Positive psychology is a recent branch of scientific psychology that "studies the strengths and virtues that enable individuals and communities to thrive.” People have been discussing the question of human happiness since at least Ancient Greece. Martin Seligman, who is considered as "the father of positive psychology" has pointed out how psychology has been primarily dedicated to addressing mental illness rather than mental "wellness" (Seligman, 2002). Several humanistic psychologists—such as Abraham Maslow, Carl Rogers, and Erich Fromm—developed successful theories and practices that involved human happiness, despite a lack of solid empirical evidence at the time behind their work, and especially that of their successors, who chose to emphasize phenomenology and individual case histories. Positive psychology refers to cultivation of a more appreciative view of human nature. It advises psychologists to scientifically study the positive qualities, motives and capacities of human beings. It came into being as a protest against the predominant negative bias of traditional psychology.
General overview Some researchers (Seligman, 2002) in this field posit that positive psychology can be delineated into three overlapping areas of research: •Research into the Pleasant Life or the "life of enjoyment" examines how people optimally experience, forecast, and savor the positive feelings and emotions that are part of normal and healthy living (e.g. relationships, hobbies, interests, entertainment, etc.). •The study of the Good Life or the "life of engagement" investigates the beneficial affects of immersion, absorption, and flow that individuals feel when optimally engaged with their primary activities. These states are experienced when there is a positive match between a person's strength and the task they are doing, i.e. when they feel confident that they can accomplish the tasks they face. •Inquiry into the Meaningful Life or "life of affiliation" questions how individuals derive a positive sense of well-being, belonging, meaning, and purpose from being part of and contributing back to something larger and more permanent than themselves (e.g. nature, social groups, organizations, movements, traditions, belief systems).
History of Positive Psychology
Psychology overall has had a rocky history of studying the good aspects of life. Seligman (2005) writes, “Before World War II, psychology had three distinct missions: curing mental illness, making the lives of all people more productive and fulfilling, and identifying and nurturing high talent.” But after the war, the latter two missions – making lives more fulfilling and nurturing talent – fell away, and curing mental illness became the primary and almost entire mission of practicing and academic psychologists. (Psychology’s focus switched to mental illness for two strong economic reasons – in 1946, the Veterans Administration was founded and psychologists started to practice by counseling post-war veterans, and in 1947, the National Institute of Mental Health was founded and academic psychologists learned that grants were more forthcoming to studies of pathology and mental illness.)The “positive” in Positive Psychology refers to strengths, optimal functioning, and flourishing. Gable and Haidt (2005) write, “However, positive psychology does not imply that the rest of psychology is negative, although it is understandable that the name may imply that to some people.” Seligman and Csikszentmihalyi (2000) and Seligman (2005) say, and as Shapiro (2001) further emphasizes, there were many predecessors to the idea of studying positive psychology. Not only did Aristotle and other Greek philosophers lay out the groundwork thoughts of what Positive Psychology still regards as the foundation of the good life and happiness, but also past APA presidents Carl Rogers and Abraham Maslow had focused on what makes people be at their best. Abraham Maslow actually coined the term Positive Psychology when he used it as chapter title in his 1954 book, Motivation and Personality. In short, as Peterson (2006) writes, Positive Psychology has a very short history (less than a decade) and a very long past. Peterson further describes some studies of the Greeks, the Eastern philosophers including Confucius and Lao-Tsu, the religious figures who advocate a life of meaning and service to others, Rogers and Maslow, Neill, Albee, Cowan, Bandura, Winner, Gardner, Sternberg, and many others who studied the best in people long before 1998. 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. Positive psychology science and practice are situated for the identification and understanding of human strength and virtues as well as for helping people to live happier and more productive lives.
