Positive Psychology PDF

Positive psychology Lec 1 prof.zeinab abdelrahman Positive psychology is a branch of psychology focused on the ▪ character strengths and behaviors that allow individuals to build a life of meaning and purpose to move beyond surviving to flourishing. Positive psychology Theorists...

Positive psychology Lec 1 prof.zeinab abdelrahman Positive psychology is a branch of psychology focused on the ▪ character strengths and behaviors that allow individuals to build a life of meaning and purpose to move beyond surviving to flourishing. Positive psychology Theorists and researchers in the field have ▪ sought to identify the elements of a good life They have also proposed and tested practices ▪ for improving life satisfaction and well-being.. ▪ ▪ The Basics of Positive Psychology Positive psychology emphasizes ▪ meaning and deep satisfaction, not just on fleeting happiness Martin Seligman as the father of ▪ positive psychology ▪ the Good Life the Good Life (focused on personal ▪ strengths and engagement), and the Meaningful Life. Positive psychologists have explored a ▪ range of experiences and behaviors involved in different versions of positive living, including specific positive emotions, "flow" states, and sense of meaning or purpose positive psychology positive psychology is a scientific approach to ▪ studying human thoughts, feelings, and behavior, with a focus on strengths instead of weaknesses, building the good in life instead of repairing the bad, and taking the lives of average people up to “great” instead of focusing solely on moving those who are struggling up to “normal” (Peterson, 2008). Positive psychology Positive psychology focuses on the positive ▪ events and influences in life, including: Positive experiences (like happiness, joy, ▪ inspiration, and love). Positive states and traits (like ▪ gratitude, resilience, and compassion). Positive institutions (applying positive ▪ principles within entire organizations and institutions). Seligman connected this phenomenon with depression noting that many people suffering from ▪ depression feel helpless as well. His work on the subject provided inspiration, ideas, and evidence to back up many treatments for depressive symptoms, as well as strategies for preventing depression. Seligman grew frustrated with psychology’s overly ▪ narrow focus on the negative; so much attention was paid to mental illness, abnormal psychology, trauma, suffering, and pain, and relatively little attention was dedicated to happiness, wellbeing, exceptionalism, strengths, and flourishing.. The foundational paper of this new field, ▪ positive psychology, was published in 2000 by Seligman and the “founding father” of flow, Mihaly. Since 2000, Seligman’s call for a greater ▪ focus on the positive in life has been answered by thousands of researchers around the world How is positive psychology different from the rest of psychology? While there is plenty of overlap, positive ▪ psychology has been described as different from other areas of psychology due to its primary interest in identifying and building mental assets, as opposed to addressing weaknesses and problems Who created positive psychology? Major proponents of positive psychology include ▪ psychologists Martin Seligman (who promoted the concept as president of the ▪ American Psychological Association in 1998Christopher Peterson, and Mihaly. Abraham Maslow, who used the term “positive psychology” in ▪ the 1950s ▪ Positive psychology papers on positive topics has provided an enormous ▪ repository of knowledge on how to encourage ourselves and those around us to live the best lives possible. In general, the greatest potential benefit of positive ▪ psychology is that it teaches us the power of shifting one’s perspective. ▪ Positive psychology was not established to replace traditional ▪ psychology, but to complement it with a positive bias that’s just as strong as psychology’s negative bias over the last several decades. idea for improving our own quality of life: People overestimate the impact of money on their ▪ happiness by quite a lot. It does have some influence, but not nearly as much as we might think, so focusing less on attaining wealth will likely make you happier Spending money on experiences provides a bigger ▪ boost to happiness than spending money on material possessions. ▪ Gratitude is a big contributor to happiness in life, ▪ suggesting that the more we cultivate gratitude, the happier we will be.. 4-Oxytocin may provoke greater trust, empathy, and morality in ▪ humans, meaning that giving hugs or other shows of physical affection may give you a big boost to your overall wellbeing 5-Those who intentionally cultivate a positive mood ▪ to match the outward emotion they need to display (i.e., in emotional labor) benefit by more genuinely experiencing the positive mood. In other words, “putting on a happy face” won’t necessarily make you feel happier, but putting in a little bit of effort likely will ▪. 6-Happiness is contagious; those with happy ▪ friends and significant others are more likely to be happy in the future 7- People who perform acts of kindness towards ▪ others not only get a boost in wellbeing, they are also more accepted by their peers... 8-Volunteering time to a cause you ▪ believe in improves your wellbeing and life satisfaction and may even reduce symptoms of depression ▪ 9-Spending money on other people ▪ results in greater happiness for the giver). Thank you