List of Social Issues

Recently I read a blog that had a list that the blog writer felt are social issues that need solving immediately. These issues cover global and national issues that affect all of society, usually in a negative manner. Let’s face it; if they weren't negative, they probably wouldn't be an issue! The list is quite extensive but lacks a few issues such as anti Christian sentiment discrimination and violence, government corruption, other STD’s besides HIV/Aids, teen suicide, teen substance abuse, gang violence (aka domestic terrorism) the cost of education, and illegal immigration. The writer did mention global terrorism, economic issues, gender issues, and health issues. To read the article, see the link below (Updated for 2018 but essientially the same). Here’s his extensive list.

List of Social Issues in Today's Society

·       Alcoholism

·       Food and Drug Safety

·       Tax Reform

·       Church-State Separation

·       Global Warming

·       Birth Control

·       Abortion

·       Suicide

·       Drug Abuse

·       Capital Punishment

·       Media, Sex and Violence

·       Animal Rights

·       Homosexuality

·       Poverty

·       Women's Rights

·       Anti-Muslim Discrimination and Violence

·       World population

·       Same-sex marriage

·       Organ & body donation

·       Human Rights

·       Environmental Pollution

·       Children's Rights

·       Corporate Downsizing

·       Defense Spending and Preparedness

·       Euthanasia & assisted suicide

·       Eating Disorders

·       Unemployment

·       Homelessness

·       Racial profiling

·       Welfare

·       Recycling and Conservation

·       HIV/AIDS

·       Civil Rights

·       Genetic Engineering

·       Consumer Debt and Bankruptcy

·       Obesity

·       Terrorism

·       Judicial Reform

·       Censorship

·       Violence

·       Academic Freedom

·       Gun Control

·       Gender issues

·       Environmental issues

·       Single Parenting

·       Child Labor

·       Immigration

·       Tobacco

·       Nuclear Proliferation

·       Ageism

·       Stress

·       Cancer

·       Prostitution

·       Gay Marriages

·       Education

·       Health Care Reform

·       Embryonic Stem Cell Research

·       Affirmative Action

I don’t know if this person is a social worker or not, but it doesn’t matter, because the list is fairly accurate. A person does not need a degree in social work in order to have an intelligent assessment of the social issues facing our world. After all, the first social workers did not attend college including a man named Jesus and all his apostles. Jesus a social worker? Yes indeed! He fed the poor, clothed the naked, cured the diseased, provided counseling, encouraged spirituality, loved the prostitutes, loved society’s outcasts of that day, and confronted injustice when necessary. I believe he was more than just a social worker, nevertheless historically,  social work began as a work to care for the poor, (read the “Poor Relief Laws”, aka Elizabethan laws of 1601.)
             Over the coming months, I shall attempt to cover each of these social issues and give my input or viewpoint on the matter. I will approach the subject from a historical, present day, perspective and a future oriented perspective.  Some of these issues will necessarily incorporate moral issues, and there is no other way to approach them. For instance, gang violence is not just an issue of cognitive dysfunction or behavior modification. When people murder, steal, intimidate, or rape others then people are breaking the law and so it will be necessary to address the purpose of laws in a society.

            Indeed some are breaking the law because of deep internal conflicts from abusive childhoods, but we can’t try to fix a person’s internal conflict without teaching them how to be productive members of society. That will necessarily involve teaching them the value of being law-abiding citizens regardless of the economic benefits, or lack of benefits. In short, we teach people to view the laws as tools to respect human life and as a means of playing a role in the perpetuation of our culture, values, society, population and identity as a people. We also teach them how to change unjust laws through peaceful means rather than through violence.

            Frankly, in my humble opinion, most of the social issues today are moral issues, not civil rights issues. I hope to make a case for that assertion over the coming months. For instance, what is the difference between a personal value and a moral issue? A personal value is something that is personally important to us, while a moral value concerns itself with right and wrong. An absolute moral value may not be held as personal value, but every personal value becomes a moral value to that person. The question becomes, “Are a person’s moral values in tune with the majority of society’s moral values?” 

