Talking Stick - May/June 2018 - 33

or simply smiling through adversity.
Rather, positive psychology, as defined
by researchers Shelly Gable and Jonathan Haidt, is "the study of the conditions and processes that contribute to
the flourishing or optimal functioning
of people, groups, and institutions."
Martin Seligman, known as the founder of positive psychology, explains
that, at the subjective level, positive
psychology pertains to experiences of
positivity, including such constructs as
well-being, flow, and optimism. At the
individual level, positive psychology
relates to constructs such as forgiveness, future mindedness, and wisdom.
Finally, at the group level positive psychology is about civic virtues, nurturance, and institutions that propel individuals towards increased connectivity.
Seligman developed a framework for
well-being and flourishing known as
the PERMA model: Flourishing occurs
through the presence, more often than
not, of positive emotions (optimism,
pleasure, and enjoyment), engagement
(fulfilling work and activities), relationships (social and emotional connections), meaning (having a purpose in
life), and accomplishment (ambition,
achievements, and pride).
But how does this lead to improving students' experience in campus
housing and enhancing the work that
is done in residence life? At UCT, the
PERMA model became a part of staff
training and was shared with student
leaders. Starting with the residence
life team, meetings were held to increase understanding of the model as
well as reflecting on and sharing ways
it could be applied. Staff considered
questions such as "In what practical ways could positive emotions be
promoted more amongst the team
or within a residence context?" and
"How could a greater level of meaning (purpose, passion, belonging,
motivation) be promoted amongst
the residence life team in the work

that you do?" Tanya Abrahams, a
residence life coordinator, describes
how she has been influenced by the
power of positivity. "I made a decision
to choose happiness every day, and I
have since chosen to see the gold in
others and to respond from a place of
love instead of fear when challenged.
By making an effort to fully engage
with my colleagues, I can see that

THE FIELD
OF POSITIVE
PSYCHOLOGY IS
FILLED WITH
WELL-RESEARCHED
AND DEVELOPED
TOOLS THAT
PROMOTE
FLOURISHING
OUTCOMES AND CAN
BE APPLIED IN WAYS
THAT CONTRIBUTE
TO THE OPTIMAL
FUNCTIONING OF
RESIDENCE HALLS.

positive work relationships are being
built. This further led to connecting
with people that assisted in developing a sense of belonging at work. Successful completion of tasks and positive feedback has contributed to my
sense of achievement and meaning
in my role. Lastly, starting an exercise
regimen has resulted in me feeling
energized."

Staff have reported the benefits
of promoting positivity in specific
actions: making an additional effort
to compliment team members, connecting with staff outside of formal
work situations, and nurturing a
sense of accomplishment by regularly
taking stock of and sharing milestones achieved. Frank Karigambe, a
residence life coordinator at UCT, describes the value of marking achievements. "It is great to coach leaders to
achieve, but even better to equip them
to achieve and have positive emotions,
be engaged, build relationships with
each other and those they serve, and
create meaning in the process. [I felt
this] through coaching and working
closely with the UCT Residence Tutors
Council to be awarded 'Best Residence
Life Team' for two consecutive years
after guiding them to bring about new
innovations that were to benefit some
of the 7,000 students in residence."
UCT's Residence Tutors Council
worked last year to create a more inclusive academic environment, promote
leadership throughout the residence
system, encourage holistic participation of students in events, improve
access to educational resources, and
enhance the residence tutor system.
Notable achievements included finding funding for the 24-hour computer
labs, establishing inter-residence mass
workshops, facilitating multilingual
tutoring, and incorporating UCT Plus
(a program emphasizing students'
extracurricular leadership) in the tutoring system. The multilingual tutoring
helps to break down complex terminology and concepts, enabling students to
understand and assimilate information
more easily.
The residence life team at UCT
have utilized positive psychology with
students in a cocurriculum approach
to encourage their success within
a university context. This work was
empirically rooted in an article about

MAY + JUNE 2018

33
Talking Stick - May/June 2018

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