What is Positive Psychology?
For decades, psychology has focused on finding solutions to mental health conditions. Positive psychology breaks the mold by challenging the existing application of psychology in everyday life. It asserts that mental health is an aspect of life that can be continually and consistently improved upon. Rather than focusing on fixes, it highlights the need to elevate one’s mental health to achieve happiness and well-being in unique ways. By addressing the need to create a positive state of mind, it broadens the horizons of psychology and provides opportunities to enrich mental health for all.
Key Elements of Positive Psychology
Positive psychology empowers individuals by analysing their positive characteristics and helping them utilise them to achieve a meaningful life.
While positive psychology works with guidance from an expert, it can also be practised from home, including practising gratitude and other positive reinforcement techniques.
While there are certain simple general actions that are considered beneficial, positive psychology takes the unique aspects of what each person approaches as a positive way to improve their own life and provides guidance accordingly.
It is important to remember that positive psychology does not assume that negative thoughts or circumstances don’t affect an individual. It does not ignore the negative aspects of a person’s life and helps a person achieve long-term fulfilment with a holistic lens.
Positive Psychology vs. Traditional Psychology
Traditional psychology focuses largely on diagnosing and treating mental health related issues or conditions.
Positive psychology on the other hand aims to promote positive aspects of human well-being such as happiness, resilience and social relationships by thoroughly understanding and working on traits, behaviours and experiences.
Instead of centering around issues, it aims to help a person flourish in various aspects of life. This brand of psychology highlights the importance of prevention over treatment in the long run.
The Origins of Positive Psychology
Positive psychology was founded by psychologist Martin Seligman in 1998, who was then the president of the American Psychological Association. His inclination towards a positive brand of psychology began with his research on depression in animals.
Instead of highlighting the causes, symptoms, and treatments for existing mental health issues, he was determined to make breakthroughs in finding concrete metrics to understand indicators of happiness and well-being, including positive emotions, satisfactory relationships, accomplishments, and more.
Key Factors for a Fulfilling Life According to Positive Psychology
Positive psychology considers several factors to determine what comprises a good life:
- Meaning and Purpose: Finding meaning and purpose in life is crucial for long-term happiness and fulfilment.
- Personal and Professional Accomplishments: Achieving goals and experiencing success in both personal and professional spheres contribute to a sense of accomplishment.
- Positive Emotions: Experiencing joy, gratitude, and other positive emotions enhances overall well-being.
- Strength and Resilience: Building strength and resilience helps individuals cope with challenges and bounce back from adversity.
- Healthy Relationships: Maintaining healthy relationships is essential for emotional support and social well-being.
Goals of Positive Psychology
One of the key goals of positive psychology is to shift the focus from addressing negative aspects of mental health to understanding how a person can achieve long term wellbeing. Rather than looking for fixes, it aims to enhance the condition of human beings on an everyday basis, irrespective of existing mental health conditions. It seeks to promote happiness and personal satisfaction. By exploring various facets of human experiences, it looks to create balance and prevent any future mental health problems.
The Importance of Positive Psychology in Modern Mental Health
Positive psychology is crucial as it drives attention away from the typical problem-solution-oriented psychology and aims to enhance well-being and fulfilment in an individual. By offering practical tools to improve one’s quality of life, it explores another dimension of mental health, which is often ignored. The emphasis on identifying personal strengths, producing positive emotions through various means, and creating meaningful experiences adds tremendous value to one’s life. On the one hand, it helps cultivate positive values, connections, and goals in life, and on the other hand, it is a monumental step towards a holistic understanding of mental health beyond psychological conditions.
What Are the Three Levels of Positive Psychology?
Positive psychology functions on three basic levels that focus on diverse factors that shape the human experience.
1. Subjective Level
This level of positive psychology focuses on subjective aspects of human emotions such as happiness, well-being, and contentment. It recognises that different things provide hope and optimism to different people. Feelings that provide joy are unique and diverse for each person, and thus, being able to identify these subjective factors becomes a core component of this level.
