The Three Dimensions Of Positive Psychology

The question of whether individuals can create their own happiness without the aid of external influences has been raised and researched. However, the answer to the question is unclear. Positive psychology is a branch of psychology that supports the theory that an individual’s happiness is under their personal control, independent of any external influences or validation. Consequently, researchers have uncovered evidence that provides mixed results regarding the effectiveness of positive psychology in increasing individual happiness.

In the strength of positivity, an individual is often smiling, praising other people for their accomplishments, smiling and always keeping a positive attitude in every situation (Rath, 2007). The eager for enjoyment in life is very attracting, as an individual with positivity strength views the world in a better place. As this person comes in contact with other people in this world, a positive vibe is transformed into their lives. Even if negative things are happening around this individual, the positivity strength defeats and overcomes the negative energy (Rath,

According to the Center, “Positive psychology is the systematic study of human strength, resilience and qualities that empower individuals and group of people to succeed” (Positive Psychology Center, 2014). Positive psychology’s founders learned through study that people usually place more emphasis on what goes wrong in their lives; they focus on their failures. For instance, divorce, financial obligations, or losing a job. It is imperative to comprehend the characteristics of undesirable experiences in an individual’s life. As an alternative to focusing on failure, focus can be placed on the positive situations in life and understand those are the occasions worth living for. Positive psychology emphasizes strengths and weaknesses, magnifying the positive aspects of life, and healing the effects of negative experiences. Positive psychology focuses on a person’s strengths and the hope of something larger then oneself to lead individuals to a more meaningful

In the video titled “The Happy Secret To Better Work”, Shawn Achor really outlines how being happy and staying positive can really change your life. In other words Achor is referring to positive psychology. When referring to the world around us Achor really believes the majority of people focus on only the negatives and not the positives. He also talks about how that reality might not be what shapes us but in actuality it is our brain that puts a lens on how we perceive things and that may change our happiness. Achor also outlines another trait of our brain, which is that we as humans set progressing goals that never seem to be fulfilled due to human nature. He finishes his presentation by giving the audience some ways to help reverse the way we see the world and help our work and life in general.

Every aspect of psychology excites me. As I take more classes, and my exposure to different theories and perspectives as well as topics and fields increases, I want to know more. The possibilities and applications of psychology are endless. When I wrote about peace and positive psychology for a career paper in an English class, my thoughts on psychology's impact expanded. Influenced by humanistic psychology, positive psychology focuses not only on the health or unhealthiness of an individual, but his or her potential to thrive and live a happy life. The prior theories have opened up the long-neglected opposite side of the spectrum of one’s psychological health. I am inspired by countless psychologists, but notably Abraham Maslow and Martin

The world of science consistently generates new studies in various fields, yielding results that can revolutionize society and shine light on the world we know so very little about. However, it is easy to get lost in specific studies and view each one as its own, independent discovery. And while each experiment provides an important look into the complexities of this world, science is an amalgamation of many discoveries strung together in complex ways. This way, the merits of each study can interrelate in order to further understand something else. In the realm of positive psychology, it is important that a number of different scientific discoveries work together to explain an overarching topic. For example, two studies that are interrelated are Martin Seligman’s exploration of learned helplessness, and Roy Baumeister’s study on willpower depletion. Both are important in their own rights, but by comparing both Seligman and Baumeister’s experiments, scientists can discuss the overarching concept of willpower as a depletable resource.

The pursuit of happiness is the universal search for a life an individual can feel content and satisfied with. However, as stated in class, happiness is a fleeting emotion rather than a prolonged state. Once an individual achieves a sense of happiness it is only a matter of time before they return to the starting point of their quest. Therefore, happiness alone is not enough to elicit a good life. On a similar note, in 2004, Professor Martin Seligman gave a TED talk that addressed the current direction of psychology. He believed the extent of psychology had become the ability to “make miserable people feel less miserable” rather than “[making] relatively untroubled people happier.” As a result, he and his colleagues developed positive psychology, a branch of psychology that promotes the components of happiness, well-being, and fulfillment to achieve a satisfactory life. The purpose of this project is to learn about your well-being and discover ways to increase the quality of your life through positive psychology.