Why a Positive Psychology Movement, and Why Now? Why do we need a movement in positive psychology? The answer is straightforward. The science of psychology has made great strides in understanding what goes wrong in individuals, families, groups, and institutions, but these advances have come at the cost of understanding what is right with people. For example, clinical psychology has made excellent progress in diagnosing and treating mental illnesses and personality disorders (e.g., American Psychiatric Association, 1994). Researchers in social psychology have conducted groundbreaking studies on the existence of implicit prejudice and negative outcomes associated with low self-esteem (e.g., Josephs, Bosson, & Jacobs, 2003; Wittenbrink, Judd, & Park, 1997). Health psychology has shown us the detrimental effects that environmental stressors have on our physiological systems (e.g., Dickerson & Kemeny, 2004). And cognitive psychology has illuminated the many biases and errors involved in our judgments (e.g., Gilovich, Vallone, & Tversky, 1985). These are all important findings in our field, but it is harder to locate corresponding work on human strengths and virtues.2 So why has our field been so much more interested in foibles than in strengths? We see three reasons. The first is compassion. Those who are suffering should be helped before those who are already doing well. We certainly agree with this notion; however, we also think that an understanding of human strengths can actually help prevent or lessen the damage of disease, stress, and disorder. For example, research on coping has demonstrated that appraisals of negative life events that put them into perspective with one’s own capabilities for meeting the challenge mediate the actual experience of distress (e.g., Folkman & Lazarus, 1988). And Taylor and colleagues (Taylor, Kemeny, Reed, Bower, & Gruenwald, 2000) have provided per-assuasive evidence that beliefs such as optimism and a sense of personal control are protective factors for psychological and physical health. 2 One can point to inspiring work such as the jigsaw classroom of Aronson, Blaney, Stephan, Sikes, and Snapp (1978), which brought out the best in students, but such cases are few and far between.
Western Perspective on Positive Psychology: Hope has been a powerful underlying force in Western civilization. Although hope has remarkable and pervasive power, we are often unaware of its presence. Perhaps this is because hope is embedded in many related ideas. The story pf Pandora box revealed the Greek’s attitude towards hope. The presence of hope in religion (of Western civilization) is illustrated in bible at many places, e.g. " ...... there was hope that creation itself would one day be set free from its slavery to decay and would share the glorious freedom of the children of God: (Romans 8:18, 20,21) During the Pre Renaissance and Renaissance period people began to view themselves as individuals rather than as representatives of a class and interest emerged in the merits of personal achievement led to focus on doing things related to life and unlike Medieval people, who searched their soul, Renaissance citizens looked outward and forward to achieve here and now goals that were based on their abilities and personal interests. Industrial revolution made the hope of the Renaissance possible for most people through development and easy living. Hedonist Philosopher Epicurus Was Right about Happiness (Mostly)
"If a little is not enough for you, nothing is." --Epicurus Philosophers down the ages have been keen to tell the rest of us how to live and how to be happy. Certainly their advice comes to us with the luster of intellectual achievement; it is both high-brow and high-powered, but can we understand any of it and how does it fare against modern psychological research?
Eastern Perspectives on Positive Psychology. How to Be Happy, Confucian Style
"The one who would be in constant happiness must frequently change." -Confucius in China two and half thousand years ago one man, Kong Qui, and his followers, synthesized the traditions of the Chinese people to create what they believed were the fundamental principles of humanity. Of course what Westerners now call Confucianism has changed over the years, just like the other major philosophies that have flourished in the East: Buddhism and Taoism. But to have survived this long, these systems of thought must have at their cores a useful set of principles that help people live the 'good life'.
The concept of a good life has existed within the eastern tradition for many centuries. Contrary to the western cultures idea of optimal functioning as occurring intrapsychically, eastern cultures hold that an optimal life experience is a spiritual journey involving transcendence and enlightenment. It parallels the westerner’s hopeful pursue for a better life on earth. Buddhism: Seeking the good of others is woven throughout the teachings of “The master” or “The Enlighten one” “that is the Buddha. Like the other eastern philosophies Buddhism gives an important place to virtue, which is described in several catalogues of personal qualities. Hinduism: The main teachings of the Hindu tradition emphasize the interconnectedness of all things. The idea of a harmonious union among all individuals is woven throughout the teachings of Hinduism that refer to a single unifying principle underlying all the earth.
Topics Studied in Positive Psychology Martin Seligman and Mihalyi Csikszentmihalyi wrote that positive psychology is the study of positive subjective experiences, positive traits, and positive institutions. Peterson writes, “Positive psychology is the scientific study of what goes right in life, from birth to death and at all stops in between.” INDIVIDUALS: What is the purpose of positive emotions such as joy, awe, happiness? (Fredrickson, Haidt, Isen) What are the inherent positive strengths of people? (Peterson, Park, Seligman) What makes people happy? (Diener, Myers, Seligman) How can people be happier? (Lyubomirsky, Peterson) How can people make great decisions? (Gilbert) Does happiness lead to success or success to happiness? (Diener, Lyubomirsky, King) What can people do to live long, healthy lives?