2. Individual Level
On this level, positive psychology looks to understand how a person combines their subjective level feelings with established virtues and characteristics such as forgiveness, love, and courage. These are values that are normally accepted to make a person better regarded. By studying the amalgamation of these values with subjective feelings, the individual level of positive psychology empowers a person to become a well-rounded individual.
3. Group Level
The group level of positive psychology emphasises values that are critical to a person’s relationship with their community. These include social responsibility, altruism, and other ways through which a person is not only providing for the community but also actively connecting with them. It analyses how each person creates social bonds through either charitable acts or other positive community activities.
Positive Psychology and the PERMA Model
Since nurturing well-being is the goal of positive psychology, founder Martin Seligman created the PERMA model, which aims to explain what constitutes well-being among people in a broad sense.
Based on research, certain factors such as enhanced productivity, an extended lifespan, and increased fulfilment in interpersonal connections were linked to well-being. PERMA is thus an acronym for the five elements of well-being:
P - Positive Emotion
Positive emotion encapsulates emotions such as happiness, hope, compassion, amusement, pride, gratitude, love, and other related emotions. It ventures beyond just a feeling of happiness and attempts to identify various emotions that can trigger a positive reaction in a person.
Experiencing such emotions has been shown to boost short and long-term wellness. The goal is to integrate mechanisms that trigger positive emotions in everyday life, making it a habit. These emotions could be felt from things as simple as being grateful or optimistic about things or amusement felt from taking part in something of interest.
E – Engagement
Engagement is seen as another way to create well-being in a person. When an individual is completely immersed in an activity or enjoys performing something they are interested in, it is bound to produce happiness.
Positive psychology regards this experience as “flow,” a sensation a person feels when they use their key strengths in the best way possible. The sense of flow is also associated with the level of challenge an activity poses to a person.
When individuals can use their strengths in new ways every day by participating in enjoyable activities, it is said to create a healthy state of flow in the long run.
R – Relationships
Positive psychology recognises that humans are social beings and that building meaningful connections with those around them is crucial for a person’s happiness. In some cases, people rely on their interpersonal relationships to derive support and meaning. Relationships that bring about positive emotions can range from family, friends, colleagues to the larger community.
When a person receives love, motivation and support from those around them, they are much more likely to also focus on other personal aspects of happiness as well.
M - Meaning
While positive emotions are a core part of what provides well-being for an individual, positive psychology understands the intrinsic need of a person to search for a larger meaning and purpose in life.
Human beings are said to be happier when they use their strengths to elevate not just themselves but the community around them. Having a greater purpose allows a person to stay driven and motivated.
Meaning can be found in endeavours that revolve around societal work, political or spiritual advancement, or creative contributions.
A - Achievements
Achievements are a key component of how an individual perceives themselves and their progress. Milestones provide a sense of accomplishment and a belief that a person's hard work and commitment are worth it. This allows them to push forward with a sense of pride.
Positive psychology associates values such as passion and perseverance as important aspects of happiness. These accomplishments can be either intrinsic personal goals or extrinsic measurable achievements. Celebrating these milestones further creates happiness.
How Can Positive Psychology Help?
Simply put, positive psychology provides people with the tools they need to enhance their happiness and well-being. It emphasises on helping people pursue and enjoy activities they are inclined towards and empowering them to achieve their goals.
It looks to guide people in combining diverse aspects of what constitutes happiness. This could include motivating people to choose the right career paths, encouraging people to take part in enjoyable experiences, guiding them towards positive values such as optimism and gratitude, and providing positive reinforcement for people to excel in their interests.
Practical Applications of Positive Psychology
Positive psychology can be applied in education, therapy, self-help, stress management, and the workplace by identifying and leveraging individual strengths, interests, and aspirations.
Key Areas of Application
- Education: Teachers motivate students and develop their strengths using techniques like gratitude exercises.
