introductory psychology – psy 2012 (section # 7506) spring, 2003 brian higley, ms graduate...

Introductory Psychology – PSY 2012 (Section # 7506) Spring, 2003

•Brian Higley, MS Graduate Instructor

•MWF (Period 4: 10:40 – 11:30 AM)

•117 Matherly Hall

•392-0601 X203 (Sarah Lee)

•135 B Psychology Building (Undergrad Advising Office)

•Office Hours: MW (11:30 AM – 12:30 PM)

•[email protected]

•Not up yet

The Syllabus

•Course Overview/Course Objectives/ Required Texts

•Course Format and Grading

•More Specific Information About Your Evaluations

•Missing Exams and Class/Extra Credit/ Accommodations

•Course Policies

•Study Skills

“Nothing in the world can take the place of persistence.

- Talent will not; nothing is more common than unsuccessful men with talent. - Genius will not; unrewarded genius is almost a proverb. - Education will not; the world is full of educated derelicts.

Persistence and determination are omnipotent.”

- Calvin Coolidge

The Seven “Building Blocks” Areas

Most Strongly Associated with Success & Life Satisfaction

1. Willpower/Persistence

2. Goal-setting

3. Relaxation/Mind-focusing

4. Self-talk/Effective Affirmation Use

5. High Self-esteem/Positive Self Concept

6. Positive Relationships with Others

7. Giving Back

•What’s gone into this part of the class:•5 years of intensive study of persistence and

motivation

•3 years of constructing programs and interventions

helping people persist with all kinds of activities

•3 years of running experts in business, psychology,

education, & motivation through the programs•And absorbing their feedback into the material

Brian P. Higley, M.S.Doctoral Candidate, Counseling PsychologyUniversity of FloridaTed Landsman Award Winner

The Psychology of Persistence – Introduction

1. Write Down the activity of “Studying”

2. List the top two or three barriers or factors That you believe may challenge your ability to persist with the activity of

Studying Examples: hate studying, too boring, not enough time, other things

to do

The Stages of Persistence By J.O. Prochaska, C.C. DiClemente, & J.C. Norcross. (1992)

Stage Characteristics

1 Precontemplation No specific plans to persist “I’m not doing it”

2 Contemplation Action will be taken to persist “I’ll do it soon” within 6 months

3 Preparation Specific plans to persist now“I’m going to do it now”

4 Action Persistence begins to occur “I’m doing it now”

5 Maintenance New behavior is a permanent part “I always do it” of one’s life/relapses to old

behavior are resisted

How to Increase Persistence The Five Factors most important to moving through

the Stages of Persistence

MotivationAm I consistently looking forward to performing desirable activities?

Perception of Time AvailabilityDo I consistently have the time to perform desirable activities?

AccessibilityIs everything I need easily attainable?

EnjoymentDo I like or can I at least tolerate desirable activities?

Social Support

Do people support me in DESIRABLE ways?

People Generally Naturally Experience the Type of Persistence They Desire Unless . . .

They Begin to Feel Either:

GUILTY,

OVERWHELMED,OR

PERFECTIONISTIC

THE 3 MAJOR BLOCKS TO LONG-TERM & ENJOYABLE PERSISTENCE!

Rate Yourself on the Following Items . . .

From 1 (not at all true) to 5 (very true) for Studying

1. I am consistently highly motivated to studyNot true at all 1 2 3 4 5 Very true

2. I believe that I have the time to study on a regular basisNot true at all 1 2 3 4 5 Very true

3. I have all the materials necessary for studying easily attainable at all timesNot true at all 1 2 3 4 5 Very true

4. I consistently enjoy studyingNot true at all 1 2 3 4 5 Very true

5. I have the right people supporting me in the right ways to help energize me to study

Not true at all 1 2 3 4 5 Very true

Persistence-Boosting Factors





Social Support


How to Approach This Portion of The Discussion

1. Imagine how everything we discuss may be applied to your Studying

2. If a something doesn’t apply to your Studying Imagine how it may apply to one of the

other desirable activities in your life

3. Think about level of appropriateness Of everything we talk about for your

studying at this time in your life

MOTIVATION

Different Categories of Motivation

• Biological (body), Cognitive (mind) & Environmental

• Internal vs. External– Self-esteem, confidence, knowledge,

satisfaction, personal growth– Money, applause, attention from others,

trophies, banquets in your honor

• Constructive vs. Restrictive– What you want to move toward (positive outcomes)

vs . . . – What you want to move away from (negative outcomes)