Although the specialization of positive psychology has only been researched and practices since 1998, the study of happiness connects with the work of Maslow, Rogers, and Fromm. The roots of this specialization came from Martin Seligman who chose the theme the president of the American Psychological Association in the late 1990’s. Seligman was an avid student of Maslow’s work and realized that life cannot be full circle unless the person has a balance lives with happiness. During his time as president, Seligman wrote a book entitled, “Authentic Happiness” in which he describes a reality that finds most if not all psychological professionals focusing on mental illness. Seligman (1998) suggests that psychologist works to address the client’s

In a true clinical setting, a patient is free to express feelings and experiences to facilitate self-healing through positive intervention techniques. With the data available on positive psychology, many clinicians may be tempted to utilize a particular positive intervention with the belief it will make a tremendous impact on the patient. However, this may be unhealthy for the patient who may need to experience negative or difficult emotion to work through the issue they are dealing with. Nonetheless, positive therapy has a definitive useful role in psychological treatment and “adds a deeper dimension to the treatment setting” (p. 404). Therapists who use this type of therapy, however, should remember not to “become a slave to the ‘tyrannies of optimism’” (Seligman, 1990, p. 292; as cited in La Torre, p. 404).

Heffernan and Boniwell (2011) illustrate a number of psychological interventions that an individual can adapt in order to enhance the positive affects they encounter in their lives. In their book Heffernan and boniwell state that the latest and clearest definition of positive psychology interventions comes from the meta-analysis by Sin and Lyumbomirsky, who defined PPI as: “Treatment methods or intentional activities that aim to cultivate positive feelings, behaviours or cognitions…programs, interventions or treatments aimed at fixing, remedying, or healing something that is pathological or deficient – as opposed to building strengths – do not fit the definition of a PPI” (Sin and Lymbomirsky, 2009: 468).

In class on Monday, we had a very engaging presentation on positive psychology and how flourishing shapes our perspective to be the successful young adults we are today. Positive psychology is the study of promotion for successful functioning. Building enabling conditions for a life worth living is vital to being satisfied with our lives and within ourselves. A few enabling conditions for a life worth living for my own perspectives is my resilience, my supportive buffers, and using my signature strength to help others.

Another point Seligman makes about is how not having positive interventions led to positive psychology. He goes on to say that positive psychology has three main aims. The first aim is psychology should be just as concerned with strength as with weakness. Next, it should be just as interested in building the best things in life as in repairing the worst. Lastly, it should be just as concerned with making the lives of normal people fulfilling and with nurturing high talent as with healing pathology.

Positive Psychology is defined as “…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 organizations to thrive” (Gable & Haidt, 2005, Sheldon & King, 2001, as cited by Positive Psychology Institute). According to Martin Seligman, one of Positive Psychology’s pioneers, positive psychology consists of three major components- “pleasure and gratification”, “strength and virtue”, & “meaning and purpose”. He believes that the road to “lasting fulfillment” is a journey in which an individual must pass through each component in chronological order. (Seligman)

In Martin Seligman’s TED talk, he explains the values of positive psychology’s impact on creating happier lives. In 2000, Martin Seligman created a new field of psychology called Positive Psychology. This field of positive psychology is the study of positive traits and behaviors that can contribute to a positive “happier” life. In Seligman’s TED talk, The New Positive Era of Psychology, he categorizes positive lives into three categories. The Pleasant life, the life of engagement, and the meaningful life. But before he begins his speech, he explains the negative actions taken by psychology when treating people.

Positive psychology, which has emerged recently, is the scientific study of human thriving. Psychology traditionally focuses on dysfunction—on people with mental illness or other psychological problems and how to treat them. Positive psychology, by contrast, is a relatively new field that examines how ordinary people can become happier and more fulfilled. In his 1998 APA presidential address, Seligman, the founder of positive psychology, argued that psychology had become too focused on curing mental illness according to a disease model, and that, for all intents and purposes, it had become a “victimology” (Seligman, 1998). What was needed, he averred, was a new “science of human strengths,” a positive psychology (Seligman & Csikszentmihalyi, 2000).