been taken on several times the changes to the schedule can become more defined and directed. For instance, if Curiosity wants to be boosted around other cultures one could try to make their breakfast the way other people do. These small changes, if accrued and applied throughout weeks, months, and years, will lead to a marked increase in Curiosity and Zest.

  Another activity that can be implemented every day and make incremental growth of strengths possible is called A Quote a Day. This exercise involves seeking out guidance and encouragement from outside sources. Besides the benefits derived from the quotes this simple action of searching and refining the search for quotes can have an impact. The quotes can be about any aspect of life from anyone in any time period. The most important aspect of the quote is that it come from someone trusted to give advice. Once the quote is selected brainstorm ideas as to how to incorporate it into life. This activity is a great driver of ideas for Character Strengths to build. Also, if doing this activity already, a good extension of it is to share the quote with someone. Sharing the quote can increase its meaning and even lead to new insights. For instance, discussing how best to apply the quote today with somebody and a different person tomorrow might yield different strategies.

  Perseverance is a difficult strength to build if not prone to do so. It is required in almost all other strengths building and in the finishing of all sorts of tasks. Perseverance can also be greatly influenced by physical and mental fatigue and that should be taken note of before entering into any work outs building this strength. To build Perseverance though, Today’s Goals is a wonderful activity. In this exercise the individual is asked to make a short list, one to three, of goals for the day. These should be goals that are easily accomplished and not too far out of the scope of every day work. These goals should also be disparate in their aims so one cannot be construed as lending towards another. The first step of the process is the listing of the goals and the second is the achieving them throughout the day. The list of goals should be referred to in order to stay on track and also used for reflection at the end of the day. If goals were not reached, using and reflecting can be done on the same sheet of paper as the list of goals. First identify why the goal was not done. Sometimes it can be something as simple as a larger priority took the time allotted for the task and so it had to be pushed back. Other times the reason might be deeper in that the challenge was too much to take on for one person. It may even develop a pattern and the reason things don’t get d
one afternoon is because of mental or physical fatigue. Identifying the causes for failure is just as important to building Perseverance as to any other strength. Once the barriers to completion of the goal are identified they can be worked upon. This is when the activity feeds upon itself and another list of goals should be written, reflected upon, and evaluated. This activity can be used to identify many goals and abilities not before realized and the detail and work gets more involved. A common theme of this work is the identifying of strengths and the methods for building them and the obstacles as well. It cannot be stated enough that the beginning phase of this work, the identification of strengths and obstacles, is paramount.

  Stranger Conversation is an exercise designed to build Social Intelligence. While this may be the focus of this exercise though it does certainly also have strong effects of many other Character Strengths. Begin Stranger Conversation by reflecting on the people whom you have conversations with everyday. Place these conversations in context and within that same context seek to identify people whom you do not normally communicate with. Whether the context is work or the grocery store it can be helpful to first find out what sorts of situations already engage this strength and seek to build it from an already strong vantage. So, after identifying a comfortable situation in which a person already engages in social interaction, they should seek to engage in that activity with those identified as not regular. This may seem daunting at first to do in person and so it is recommended for this interaction to take place in the imagination. Imagining the setting, the person, and the conversation as detailed as possible greatly helps the practice before actually interacting. When the Stranger Conversation has taken place it needs to be reflected upon. The reflection does not need to determine if it was a successful interaction or not, it just needs to analyze one’s own emotions and feelings during the interaction. This practice will lead the an increase in Social Intelligence and an increase in opportunities to use it. An advanced method of this exercise encourages people to seek out those that are typically avoided or left out. An integral part of Social Intelligence is empathy and extending ourselves to purposely understand others increases that. Human beings are social creatures and while each person needs different amounts of alone time and interaction it is amazingly beneficial to identify ones needs and build the strengths that allow positive interactions with others.

  Another Character Strength that strongly influences how well we get along with others is Teamwork. Teamwork can help us in social situations and professional ones as well. This is a Character Strength that is highly valued in organizations and can lead to success in many avenues of professional life. An activity that will help a person increase their ability to and willingness to engage in Teamwork is called Fun Team. This activity is all about shifting a person’s perspective about the meaning of the word team and the impact that a team can have. The first step of Fun Team is for the individual to determine whom they would like to be on the team. These team members can be friends and coworkers, even spouses and children. The more difficult this strength is to exhibit the closer the friends that are chosen as teammates should be. Once the team is picked, the next step is to decide on an activity to do together to have fun. This can be an open ended question for everybody but it makes things easier if there are some defined boundaries before beginning to brainstorm ideas. The guidelines should limit the time, money, distance, etc., that this activity can consume. After that has been determined the group can decide what to do based on shared interests. It can sometimes help to define roles within a group. This defining of roles helps people figure out exactly how to help. For instance, one person should be appointed note taker and another person as traffic controller of the conversation. When the Fun Team has decided and done their activity the individual should reflect on the experience. This can be a journal entry or a simple minute of quiet thought. To add complexity to this activity the team can be involved in all the decisions from establishing guidelines to assigning roles. Furthermore, if no roles are defined and the group operates without hierarchy huge increases can be made in Social Intelligence.