            For instance, racial discrimination is a moral value. Is it right to discriminate, or treat a human being differently, based on race? We are not just talking about discrimination against African Americans, but against European Caucasians, Asians, Mexicans, Middle Eastern, and others. In southern America, after the civil war, blacks were discriminated against solely because of their skin color.  On the other hand, was it just the south that discriminated against African Americans? After the civil war, the government created few laws to protect the freed slaves. Consequently, the southern states enforced the “Black Codes,” a set of laws designed to keep the freedmen under the rule of white aristocrats in the south. The Black Codes listed what blacks could and could not do; they could not assemble, bear arms, or testify against whites in court. They could not vote, were not allowed to become literate (i.e. little to no education) and their freedom of speech was severely limited.

            Is this a personal values issue or a moral issue? To southern whites it was a personal value issue, yet at the same time, it became their moral code; even becoming codified in southern law. These laws eventually led to the complete separation of whites from blacks in restaurants, hotels, and even water fountains. Before northerners become too smug after reading the previous statement consider this. When Martin Luther King Jr. visited Chicago, for a peaceful walk and demonstration, he was met with bricks, spittle, and insults. The animosity was so great in Chicago that Mr. King stated, “I have never been to a more hate filled city than Chicago, Illinois! That’s a startling statement from a man who had been thrown in jail in the south, and lived where blacks were routinely lynched, murdered, and mistreated.

            The reaction in Chicago was an expression of a personal value that had become a personal moral value. To the ones hurling insults, it was wrong for Dr. King to be in Chicago marching for the African

American communities’ constitutional rights to vote, have equal access to work, and so forth. To Dr. King the separation of blacks and whites was not just a personal value but also a deeply held moral value of society at large. African Americans did not ask their ancestors to be kidnapped and enslaved. Nevertheless, they were here and had been freed via a great civil war that divided a nation. If they were now freed and considered Americans, then they had the moral right to the same constitutional freedoms as every other man. Racism is not a values issue, nor a civil rights issue. Racism is a moral issue because at the root of racism reside distrust and hatred.

            This raises another issue. Who determines what is right or wrong, and how do we establish moral laws that are fair to all and not easily changed? If moral laws are easily changed then there can be no security for society, because one day racism may be immoral while the next day moral. For a society to continue in peace and security laws must be established that benefit the whole nation not just a select few. 

When personal values become exalted above moral values then we soon begin experiencing a kind of democratic anarchy. Everyone demands their rights, while society’s moral laws are put on the back burner and everyone does what is right in their eyes.

 “To hell with the laws of nature, to hell with the laws of evolution, to hell with absolute laws, to hell with Gods laws. All that matters is that I get what I have a right to.” We are experiencing this democratic anarchy right now in America. Unless we return to a healthy respect for rule by law versus rule by mob, then the divisive, acrid mistrust will only deepen and our social ills will continue in their downward spiral. 

            Economic freedom is seen as a civil matter, yet is it a deeply moral value?
Is it right or wrong for a person to be forced to redistribute his wealth?  Does a person have the moral right to pursue economic freedom or be subject to the whims of the state? Does a poor person have the right to access to education, and temporary government assistance or is it moral to ignore them and leave them to fend for themselves? Is it morally right to assume that every poor/homeless person is lazy without visiting them and asking how they ended up homeless? I’ve talked to homeless families in which the father was working but simply could not earn enough to pay for rent. That’s life in America in the 21^st century. All of our previous assertions have to be reevaluated and in most cases discarded in today’s society. Is it morally right for the government to enact laws that are impractical, economically useless, and actually hurt society rather than helping?  Is it morally right or wrong for those laws to continue because someone in government is too proud or afraid, to admit the law does not work?

            These types of moral questions must be addressed by today's social workers. We can no longer cling to our pet philosophies that have proven to fail. If we are to be true social workers, we must return to the foundation of social work and seek what is best, based on absolute moral values, not personal values that become unstable and changeable moral values, resulting in the present day democratic anarchy. 

            I will begin addressing some of these issues listed, in the coming months ahead, so stay tuned! For further reading: Social Issues in Today's Society.

Dan Dickerson

Domestic and Verbal Abuse

Note:
This is a message board response from my class in Crisis Intervention, Domestic Abuse.

I received an A for this response (short essay).




This is a subject that I've been studying on my own over the last year and found the chapter on it very interesting. I especially like the Learned Helplessness/Battered Woman Theory section of the book.  Over the last year I've had the opportunity to talk to/counsel several battered women and almost everyone said that after a while they began to believe what their abusers said to them was true. It's pretty rare that physical abuse is absent of verbal abuse. Learned helplessness is, at its basic principle, an adoption of false beliefs about reality. The abused initially thinks about escape and rejects the accusations against her yet gradually begins to believe the words spoken to her and then begins adapting her behavior to accept the abuse. In some cases she actually believes that she deserves the abuse because, in her mind, it's all her fault. The response is much like the famous experiment by Martin Seligman and Steven Maier.

