Embed Doc
Copy Link
Readcast
Collections

CommentGo Back

Download

Positive psychology

is a recent branch of scientific psychology that "studies the strengths andvirtuesthat enable individuals and communities to thrive.” People have beendiscussing the question of humanhappiness since at least Ancient Greece. Martin Seligman, who is considered as "the father of positive psychology" has pointedout how psychology has been primarily dedicated to addressingmental illness rather thanmental "wellness" (Seligman, 2002). Severalhumanisticpsychologists—such asAbraham Maslow, Carl Rogers, andErich Fromm —developed successful theories and practices that involved human happiness, despite a lack of solid empirical evidence at thetime behind their work, and especially that of their successors, who chose to emphasize phenomenology and individual case histories. Positive psychology refers to cultivation of a more appreciative view of human nature. It advises psychologists to scientifically studythe positive qualities, motives and capacities of human beings. It came into being as a protest against the predominant negative bias of traditional psychology.

General overview

Some researchers (Seligman, 2002) in this field posit that positive psychology can bedelineated into three overlapping areas of research:

•

Research into the

Pleasant Life

or the "life of enjoyment" examines how peopleoptimally experience, forecast, and savor the positive feelings and emotions that are partof normal and healthy living (e.g. relationships, hobbies, interests, entertainment, etc.).

•

The study of the

Good Life

or the "life of engagement" investigates the beneficialaffects of immersion, absorption, and flow that individuals feel when optimally engagedwith their primary activities. These states are experienced when there is a positive match between a person's strength and the task they are doing, i.e. when they feel confident thatthey can accomplish the tasks they face.

•

Inquiry into the

Meaningful Life

or "life of affiliation" questions how individualsderive a positive sense of well-being, belonging, meaning, and purpose from being part of and contributing back to something larger and more permanent than themselves (e.g.nature, social groups, organizations, movements, traditions, belief systems).

History of Positive Psychology

Psychology overall has had a rocky history of studying the good aspects of life. Seligman(2005) writes, “Before World War II, psychology had three distinct missions: curingmental illness, making the lives of all people more productive and fulfilling, andidentifying and nurturing high talent.” But after the war, the latter two missions – makinglives more fulfilling and nurturing talent – fell away, and curing mental illness becamethe primary and almost entire mission of practicing and academic psychologists.(Psychology’s focus switched to mental illness for two strong economic reasons – in1946, the Veterans Administration was founded and psychologists started to practice bycounseling post-war veterans, and in 1947, the National Institute of Mental Health wasfounded and academic psychologists learned that grants were more forthcoming tostudies of pathology and mental illness.)The “positive” in Positive Psychology refers tostrengths, optimal functioning, and flourishing. Gable and Haidt (2005) write, “However, positive psychology does not imply that the rest of psychology is negative, although it isunderstandable that the name may imply that to some people.” Seligman andCsikszentmihalyi (2000) and Seligman (2005) say, and as Shapiro (2001) further emphasizes, there were many predecessors to the idea of studying positive psychology. Not only did Aristotle and other Greek philosophers lay out the groundwork thoughts of what Positive Psychology still regards as the foundation of the good life and happiness, but also past APA presidents Carl Rogers and Abraham Maslow had focused on whatmakes people be at their best. Abraham Maslow actually coined the term PositivePsychology when he used it as chapter title in his 1954 book, Motivation and Personality.In short, as Peterson (2006) writes, Positive Psychology has a very short history (less thana decade) and a very long past. Peterson further describes some studies of the Greeks, theEastern philosophers including Confucius and Lao-Tsu, the religious figures whoadvocate a life of meaning and service to others, Rogers and Maslow, Neill, Albee,Cowan, Bandura, Winner, Gardner, Sternberg, and many others who studied the best in people long before 1998. Psychology is not just the study of weakness and damage; it isalso the study of strength and virtue. Treatment is not just fixing what is broken; it isnurturing what is best within us. Positive psychology science and practice are situated for the identification and understanding of human strength and virtues as well as for helping people to live happier and more productive lives.

Why a Positive Psychology Movement, and Why Now?

Why do we need a

movement

in positive psychology? The answer is straightforward.The science of psychology has made great strides in understanding what goes wrong inindividuals, families, groups, and institutions, but these advances have come at the cost of understanding what is right with people. For example, clinical psychology has madeexcellent progress in diagnosing and treating mental illnesses and personality disorders(e.g., American Psychiatric Association, 1994). Researchers in social psychology haveconducted groundbreaking studies on the existence of implicit prejudice and negativeoutcomes associated with low self-esteem (e.g., Josephs, Bosson, & Jacobs, 2003;Wittenbrink, Judd, & Park, 1997). Health psychology has shown us the detrimentaleffects that environmental stressors have on our physiological systems (e.g., Dickerson &Kemeny, 2004). And cognitive psychology has illuminated the many biases and errorsinvolved in our judgments (e.g., Gilovich, Vallone, & Tversky, 1985). These are allimportant findings in our field, but it is harder to locate corresponding work on humanstrengths and virtues.

So why has our field been so much more interested in foibles than in strengths? We seethree reasons. The first is compassion. Those who are suffering should be helped beforethose who are already doing well. We certainly agree with this notion; however, we alsothink that an understanding of human strengths can actually help prevent or lessen thedamage of disease, stress, and disorder. For example, research on coping hasdemonstrated that appraisals of negative life events that put them into perspective withone’s own capabilities for meeting the challenge mediate the actual experience of distress(e.g., Folkman & Lazarus, 1988). And Taylor and colleagues (Taylor, Kemeny, Reed,Bower, & Gruenwald, 2000) have provided per-assuasive evidence that beliefs such asoptimism and a sense of personal control are protective factors for psychological and physical health.2 One can point to inspiring work such as the jigsaw classroom of Aronson, Blaney,Stephan, Sikes, and Snapp (1978), which brought out the best in students, but such casesare few and far between.