How can people use self-talk to succeed? (Seligman, Reivich, Gillham) WORK: How can people do what they most enjoy and do best at work? (Clifton, Rath) How can people get more involved in their activities? (Csikszentmihalyi, Nakamura) How can one’s work be a calling, a career, or a job? (Wriznewski) How can people use appreciative inquiry at work? (Cooperrider) The study of Positive Psychology is just beginning, and so the topics and main areas of focus can certainly change in a large way and very quickly.
Building strength, Resilience and Health in young people. But an underlying question remains: How can we prevent problems like depression, substance abuse, schizophrenia, AIDS, or injury in young people who are genetically vulnerable or who live in worlds that nurture these problems? It has discovered that there is a set of human strengths that are the most likely buffers against mental illness: Courage, optimism, interpersonal skills, work ethic, hope, honesty and perseverance. Much of the task of prevention will be to create a science of human strength whose mission will be to foster these virtues in young people. Positive psychology believes that a mindful approach to everyday living will reveals then power of positive emotions and human strengths and healthy processes which are Life Enhancement Strategies. These strategies help attain life's three most important outcomes: connecting with others, pursuing meaning and experiencing some degree of pleasure and satisfaction. Specifically love, work and play have been referred to as three great realms of life (Seligman, 1998e). Freud defined normalcy as the capacity to love, work and play and psychological researches have referred to this capacity as "mental health" (Cederblad, Dahlin, Hagnell & Hansson 1995). Developmental researches have described these as normal tasks associated with human growth (Icard, 1996) and as keys to successful aging (Vaillant 1994). Happiness & Joy:
Understanding and facilitating happiness and subjective well- being is the central; objective of positive psychology (Seligman 2002). Thus it complements rather than replaces traditional clinical psychology. Seligman (2002) classified positive emotions into three categories: those associated with past, present and the future. Joy appears to open us up to many new thoughts and behaviors, where as negative emotions dampen our ideas and actions. Joy increases our; likelihood of behaving positively towards other people, help develop more positive relationships and induces playfulness. Subjective Well-being: Subjective wellbeing involves the subjective evaluation of ones current status in the world. Diener (2002) defines subjective well being as a combination of positive affect (in the absence of negative affect) and general life satisfaction (i.e. subjective appreciation of life’s rewards). Self-efficacy: Bandura (1997) defines self-efficacy as people’s beliefs in their capabilities to produce desired effects by their own actions. Maddux (2002) describes self-efficacy as “what I believe I can do with my skills under certain conditions.” Self efficacy is a learned human pattern of thinking. It begins in infancy and continues throughout the life span. It is based on the premises of social cognitive theory which holds that humans actively shape their lives rather than passively reacting to environmental factors. Learned Optimism: Abramson, Seligman and Teasdale (1978) define learned optimism as the adaptive causal attributions to explain negative experiences or events. The optimist makes external variable and specific attributions for failure like events rather than internal stable and global attributions of the pessimist. Seligman places great emphasis upon negative outcomes in determining one’s attributional explanations. Hope: Snyder defines hope as goal directed thinking in which the person utilizes path ways thinking (the perceived capacity to find routes to desired goals) and agency thinking (the
requisite motivations to use other routes). Pathways thinking have been shown to relate to the production of alternate routes when original ones are blocked for example positive self talk. High hopers have positive emotional sets and a sense of zest that stems from their histories of success in goal pursues, where a low hopers have negative emotional sets and a sense of emotional flatness that stems from their histories of having failed in goal pursues. Wisdom and Courage: Wisdom and courage both exemplify human excellence; they involve challenge they require sound decision making, and they typically contribute to the common good. According to some theorists wisdom and intelligence are similar. Intelligence provides the basic knowledge for accomplishing daily life supporting tasks for oneself and others, whereas wisdom includes know how judgment and flexibility to resolve major life problems for the common good. Courage is a core human virtue comprised of such strengths as valor (taking physical, intellectual and emotional stances in the face of danger), authenticity (representing one’s self to others and the self in a sincere fashion), enthusiasm/zest (thriving/ having a sense of vitality in a challenging situation), and industry/perseverance (undertaking tasks and challenges and finishing them) (Peterson & Seligman, 2004). Mindfulness: It is a flexible state of mind openness to novelty, a process of actively drawing novel distinctions. When we are mindful we become sensitive context and perspective, we are situated in the present. When we are mindless we are trapped in rigid mindsets oblivious to context and perspective and our behavior is rule and routine governed (Langer, 2002). Mindfulness develops meditation that is the development of deep inside into the nature of mental processes, consciousness, identity and reality and the development of optimal states of psychological well-being and consciousness. Flow: in search of Absorption When people are engaged in challenging but controllable tasks that are intrinsically motivating they experience a unique psychological state referred to as flow. For flow