They had initially observed helpless behavior in dogs that were classically conditioned to expect an electrical shock after hearing a tone. Later, the dogs were placed in a shuttlebox that contained two chambers separated by a low barrier. The floor was electrified on one side, and not on the other.
There's more detail to the experiment than what I'm sharing,  but eventually a set of dogs who had not been classically conditioned simply jumped over the low barrier to escape the shock. However the dogs that had been conditioned, did not even attempt to escape because the had been conditioned to "believe" that there was no escape and therefore just endured the shock.

The classic definition of learned helplessness is, "When people feel that they have no control over their situation, they may also begin to behave in a helpless manner. This inaction can lead people to overlook opportunities for relief or change."
It's also related to a belief that their locus of control is outside of themselves. They feel that external forces are in control of their destiny and that they can do little to change it, not realizing that everyone has an internal locus of control that can be activated at any time.

I dare not compare humans to dogs but the effect of environmental conditioning is undeniable.The key though to understanding the dynamics of domestic abuse, in my opinion, is that some women do not adopt this belief, or eventually come to reject the false beliefs and escape, while many believe the lies of verbal abuse spoken over them. I've read of some women becoming so hopeless and feeling so helpless, that they committed suicide; deeming that choice a better alternative to a life of degradation through physical and verbal abuse.

As a future Family Counselor and Human Services worker, it is the most agonizing thing in the world to watch someone return to an abuser, even though they've been warned, counseled, given shelter numbers and other resources that can help them escape. Frankly, it is one of the most frustrating experiences imaginable. I pray to God that I never receive a call or hear the news of one being hospitalized (or worse) that I've tried to help.

Basics of Reality/Choice Therapy

Introduction

I have chosen Reality Therapy/Choice Theory as the theory that most believe in for the following reasons. I had a hard time choosing between cognitive behavior therapy and reality therapy, because they seem to work together and overlap each other. Some of the attributes of Cognitive behavior therapy, are that it posits that psychological distress is largely a function of disturbances in cognitive processes, focuses on changing cognition's to produce desired changes in affect and behavior, a present centered time-limited focus, and an active and directive stands by the therapist.[1]

This is very similar to Reality Therapy/Choice Theory, which teaches that total behavior or all behavior, is made up of four inseparable but distinct components: acting, thinking, feeling, and physiology. Choice theory emphasizes thinking and acting, which makes this a general form of cognitive behavior therapy. [2] I have chosen to Reality Therapy/Choice Theory because I feel more comfortable with this method of counseling, and I have already been practicing this type of counseling in church yet I was aware of it because I really have not had any formal training in counseling. I also feel that it is the most useful to help the client in the present and if not immediately, perhaps within a few sessions. In my video/counseling session with James, we already had a plan by the end of the session for James to monitor his thoughts. In the ideal situation, should we have another session, we would further explore how the thoughts he had been monitoring would make him feel and how that he was choosing to feel that way, by choosing his thoughts. Have to add also in this introduction that James is my close friend, yet I have been mentoring him over the past couple of years. In the video, I mentioned that he could take the homework. I gave them to his counselor if you wanted to or we see in I could finish talking about this particular subject. I was one is suggested. The counselor He is going to right now and it has been of tremendous help to him in his personal life. So I just wanted to give you that as a background and introduction as to why I chose this theory.

The Therapists of Reality Therapy/Choice Theory

The originator of reality therapy and choice theory is William Glasser. Now retired, Glasser rejected the Freudian model because he observed that they did not seem to be following Freudian met principles, but were actually holding people responsible for their behavior. This seems to be the turning point in Glasser's practice and philosophy. If people were being held responsible for their behavior, then he seems to have drawn the conclusion that behavior is a choice. He began talking to the same part of his clients not there disturbs side as psychoanalysis tends to do. He originally termed his new therapy as reality psychiatry but because many of the people that adopted his philosophy or educators, social workers, and correctional workers he changed the name to reality therapy. He wrote his first book in 1965 with that title.

He began looking for theory to explain his work in the 1980s and began studying about control theory from William Powers, and by 1996 began to call his theory choice theory to reflect all that he had developed.

