What is Positive Psychology?
An Introduction to Positive Psychology
Very simply put, positive psychology is the science of what makes human beings happy. In the literature it is defined as “the scientific study of human flourishing, and an applied approach to optimal functioning”. Human flourishing is a key component in positive psychology since this area of psychology focuses on finding what is it that makes human beings thrive and flourish in the long run.
Furthermore, positive psychology can be seen as an umbrella term. Underneath this umbrella, many areas are being researched where a relationship to wellbeing has been identified. Therefore, things such as mindfulness, resilience, gratitude, post-traumatic growth, meaning in life, optimism, are included in positive psychology.
Additionally, character strengths play a large role within positive psychology. Instead of looking at “what’s wrong” with a person and pathologising, Positive Psychology puts emphasis on what are the strengths and values of a person that make this person unique and how can these be fostered further.
Historically, the movement of Positive Psychology started back in the 1990s when a psychologist named Martin Seligman grew slightly frustrated with the focus of traditional psychology back then, since it was mainly on mental illness and pathology. He thought there must be more to it: How can we help people who are doing moderately well in their life to actually live their best life and flourish? Hence, positive psychology was born.
PERMA+ model
There are certain theories within positive psychology that are quite renown and have a significant impact within the field.
One of them is the PERMA-H model, a theory of wellbeing created by Martin Seligman himself and widely researched. This model includes five different aspects of life (positive emotions, engagement, relationships, meaning, achievement, and health) that human beings are motivated intrinsically to pursue and that have been found to contribute to wellbeing.
When we thrive in these areas, it is likely that we feel happy and experience a high level of wellbeing. Research shows that each of the components of the PERMA-H model can be linked to life satisfaction, subjective wellbeing, and vitality. (Kern, Waters, Alder, & White, 2014). Furthermore, findings show that actively working on these five aspects not only increases wellbeing, but at the same time decreases distress. (Forgeard et al., 2011).
Broaden and Build Theory
Another renown theory in the field of Positive Psychology is the Broaden and Build Theory. It has been developed and researched for more than 20 years by university professor Barbara Fredrickson.
This theory describes the relationship between positive emotions and creativity, relationships, internal resources, and wellbeing. What Fredrickson found was that when we experience positive emotions this has a broadening effect on us: We are more likely to approach and be open towards others, which can help us with building meaningful relationships. Additionally, positive emotions enhance our creativity, which allows us to have novel thoughts. These broadening effects will then allow us to build resources, gain skills, and develop relationships. And what’s the result of this? Exactly, more positive emotions!
In the researchers’ own words:
“…positive emotions broaden people’s momentary thought-action repertoires and lead to actions that build enduring personal resources.” (Fredrickson and Cohn, 2008).
Source: “Positive emotions” by B.L. Fredrickson and M.A. Cohn, , 2008, In M. Lewis, J.M. Haviland-Jones, and L.F. Barrett Handbook of Emotions (3rd Edition, p. 783). Copyright 2008 Guilford Press.
There are many different ways how we can integrate positive psychology into our life and therefore improve our wellbeing and resilience.
If you are interested to find out how, schedule a free 30-minute discovery session with me.