  Prudence is a Character Strength that is difficult to build as it often requires awareness in the middle of situations. Until this awareness is built it can be tough to focus on exercising Prudence on the fly. One exercise that can help build this general awareness is called Detailed Day. This is another activity that utilizes journaling, schedule making, and goal setting to achieve its aim. To be the Detailed Day choose a three hour period of the day that typically has different activities involved. Not during the work day when the same activity is done for several hours in a row, instead choose a time of day when travelling and decisions are being made. The reason to only choose three hours is because the next step is a very detailed breakdown of those hours. Every task done should be listed and before moving on to list other tasks questions should be asked. Firstly, ask why the task was done in such a way and at such a time. Perhaps there is a better way to do it or maybe it can be done along with another task. For every task listed the questions should be asked and answered and the answers recorded. Once this is done in detail for the full three hour period the list should be gone over one last time. This time the list is gone over a focus should be placed on the answers to the questions asked. When focusing on the answers to the questions they should be asked again. This will reinforce the questioning of why things are done and how they are done. Change in behavior is not necessarily the goal of this exercise though that may happen. The largest change from this activity should be in mindset of the individual as they go throughout the day. This activity will help a person become more aware of the reason of and for things. After doing this exercise several times another activity can be tried. Throughout the day as decision are made, take a moment to stop an analyze in the moment. This is a high expression of Prudence as a Character Strength and has huge increases in happiness associated with it. To further develop this strength, create a detailed list and refer to it throughout the day. If a change to the schedule is made think about it and record those thoughts and feelings.

  Awareness is a common theme when trying to build Character Strengths but nowhere is it more important than in the growth of Self Regulation. This strength is deeply tied to a person’s ability to step outside of themselves and become aware of their own emotions and motivations in the moment. For this reason, many activities designed to help with Self Regulation focus on building the awareness of when it is needed or being utilized. To build this awareness an activity that is used is similar to the previously mentioned Detailed Day. This activity though is called Detailed Diet or Detailed Deed. Often individuals will be able to notice a lack of this particular strength in their eating habits and so that is why we will discuss Detailed Diet. In this activity a detailed inventory of everything consumed throughout the day is made. This journal should be dedicated to this record because it will be used for reflection. As the list of everything eaten and drunk throughout the day is made no judgements should be placed. This activity is building Self Regulation and negative emotions will not help in the building of Character Strengths. Instead, while making the list the individual should ask themselves the question of why those things were consumed. The answer to that question should be a one or two word answer. Typically, after keeping this journal for a couple weeks individuals will start to notice that those things without explanations start becoming fewer. Reflecting on this list after weeks of keeping it can also reveal patterns that lead to an awareness of our habits during the day. Combining several activities with this one can help to build strengths along multiple virtues and significantly increase well-being. Using this activity to record emotions felt throughout the day can have the same effect on our mental state as it does on our ability to control diet.

  Many activities developed by Positive psychologists can be used to strengthen several Character Strengths at the same time but are used to focus on one strength in particular. Moments of Greatness is one such activity
that can lead to growth in various area but focuses on Appreciation of Beauty and Excellence. In this activity a person will seek out a work of art or craftsmanship that is determined by others to be worthy of appreciation. Initially this work should just be viewed and enjoyed without too much thought or reflection. After the initial experience the individual should reflect through journaling or quiet thought upon the aspects of the piece of work that were worthy of admiration. This reflection can often involve doing research to illuminate some of the mysterious techniques used by masters of craft. After reflection the individual should return the work. This time, as experiencing the art the person should reflect on what they learned and the first experience of the work. Upon further reflection the Appreciation of Beauty and Excellence should have deepened with the understanding of the time and effort put into the work. This same exercise can be done outside in the forest with natural surroundings instead of human created art. When doing this exercise outside it is important to allow a significant amount of time in the area in order for the activity to have effect.