Goals and Strengths
This post is part of my notes on a course I am taking at Renison University College at the University of Waterloo. The course is titled Positive Psychology and is taught by Professor Denise Marigold, currently the Chair of Social Development Studies.
The questions here are from the course, and the answers are my own.
There are a lot of different ways to conceptualize why people do what they do. People have various things they need or value, and they will often behave in ways that move them towards satisfying their needs or fostering their values. From an individual cognitive standpoint, these behaviors can be conceptualized as working towards some goal. Thus, working towards goals is an integral part of the experience of being a thinking organism.
What kinds of goals are associated with greater well-being?
Not all goals are created equal. Different conceptualizations of goals are associated with differences in subjective well-being (SWB). This hold even if the content of the goal is effectively equivalent.
One way to distinguish goals is into approach goals, and avoidance goals. Approach goals aim to enter a new desirable state, or to take on some desirable action, such as a goal to "brush your teeth twice a day", or to "meet new people". Avoidance goals aim to avoid undesirable states or behaviours, such as "don't let my teeth rot away", or "avoid loneliness". Avoidance goals require a constant state of vigilance, to always be on the lookout for anything that needs to be avoided. This might be part of the reason approach goals are associated with a better SWB.
There are also several types of goals. Goals related to intimacy and community are associated with the highest SWB. Other goals related to gaining power, wealth and achievement are associated with a lower SWB.
Finally, goals tend to be more helpful in fostering a positive SWB when they are intrinsically motivated, as opposed to extrinsically motivated. You must want to do it for yourself, not to please someone else.
It is also interesting to note some things that are not associated with SWB. It doesn't seem to matter if you achieve the goals, as striving towards them seems to be what brings meaning. When it comes to big vs small goals, there is a trade-off. Smaller goals are more manageable, but larger goals can be more meaningful. There isn't a clear answer on which is associated with a better SWB.
What are the three steps to Tim Ferris’s fear-setting?
When striving towards goals, people often know what they think they should be aiming for, but they have some fear that is preventing them from doing it. This is exactly the situation that Tim Ferris considers in his TED talk. In the talk Ferris addresses a strategy for addressing those fears.
Ferris calls his strategy "fear setting". It is all about evaluating the fears rationally. The first step is to identify the fear. What's the worst that could happen? Is there anything that can be done to prevent it from happening? If it can't be prevented, is there anything that can be done to repair the damage it could do?
After gaining a better understanding of what you are up against, the next step is to consider if there are any benefits to attempting the goal, even if not fully successful.
Finally, as with any good decision, the choice cannot be made in a vacuum. Every action has an alternative, so you must consider if there are any costs of not acting towards the goal. This should be considered over a variety of time frames, from the short term (next few months), to the long term (next few years).
What are the six categories of strengths?
Most people interested in psychology will be aware of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM, currently in the fifth edition, DSM-5). This manual categorizes many of the diverse ways in which people experience pathological psychological states that interfere with their functioning. Far fewer people are aware of the efforts currently underway to understand and measure the psychological strengths people have that enhance their functioning.
One such effort is the VIA Inventory of Strengths. This inventory groups strengths into six categories:
- Courage
- Wisdom
- Humanity
- Justice
- Temperance
- Transcendence
The inventory is made up of 240 questions, and the scoring is done using twenty-four strengths which fall under the six categories given above. At the end, the top five strengths are identified.