Browsing by Subject "Pafos-seminaari"

Happiness and welfare are extremely hot topics at the moment, especially in the western countries where pursuing happiness is an important part of people's lives. According to researches it can be said that happiness is based on welfare. But how can we affect our welfare and what are the key elements of it? Can we increase it by attending life philosophical mass lectures? Research of positive psychology has explored interventions focusing on increasing positive feelings as well as personal strengths. In this particular research we are focusing on Paphos Seminar, which can be considered globally quite unique seminar combining life philosophical mass lectures and socially intense learning environment. In this study we contrast life philosophical Paphos seminar to a positive psychology interventions even though Paphos seminar is not considered or named to be an intervention. In the seminar, participants are encouraged to reflection via life philosophical lecturing together as a group and by themselves. Environment and the atmosphere together with the lecturing make a unique space for the participants to reflect on their lives and thinking in a different and probably in a "fresh" way. The point of life philosophical lecturing is not, however, "to teach" anyone. On his lectures Esa Saarinen uses multidisciplinary research and methods, for example videos, music and dialogs, to activate people's thinking and reflection instead. The atmosphere of compassion and pro-sociality is critical for the lectures, which focus on goodness, opportunities and transition of participants. There are no exact quantitative or qualitative goals on the lectures, only a deep hope of flowering of the participants. This research is the first one to study Paphos Seminar. There are previous researches studying the lectures of Esa Saarinen with university students from the aspects of welfare or cognitive strategies. Change in cognitive strategies are also claimed to change during Saarinen's lecturing through the engaging learning experience. According to these studies, it can be addressed, that seminars have increased participants' welfare and changed their perception of knowing as well as cognitive strategies. This longitudinal study is aiming to examine is it possible to experience increased well-being and life satisfaction after participating to the Pafos Seminar. Participants of this study took part in Pafos Seminar in summer 2015. At the same time this study is measuring motivational strategies and epistemological beliefs. Furthermore the persistence of the transition has been studied in this research by the follow-up measuring with three groups (n= 87, n = 58, n= 36). Material was collected by inquiry in three different measurements between June 2015 and March 2016 and the change in well-being, motivational strategies and epistemological beliefs within eight months. Changes in all the three variables were measured with repeated measurements t-tests and Wilcoxon test. Reflection strategies and perception of knowing were studied with the one-way variance analysis. Relation between well-being, motivational strategies and epistemological beliefs were studied with the Spearman's correlation coefficient to see if there were any interesting changes in between them during and after the seminar. Results of this research show that welfare and satisfaction of life were increased during the seminar concerning all participants (n = 58). Seminars capability to increase emotional, psychologic a social well-being and satisfaction in life was proven but there was a downward trend in longitudinal perspective after the follow-up measurement. Positive change in well-being can be said to be linked to participant's motivational strategies. Seminar as an intervention of positive affects to participant's well-being fits perfectly for individuals appreciating reflection alone and together with others. Appreciating doubtless knowledge might be obstructive for the increase of well-being in this context.