Positive Psychology Introduction PDF

Positive Psychology: Introduction What is positive psychology? 1  WHAT IS POSITIVE PSYCHOLOGY? Roots of Positive Psychology Perspectives on Psychology Psychology’s mission (focus) before and after WWII Positive Psychology – a...

Positive Psychology: Introduction What is positive psychology? 1  WHAT IS POSITIVE PSYCHOLOGY? Roots of Positive Psychology Perspectives on Psychology Psychology’s mission (focus) before and after WWII Positive Psychology – a new perspective on human behaviour Focus, definition and dimensions of Positive Psychology  Psychology is not just the study of weakness and damage; it is also the study of strength and virtue. Treatment is not just fixing what is broken; it is nurturing what is best within us. Martin E. P. Seligman http://www.ted.com/talks/martin_seligman_on_the_state_of_psycholo gy.html 3  BACKGROUND AND DEVELOPMENT OF POSITIVE PSYCHOLOGY 4 Roots of positive psychology Prevention and wellness Post- Humanistic enlightment, psychology Moral (Rogers, phylosophy Maslow) Positive psychology Ancient Greeks, Allport Aristotle 5 Perspectives on psychology Modern psychology was In the United States, its founded by Wilhelm founding is attributed to Wundt, in Leipzig, William James, at around Germany, in 1879. the turn of the 20th century. 6 Perspectives on psychology Wundt was primarily James was more interested in interested in physical the subjective experience of sensations, that is, the individual. psychophysics. In many ways, this was a forerunner of He studied phenomena such modern cognitive psychology. as religious experience, relationships, and the way people experienced the world – the fundamental aspects of what it meant to be human. In this way, he might be considered a forerunner of modern humanistic psychology. 7 Perspectives on psychology But much psychology, at least until the cognitive revolution of the 1950s onwards, was based on the work of one Sigmund Freud. He founded the therapeutic approach known as psychoanalysis, and is largely responsible for our modern understanding of the importance of the unconscious mind and unconscious processes. However, his views of human nature are fundamentally different to those shared by the humanistic psychologists. 8 Psychoanalytical perspective This is the society envisaged by Freud, and in his view, civilisation was an invention used to keep everything in control. Were it not for that, we would run riot, looting, pillaging, raping, taking whatever we desired without thinking for a second about others, except to the extent that they served our needs. 9 Humanistic perspective Abraham Maslow and Carl Rogers, the humanistic psychologists. The emphasis here is on what it means to be human, starting from the premise, as does positive psychology, that all things being equal, people are basically good and just. 10 Positive Psychology: A New Perspective on Human Behavior Psychology's focus before World War II was threefold: Curing mental illness Making the lives of all people more fulfilling Identifying and nurturing high talent 11  Positive Psychology: A New Perspective on Human Behavior After the war, psychology's focus shifted to curing mental illness and has been largely successful. 14 different disorders have been identified and can be successfully treated (Seligman & Csikszentmihalyi, 2000), The DSM-IV is a helpful tool for psychologists in identifying and treating mental disorders. 12 Positive Psychology: A New Perspective on Human Behavior Several humanistic psychologists such as Abraham Maslow, Carl Rogers, and Erich Fromm developed successful theories and practices that involved human happiness. Recently the theories of human flourishing developed by these humanistic psychologists have found empirical support from studies by humanistic and positive psychologists, such as in the area of self-determination theory. 13 Positive Psychology: A New Perspective on Human Behaviour Martin Seligman is considered the father of the modern positive psychology movement, chose it as the theme for his term as president of the American Psychological Association. The term itself first originated with Maslow, in 1954 in his book Motivation and Personality. Seligman candidly observed that for the past fifty years clinical psychology "has been consumed by a single topic only - mental illness", echoing Maslow's comments. He urged psychologists to continue the earlier missions of psychology of nurturing talent and improving normal life. This observation by Maslow and Seligman does have much relevance. 14 Positive Psychology: A New Perspective on Human Behavior The modern practice of psychology, and especially that of psychiatry, has overemphasized the medical model and drug treatment, partly because it is fast, easy, convenient, as well as profitable for both practitioners, hospitals and drug companies. 15 Positive Psychology: A New Perspective on Human Behavior Positive Psychology takes the opposite approach, building on strengths, searching for the positive, not assuming that a label needs to be attached unless absolutely necessary. 16 Positive Psychology: A New Perspective on Human Behavior The first positive psychology summit took place in 1999. The First International Conference on Positive Psychology took place in 2002. 17 What is positive psychology? So, since the Second World War much of psychology has been concerned with the alleviation of suffering, the repair of damage, and the treatment of illness. These are indeed laudable aims, and it is easy to see how they have attained dominance. But is that all that psychology has to offer? 18 What is positive psychology? Psychology is the science of mind and behaviour, and as such a Martian visitor may be inclined to conclude that the human race is indeed sick – for there is little study of what makes life worth living, the good things in life, or the good life. 19 What is positive psychology? Positive psychology sets out to right this balance. It does not seek to dismiss the important of studying pathology and treatment, but it argues that there is as much merit to be gained in the study of optimal functioning and prevention. If people are leading positive lives, it argues, that in itself serves to buffer many of the negative effects of difficult life events and circumstances, so preventing the problem before the need for treatment even arises. 20 Conceptions of positive psychology “Positive psychology is simply psychology.” “Positive psychology is nothing more than the scientific study of ordinary human strengths and virtues” (Sheldon & King, 2001, p. 216) 21 Conceptions of positive psychology “Positive psychology offers an integrative psychological paradigm that challenges us as psychologist-practitioners to consider how we may facilitate fulfilment, above and beyond seeking to repair weakness.” (Linley & Joseph, 2003, p. 143, in Linley, Joseph, & Boniwell, 2003) 22 Positive psychology: focus The focus of positive psychology is the scientific study of positive human functioning and flourishing at a number of levels, such as the biological, personal, relational, institutional, cultural, and global (Seligman, Czikszentmihalyi, 2000). 23 Conceptions of positive psychology Positive psychology is about – At the subjective level: well-being, contentment, satisfaction, hope, optimism, flow, happiness At the individual level: capacity for love and vocation, courage, interpersonal skill, aesthetic sensibility, perseverance, forgiveness, originality, future mindedness, spirituality, high talent, wisdom. At the group level: civic virtues and citizenship, responsibility, nurturance, altruism, civility, moderation, tolerance, and work ethic. (Seligman & Csikszentmihalyi, 2000, p. 5) 24  Subjective level Positive states or emotions Dimensions of Individual level positive Individual traits psychology Group level Positive institutions 25 Positive emotional states or positive emotions Subjective well-being: Happiness and life satisfaction Joy Flow Optimism Relaxation Love Intimacy Contentedness 26 Positive individual traits Courage Persistence Honesty Wisdom Spirituality Courage Forgiveness Gratitude Altruism 27 Group (societal ) level Civic virtues Healthy families Healthy work environments Positive communities 28 Positive psychology: definition Positive psychology is the scientific study of optimal human functioning. It aims to discover and promote factors that allow individuals, communities, and societies to thrive and flourish. (Sheldon, Frederickson, Rathunde, Csikszentmihalyi, Haidt, 2000) 29 Why positive psychology? The second early mission of psychology – to find and nurture genius and talent. The third early mission of psychology – to make normal life more fulfilling. Positive psychology addresses these issues and brings them into life. 30