Positive Psychology: The study of what makes life most worth living.
Focuses on strengths, virtues, and optimal functioning.
kate-caparal / GPSY
September 28, 2025 21:18
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GPSY
A cheat sheet summarizing key concepts from readings on wellbeing, positive psychology, the medicine wheel, and seven grandfather teachings.
Introduction to Wellbeing
Positive Psychology Basics (Hart, 2021)
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Hart (2021) introduces core concepts and principles of positive psychology, highlighting factors that contribute to wellbeing. |
Defining Wellbeing
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Wellbeing: A state of being comfortable, healthy, or happy. |
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Encompasses physical, mental, emotional, and social health. It’s about feeling good and functioning well. |
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Koci & Donaldson (2023) emphasize the importance of actively caring for one’s wellbeing. |
Importance of Self-Care (Koci & Donaldson)
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Physical Wellbeing |
Exercise, nutrition, sleep, and hydration contribute to physical health, energy levels and resilience. |
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Mental Wellbeing |
Mindfulness, stress management, and cognitive restructuring are essential. |
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Emotional Wellbeing |
Practicing self-compassion, emotional regulation, and developing healthy coping mechanisms are vital. |
Wellbeing Frameworks
The Medicine Wheel
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A holistic framework for understanding health and wellbeing from an Indigenous perspective. |
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Four quadrants represent different aspects of self: physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual. Achieving balance across these areas promotes overall wellbeing. |
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Interconnectedness and harmony are emphasized. |
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Represents the interconnectedness of all aspects of a person’s being:
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Seven Grandfather Teachings
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Ethical principles guiding behavior and relationships in Indigenous cultures. |
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Wisdom: To cherish knowledge |
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Living by these teachings promotes strong moral character and positive relationships, contributing to wellbeing. |
Happiness
Defining Happiness (Chapter 2, Hart)
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Happiness: Often defined as a state of subjective wellbeing, characterized by positive emotions and life satisfaction. |
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Hart (2021) explores various perspectives on happiness, differentiating between hedonic and eudaimonic wellbeing. |
Hedonic vs. Eudaimonic Wellbeing
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Hedonic Wellbeing |
Focuses on pleasure, enjoyment, and the absence of pain. Maximizing positive emotions and minimizing negative ones. |
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Eudaimonic Wellbeing |
Focuses on meaning, purpose, and self-realization. Living in accordance with one’s values and achieving personal growth. |
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Key Difference |
Hedonic wellbeing is about feeling good, while eudaimonic wellbeing is about living well. |
Factors Influencing Happiness
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Genetics, environment, and personal choices all play a role in determining happiness levels. |
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Positive relationships, gratitude, acts of kindness, and mindfulness practices have been shown to increase happiness. |
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Focusing on personal strengths and pursuing meaningful goals can also enhance happiness. |
GPSY Cheat Sheet: Wellbeing, Positive Psychology, Indigenous Wisdom
Wellbeing: PERMA Model (Seligman)
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P - Positive Emotion |
Feeling good; experiencing joy, gratitude, serenity, interest, hope, pride, amusement, and inspiration. |
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E - Engagement |
Being fully absorbed in activities; experiencing ‘flow’ - a state of energized focus, full involvement, and enjoyment. |
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R - Relationships |
Having strong, positive social connections; feeling loved, supported, and valued by others. |
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M - Meaning |
Serving something bigger than oneself; finding purpose and significance in life through contributing to a cause or community. |
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A - Accomplishment |
Pursuing success, mastering skills, and achieving goals; experiencing a sense of competence and efficacy. |
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PERMA & Wellbeing |
The PERMA model suggests that wellbeing is not simply the absence of negative emotions, but the presence and cultivation of these five elements. |
Positive Psychology: Core Principles
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Positive psychology focuses on strengths and virtues that enable individuals and communities to thrive. It is concerned with wellbeing, contentment, and satisfaction (in the past), hope and optimism (for the future), and flow and happiness (in the present). |
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Key Areas: |
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Goal: To understand and foster the factors that allow individuals, communities, and societies to flourish. |
The Medicine Wheel: Overview
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Symbolism |
Represents interconnectedness, balance, and harmony in life. Often depicted as a circle divided into four quadrants. |
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Four Directions |
Each direction (East, South, West, North) represents different aspects of life, stages of life, elements, and colors. The specific representations vary among different Indigenous cultures. |
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Aspects of Self |
Often associated with the four aspects of self: physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual. Balancing these aspects is key to wellbeing. |
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Process of Healing |
The Medicine Wheel can be used as a framework for understanding and promoting healing, growth, and wholeness. |
Seven Grandfather Teachings: Core Values
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The Seven Grandfather Teachings are a set of principles that guide ethical and respectful living. They are fundamental to many Indigenous cultures in North America. |
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The Teachings: |
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Application: Living in accordance with these teachings promotes individual and community wellbeing. |
Intersections: Wellbeing, Psychology, and Indigenous Knowledge
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Positive psychology’s focus on strengths, resilience, and meaning-making aligns with the values embedded in Indigenous knowledge systems like the Medicine Wheel and the Seven Grandfather Teachings. |
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Both Western psychological approaches and Indigenous perspectives emphasize the importance of social connections, purpose, and a sense of belonging for overall wellbeing. |
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Indigenous approaches often incorporate a holistic view of wellbeing, encompassing physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual dimensions, similar to some contemporary models in psychology. |
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Culturally adapted interventions that integrate positive psychology principles with Indigenous cultural values can be effective in promoting wellbeing within Indigenous communities. |
Resilience Factors
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Internal Factors |
Optimism, self-efficacy, coping skills, emotional regulation, meaning-making, strong sense of identity. |
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External Factors |
Supportive relationships, access to resources, community involvement, cultural connectedness, safe environment. |
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Resilience Defined |
The ability to recover quickly from difficulties; toughness. Not simply bouncing back, but bouncing forward. |
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Cultivating Resilience |
Developing coping mechanisms, seeking support, practicing self-care, fostering positive relationships, finding purpose, embracing change. |
Applications of GPSY Principles
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These principles can be applied in various settings to promote wellbeing: |
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Self-Reflection Questions
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Consider the following questions to reflect on your own wellbeing: |
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