experiences to occur we must have a good chance of completing these tasks. There must be clear goals and immediate feedbacks. These tasks require total concentration so we become deeply and effortlessly involved in them so much so that we no longer think of worries and frustrations of everyday life. Our sense of sense disappears when involved in these tasks and paradoxically the sense of self emerges as strengthened after the task is completed. Time perception is altered during flow experiences. Flow experiences may occur during reading, sports, involvement in creative arts and music or involvement in certain types of works. Prosocial behavior: Prosocial behavior includes the following: •
Empathy
•
Egotism
•
Altruism
•
Gratitude
•
Forgiveness
Empathy: Empathy is an emotional response to the perceived plight of another person. Egotism: Egotism is the motive to pursue some sort of personal gain or benefit through targeted behavior. Altruism: Altruism is behavior that is aimed at benefiting another person. Gratitude: Gratitude is showing feelings of being obliged. It emerges upon recognizing that one has obtained a positive outcome from another individual. Forgiveness: Forgiveness is a freeing from a negative attachment to the source that has transgressed against a person. Forgiveness reflects increases in pro-social motivation towards another person. Attachment, Love and Flourishing Relationships: We see people from all walks of life, which talks about feelings of loneliness, a sense of alienation, stem from relationships that have soured. When our basic needs of love,
belongingness and perfection are not met, we feel lonely and worthless. Attachment, love and flourishing relationships are stressed by positive psychology. Attachment and love are necessary components of flourishing relationships but they are not sufficient for maintenance of such relationships. It must be accompanied by what we refer to as purposeful positive relationship behaviors. Attachment is a process that probably starts during the first moment of an infant’s life. It is the emotional link that forms between a child and a caregiver, and it physically binds people together over time. Maladaptive parental behaviors (chaotic unplanned attempts to meet a child’s needs) inconsistency in responses to children and insecure attachment system leads to frustration and anxiety that hurdle flourishing relationships and positive love. In the field of close relationships, many studies have examined how couples respond to each other’s misfortune (e.g., social support) or bad relation-ship behavior (e.g., criticisms and infidelities), but little is known about how couples respond to each other’s triumphs (e.g., savoring positive events) or good relationship behavior (e.g., compliments and displays of affection; see Reis & Gable, 2003). And there are volumes of work examining how couples and families resolve conflict but very few studies examining them having fun and laughing together. In the area of morality, there are thousands of published studies on the negative moral emotions.
Classifications and Measurements of Human Strengths and Positive Outcomes. In the 21st century, two classifications of illness have attained the world wide acceptance. First the world health organization’s International Classification of Diseases (ICD) in 10th edition and second American Psychiatric Association’s Diagnostic and Statistical Manual (DSM) and DSM –iv- TR. But currently no classification of human strengths or positive outcomes has achieved worldwide use or acceptance. Positive psychology is the scientific study of positive experiences and positive individual traits, and the institutions that facilitate their development. A field concerned with well being and optimal functioning, positive psychology aims to broaden the focus of clinical
psychology beyond suffering and its direct alleviation. The proposed conceptual framework parses happiness into three domains: pleasure, engagement, and meaning. For each of these constructs, there are now valid and practical assessment tools appropriate for the clinical setting. Additionally, mounting evidence demonstrates the efficacy and effectiveness of positive interventions aimed at cultivating pleasure, engagement, and meaning. We contend that positive interventions are justifiable in their own right. Positive interventions may also usefully supplement direct attempts to prevent and treat psychopathology and, indeed, may covertly be a central component of good psychotherapy as it is done now. Some classifications and measures however have been created, refined and broadly disseminated in the last decade. These three classification systems are as follows.