Robert E. Wubbolding received his doctorate in counseling from the University of Cincinnati and has licenses as a counselor and a psychologist. He is the director of the Center for reality therapy in Cincinnati, Ohio, and Prof. emeritus of Xavier University. He adopted reality therapy because he believed it to be best suited for his interests in counseling. In 1988, he was appointed by William Glasser as director of training for the William Glasser Institute. One of his specialties is adapting choice theory and reality therapy to various cultures and ethnic groups. He extended the theory and practice of reality therapy with the conceptualization and introduction of the WDEP system. [3]

The Theory

Choice theory is the theoretical basis for reality therapy; it explains why and how we function. It does not believe that we are born with a blank slate, but that we are born with five genetically encoded needs

• 1.     Survival
• a.      self-preservation

• 2.     Love and belonging
• 3.     Power
• a.      Inner control

• 4.     Freedom
• a.      Independence

• 5.     fun or enjoyment[4]

This is similar to Abraham Maslow's hierarchy of needs, and consisted of physiological needs, safety needs, belonging and love, self-esteem, and finally self-actualization.[5] It seems Maslow's hierarchy of needs were thought about and then modified to fit choice theory. Choice theory posits that from the time we are born, we are choosing our behavior in order to satisfy our needs or what makes us feel good and that we store this information in our minds called our quality world.[6] I find this a bit interesting because of the video that I recently watched that demonstrated Infants clearly choosing based on what made them feel good or was acceptable to them. I only have a link to share to that video and include that here. http://www.cbsnews.com/video/watch/?id=50135408n  [7]

What is interesting in the video is that choice is mentioned several times. While the video explores whether or not babies are born with a built in moral code, it clearly demonstrates that the babies are choosing. This would confirm Glasser's choice theory posit that we are choosing, or keeping track, of anything we do that feels very good; and that all we ever do from birth to death is behave, and with rare exceptions, everything we do is chosen.[8]

The Therapy

Reality therapy focuses quickly on the unsatisfying relationship, or the lack of relationship, which are often the cause client’s problems. Reality therapy five characteristics are,

• 1)     emphasis on choice and responsibility
• a.      The client is responsible for what he does because he has chosen his behavior. We do not blame the client but we cannot lose focus of this truth.

• 2)     rejects transference is
• 3)     keeping the therapy in the present
• a.      Keeping the client in the present instead of the past, because the past may have been painful and may have influenced who the client is today, but staying in the past does not help the client in the present.

• 4)     avoiding focusing on symptoms
• a.      This is related to keeping therapy in the present by not spending a great amount of time on how the client feels based upon past experiences.

• 5)     challenges traditional views of mental illness
• a.      rejects the traditional notion that people with problematic physical and psychological symptoms are mentally ill[9]

Key Goals of Therapy

Reality therapy seems to be very much a teaching type of therapy or a type of mentoring process. As stated in the textbook. Therapists try to assist the client to make more effective and responsible choices in which they can fulfill their basic needs of achievement inner control freedom and fun. By assisting the client in making responsible choices, the client learns more responsible behaviors, particularly as it relates to relationships. This is where reality therapy and cognitive behavior therapy are similar and closely related. Behaviors are both overt and covert. Overt behaviors consist of anything that we say or do. Covert behaviors, also known as private self-talk, consist of what we feel, think, and imagine.[10] In order to choose, you must think or imagine. We must have some thoughts in our minds that present us with a choice of either something that enhances our quality world or detracts from it. Quality choices stem from quality or responsible thoughts, in other words, covert behavior.

This is seen in the type of questions the therapist will ask during a session. Questions such as:

• How would you most like to change your life?
• What do you want in your life that you are not getting?
•  Is what you are choosing to do bring you closer to the people you want to be closer to right now?

These types of questions are designed to change the covert behaviors of the client, leading them to choose responsibly. The therapist does not seem to want sessions to be long, drawn out, continuous events that keep the client stuck in the past. The therapist wants to keep the client in the present and work on change immediately.

Techniques

The WDEP develop by Wubbolding is used to help clients explore their wants possible things they can do, opportunities for self-evaluation, and design plans for improvement. Exploring ones needs and perceptions is one technique used by reality therapists. Direction and doing is another part of the system in which the therapist asks a key question,” What are you doing?” In my video, I reworded it to ask, "What type of thoughts are you thinking in that situation?" My focus was to get the client to see the types of covert behaviors he was choosing, and how they were affecting a satisfying and happy relationship with his wife.

