CHAPTER 1 SUMMARY

.Chapter 1
ADJUSTING TO MODERN LIFE

LEARNING OBJECTIVES

1. The paradox of progress

2. Co-dependency theory

3. Self-help books

4. Adjustment

5. Empiricism

6. Happiness in Modern Society

7. Study Habits

 

The Paradox of Progress

 

Paradox of Progress

Are you happy? If you are like many others in our society, this question probably made you think. The most important concept in this chapter is the fact that while we have made great technological advances during the last century, those advances have NOT led to our being any healthier or happier on the whole.

·       Technological advances have not led to perceptible improvement in our collective health and happiness.

·       Some critics suggest that the quality of our lives and our sense of personal fulfillment have declined.

·       Social problems and personal difficulties appear to be more prevalent than ever before. This is called the “paradox of progress”.

 

Four examples of the paradox of progress:

1.     Technology has provided us with many timesaving devices, yet many of us have little free time.

2.     Compared to the rest of the world, many of us live in extraordinary affluence, yet many people worry about their financial well-being and are caught up in a spiral of insatiable consumption that leaves them unsatisfied with what they have and wanting more.

3.     Our ability to process and communicate information has improved significantly, but for many of us that creates added stress which in some cases results in information anxiety.

4.     Modern advances have allowed us unprecedented control over the world around us, yet it has also had a negative impact on the world around us. Advancements in medical technology have brought great progress in medicine, yet they have also brought great concerns about the cost and quality of medical care.

 

Causes of paradox:

1.     Fromm (1981) argues that progress has affected our value systems and damaged our usual sources of emotional security – our families, communities, and religions.

2.     Toffler (1970, 1980) believes our culture is changing so rapidly that we feel alienated and distressed.

3.     Kegan (1994) believes we are "in over our heads" when it comes to the mental demands of modern life.

4.     Many theorists agree that the great challenge of modern life has become the search for meaning or direction.

 

 

The Search for Direction

 

The Search for Direction

We live in a time of great social and technological change. So much change is creating tremendous anxiety and uncertainty, which we try to ease by searching for a sense of direction and meaning. The search for meaning and direction is evident by the popularity of the following:

·       Self-realization programs (Scientology, EST)

·       Cults (Heaven’s Gate)

·       Radio “advice” shows (Dr. Laura)

·       The Co-dependency Movement

·       Self-Help Books

 

 

Co-Dependency Movement

Co-dependency is the tendency of individuals to get entangled in their partner’s addictions in ways that inadvertently support the addictive behavior.

 

  • People can be addicted to love, sex, work, food, gambling or shopping, as well as to drugs and alcohol.

·       Some researchers believe codependency extends to anyone who lets another person’s addictive behavior affect him or her and who is obsessed with controlling that behavior.

·       Some theorists suggest co-dependent people seek out relationships with troubled individuals to satisfy a need to be needed.

 

Facts about Codependency:

·       Women may be more likely to be codependent.

·       Codependents consistently subordinate their own needs to those of their partner. 

 

 

 

Symptoms of Codependency:

·       Symptoms range from minor (e.g., boredom, indecision) to profound (e.g., anorexia, depression, suicide)

 

Solution to Codependency:

·       Many therapists recommend “recovery” programs similar to Alcoholics Anonymous. They may work because they provide participants with social support. According to this model, codependency is considered an addictive disease.

·       Alternatively, other forms of therapy as described in Chapter 16, may be just as useful.

 

Criticisms of Codependency Movement:

·       Definitions of codependency vary considerably.

·       There is little or no scientific evidence to support the basic tenets of codependency theory.

·       The classification of numerous behaviors as addictions trivializes the concept of addiction (e.g., sexaholism, shopaholism).

·       There is a tendency for codependency theorists to explain all psychological problems in terms of addiction and codependency.

·       Codependency is a derogatory label generally applied to women.

 

 

Self-Help Books

Value of Self-Help books:

·       Some are excellent books that offer authentic insights and sound advice.

·       However, many books offer little of real value to the reader because:

o      They are dominated by "psychobabble".

o      The advice provided is generally not based on solid, scientific research.

o      They usually don't provide explicit directions about how to change behavior.

 

What to look for in self-help books:

·       Clarity in communication.

·       Few promises that there will be immediate change.

·       Books that mention the research basis for their program.

·       Books that are honest about the limits of what is known.

·       Books that provide specific directions about how to change behavior.

·       Books that focus on a particular topic.

 

 

 

The Approach of this Textbook

The approach of this textbook:

·       It is based on the premise that accurate knowledge about psychological principles can be of value in everyday life.

·       It attempts to foster a critical attitude about psychological issues and to enhance critical thinking skills.

·       It serves as a resource that can introduce you to other books, techniques, and therapies of value.

·       It assumes the key to effective adjustment is to take charge of your own life.

 

 

The Psychology of Adjustment

What is Psychology?

Psychology:   The science that studies behavior and the physiological and mental processes that underlie it.

 

Behavior:     Any overt (observable) response or activity by an organism.

 

 

What is Adjustment?

What is the definition of adjustment?

·       The psychological processes through which people manage or cope with the demands and challenges of everyday life.

 

What is the psychology of adjustment?

·       A broad area of study in psychology concerned with how people adapt effectively or ineffectively to the demands and pressures of everyday life.

 

 

The Commitment to Empiricism

 

Empiricism

Psychology is a science that is committed to “empiricism”.

·       Empiricism is the premise that knowledge should be acquired through observation.