1. 34 Clifton Strengths Finder Themes: Over his 50- year career at University of Nebraska, Selection Research Incorporated and The Gallup Organization Donald Clifton studied success across a wide variety of business and education domains and identified about three dozen themes of talent involving enduring positive human qualities and developed an online measure of strength fining. He selected items on the basis of construct, criterion and content validity and in 1999 launched it. The themes he used are as follows:
Achiever
Connectedness
Harmony
Relator
Activator
Consistency
Ideation
Responsibility
Adaptability
Context
Includer
Restorative
Analytical
Deliberative
Individualization
Self-Assurance
Arranger
Developer
Input
Significance
Belief
Discipline
Intellection
Strategic
Command
Empathy
Learner
Woo
Communication
Focus
Maximizer
Competition
Futuristic
Positivity
2. The Values in Action (VIA) Clasification of Strengths (Peterson & Seligman, 2004)
The VIA Signature Strength Survey is a 240 question survey that has been taken by hundreds of thousands of people. The VIA Signature Strengths Survey measures 24 character strengths that are taken from Character Strengths and Virtues: The 24 character strengths are listed below. The results page will show you your 5 greatest character strengths. Creativity (originality, ingenuity): Thinking of novel and productive ways to conceptualize and do things. Curiosity (interest, novelty-seeking, openness to experience): Taking an interest in ongoing experience s for its own sake; exploring and discovering Open-mindedness (judgment, critical thinking): Thinking things through and examining them from all sides; weighing all evidence fairly. Love of learning: Mastering new skills, topics, and bodies of knowledge, whether on one’s own or formally. Perspective (wisdom): Being able to provide wise counsel to others; having ways of looking at the world that make sense to oneself and to other people
Bravery (valor): Not shrinking from threat, challenge, difficulty, or pain; acting on convictions even if unpopular. Persistence (perseverance, industriousness): Finishing what one starts; persisting in a course of action in spite of obstacles. Integrity (authenticity, honesty): Presenting oneself in a genuine way; taking responsibility for one’s feeling and actions Vitality (zest, enthusiasm, vigor, energy): Approaching life with excitement and energy; feeling alive and activated Love: Valuing close relations with others, in particular those in which sharing and caring are reciprocated. Kindness (generosity, nurturance, care, compassion, altruistic love, “niceness”): Doing favors and good deeds for others. Social intelligence (emotional intelligence, personal intelligence): Being aware of the motives and feelings of other people and oneself. Citizenship (social responsibility, loyalty, teamwork): Working well as a member of a group or team; being loyal to the group. Fairness: Treating all people the same according to notions of fairness and justice; not letting personal feelings bias decisions about others. Leadership: Encouraging a group of which one is a member to get things done and at the same maintain time good relations within the group. Forgiveness and mercy: Forgiving those who have done wrong; accepting the shortcomings of others; giving people a second chance; not being vengeful Humility / Modesty: Letting one’s accomplishments speak for themselves; not regarding oneself as more special than one is.
Prudence: Being careful about one’s choices; not taking undue risks; not saying or doing things that might later be regretted. Self-regulation (self-control): Regulating what one feels and does; being disciplined; controlling one’s appetites and emotions. Appreciation of beauty and excellence (awe, wonder, elevation): Appreciating beauty, excellence, and/or skilled performance in various domains of life. Gratitude: Being aware of and thankful of the good things that happen; taking time to express thanks. Hope (optimism, future-mindedness, future orientation): Expecting the best in the future and working to achieve it. Humor (playfulness): Liking to laugh and tease; bringing smiles to other people; seeing the light side. Spirituality (religiousness, faith, purpose): Having coherent beliefs about the higher purpose, the meaning of life, and the meaning of the universe.
Search Institute's 40 Developmental Assets These are concrete, common sense, positive experiences and qualities essential to raising successful young people. These assets have the power during critical adolescent years to influence choices young people make and help them become caring, responsible adults.
The 40 Developmental Assets for Adolescents It was originally conceptualized in 1980s in response to the question “what protects children from today’s problems” The list below describes the 40 Developmental Assets for Adolescents (ages 12-18).
Asset Type
Asset Name &
Definition EXTERNAL ASSETS Support
Empowerment
Boundaries and Expectations
Family support
Family life provides high levels of love and support.
Positive family communication
Young person and her or his parent(s) communicate positively, and young person is willing to seek advice and counsel from parent(s).
