PSYC1108 The Psychology of Surviving and Thriving

This topic will focus on evidence-based strategies that increase resilience and the successful achievement of academic, personal, and professional goals. The rationale for this topic is that resilience and achievement skills constitute a type of graduate capability that should not only help you survive the stressors of university life, but also help you thrive in all aspects of your personal and professional lives at university and beyond. The topic will focus on developing knowledge, attitudes, and skills related to this rationale. The topic will emphasize real-life applications of psychology, such as the capacity to self-reflect (e.g., understanding when new material has or has not been sufficiently learned) and the development of skills to minimize dysfunctional stress. Although the topic draws on principles of psychological science, students do not need any formal knowledge of science or scientific terms.

This topic aims to:

• Demonstrate how psychology can inform our understanding of resilience and achievement in university and beyond
• Introduce students to strategies and tools that promote resilience and achievement
• Give students practice at applying these strategies and tools in a range of contexts
• Teach students some of the links between resilience, achievement, and well-being
• Enhance students' understanding of their own styles of thinking related to coping and success

1. Demonstrate a basic knowledge and understanding of core concepts related to resilience and achievement
2. Identify key strategies and tools associated with increasing resilience and achievement across a broad context
3. Demonstrate self-reflection related to resilience and achievement in their own lives
4. Apply the strategies and tools in the topic to practical problems encountered in university and everyday life