Another part of the system is self-evaluation, which is the cornerstone of reality therapy procedures. Counselor can help clients evaluate their behavior by asking this question:" is your current behavior bringing you closer to people important to you or is it driving you further apart?" In my video, I did not ask that question exactly the same way, but I was trying to get the client to see that his current thoughts and choices of thoughts were not bringing it closer to his wife at home. Another question therapist might ask, and which I reworded in the video," how committed are you to the therapeutic process and to changing your life?" Self-evaluation is a major task in Reality therapy. Because without honest self-assessment. The client is unlikely to change. Finally, planning and action of the fourth part of the WDEP system. The counselor assists the client in exploring other possible behaviors and formulates an action plan. Plan should have the following characteristics: it is within the limits of motivation and capacities of the client, they are easy to understand and realistic, they involve a positive course of action, repetitive, and perform daily, and carried out as soon as possible. [11]

In the video, I gave the client a couple of plans to monitor his thoughts over the next week. Since I have already been mentoring James, I suggested he and I get together later and follow-up on his progress. Alternatively, he could take the exercises I gave to do to the counselor he is presently seeing. I gave him the following plans and exercises:

•   Some forms to monitor his thoughts at work
•  A list of  rational and irrational thoughts and how to score them
• The technique I learned from a counselor that helped me tremendously called the three A technique.

The essence of reality therapy is that we are responsible for what we choose to do that we are internally motivated by current needs and wants and we control our present behavioral choices.

The therapist functions as a teacher, a mentor, and a model, confronting clients in ways that help them evaluate what they are doing and whether their behavior is fulfilling their basic needs without harming themselves or others. The goals of reality therapy include behavioral change, better decision-making, and improved significant relationships, enhanced living, and more effective satisfaction all the psychological needs.[12]

Why I chose Reality Therapy.

The reason that I chose this technique is that it seems to be a better fit with what I do in ministry as a pastor/counselor. I do like some of the other theories, and I am sure I will be using them. For instance, innocent children that have been horribly abused did not choose what happened to them, and so I do think some time would be need to be spent going over past events at least somewhat, in order to help that person to move forward. I have mentored young women who have been raped and cannot seem to move past that event and develop meaningful relationships. While the ultimate goal would be to use reality therapy with everyone, I do not think it would be practical nor compassionate, to immediately tell abuse or rape victim to the cost of their unhappiness is there choices and thoughts. I do think reality therapy would be great in those situations to work on building self-esteem in the clients, which is one of the basic needs. We need to have met in life.

As I said earlier, I have already been practicing this without really realizing it, over the course of 25 years in ministering to people in and outside of church. The Bible speaks much about the way we think and the choices we make, for instance, there is a Scripture that says be not conformed to this world but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. I have counseled many people who are frustrated that they could not live their own faith on a consistent basis. They wanted to do what was right but often were perplexed as to why they could not do it. I use this Scripture mentioned many times to explain to them that they needed to do two things. One was to begin thinking about and meditating about who they really wanted to be and to see themselves acting out that behavior. If they wanted to be kind towards their wife or a friend than to see themselves acting that way. I asked I also explained to them that they had to change the way they thought about themselves and how they perceive situation they were in that was causing stress, it usually had to deal is a relationship. I will explain to them that the Bible teaches that if we meditate or imagine and think consistently on the right things that eventually it changes us from the inside out. I have seen it happen many times. While this is not exactly reality therapy, it is very similar because the idea is that we choose our thoughts, we choose our behaviors, and that it is not out of our control that as some of those that I have mentored were implying. I feel now with what I have learned in this class and some of the questions that I can now ask, I feel that is only help me further in ministry, and in helping others of all walks of life. On a personal note, it took me a long time to learn these things and I am still changing,  but I feel that what I have learned here is going to help me grow more as a person to make better choices for myself, my family, friends, and those that I will be counseling in the future. 

---

[1] Gerald Corey, (2013). Theory and Practice of Counseling and Psychotherapy. 9th ed. USA: Brooks/Cole. Cengage learning.

[2] Gerald Corey, (2009). 'reality therapy, '. In: (ed), Theory and Practice of Counseling and Psychotherapy. 9th ed. USA: Brooks/Cole, Cengage learning. pp.336 -337.

[3] Gerald Corey, (2009). 'reality therapy'. In: (ed), Theory and Practice of Counseling and Psychotherapy. 9th ed. USA: Brooks/Cole, Cengage learning. pp.334-335.