Other adult relationships
Young person receives support from three or more no parent adults.
Caring neighborhood
Young person experiences caring neighbors.
Caring school climate
School provides a caring, encouraging environment.
Parent involvement in schooling
Parent(s) are actively involved in helping young person succeed in school.
Community values Young person perceives that adults in the youth community value youth. Youth as resources
Young people are given useful roles in the community.
Service to others
Young person serves in the community one hour or more per week.
Safety
Young person feels safe at home, at school, and in the neighborhood.
Family boundaries Family has clear rules and consequences, and monitors the young person's whereabouts. School boundaries School provides clear rules and consequences. Neighborhood boundaries
Neighbors take responsibility for monitoring young people's behavior.
Adult role models Parent(s) and other adults model positive, responsible behavior. Positive peer influence
Young person's best friends model responsible behavior.
High expectations Both parent(s) and teachers encourage the young person to do well. Constructive Use Creative activities Young person spends three or more hours per week in lessons or practice in music, of Time theater, or other arts.
INTERNAL ASSETS Commitment to Learning
Youth programs
Young person spends three or more hours per week in sports, clubs, or organizations at school and/or in community organizations.
Religious community
Young person spends one hour or more per week in activities in a religious institution.
Time at home
Young person is out with friends "with nothing special to do" two or fewer nights per week.
Achievement motivation
Young person is motivated to do well in school.
School engagement
Young person is actively engaged in learning.
Homework
Young person reports doing at least one hour of homework every school day.
Bonding to school Young person cares about her or his school.
Positive Values
Reading for pleasure
Young person reads for pleasure three or more hours per week.
Caring
Young person places high value on helping other people.
Equality and social Young person places high value on justice promoting equality and reducing hunger and poverty. Integrity
Young person acts on convictions and stands up for her or his beliefs.
Honesty
Young person "tells the truth even when it is not easy."
Responsibility
Young person accepts and takes personal responsibility.
Social Competencies
Restraint
Young person believes it is important not to be sexually active or to use alcohol or other drugs.
Planning and decision making
Young person knows how to plan ahead and make choices.
Interpersonal competence
Young person has empathy, sensitivity, and friendship skills.
Cultural competence
Young person has knowledge of and comfort with people of different cultural/racial/ethnic backgrounds.
Resistance skills
Young person can resist negative peer pressure and dangerous situations.
Peaceful conflict resolution
Young person seeks to resolve conflict nonviolently.
Positive Identity Personal power
Young person feels he or she has control over "things that happen to me."
Self-esteem
Young person reports having a high selfesteem.
Sense of purpose
Young person reports that "my life has a purpose."
Positive view of personal future
Young person is optimistic about her or his personal future.
All these are used for identifying and measuring the primary strengths of a person.
The Opposite of mentally breaking people Donald O’Clifton, who died several years ago, can be seen as one of the founders of positive psychology. As early as in the nineteen fifties, he realized that focusing on what people do well, is the core of making them flourish. What convinced him was a study done by William E. Mayer about American prisoners of war in the Korean War (Rath & Clifton, 2004). American prisoners of war were exposed by the Koreans to a regime that at first glance did not seem to be so cruel because they got food, water and shelter and were not physically tortured. Mayer tried to find out what was the reason that still so many prisoners died (38%, the highest percentage in American military history). When
the prisoners had been set free they turned out be mentally broken. They were no longer interested in calling relatives and there were no friendships between them. Mayer found out that the Koreans had mentally broken the prisoners by using four tactics: 1) inform: prisoners were rewarded with things like cigarettes when they betrayed each other; 2) self-criticism was encouraged. In groups each man had to confess all the bad things he had done and all the good things he had failed to do, 3) loyalty to country, family and among them and towards their leadership was broken down systematically and step-by step, 4) emotional support was kept from them by withholding positive letters by relatives and by consequently letting through all negative letters (for instance about deaths in the family or remarriage of a spouse). In particular, this last tactic was very effective in breaking the moral of the prisoners and made them lose all hope and the lust for life. Donald O’Clifton was deeply impressed by these findings and decided to spend his career to the opposite of what the Korean soldiers had done. His core question was: if the Koreans, by their negative tactics succeeded in breaking the people mentally, can positive tactics because the opposite, make them flourish? The short answer to this question, after years of research, is 'yes'. Research done by Gallup has show that managers worldwide focus mainly on negative attributes and shortcomings. The most effective managers, however, do the opposite: they focus primarily on what is going right and encourage people to build on their strengths.
