Foundations of Positive Psychology Specialization
Positive Psychology: Well-being for life. Master strategies and tools that enable individuals and organizations to thrive
Foundations of Positive Psychology Specialization
5 coursesUniversity of Pennsylvania
Positive Psychology: Resilience Skills
4.9
446 ratings
Course 4 of 5 in the Foundations of Positive Psychology Specialization
Learn how to incorporate resilience interventions into your personal and professional life with Dr. Karen Reivich. In this course, you are exposed to the foundational research in resilience, including protective factors such as mental agility and optimism. Several types of resilience interventions are explored including cognitive strategies; strategies to manage anxiety and increase positive emotions such as gratitude; and a critical relationship enhancement skill. Throughout the course, you will hear examples of individuals using resilience skills in their personal and professional lives. Suggested prerequisites: Positive Psychology: Martin E. P. Seligman’s Visionary Science, Positive Psychology: Applications and Interventions and Positive Psychology: Character, Grit & Research Methods.
What you will learn
- Create a buffer of positivity that boosts resilience in stressful situations
- Describe thinking traps and how they undercut resilience
- Make use of non-cognitive strategies that decrease anxiety
- Understand the protective factors that make one resilient
Syllabus - What you will learn from this course
1
Section
Resilience and Optimism
In this module, you will learn the definition of resilience and understand the protective factors that make one resilient. You will differentiate between helplessness and mastery orientations, and understand the thinking styles underlying each. You will summarize major outcomes of optimism, and the mediators of those outcomes, as well as assess your own levels of optimism, using a questionnaire. Finally, you will hear about personal and organizational outcomes of optimism, and will be able to apply these concepts to your own life.
13 videos (Total 103 min), 6 readings, 2 quizzes
13 videos
1.2 Definition of Resilience and Foundational Research4m
1.3 Variables that Contribute to Resilience13m
1.4 Barbara Bradley Hagerty on Resilience in Midlife7m
1.5 Jennifer Loredo and Resilience Stories12m
1.6 Introduction to Optimism and Optimism Definitions7m
1.7 Benefits of Optimism13m
1.8 What Optimists Do Differently12m
1.9 Optimism Activity: Pursuit of Happyness Video13m
1.10 Organizational Highlight: Sam Presti on Optimism2m
1.11 Organizational Highlight: Maureen Rush2m
1.12 Personal Highlight: Lucy Hone7m
1.13 Summary of Week 1 and Preview of Week 22m
6 readings
Biography of Karen Reivich, Ph.D.1m
Assignments, Grading and your Resilience Journal1m
Optional Reading: The Resilience Factor30m
Module 1 Lesson 1 - Optional Readings20m
Optimism Questionnaire5m
Module 1 Lesson 2 - Optional Readings40m
1 practice exercises
Module 1 Quiz10m
2
Section
Cognitive Approaches to Resilience: Strategies to Increase Optimism and Resilient Thinking
In this module, you will learn about thinking traps and how they undercut resilience. You will learn about five common thinking traps and identify which you are prone to, in addition to the effects of those styles of thinking. You will practice Real-Time Resilience, a strategy to challenge non-resilient thinking. Finally, you will hear about personal and organizational outcomes of optimism, and plan how to apply these concepts to your own life.
8 videos (Total 61 min), 2 readings, 1 quiz
8 videos
2.2 Definition and Demonstration of Thinking Traps20m
2.3 Detecting Patterns in Yourself, Activity: Trying Thinking Traps on for Size2m
2.4 Personal Examples of Thinking Traps: Why We Need a Skill to Address Them3m
2.5 Changing non-resilient thinking: Real-time Resilience14m
2.6 Real-time resilience Activity7m
2.7 Organizational Highlights: Emma Judge & Maureen Rush2m
2.8 Summary of Module 2 and Introduction to Module 31m
2 readings
Module 2 Lesson 1 - Optional Reading15m
Module 2 Lesson 2 - Optional Reading30m
1 practice exercises
Module 2 Quiz15m
3
Section
Managing Anxiety and Increasing Positive Emotions Like Gratitude
In this module, you will learn the definition of catastrophic thinking and identify the effects it has on physiology, attention and contingency planning. You will experiment with several non-cognitive strategies to decrease anxiety, including Deliberate Breathing. You will be introduced to the Broaden and Build theory of positive emotions, and will be able to describe the effects of positive emotions on resilience. Finally, you will relate research and examples of gratitude to your own life and develop a plan for a gratitude practice.
14 videos (Total 115 min), 4 readings, 2 quizzes
14 videos
3.2 Dr. Baime: Effects of Anxiety on Our Bodies4m
3.3 Demonstrations of Several Styles of Catastrophizing9m
3.4 Triggers of Catastrophizing7m
3.5 Introduction to three Different Ways to Manage Anxiety12m
3.6 Dr. Park: Deliberate Breathing to Manage Anxiety5m
3.7 Dr. Baime: A Mindfulness Approach to Anxiety7m
3.8 Positive Emotions Broaden8m
3.9 Positive Emotions Build Resources7m
3.10 Gratitude Research14m
3.11 Gratitude Skill: HTGS6m
3.12 Designing a Gratitude Practice: Team Collage9m
3.13 Organizational Highlights: Sam Presti, Maureen Rush & Carolyn McIntyre11m
3.14 Summary of Module 3 and Preview of Module 42m
4 readings
Module 3 Lesson 1 - Optional Reading10m
Activity: Challenging Catastrophic Thinking Part 115m
Activity: Challenging Catastrophic Thinking Part 215m
Module 3 Lesson 2 - Optional Readings30m
1 practice exercises
Module 3 Quiz18m
4
Section
Leveraging Character Strengths and Strengthening Relationships
In this module, you will identify your own character strengths using a well-validated questionnaire. Next, you will describe how to use your character strengths in stressful situations to increase resilience by creating a buffer of positive emotion. Additionally, you will learn the research on active constructive responding, and identify their predominant responding style with important people in their lives. Finally, you will hear examples of inculcating resilience into organizations, and plan how to incorporate resilience strategies into your personal and professional lives.
9 videos (Total 95 min), 3 readings, 1 quiz
9 videos
4.2 Activities: Developing Character Strengths and VIA Conversation4m
4.3 Using Character Strengths to Navigate an Upcoming Challenge16m
4.4 Shadow Side of Character Strengths10m
4.5 Introduction to ACR7m
4.6 ACR Role Plays16m
4.7 Activity: ACR Patterns14m
4.8 Inculcating Resilience in an Organization: Emma Judge and Sam Presti7m
4.9 Course Summary2m
3 readings
Values in Action (VIA) Survey10m
Activity: Response Style Patterns10m
Module 4 Lesson 2 - Optional Readings40m
1 practice exercises
Module 4 Quiz14m
4.9
17%
83%
14%
Top Reviews
By JC•Sep 19th 2017
Dr. Reivich is a terrific presenter. She provides frequent and useful summaries, is clearly passionate about the subject, and has organized the content in a very logical, easy-to-follow manner.
By TK•May 5th 2018
Very well-taught, useful, and practical. I truly enjoyed Dr. Reivich's style of teaching - it was very natural and friendly, but equally professional. Thank you very much for this experience!
Instructor
Karen Reivich, Ph.D.
Director of Resilience Training ServicesAbout University of Pennsylvania
The University of Pennsylvania (commonly referred to as Penn) is a private university, located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States. A member of the Ivy League, Penn is the fourth-oldest institution of higher education in the United States, and considers itself to be the first university in the United States with both undergraduate and graduate studies.
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