[4] Gerald Corey, (2009). 'reality therapy'. In: (ed), Theory and Practice of Counseling and Psychotherapy. 9th ed. USA: Brooks/Cole, Cengage learning. pp.336.

[5] Gerald Corey, (2009). 'Person centered therapy'. In: (ed), Theory and Practice of Counseling and Psychotherapy. 9th ed. USA: Brooks/Cole, Cengage learning. pp.177.

[6] Gerald Corey, (2009). 'reality therapy'. In: (ed), Theory and Practice of Counseling and Psychotherapy. 9th ed. USA: Brooks/Cole, Cengage learning. pp.337.

[7] CBS News (November 18, 2012 4:53 PM). Born good? Babies help unlock the origins of morality. [ONLINE] Available at: http://www.cbsnews.com/video/watch/?id=50135408n. [Last Accessed November, 2012].

[8] Gerald Corey, (2009). 'reality therapy'. In: (ed), Theory and Practice of Counseling and Psychotherapy. 9th ed. USA: Brooks/Cole, Cengage learning. pp.337.

[9] Gerald Corey, (2009). 'reality therapy'. In: (ed), Theory and Practice of Counseling and Psychotherapy. 9th ed. USA: Brooks/Cole, Cengage learning. pp.338-340.

[10] Gary Martin, Joseph Pear, (2011). behavior modification what it is and how to do it. 9th ed. USA: Pearson education, Inc..

[11] Gerald Corey, (2009). 'reality therapy'. In: (ed), Theory and Practice of Counseling and Psychotherapy. 9th ed. USA: Brooks/Cole, Cengage learning. pp.344-348.

[12] Gerald Corey, (2009). 'reality therapy'. In: (ed), Theory and Practice of Counseling and Psychotherapy. 9th ed. USA: Brooks/Cole, Cengage learning. pp.354

Effects of a Positive Attitude On Health as We Age

Effects of a Positive Attitude

On Health as We Age©2014

 (Foreword) 

This is a paper I wrote as a college essay and is still a work in progress. I'll be adding to and editing this paper as this is a subject of great interest to me. I will most likely expand on this paper and include some statistics concerning the effects of negative cognition's on our health as we age. I've included a link to Seligmans report at the end of this paper. Mr. Seligman's references are in italics and/or quotation marks. I also added Mr. Mamali's suggestion and replaced the word experiment with "set of studies."

P.s.- I received an A on this paper.

______________________________________________________________

Cover sheet

Northeast Iowa Community College 

Effects of a Positive Attitude

On Health as We Age©2014

      

Dan Dickerson

Psychology of Aging

2014

Catalin Mamali Ph.D.
Instructor

____________________________________________

 Abstract:

Martin Seligman has revolutionized the field of psychology with his hypothesis of “Positive Psychology.” In essence he describes his initial opinion, when elected as President-elect of the American Psychological Association, in such a manner. The field of Psychology had done a good job in the area of mental illness: depression, anxiety, and other mood disorders. But the field of psychology/psychiatry had done poorly with mental health: positive emotion, engagement, purpose, positive relationships, and positive accomplishment.
In this paper, I will hypothesize that a positive mental attitude/thinking can increase overall physical, emotional, intellectual, and social well being in the aging process. I will use Seligman’s findings from his writing in, 

(Applied Psychology An International Review, 2008, 57, 3-18 doi;10.111/j.1464-0597.2008. 00351.x) 

also in pdf form, which will be attached to this paper. Along with Mr. Seligman’s empirical findings, I will also use my own critical thinking and/or life’s experiences and observations to validate or refute Mr. Seligman’s findings.

_____________________________________________________________ 

 Introduction

The effects of a positive mental attitude on overall health, longevity, and aging cannot be underestimated. Martin Seligman refers to this as positive health. He does not limit positive psychology/thinking to cognitive processes, but includes the benefits to overall health and well being of the individual physically, socially, intellectually, and emotionally or with an overall satisfaction in life. Seligman also refers to these aspects as Biological, Functional, and Subjective health. The absence of biological disease does not necessarily equate to overall health. The World Health Organization in 1946 offered this definition of health:

      "Health is a state of complete positive physical, mental, and social well-being

and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity."