Motivation: Other Issues To Think About

Proper Goal Setting

- Set long term goals with shorter term subgoals in between

- Breaking large or complicated activities into smaller or less complicated activities helps you:

1) to keep motivation high - especially due to more feelings of victory

2) decrease feelings of being overwhelmed- you don’t have to do it all at once

Proper Rewarding Goal/Sub-goal Accomplishment

Make sure that you recognize your achievements and reward yourself for them

•Reward yourself for every week or day that you study

•Rewards are CRUCIAL to motivation – do not skip this step!

Examples of rewards: 1) congratulating yourself

2) taking yourself out for dinner

3) talking with a friend about your success

4) going on a trip to a favorite place

5) buying yourself something to recognize achievement


That’s All For Today!Work on applying the motivation principles

to your studying


Welcome Back!







Social Support


TIME PERCEPTION

Covey’s 2X2 “Time Management Matrix”

Importance of an Activity

• The degree to which an activity contributes to the achievement of one’s goals and/or meshes with one’s roles in life

1. List 4-7 of Your Most Important Roles in Your Life Roles = some “part” you play in life that takes up

a considerable amount of time/energy

2. Write Down 2-3 of the Most Important Goals Within These Roles Goals = the best way that you can tell that you are

fulfilling your role; what is most important to accomplish in this role

Time Perception – “Cutting the Fat” Simple But Not Easy

Four of My Roles and Goals in Life

Role #1 Individual

Goals: a) Keep in good physical, emotional, and spiritual shapeb) Work at keeping an open heart (compassion) and open mind c) Seek clarity, courage, and honesty

Role #2 CEO, The Building Blocks®

Goals: a) Effect clients in positive and permanent waysb) Create and maintain an inner circle of good-hearted/sharp-minded peoplec) Keep mind/eyes open for further routes to success

Role #3 Son/Brother/Friend

Goals: a) Keep in contact/enjoy them/listen deeplyb) Think from their perspective as much as possiblec) Understand that they do not have to agree with all my opinions

Role #4 Business Person

Goals: a) Generate revenueb) Keep good recordsc) Learn form experts in law/business/accounting

Time Perception – “Cutting the Fat” Simple But Not Easy

3. Think of all the activities that take up your time and energy during your average work week

4. Categorize these activities into three levels of importance

A. Important activitiesB. Less important activitiesC. Not important activities

ASSESSING ACTIVITY IMPORTANCE – SAMPLE

IM 1. Reading/Listening 4. Planning/Executing Plan

PO 2. Working Out 5. Establishing company policiesR T 3. Quality Relaxation 6. Time w/family & friends

1. Paying Bills 4. Checking out new hire’s resumes L E 2. Planning outings 5. Managing conflictS S 3. Answering phones 6. Presenting new ideas

1. Gossiping 4. Some TV N O 2. Answering mail 5. ProcrastinatingT

3. Complaining w/o action 6. Handling customer complaints

5. Rearrange your days, weeks, and months around performance of important activities FIRST (including STUDYING)

As much as possible, perform less important activities ONLY after the important ones are completed

Decrease the amount of time spent in not important activities to as close to zero as possible

Delegate as you see appropriate Say NO to the unimportant!

6. Enjoy the results of living according to your priorities! There is NOTHING MORE IMPORTANT than this.

Check in on a daily, weekly, and/or monthly basis Ask others to participate in this with you

Or to at least ask you about how you are doing with your priorities

Time Perception – “Cutting the Fat”Simple But Not Easy

ACCESSIBILITY

Definition - The ease with which we can obtain all of the materials necessary to

perform activities

Three Step Approach to Accessibility Assessment and Management

1. Assess the degree of difficulty that an activity presents in relationship to accessibility

2. Take measures to make the activity as accessible as possible

3. If you find that the activity is too challenging in relationship to accessibility DO NOT GIVE UP

• Find a similar activity with fewer accessibility challenges

Accessibility: Questions to Answer

1. Assess the degree of difficulty that an activity presents in relationship to accessibility

What materials are CRUCIAL to the performance of this activity? How much will it cost to perform this activity? How far will I have to travel to perform the activity?

