Your Attitudes Toward Living Chapter 3 Your Attitudes Toward Living

Journal What is an attitude? Where do attitudes originate? How do attitudes affect your life? Do not turn it! You will need this paper later in class.

State Standards 3.3 : Communicate a caring, respectful attitude for others within a diverse community 7.3: Demonstrate attitudes and values that will help an individual become more productive

Positive and Negative Attitudes Attitude: a mental position, often described as a feeling Attitudes are learned behaviors Attitudes are either positive or negative Within your group, write a sketch of someone who has a positive attitude and then someone who has a negative attitude. How do the view themselves and others? What might be some comments they may make? Your attitudes may vary depending on the situation

Attitudes Affect Behavior How we take care of ourselves, how we relate to others, how we do our work all relate to our attitude. Examples? Positive attitudes can influence your actions in a positive way

Self Perpetuating Cycle Self Perpetuating Cycle: The process of attitudes producing actions that produce more of the same type of attitudes Example: Start your day with a negative attitude- put on sloppy clothes- you feel bad- look in the mirror at school- remember you feel bad- so on Positive Attitudes Positive Actions Negative Attitudes Negative Actions

Mental Health Positive and negative attitudes contribute to your mental health The state of your overall mental health depends on how well you deal with feelings about yourself, others, and the world around you Mentally healthy people have a positive mental state They can accept themselves as they are They feel equal to and liked by others They can enjoy themselves They believe they can handle most situations that come their way

How to Develop a Positive Attitude Towards Life http://www.ehow.com/video_5574644_develop- positive-attitude-towards-life.html

Your Mental Attitude Thoughts about life experiences influence overall mental attitude Positive thoughts=positive attitude Negative thoughts=negative attitude Negative mental attitude=low opinion of themselves Positive mental attitude=feel actions are important Mental attitude is influenced by thoughts about life, about yourself, and about your worth to others

Your Life Experiences and Your Thoughts About Them Your Mental Attitude Positive Actions Positive Thoughts Your Life Experiences and Your Thoughts About Them Attitudes Negative Actions Negative Thoughts

Assignment Think about your mental attitude. Answer these questions on your journal: How would you identify your mental attitude? Negative or positive How does a person’s mental attitude develop? What influences go into the development of your mental attitude? Who helped shape your mental attitude? How did they help shape your mental attitude?

Defense Mechanisms Positive mental attitude=deal with most problems in a positive way When people have problems they cannot solve they may react by using defense mechanisms to protect themselves Defense mechanism: methods people unconsciously use to deal with a situation

Defense Mechanisms Projection- placing blame on others Rationalization-giving excuses to defend a behavior Displacement- taking out one’s feelings on someone else Regression- returning to immature behavior Idealization- assigning excess value to someone o something Fantasy- meeting needs though the imagination

Assignment Complete SAG, Activity B

Building a Positive Attitude Defense mechanisms are only short term solutions Solve problems that cause negative feeling to occur instead of using defense mechanisms How can you build a positive attitude? Direct Attack- a method used to face a problem, recognize it, and try to solve it Example- weight loss Compensation- a technique in which you focus on a strength to make up for a weakness in another area Focus on your strengths and abilities instead of your weaknesses.

Building a Positive Attitude, cont Set Reasonable Expectations- Don’t expect too much from yourself, but don’t expect too little Challenge is helpful for building self-esteem Use Positive Self- Talk- messages that you send yourself Interpret the Facts in a positive way Select Your Friends

Assignment Activity C, SAG

Coping with Difficult Events and Emotions Keeping a positive attitude is easy when things go well Stress- your body’s response to the events of your life Every day events can be stressful as well as major events Physical changes can vary from person to person and event to event Physical symptoms: Heart rate increase Blood pressure rise Cold or clammy hands Stomach ache Stomach ulcers Heart attacks Drug abuse

Stress, cont Psychological effects: Causes of Stress Tension Anxiety Frustration Shaky Causes of Stress Normative Stressors- everyday stressors Stressors can be positive or negative Crises events- changes in life that require major changes in your behavior The more sources of stress you experience at one time, the greater is their combined effect

Assignment Activity D, SAG

Handling Stress Your ability to handle stress is affected by your attitude If you have a negative attitude it will be harder to deal with stress in a positive way Manage stress by: Admit any feelings you have Try to identify the event that is the source of your stressful feelings Identify what you can do to manage the stressful situation: Remove the source of the stress Remove yourself from the situation Change your response to the situation Manage the stress by focusing on a part at a time

Reducing the Negative Effects of Stress Practice relaxation techniques Do something you enjoy Keep a schedule that includes physical exercise Eat nutritious foods Get plenty of rest

Anger People of all ages feel anger Anger is not always a negative emotion Handling anger in a positive way can bring positive results Sometimes it is difficult to handle anger in a positive way Keeping anger inside can have a negative effect Steps for handling anger: Admit your anger Identify the source of your anger Identify your choices for managing the situation Discuss the situation with a close friend Focus on the positive Forgive and go on

Anxiety Anxiety- the uneasy feeling people experience when they believe something terrible will happen Normal anxiety occurs when you recognize a threat and do something about it High anxiety keeps people from acting in a way that corrects the problem High anxiety can keep you from getting things done Reduce anxiety so you can respond to the problem Causes of anxiety: a threat to your well-being, fear of failure, conflicts, fear of the unknown, and unsatisfied needs

Handling Anxiety Reducing anxiety: Build your self esteem Increase your communication skills Build relationships with people who support and encourage you Learn techniques for relaxation

Depression Depression- an overwhelming attitude of sadness, discouragement, and hopelessness Causes of depression- physical causes such as low blood sugar or chemical imbalance, past negative experiences, feelings of helplessness, negative thinking factors Coping- relax, get some sleep, take a break from the daily routine Doctors may prescribe a medication if the cause is physical Suicide- depression can result in thinking about suicide

Sex Roles and Stereotypes Sex roles- the culture’s definition of how males and females should behave Sex stereotypes- widely held beliefs about the characteristics shared by all members of one sex Most people don’t fit into rigid sex-role patterns Establishing an acceptable sex role within the society can help you build positive attitudes

Assignments SAG F P. 83 1-6

Chapter Review Complete p. 84 Review 1-15