WEEK 2

Reading topic: Introduction to Positive and Forensic Psychology

Topic objectives:

What is Positive Psychology?

What is Forensic Psychology?

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 What is Positive Psychology?

Positive Psychology is “scientific study of optimal human functioning that aims

to discover and promote the factors that allow individuals and communities to
thrive”

(Seligman & Csikszentmihalyi, 2000).

Figure 1 What is positive psychology? Retrieved from http://creatinghappiness.com/what-is-

positive-psychology/

Positive Psychology is the scientific study of human flourishing, and an applied

approach to optimal functioning. It has also been defined as the study of the
strengths and virtues that enable individuals, communities and organisations to
thrive (Gable & Haidt, 2005, Sheldon & King, 2001).

Positive psychology is a relatively new field of academic study that uses

scientific understanding and effective intervention to help individuals and

Current perspectives in psychology –Week 2 Page 2

 communities to thrive. This field focuses on personal growth, and is based on
the proposition that ‘people want to lead meaningful and fulfilling lives, to
cultivate what is best within themselves, and to enhance their experiences of
love, work, and play’ (Seligman, 2008). Research in this area suggests that
happiness is improved and influenced in many different ways. Some of the
factors affecting positive psychology are social relationships, financial income
and physical exercise.

Seligman found that the extent to which people were aware of and using their
“signature strengths”(for example, courage, persistence or wisdom) greatly
influenced the quality of their lives.

Happiness and Well-being

Happiness and well-being are important and necessary for every individual.

Happiness cannot be easily defined and is difficult to be expressed in words.

We all know how we feel when we are happy.

In psychology, happiness is defined as the state of being well in an emotional

and/or mental state. It is usually designated in terms of positive or pleasant
feelings such as contemplation and joy.

Happy mental states may reflect judgements by a person about their overall
well-being.

In philosophy and (western) religion, happiness is usually defined in terms of

the way of living rather than in terms of feelings or emotions. Happiness
indicates the welfare. In ancient Greek philosophy, the word for happiness is
eudaimonia a word that signifies the human good with both moral and political
implications.

Happiness can be a pleasant feeling for a brief time or for a long duration.
Happiness is not only an emotion; happiness also refers to a good life
experiencing well-being and enjoyed good quality of life
The term well-being includes many aspects such as:
Happiness
Energy
Leisure
Peace with one self

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 Feeling/Satisfaction in life (interest, love, surprise etc.)

Characteristics of Happy People

Happiness depends upon situational and personal characteristics.

Mental and physical health: individuals who are physically and mentally
healthy
Psychological characteristics: happy people they believe that they are in
control of the situation, confident and open to learning experiences
Good personal relationships: interact socially, bonding etc.

Seligman developed a theory of well-being he called PERMA model

(Seligman, 2011), which compromises 5 elements that create the foundation
of a flourishing life:

Positive Emotions
Engagement
Relationships
Meaning
Accomplishments

Seligman believes that by focussing on these five elements we can flourish

in life and find the happiness we want.

Subjective well-being (SWB) (Schwartz & Strack, 1999)

Individual’s current evaluation of her happiness. Such an evaluation is

often expressed in affective terms; when asked about subjective well-
being, participants will often say, “I feel good” …
Subjective well-being is thus, at least in part, a proxy for a global
affective evaluation.

Measurements

Oxford Happiness Inventory (Argyle et al., 1989)

29 items… …how you have been feeling in the past week, including today.

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  I do not feel very happy
 I feel fairly happy
 I am very happy
 I am incredibly happy
 I get by in life
 Life is good
 Life is very good
 I love life

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 Forensic Psychology

Forensic comes from the Latin word ‘forensis’ that means in ‘in open court’.

“Forensic psychology is the application of psychology to matters concerning the

court of law”.

Figure Brief History of Forensic Psychology Retrieved from

https://www.slideserve.com/MikeCarlo/introduction-to-forensic-psychology

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 The most influential figure of Forensic psychology is that of German
psychologist Hugo Münsterberg (1863–1916). According to Münsterberg,
psychology could be applied to help the understanding of various court issues
and procedures.

In specific, Münsterberg attention fell into the psychologist’s understanding of

perception and memory, claiming that psychological knowledge provided
insight into the reliability of witness testimony (thereby making the case for the
psychologist as expert witness).

However, forensic psychology was officially acknowledged as a specialty area

by the American Psychological Association in 2001. In the recent years it has
gained a lot of popularity especially among students.

What do forensic psychologists do?

Forensic psychologists working in research or academic settings often choose to

focus their research on a topic related to psychology and the law, such as:

 Criminal profiling

 Crime trends

 Effective mental health treatment for offenders

 Effective mental health treatment for substance abusers

 Techniques for jury selection

 The impact of parental custody, parental visitation, etc.

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 References

Argyle, M., Martin, M., & Crossland, J. (1989). Happiness as a function of

personality and social encounters. Recent advances in social psychology: An
international perspective, 189-203.

Gable, S. L., & Haidt, J. (2005). What (and why) is positive psychology?.
Review of general psychology, 9(2), 103-110.

Schwartz, N., & Strack, F. (1999). ÔReports of subjective well-being:

Judgemental processes and their methodological implicationsÕ. Wellbeing: The
Foundations of Hedonic Psychology (Russell Sage, New York), 61-84.

Seligman, M.E.P (2018). PERMA and the building blocks of well-being. The
Journal of Positive Psychology, 13(4), 333-335.

Seligman, M. E. P. (2008). Positive health. Applied psychology, 57, 3-18.

Seligman, M. E. P., & Csikszentmihalyi, M. (2000). Positive psychology

[Special issue]. American Psychologist, 55(1), 5-14.

Sheldon, K. M., & King, L. (2001). Why positive psychology is

necessary. American psychologist, 56(3), 216.

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