2. Take measures to make the activity as accessible as possible How can I make it easier to attain the materials CRUCIAL to the

performance of this activity? How can I cut the cost of performance of this activity? How can I make it a shorter trip to perform the activity?

3. If you find that the activity is too challenging in relationship to accessibility DO NOT GIVE UP

What alternative activities can you perform that will bring about similar results to your original activity?


That’s All For Today!Work on applying the time and

accessibility principles to your studying


Welcome Back!







Social Support


ENJOYMENT

The Elements of Enjoyment 1. A challenging activity requiring skills

2. The merging of action and awareness

3. Clear goals and feedback

4. Concentration on the activity

5. Feelings of control

6. Perception of time transformation

Increasing Enjoyment

1. Incorporate as many of the elements of enjoyment into the activity possible Give yourself clear goals regarding your activity so

you may have clear feedback regarding your progress Try to increase your concentration on the activity

when you are not enjoying it

2. Adjust your challenges to fit your skill level Too much challenge = anxiety Too little challenge = boredom Start with smaller, easier challenges first

Then expect more of yourself/your team after mastering these smaller challenges first

3. Make a game out of less exciting activities

Keep track of how often you study See if you can improve this proportion every week

4. Listen to enjoyable or relaxing music while performing an activity

This can increase “flow” during an activity For example, study while listening to a relaxing or

energizing CD/tape (but one that doesn’t interrupt your concentration)


5. Involve enjoyable others in the activity with you

Ask others who would energize you to study with you DO NOT ask others who would bring you down or

distract you to join you For example, people who would make light of studying or

influence you to stop doing it

6. Perform the activity in an enjoyable place Often, where one performs an activity impacts how

enjoyable that activity is For example, you may enjoy reviewing your notes or

reading your text at your favorite park or in your favorite room (as long as it doesn’t interrupt your concentration)


SOCIAL SUPPORT

The Six Major “Types” of Social Support

1. Emotional Support – the ability to turn to others for comfort during stressful times

2. Inclusion – the feeling of belongingness to a group with common goals

3. Positive Assurance – the reception of positive, affirming feedback about oneself

4. Concrete Assistance – the ability to rely on others for concrete assistance (money, help etc.)

5. Specific Guidance – advice or information providing solutions to problems

6. Opportunity to Support Others – the feeling of being needed by others for support

1. Be enthusiastic about the activity Without being fake, express the upside of your activity

more than the downside of it More people will give you support for your activity (and

maybe want to perform it with you) if you are more positive about it

2. Identify and ask for the exact kinds of support that you want from the right people (“IPA”)

Identify people who you believe would be the best supporters of your activity And who you believe would support you

Pinpoint the exact type(s) of support you desire from these particular people And the type(s) of support you DO NOT want from these

people Ask these people for the exact kind(s) of social support

that you want for the activity And to avoid the exact kind(s) of social support you DO NOT

want from them

Increasing Effective Social Support

The Persistence-Enhancing Factors Making Persistence Easier





Social Support


Where to Go From Here

• Study Regularly – Make sure you have the five persistence enhancing

factors in your favor

• Check in on a weekly basis for 3-4 weeks– Are you beginning to persist more with your studying?

– You may wish to ask someone to remind you to study and/or perform study with you

• Review Your Persistence Material Frequently – At least once a week

• Notice The Impact On Your Studying

• Enjoy the Results!

Congratulations! Give Yourself the Credit Due You for:

Improving Your Ability to

Persist with Your Studying!


That’s All For Today!Work on applying the enjoyment and

social support principles to your studying

introductory psychology – psy 2012 (section # 7506) spring, 2003 brian higley, ms graduate...

Documents

enjoyable persistence

type of persistence

place of persistence

studynot true

timesnot true

studyingnot true

dothe stages of persistence

regular basisnot true