 (Preamble to the Constitution of the World Health Organization, 1946)

 (Seligman, M. (2008). APPLIED PSYCHOLOGY: AN INTERNATIONAL REVIEW. Applied Psychology, (57), 3-18. doi: 10.111/j.1464-0597.2008.00351.x.pg.4)

The goal of this paper is to examine Martin Seligman's hypothesis that a positive mental attitude or optimism, can have positive health benefits such as longevity, physical, mental, and social well-being.

I have noticed in my own life and the life of others, that those who have a positive outlook have a better sense of well being and are generally more healthy, look younger, and enjoy their relationships 

Likewise, I have noticed that when I or others have been more negative about life’s circumstances and/or the future, then there is a definite correlation between poor health a pessimism. In general, people do desire overall health and well-being, yet sometimes do not understand the dynamics that their own cognitive processes play in the achievement of good health. Let us examine Mr. Seligman’s findings, first with the Biological benefits of positive cognition's, positive emotion, engagement, purpose, positive relationships, positive accomplishment may be one of our best weapons against mental disorder.

(Seligman, M. (2008). APPLIED PSYCHOLOGY: AN INTERNATIONAL REVIEW. Applied Psychology, (57), 3-18. doi: 10.111/j.1464-0597.2008.00351.x)

Biological:

            In relation to Cardiovascular Disease, a positive mental attitude indicates a direct link to increased longevity and improved prognosis. For example in one study

• Giltay, Geleijnse, Zitman, Hoekstra, and Schouten (2004) followed 999 Dutch seniors for a decade: high optimism produced a remarkably low hazard ratio of 0.23 for CVD death (upper versus lower quartile of optimism, 95% confidence interval, 0.10–0.55) when controlling for age, sex, chronic disease, education, smoking, alcohol, history of CVD, body mass, and cholesterol level. Similarly, Buchanan (1995) found that among 96 men who had had their first heart attack, 15 of the 16 most pessimistic men died of CVD over the next decade, while only 5 of the 16 most optimistic died, controlling for major risk factors. (Seligman, M. (2008). APPLIED PSYCHOLOGY: AN INTERNATIONAL REVIEW. Applied Psychology, (57), 3-18. doi: 10.111/j.1464-0597.2008.00351.x. pg.5)

This is an important finding because its implications in the treatment of Cardiovascular Disease. This does not mean that genetics are over-ruled. If someone has a family history of heart disease then there is a strong possibility that the individual will inherit the disease because of genetics. In my personal observations, I have known individuals who had multiple health issues, and in particular, Cardiovascular disease. I have also known individuals who were approximately the same age, gender who were in remarkable health. The only discernible difference between the two was that one expected to be in poor health, while the other expected to be in good health. Their view of the world was different also. The individual with CVD was very pessimistic about world issues and how they affected him while the other acknowledged the problems in the world, yet believed that somehow things would work out. They believed that they would be in a better position in life, in spite of the world’s problems.

Some other studies from Seligmans research include the following.
• Optimism and positive emotions have also been linked to recovery after a major cardiac event. Leedham, Meyerowitz, Muirhead, and Frist (1995) interviewed 31 heart-transplant patients both before and after surgery. Those who reported a high level of positive expectation and good mood before the surgery were found to have greater adherence to medical regimen after surgery, as well as a better status report obtained by nursing 6 months post-operation.

• Optimism and positive affect may also be protective against other physical deteriorations. Ostir, Ottenbacher, and Markides (2004) followed 1,558 initially non-frail older Mexican-Americans for 7 years. Frailty increased by 7.9% over the course of follow-up, but those men with high positive affect were found to have a significantly lower risk of frailty onset.

• Positive emotional style (PES) may also act as preventive against the onset of the common cold. Cohen, Alper, Doyle, Treanor, and Turner (2006) administered nasal drops carrying either rhinovirus or influenza to 193 healthy normal volunteers, ranging in age from 21 to 55. They found that a high level of PES was associated with a lower risk of developing either of the two conditions, manifest as upper respiratory conditions. 

 ( Seligman, M. (2008). APPLIED PSYCHOLOGY: AN INTERNATIONAL REVIEW. Applied Psychology, (57), 3-18. doi: 10.111/j.1464-0597.2008.00351.x. pg.6)

Subjective or Emotional

            When a person “feels” good they are generally referring to a mental state of being that causes them to have a positive outlook on life and their personal circumstances. I prefer to replace the word feeling with satisfaction or contentment. Drawing from personal experience, again, I have known people who had every reason to be negative about life. They were financially destitute, or suffered from some physical ailment. Yet because of their positive attitude they were content and satisfied with their life. It did not mean they had no goals to better their lot in life; satisfaction and contentment are not synonymous with passivity. Rather, they are a perspective concerning the present that benefits the future, and are often combined with short and long term goals (positive engagement).