Psychopathology: The psychopathology in positive psychology consists of lower level on all the positive aspects of life (which are mentioned earlier e.g. self esteem, hope, courage etc). and INTERVENTION lies in enhancing those positive aspects of life. First of all positive psychologist focus on not having “Negative Thinking” because they give it more weightage rather than having Positive Thinking. Secondly, they focus on healthy developmental patterns of life and focus on having positive relations, positive environments They are basically concerned with developing Positive Change in people. Throughout the life cycle we all develop psychologically. We develop new skills, competencies and strengths; we confront opportunities for growth and development and challenge that
Place demands on our capacity for coping. For example leaving security of family and living alone or with friends offers the opportunity to develop confidence and independence but we may also face the challenges of rejection by others, loneliness, poverty and so forth. Positive psychology focuses bringing strengths to bear on opportunities and challenges. Stages of Positive Change: The change process gets completed through six stages: •
Precontemplation: In this stage we deny that we have a problem e.g. we may say ‘Smoking is not a problem for me. I don’t to wish to give it up. It does no harm at all.
•
Contemplation: Here we move from denying that we have a problem in a particular area to accepting that there may be a problem, which may address within the foreseeable future (lets say next six months). We might say, ‘Smoking is a problem for me, sometimes I’m short of breath and worry about my long term health. There are pros and cons of stop smoking. I enjoy it but it may be harming my health’.
•
Planning: Here the commitment to change in the next month is made. We say things like this ‘I am going to give up cigarettes very soon. I must get some nicotine patches and set a date for my last cigarette.
•
Action: We actually change our behavior by putting our plan into action. However, there are pitfalls to avoid. For example sometimes we do insufficient planning or proceed from contemplation to action without any real planning, which is really essential to set a useful course of action and to translate a decision into a logical sequence of steps that will lead to a solution. Sometimes action plan fails because they are based on the idea that there is a magical bullet which on its own can solve our problems.
•
Maintenance:
Here we take active steps to make sure we don’t replace or slip back into old habits. Social pressure, internal changes, special situations and testing our will power can all lead to relapse. (special situations are those that include opportunities and cues to return to old problem behaviors. •
Termination: In the last stage we experience no wish to relapse and complete confidence that we can mange our difficulties. For many life challenges this rarely occurs and we commit to a lifetime of maintenance. Also a process of recycling is not uncommon, where we return periodically to earlier stages of change and then progress through some of the stages again.
Positive behavior support: Positive behavior support is an approach that lends values by the rights of the people with disabilities with a practical science that how learning a behavior change occurs.” Its overall goal is to enhance the quality of life of the individual by providing support. The key aim is to create right set of circumstances.
Literature review of Researches: Hirsch, Duberstein, Chapman and Lyness (2007) examined the association of positive affect and suicide ideation in 462 primary care patients ages 65 and older. Positive affect distinguished suicide ideators from non-ideators, after controlling for age, gender, depression, negative affect, illness burden, activity, sociability, cognitive functioning and physically functioning. There was a trend toward age moderation of this relationship. Clinical and theoretical formulation of late life suicide should consider the role of positive affect, including the possibility that its protective effects grow more pronounced with age. They hypothesized that the trait positive affects would distinguish suicide ideators and nonideators, over and above the effects of sociodemographic characteristics, medical burden of illness, cognitive and functional status, trait negative effect, severity of depression and trait sociability along with trait positive affect. Participants [N = 462; 290 {63 percent women}] were sixty five years of age and older [M = 79.4, SD = 6.53] with a mean of 14.3 of education {SD= .32}. 53{11 percent} were
single, 137{30 percent} were widowed. 158{34percent} lived alone and 73 {16percent} were employed. Participants were recruited from private hospitals. NEO five factor inventory {NEO-FFI}, NEO personality Inventory and Structured Clinical Interview {for suicidal ideation} was used. Kanofsky Performance Status Scale for functional status and Hamilton Rating Scale for Depression were used. Results revealed significant positive correlations between suicide ideation and depression severity, trait negative affect and functional status and burden of illness {that was covariate with main factors}. Suicide ideation was also inversely associated with positive affect. High levels of trait positive affect reduce the odds of suicide ideation {odds ratio = .78, 95percent confidence of interval= .66_.94, p< .01, B=-025, SE=.09} but trait sociability and trait activity did not. It was also noticed that