Universitat Internacional de Catalunya
Cultural Foundations: Happiness and Emotions
Other languages of instruction: English, Spanish,
Teaching staff
Introduction
Academic profiles and university programs often deny attention to people's happiness and the attitudes that bring them emotional well-being. These two elements are axes of personality, and have a notable impact on work success. That is why it is appropriate that there is a subject within university education that gives knowledge and practical tools to reinforce the behaviors that make us happier and emotionally robust.
Classical ethics, positive psychology and Emotional Regulation offer content to better understand these aspects and tools to put them into practice.
This subject is aimed at offering keys to behaviour and the emotional visa to identify them in practice and improve the management of emotions in oneself and in relation to others.
The application to the work and sociability environment is especially interesting. The workplace itself is full of relational challenges.
Pre-course requirements
The subjects of anthropology and ethics are a very good foundation, but basic concepts will be reviewed whenever necessary.
Objectives
1. Achieve a better understanding of happiness and its components
2. Understand the essential basis of the dynamics of happiness and emotions
3. Know factors that are in our hands to achieve internal balance in the personality
4. To improve professional efficiency related to the impact of
emotions about our performance.
Competences/Learning outcomes of the degree programme
- 50 - To acquire the ability to relate concepts, analyse and synthesise.
- 52 - To develop interpersonal skills and the ability to work as part of a team.
- 54 - To be able to express one’s ideas and formulate arguments in a logical and coherent way, both verbally and in writing.
- 56 - To be able to create arguments which are conducive to critical and self-critical thinking.
- 57 - To acquire skills which favour reading comprehension.
- 60 - To acquire knowledge that promotes respect for other cultures and habits.
- 62 - To acquire mechanisms that facilitate the adoption of ethical commitments.
- 63 - To be able to analyse business related behaviour and decisions and evaluate them from an economic, social and ethical point of view.
Learning outcomes of the subject
1. Understanding the factors that determine happiness
2. Knowledge of emotional dynamics
3. Acquisition of personal tools to achieve balance between reason, desire, emotions and passions.
4. Development of social skills
Syllabus
1. Introduction. Emotional inteligence
2. Emotions and decision-making
3. The place of emotions in the person
4. Character Strengths: Between Emotion and Learning
5. Meaning and purpose: what I feel and desire
6. Attachment: the basis of affectivity
7. Self-esteem: importance and improvement strategies
8. Perfectionist personality: suffering and achievements
9. Resilience: feeling in a favorable way
10. Learned optimism
11. Attitude factor
12. Emotions and relationships with others: positive communication
13. Love and emotions
14. Education of desire
15. Emotional regulation
Teaching and learning activities
In person
The methodology will combine the presentation of basic concepts, with reflective debate and practical exercises. All concepts, after a theoretical introduction, will be worked on in a practical way: with a case or an exercise.
Evaluation systems and criteria
In person
25% classwork (journaling, written questions, exercises, discussions)
25% presentation
50% final exam
Bibliography and resources
BARROSO, M. D.; Personalidad, Virtud y autoestima. El orden y desorden afectivo. UAO, 2017
BOSCH, M. (Ed.) Desire and Human Flourishing. Perspectives from Positive Psychology, Moral Education and Virtue Ethics. Springer 2020.
ECHAVARRIÍA, M.; Estructura de la personalidad. Curso de Psicología. 2014.
GOLEMAN, D.; Inteligencia emocional.
LERNER, J. S, et al.; Emotion and Decision Making, The Annual Review of Psychology 2015. 66:799–823
MERIWETHER, N. K.; Can Self-esteem Sanction Morality? Journal of Moral Education, Vol. 32, No. 2, 2003.
MUÑIZ, J. A.; Comunicación positiva: comunicar para ser y hacernos felices. (Soler, J. L. ED.) Inteligencia emocional y benestar: Reflexiones, experiencias, profesionales e investigacions. Asociación Aragonesa de Psicopedagogía. pp. 95-111. 2016
MURILLO, J.I.; Dualidad versus dualismo. Una aproximación crítica a algunos planteamientos del problema mente-cuerpo. Studia Poliana. (10) pp. 193-209. 2008
ROCA, E.; Autoestima sana. Una visión actual, basada en la investigación, ACDE Ediciones, Valencia 2013.
R. ROBERTS, Emotional regulation, Ethic Theory and Moral Practice. 2015. 18:487–500, DOI 10.1007/s10677-014-9535-7
RODRÍGUEZ, G.; La teoría del apego: confusiones, delimitaciones conceptuales y desafíos. Revista Asociación Española de Neuropsiquiatría. vol.36 no.129 Madrid ene./jun. 2016
M. ROJAS, Ser optimista. Video You Tube
M. SELIGMAN, La auténtica felicidad, B de bolsillo, 2011
M. SELIGMAN, Learned optimism, Vintage Books, 2006
N. M. THOMPSON, A. UUSBERG, J. J. GROSS, B. CHAKRABARTI, Empathy and emotion regulation: An integrative account, Progress in Brain Research, Volume 247, 2019, Pages 273-304