Positive Psychology

I discovered Positive Psychology a few years ago as a college student and it immediately resonated with me! It has everything to do with fulfillment, goals, positive emotions, and growth! 

Dr. Seligman (Seligman, 2002) explains that after War World 2, the field of psychology mainly focused on healing the horrible pathological damages of war, neglecting for decades the idea of fulfilled individuals. 

For Seligman, building strength, instead of focusing on pathology, was "the most potent weapon in the arsenal of therapy" (Seligman, 2002, p.3). His movement, coined by the great Abraham Maslow as positive psychology, was born in 1998.

Positive psychology seeks to build "the best qualities in life" rather than repairing the "worst things in life." 

Using scientific methods to study happiness, researchers in the field of positive psychology found that the happiest people possess virtues such as temperance, persistence, and humanity and that positive emotions such as love, kindness, courage, and hope all affect people's wellbeing. 

As we dig into positive psychology, we discover a wealth of opportunities for humankind to develop skills, strengths, and find tools that will help them face the challenges of life with a more beautiful and happier philosophy. Indeed, positive psychology offers "a more comprehensive view of humankind" (Snyder, 2002, p.759).

Positive psychology focuses on how to have a good life, not on aggression, neuroticism, or depression. Its focus is on people's strengths and what brings satisfaction in their lives, not their symptoms of illness. Freud thought humankind was conflicted, defensive, and neurotic. Positive psychology looks at human condition with positive lens, and consider that health, not illness, is the natural state of their conditions. 

Generalities and Principles of Positive Psychology

Positive psychology studies what makes people thrive and bloom. Seligman (2002, p.61) organized happiness in 3 levels or stages of wellbeing:

1. The pleasant life (the "countryside of pleasure and gratification" as he calls it)
2. The good life (the "high country of strengths and virtues)
3. The meaningful life (the "peaks of lasting fulfillment") 

The results of Seligman's studies show that happy people nurture their strengths and serve their fellowmen (the good life's stage) and that the happiest people employ their strengths to serve a greater purpose than themselves (the meaningful life).

Seligman (2002) argues that strengths and virtues shield people against psychological disorders and build people's resilience. Strengths (the "route" we achieve virtues) are moral traits we can learn and develop. They are linked to our wellbeing and development (Niemiec, 2013). Positive psychologists count 24 character-strengths which lead people to develop virtues.

For example, the character-strengths of prudence, humility, self-regulation, and forgiveness lead to the virtue of temperance.

Data revealed  a total of 6 virtues. They are wisdom, courage, humanity, justice, temperance, and transcendence. 

Research also shows that people who refrain from expressing negative emotions tend to be happier (Seligman, 2002). Dr. Gottman confirms these results. He found that people who have a ratio of 5 positive interactions to 1 negative interaction are happier people (Gottman, 2015). 

Positive psychology encourages people to build hope and optimism, and promotes mindfulness. It believes that Personal Growth Initiative (PGI) protects against psychological distress (Snyder, 2002). People with high PGI take every opportunity to enhance their growth. Seligman (2002) suggests that there is no shortcut to happiness and that living a meaningful life brings lasting happiness.

The Concept of "Flow"

Enduring happiness is found when one explores the realm of meaning, and finding meaning, according to Dr. Seligman (2002), goes far beyond the empty pursuit of pleasure and gratification. It involves a loss of self-consciousness, it demands the exercise of kindness, and it creates a state of "flow." I wonder if this state is what the Buddhists call "the action of inaction", a state in which we are present (mindful) and we recognize a deeper peace under the surface of thoughts and activities. 

Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi, Selgman's colleague, defined the concept of flow as the state of mind reached by an individual when they are completely immersed and absorbed in a present task or activity that they enjoy doing (Turaga, 2018). 

When you are in a state of flow, "the ego falls away. Time flies. Every action, movement and thought follows inevitably from the previous one, like playing jazz. Your whole being is involved, and you're using your skills to the utmost" (Csikszentmihalyi, 2008). 

Now, I can't finish this post without talking about...

The PERMA Model

Developed by Seligman, this model defines 5 core components for wellbeing. PERMA is an anagram for Positive emotions, Engagement, Relationships, Meaning, and Accomplishments or Achievements. 

If one wants to increase in wellbeing, they should notice, and appreciate positive emotions, let go of negative ones from their past and look to the future with hope and optimism. They should practice mindfulness, be engaged. They should focus their lives on meaningful relationships stuffed with empathy, intimacy, vulnerability, and love. Helping others, living their religious beliefs, and being creative will continue to increase happiness in their lives. 

By "meaning", Positive Psychology means taking the time to discover strengths and abilities and then put them at the service of a great cause. This will lead to set challenging, but attainable goals. Doing this, they will improve their abilities and accomplish great things. PERMA is not a program, it is a philosophy! One that I find helpful as a life coach. 

References

Csikszentmihalyi, M. (2008). “Flow: The Psychology of Optimal Experience”, 1st Edition, Harper Perennial Modern Classics.

Gottman, J. M., & Silver, N. (2015). The seven principles for making marriage work. Harmony.

Niemiec, R. M. (2013). Mindfulness and character strengths. Hogrefe Publishing.

Seligman, M. (2002). “Authentic Happiness: Using the New Positive Psychology to Realize Your Potential for Lasting Fulfillment”. New York, NY: Free Press.

Snyder, C. R., & Lopez, S. J. (2002). “The future of positive psychology.” Handbook of positive psychology, 751-767.

Turaga, R. (2018). “Creating Optimal Experiences with 'Flow'.” IUP Journal of Soft Skills, 12(1).