effects of trait positive effect became pronounced with increasing age {odds ratio=0.54, 95 percent, confidence interval = .28-1.05, p= .07, B=.61, SE=.33} Malik & rehman (2003) explored the effect of occupational role stress on the psychological well being and work motivation of medical professionals and associated variables like impact of nature, private public and structure of the organization and demographic variables like age. Convenient purposive sampling was used to collect 100 medical professionals, (performing multiple occupational roles) from private and government hospitals, age group 30_64. Occupational Role Stress Scale (ORSS), Psychological Well Being Scale (CPI) and Work Preference Inventory (WPI) were used to collect data. The scores of well being were found to be significantly negatively correlated with Extrinsic motivation(r= -.26, p<.01) indicating those professionals who believed in outward rewards and compensation appear to be low in their general psychological well being. Where as no significance between psychological well being and intrinsic motivation was found. The scores of ORSS were negatively correlated with both extrinsic and intrinsic motivation. Further public and private sector medical professionals were not much different in their perception of occupational role stress and their well being, but they do differ significantly in work motivation. Findings also suggest that that more experienced
professional have low occupational role stress and high psychological well being. Findings also indicate that there exist significant difference in the scores of young and old professionals on ORSS (t=3.4, p<.001) indicating that young professionals have more perceived ORSS as compared to older professionals. Practical applications Positive psychology include helping individuals and organizations correctly identify their strengths and use them to increase and sustain their respective levels of well-being. Therapists, counselors, coaches, and various other psychological professionals can use the new methods and techniques to build and broaden the lives of individuals who are not necessarily suffering from mental illness or disorder .Positive psychology is about scientifically informed perspectives on what makes life worth living. It focuses on aspects of the human condition that lead to happiness, fulfillment, and flourishing Positive Psychology studies what is right with people and how people live the good life. we look forward to the future time in the psychology when the positive is as likely as the negative to be used in assessing the people and helping them to lead more satisfying existences.
CONCLUSION positive psychology presently is in the period of expansion, not so much in terms of the relative percentage of the entire field that it represents but rather in terms of the influence of these ideas in gaining the attention of the psychology community in particular and society in general. In a relatively short time positive psychology has gotten off to a good start in gaining attention both inside and outside of psychology. Media attention to the positive runs counter to the old maxim ‘bad news sells newspaper’. Positive psychology offers a free good antidote to the trails of tragedy left by acts of nature and human hands. Positive psychology is a worldwide spread phenomenon now in a recent survey of major edited volumes on positive, the percentage of scholars outside the United States has varied from a low of 7% to a high of 37%. Nearly hundred universities and colleges have instituted undergraduate and graduate courses that introduce students to principles of positive psychology. A chief task of positive psychology in the coming decades will be to integrate or research and insights with the mainstreams of science more generally. And it
will further cultivate the mutual exchange of knowledge between scholars in different parts of the world. We want to take our science, knowledge and arts about positive psychology, states, feelings and experiences to the next level-- to scientifically explore, elucidate, codify, and create a unified, interwoven, integrated paradigm which collects together existing models so as to evolve a useful, practical Positive Science which spawns a collection of tools, technologies and techniques for optimizing human and social functioning, performance, health and happiness. In a world where there are hundreds of thousands of studies and meetings on what is negative, on what to move away from and eliminate experts on what's wrong-- we need a positive vision-- somewhere and something to move towards. We need to create a science of things positive-- of Positivity. This site's goal is to get similar minded people connecting, talking, sharing ideas and energies about what works, about the Positive Sciences fields-- from psychology and psychoneuroimunology to anthropology, neurobiology, physiology, education, technology, the arts, entertainment, sociology, medicine, spirituality. We need to do with the positive arts and sciences what has been done with computers; software and new technologies-- create commercial incubators for companies which make a viable business of compassion, caring, happiness, fun, etc. How far can we go with positive approaches? Can we heal anger, depression, anxiety, fear, etc by solely teaching positive behaviors, responses, actions, strategies? Or can we boost the strength of interventions based on treating pathology by adding positive approaches? We know so little about how far positive efforts alone can go. This is worth exploring