- Therapy: Therapists frame challenges positively to help clients focus on their goals, complementing other therapies.
- Self-Help and Stress Management: Individuals practise mindfulness, optimism, and positive thinking at home to improve well-being and resilience.
- Workplace: Employers boost morale, productivity, and job satisfaction by fostering a positive environment and encouraging personal strengths.
Major Topics of Interest in Positive Psychology
- Character Strengths: Identifying and nurturing personal strengths.
- Flow: Achieving deep engagement in activities.
- Gratifications: Finding long-term satisfaction.
- Gratitude: Enhancing well-being through thankfulness.
- Happiness: Fostering positive emotions.
- Helplessness: Overcoming feelings of helplessness.
- Hope: Cultivating a positive outlook.
- Mindfulness: Practising present-moment awareness.
- Optimism: Maintaining a positive mindset.
- Positive Thinking: Promoting mental well-being.
- Resilience: Building the ability to recover from adversity.
Benefits of Positive Psychology
Positive psychology offers numerous benefits that contribute to enhancing overall well-being and personal growth. Here are some key advantages:
- Enhances Emotional and Social Well-Being: Positive psychology helps individuals understand and improve their happiness and overall well-being.
- Identifies Strengths and Positive Emotions: Analyses personal strengths and emotions to help achieve personal and professional goals.
- Clarifies Life Meaning: Assists individuals in identifying short-term and long-term meaning in life.
- Insight into Happiness: Provides a deeper understanding of factors contributing to happiness, such as activities, engagement, achievements, and relationships.
- Cycle of Positive Reinforcement: Helps nurture positive elements, creating a continuous cycle of positive reinforcement.
- Supports Future Research: A comprehensive understanding of positive emotions aids future mental health studies, promoting substantial progress in the field.
Limitations of Positive Psychology
Positive psychology is often mistaken for positive thinking, leading to misconceptions that it is merely a set of self-help tactics rather than research-based theories. Positive thinking involves trying to think ourselves into better behaviours and resilience, while positive psychology scientifically examines what helps people thrive by focusing on behaviours and thought patterns that optimise mental states.
Critics point out that positive psychology might focus too heavily on positive experiences, potentially at the expense of understanding negative ones. Furthermore, some of its concepts, such as character strengths, may lack precise definitions or reiterate established scientific principles.
Experience the Advantages of Positive Psychology at MindTalk
Positive psychology offers a transformative approach to mental health and well-being, emphasising the cultivation of strengths, positive emotions, and meaningful experiences. While it has its criticisms, understanding the distinctions between positive psychology and positive thinking can help individuals leverage its benefits effectively.
Ready to explore how positive psychology can enhance your life? Visit MindTalk and connect with our experts today!
FAQs
What is flow?
Flow can be described as a state of complete engagement in an activity where individuals use their key strengths, experience a sense of enjoyment, and are challenged at an optimal level, leading to a rewarding and fulfilling experience.
What are some criticisms of positive psychology?
Positive psychology has been criticised for choosing to neglect negative aspects of life in favour of an overtly positive outlook. It has also been questioned for its subjective nature. However, most psychologists see it as a complimentary branch of psychology that goes hand in hand with other psychological approaches.
What is happiness in positive psychology?
While the means to achieve happiness varies from person to person, positive psychology states that positive emotion, engagement, relationships, meaning, and achievements are key factors behind attaining happiness.
Can positive psychology help anxiety?
While positive psychology does not directly aim to help against psychological issues, it can help with anxiety by focusing on building resilience through positive emotions in the long run.
Is positive psychology basic or applied?
Positive psychology can be both basic and applied, as it looks to enhance the understanding of happiness and well-being, while also helping apply personal characteristic strengths to help improve fulfilment in personal life, professional life and relationships.
How is positive psychology used in education?
Teachers can use positive psychology as a means to motivate their students and help them identify and develop their personal strengths. It focuses on resilience, character building and relationship building among students.