About this course: 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.
Who is this class for: Students interested in the study of Positive Psychology.
Created by: University of Pennsylvania
Taught by: Karen Reivich, Ph.D., Director of Resilience Training Services
Positive Psychology Center
| Basic Info |
Course 4 of 5 in the
Foundations of Positive Psychology Specialization.
|
| Level | Beginner |
| Commitment | Four weeks of study, 2-5 hours a week. |
| Language | English |
| How To Pass | Pass all graded assignments to complete the course. |
| User Ratings |
Syllabus
WEEK 1
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, 6 readings
- Video: 1.1 Welcome and Overview of the Course
- Reading: Biography of Karen Reivich, Ph.D.
- Reading: Assignments, Grading and your Resilience Journal
- Video: 1.2 Definition of Resilience and Foundational Research
- Video: 1.3 Variables that Contribute to Resilience
- Video: 1.4 Barbara Bradley Hagerty on Resilience in Midlife
- Video: 1.5 Jennifer Loredo and Resilience Stories
- Reading: Optional Reading: The Resilience Factor
- Reading: Module 1 Lesson 1 - Optional Readings
- Reading: Optimism Questionnaire
- Video: 1.6 Introduction to Optimism and Optimism Definitions
- Video: 1.7 Benefits of Optimism
- Video: 1.8 What Optimists Do Differently
- Video: 1.9 Optimism Activity: Pursuit of Happyness Video
- Discussion Prompt: Optimism Activity
- Video: 1.10 Organizational Highlight: Sam Presti on Optimism
- Video: 1.11 Organizational Highlight: Maureen Rush
- Video: 1.12 Personal Highlight: Lucy Hone
- Video: 1.13 Summary of Week 1 and Preview of Week 2
- Reading: Module 1 Lesson 2 - Optional Readings
Graded: Module 1 Quiz
Graded: Pursuit of Happyness: Optimism in Action
WEEK 2
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, 2 readings
- Video: 2.1 Thinking Traps Introduction
- Video: 2.2 Definition and Demonstration of Thinking Traps
- Video: 2.3 Detecting Patterns in Yourself, Activity: Trying Thinking Traps on for Size
- Discussion Prompt: Thinking Traps Scenarios
- Video: 2.4 Personal Examples of Thinking Traps: Why We Need a Skill to Address Them
- Reading: Module 2 Lesson 1 - Optional Reading
- Video: 2.5 Changing non-resilient thinking: Real-time Resilience
- Video: 2.6 Real-time resilience Activity
- Discussion Prompt: Real Time Resilience Activity
- Video: 2.7 Organizational Highlights: Emma Judge & Maureen Rush
- Video: 2.8 Summary of Module 2 and Introduction to Module 3
- Reading: Module 2 Lesson 2 - Optional Reading
Graded: Module 2 Quiz
WEEK 3
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, 4 readings
- Video: 3.1 Introduction: Catastrophizing and the Relationship of Anxiety to Resilience
- Video: 3.2 Dr. Baime: Effects of Anxiety on Our Bodies
- Video: 3.3 Demonstrations of Several Styles of Catastrophizing
- Video: 3.4 Triggers of Catastrophizing
- Reading: Module 3 Lesson 1 - Optional Reading
- Reading: Activity: Challenging Catastrophic Thinking Part 1
- Video: 3.5 Introduction to three Different Ways to Manage Anxiety
- Reading: Activity: Challenging Catastrophic Thinking Part 2
- Video: 3.6 Dr. Park: Deliberate Breathing to Manage Anxiety
- Video: 3.7 Dr. Baime: A Mindfulness Approach to Anxiety
- Video: 3.8 Positive Emotions Broaden
- Video: 3.9 Positive Emotions Build Resources
- Discussion Prompt: Positive Emotion Photos
- Video: 3.10 Gratitude Research
- Video: 3.11 Gratitude Skill: HTGS
- Discussion Prompt: Hunt the Good Stuff
- Video: 3.12 Designing a Gratitude Practice: Team Collage
- Video: 3.13 Organizational Highlights: Sam Presti, Maureen Rush & Carolyn McIntyre
- Video: 3.14 Summary of Module 3 and Preview of Module 4
- Reading: Module 3 Lesson 2 - Optional Readings
Graded: Design a Gratitude Practice
Graded: Module 3 Quiz
WEEK 4
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, 3 readings
- Reading: Values in Action (VIA) Survey
- Video: 4.1 Background and Definition of Signature Strengths
- Video: 4.2 Activities: Developing Character Strengths and VIA Conversation
- Discussion Prompt: VIA
- Video: 4.3 Using Character Strengths to Navigate an Upcoming Challenge
- Discussion Prompt: Using Character Strengths to Navigate an Upcoming Challenge
- Video: 4.4 Shadow Side of Character Strengths
- Video: 4.5 Introduction to ACR
- Video: 4.6 ACR Role Plays
- Video: 4.7 Activity: ACR Patterns
- Reading: Activity: Response Style Patterns
- Video: 4.8 Inculcating Resilience in an Organization: Emma Judge and Sam Presti
- Discussion Prompt: Applying Resilience to Your Life
- Reading: Module 4 Lesson 2 - Optional Readings
- Video: 4.9 Course Summary
Graded: Module 4 Quiz
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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.
Pricing
| Audit | Purchase Course | |
|---|---|---|
| Access to course materials | Available | Available |
| Access to graded materials | Not available | Available |
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| Earn a shareable Course Certificate | Not available | Available |
Ratings and Reviews
Very relevant, engaging, and applicable material. Thanks for teaching a wonderful course!
Thoughtfully designed, great examples from some fantastic people, and of course, a teacher who is truly passionate about her subject.
out of the four courses in the specialization this one was probably my favorite. The presentation was very hands on and specific on using resilience skills.
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Excellent Course; I learned so much about myself.