·       Investigations in scientific psychology are formal, systematic, and objective.

·       The advantages of the scientific approach are:

o    Clarity and precision

o    Relative intolerance of error

 

The Roots of Happiness

 
Empirical Analysis of Happiness

 

Scientific analyses of happiness reveal that many of us have incorrect ideas about what constitutes “happiness”.

 

What is not very important?

1.    Money

·     The correlation between income and subjective feeling of happiness is positive, but surprisingly weak.

·     On average, wealthy people are only marginally happier than the middle classes.

·     Being poor can make people unhappy, but once a person ascends above the poverty level, there is little relation between one’s income and happiness

2.    Age

·       Age and happiness are consistently found to be unrelated.

·       People’s average level of happiness tends to remain remarkably stable over the lifespan.

3.    Gender

·       Gender accounts for less than 1% of the variation found in people’s subjective well-being.

4.    Parenthood

5.    Intelligence

·       No association has been found between IQ and happiness.

·       No relationship has been found between educational attainment and happiness.

6.    Physical attractiveness

·       The correlation between attractiveness and happiness is negligible.

7.    Community

·       People living in urban, suburban, and rural areas have been found to be equally happy.

 

What is somewhat important?

1.    Health

·       There is only a moderate correlation between health status and subjective well-being.

·       While it is reasonable to assume that good health is essential to happiness, people do adapt to health problems.

·       Good health does not in and of itself produce happiness, because people have a tendency to take good health for granted.

2.    Social activity

·       People’s interpersonal relations do appear to contribute to their happiness.

·       Socially active people with satisfying friendship networks report above-average levels of happiness.

·       People troubled by loneliness report above-average levels of unhappiness.

3.    Religion

·       There is a modest link between religiosity and subjective well-being.

·       Religion helps people feel a sense of purpose and meaning. It may also connect them to a caring, supporting community.

4.    Culture

·    There are modest variations in happiness mostly related to cultural differences in individualism versus collectivism.

·    Individualism involves putting personal goals ahead of group goals and defining one's identity in terms of personal attributes rather than group memberships. The U.S. is an individualistic culture.

·    Collectivism involves putting group goals ahead of personal goals and defining one's identity in terms of the groups one belongs to.

·    Relationship harmony appears to be a more important determinant of happiness in collectivist cultures than in individualistic cultures.

 

What is very important?

1.    Love and marriage

·    People consistently report being in love as one of the most critical ingredients of happiness.

·    Married people are happier than people who are single or divorced.

2.    Work

·    Work is a key source of happiness.

·    Studies show that unemployment has devastating effects on subjective well-being.

3.    Personality

·                       The best predictor of future happiness is past happiness.

·                       Several lines of research suggest that happiness is not dependent on external circumstances, but rather on internal factors such as one’s outlook on life.

·                       Personality correlates of happiness include self-esteem, extraversion, optimism, and sense of control over one's life.

 

Conclusions about happiness studies:

1.    Research suggests that many popular beliefs about the sources of happiness are unfounded.

2.    Research confirms some general conclusions can be made:

·                       Determinants of well-being are subjective.

·                       In making subjective assessments of our happiness, we generally compare ourselves with others who are similar to us.

·                       It is possible to find happiness in spite of seemingly insurmountable problems.

 

 

 

Discussion Questions

DISCUSSION QUESTIONS (FOR OPTIONAL ESSAY)

 

  1. Have scientific and technological advances improved the quality of our lives? Are the payoffs worth the costs and problems?

 

  1. Why do you think unorthodox religious groups (i.e., cults) are so popular? Do you think people with certain kinds of personality characteristics tend to be attracted to such groups?

 

  1. According to the codependency literature, women are more likely to be codependent than men because their socialization typically places more emphasis on taking care of others. Do you think women tend to be more supportive of others than men are? Do you think recent historical trends in gender equality have changed this tendency at all?

 

  1. Why are self-help books so popular? Have you read any? What were your reactions?

 

  1. Have you known someone who raved about some self-improvement program that you felt was worthless? Do you think this person might have experienced a placebo effect?

 

  1. What kinds of variables seem to be the most influential in determining your happiness? Is your answer consistent with the empirical findings discussed in the textbook?

 

 

 

Application: Improving Academic Performance

 

How you can improve your academic performance

1.     Develop sound study habits:

·       Set up a schedule for studying.

·       Find a place to study where you can concentrate.

·       Reward your studying.

 

2.     Improve your reading:

·       Reading time should be active.

·       Use the SQ3R method: a study system designed to promote effective reading that includes five steps: survey, question, read, recite, and review.

 

3.     Get more out of lectures:

·       Class attendance is important, even when instructor is hard to follow.

·       Take accurate lecture notes.

·       Use active listening procedures.

·       Read ahead in textbook.

·       Write down lecturer's thoughts in own words.

·       Ask questions during lectures.

 

4.     Apply memory principles:

·       Engage in adequate practice:

o    Continued rehearsal may improve your understanding of material.

o    Overlearning refers to continued rehearsal of material after you first appear to master it.

·       Use distributed practice rather than "cram" for exams.

·       Minimize interference from competing information:

o    Interference occurs when people forget information because of competition from other learned material.

o    Research suggests that interference is a major cause of forgetting.

·       Organize information into outlines.

·       Use mnemonic devices, which are strategies for enhancing memory:

o    Acrostics and acronyms

o    Narrative methods

o    Rhymes

·       Use visual imagery:

o    Link method

o    Method of loci