Seligman stated it this way in his report,

• Subjective—when a person feels great, defined by high ends of measures of several psychological states. These states are:

(a) a sense of positive physical well-being. The individual enjoys a sense of energy, vigor,

vitality, robustness (as opposed to a sense of vulnerability to disease, tenuousness of health status, health-related anxiety);

(b) the absence of bothersome symptoms, measured, for example by the Somatic Symptom Inventory;

(c) a sense of durability, hardiness, and confidence about one’s body (as opposed to a sense of fragility, susceptibility to disease);

(d) an internal health-related locus of control so that the individual feels a measure of control over health;

 (e) optimism, measured for example by the Attributional Style Questionnaire and by content analysis of verbatim materials, and confidence about one’s future health (as opposed to anxiety, bodily preoccupation, disease fear);

(f) high life satisfaction, as measured for example by Quality of Life Enjoyment and Satisfaction Questionnaire (Q-LES-Q); and

(g) positive emotion, minimal and appropriate negative emotion, high sense of engagement and meaning.

(Seligman, M. (2008). APPLIED PSYCHOLOGY: AN INTERNATIONAL REVIEW. Applied Psychology, (57), 3-18. doi: 10.111/j.1464-0597.2008.00351.x. pg.7-8)

 Four questions were formulated by which they could be used to draw conclusions.

1. We can ask if high status on positive physical health—over and above

absence of positive physical illness—predicts longevity, costs, and

prognosis when illness strikes.

2. We can ask if high status on positive physical health—over and above

the absence of positive physical illness—predicts excellent mental

health as one ages.

3. We can ask if high status on mental health—over and above the

absence of mental illness—predicts longevity, costs, and prognosis

when illness strikes.

4. We can ask if high status on mental health—over and above the absence

(Seligman, M. (2008). APPLIED PSYCHOLOGY: AN INTERNATIONAL REVIEW. Applied Psychology, (57), 3-18. doi: 10.111/j.1464-0597.2008.00351.x)

 Seligman seems to equate positive mental health and positive health as one and the same. In other words positive mental health translates into positive physical, social, functional health.

In one set of studies conducted over an 11 month period of time Seligman sought to validate his hypothesis by the following:

• How positive emotion, engagement, and meaning build life satisfaction,

    productivity, and health (directed by Peterson and Seligman).

• The development of national well-being indicators to supplement

    economic indicators (directed by Diener).

• The study of spirituality in successful lives (directed by Vaillant).

• The study of Psychological Capital (directed by Csikszentmihalyi).

• The development of mirror Chinese and Spanish websites for

www.authentichappiness.org (directed by Peterson and Seligman).

"In the 11 months between each of the three residency periods, we carried out these projects back in our home laboratories. It worked. By subjective report, this grizzled group of senior scientists called it the “best intellectual experience of their lives”, and the junior fellows concurred. By objective deliverables, it was enormously productive."

(Seligman, M. (2008). APPLIED PSYCHOLOGY: AN INTERNATIONAL REVIEW. Applied Psychology, (57), 3-18. doi: 10.111/j.1464-0597.2008.00351.x. pg. 13)

Conclusion:

            Positive Health is more than freedom from physical infirmities. A Positive Mental attitude about life, social relationships, self worth, and a person’s own personal meaning and history play an important role in their overall positive health. Studies have indicated that an individual with a positive outlook generally lives seven and a half years longer than those who are more pessimistic about the same subject matter.

 As Martin Seligman stated concerning Functional Main Effect,
("The person–environment fit—the optimal state of adaptation between one’s bodily function and the positive physical requirements and demands of one’s chosen lifestyle: work, love, and play given that person’s choice of lifestyle—is central to measuring how well a person functions.") 

 (Seligman, M. (2008). APPLIED PSYCHOLOGY: AN INTERNATIONAL REVIEW. Applied Psychology, (57), 3-18. doi: 10.111/j.1464-0597.2008.00351.x. pg. 15)

 A positive mental attitude seems to be a predictor of longevity, satisfaction, (feel good), improved cardiovascular health, and overall health in general.

Martin Seligman's report "Positive Health"