Art of Zen and self-respect
A couple of weeks ago I made mention of happiness in this weblog. It is worth reading the follow up ABC health report hunting for happiness for some tested strategies that work.
The research author, Dr Martin Seligman indicated that the self-esteem movement, victimology, individualism and short cuts to happiness have all made it harder for us to be happy. In our school, we have increasingly talked a lot about issues connected with self-esteem, student motivation and safety. My formal training in psychology and sociology is limited to some courses of study with my Diploma in Education many moons ago so I decided to do a wee bit of research on the web.
I learned that bullies act the way that they do because they suffer from unearned high self-esteem and that individualism has a controversial relationship with egoism (selfishness). One interesting weblog entry that reflected on the problems of trying to teach students how to be happy suggested that teachers would be better to focus on promoting self-respect. She points out that whilst self-esteem is all about excuses, self-respect is about building character: being willing to struggle and to assess oneself honestly.
- Mediation: can lower blood pressure, improve immune function and bring about chemical changes in the brain. It also appears to bring about a shift in frontal lobe brain activity. Yoga and Tai Chi Chuan get the thumbs up
- Drugs: stimulate the same centres of the brain that produce feelings of happiness and activate the same mechanisms that make us feel naturally good but the downside is that the effects are limited and governed by the principle of diminishing returns. Ultimately, happiness is psychological rather than physiological so pills are out.
- Connectedness: The quality of your relationships is very important, happy people feel more connected. It's the perception of being part of something bigger than yourself.
The research author, Dr Martin Seligman indicated that the self-esteem movement, victimology, individualism and short cuts to happiness have all made it harder for us to be happy. In our school, we have increasingly talked a lot about issues connected with self-esteem, student motivation and safety. My formal training in psychology and sociology is limited to some courses of study with my Diploma in Education many moons ago so I decided to do a wee bit of research on the web.
I learned that bullies act the way that they do because they suffer from unearned high self-esteem and that individualism has a controversial relationship with egoism (selfishness). One interesting weblog entry that reflected on the problems of trying to teach students how to be happy suggested that teachers would be better to focus on promoting self-respect. She points out that whilst self-esteem is all about excuses, self-respect is about building character: being willing to struggle and to assess oneself honestly.