Positive Psychology Roots - Essay Example

Positive Psychology Introduction A random survey of the norms and the teachings of the society show that less focus is on enhancing individual strength and encouraging participation in positive activities, while more and more emphasis is put on the avoidance of negative aspects of life. This may be defined as negative psychology. This is best illustrated in the religious scenario of the church and its views that people who do acts that are not pleasing to God, end up in eternal suffering associated with the fire and brimstone that is hell (Walayat, 2013). In as much as this may be true, it is a deviation from the intended goals of the religious books as the focus shifts from acting in a positive manner and having a slice of heaven while still alive to engender fear into our lives so as to avoid ending up in hell after death. This is only an example of the scores of societal institutions that have come into my realization as a result of this course and which this paper will negate from. Positive psychology Although the methods of negative psychology have alleviated suffering and promoted positive behaviors among the human population, there are other branches in the field that have yielded better results in the realization of the same goals (Peterson, 2006). One such branch is positive psychology. This recent branch of psychology as defined Mihaly Csiksezentmihalyi and Martin Seligman as the psychology of human functioning that is positive, enabling proper understanding by the science community and interventions that are effective (Compton and Hoffman, 2012). This will enable the families, communities and even individuals to thrive. As opposed to the normal psychology that deals with the treatment of issues of the mind, this branch is made up of professionals who seek out and nurture great talents and genius with an aim of gaining more fulfillment from life. Generally, this branch of psychology deals with studying human strength. These include the causes of positive results, aspects of their nature; the states of emotion associated with the results and the thread holding them together which is the state of mind (Carr, 2004). Positive psychology roots Humanistic psychology associated with the 20th century is believed to be the root of positive psychology. However, this is not the initial source of the science as psychology as a science in reality did not come into being late in the 19th century (Froh, 2004). The origin of the science can therefore be primarily to be religious and philosophical sources. Ancient Greeks specifically Socrates, believed that self knowledge is what led to happiness (The Pursuit of Happiness, 2014). Aristotle reasoned that happiness came about from the rational activity partaken according to virtue in a period that spanned complete lives. The belief that happiness came from simple pleasures was shared by Epicureans while objectivity and rationale was believed to be the source of happiness among Stoics. These allegories later on influenced thinkers of the modern western world which resulted in the development of this branch of psychology. Happiness In the study and assumptions of positive psychology, concepts of happiness act as the focal points of providing necessary understanding (Positive Psychology UK, 2014). The general description of happiness is having more and more experiences of states that have positive effects frequently, rather than having negative episodes. The feeling of happiness is also greatly associated with the view that one is generally progressing in t the direction of important goals in life. It is important to note however, that in a positive aspect attainment of happiness is not necessarily restricted to the pursuit of pleasure (Azar, 2011). Environmental factors in certain fields are also a great determiner of realizing the goal of happiness. However, the understanding of the attainment of happiness under positive psychology, it is necessary to understand the theoretical aspects of happiness (Seligman & Csikszentmihaly, 2007). Authentic happiness theory suggests that analysis of happiness is divided into engagement, meaning and positive emotions (Boniwell, 2006). Positive emotion describes all positive feelings derived from different life experiences. Engagement is the opposite of positive and describes the flow of the experiences in life. This requires the deployment of all strengths and virtues and as such all 24 virtues and strengths support engagement. The third element that is meaning is about having the feeling of belonging to something bigger than one’s self. Hedonic approach to happiness Concepts of this form type of happiness rely on notions promoting subjective well- being. These concepts promote views the feeling of happiness is brought about by experiencing episodes associated with reduced pain and increased pleasure. Under this approach the cognitive component of happiness is viewed as attainment of satisfaction in life resulting from the combined affective effects of low negative and high positive activities. To achieve hedonic well-being it is necessary to have a positive mood, lack a negative mood, achievement of levels of satisfaction in some domains in life and a general feeling that one’s life is moving in the right direction (Fredrickson, 2004). Many view hedonic well-being as a state of happiness that is for short term periods (Lambert, 2007). This is due to the fact that the maintenance of appositive mood is not guaranteed as one is subject to experience negativity. However, this type of happiness is highly resilient as one is able to bounce back when they experience a pleasurable moment that brings about happiness. Eudaimonic happiness This term comes from the Greek term eudemonia that may be accurately translated to mean human flourishing. This concept is believed to be the brainchild of the Greek philosopher Aristotle, who viewed the idea of pursuing happiness through the attainment of pleasures and desires to be vulgar. Instead, he thought it was better to attain happiness through realizing human potential. Stoics and John Locke, prominent thinkers, according to history, reinforced this concept, stressing self-discipline’s value and elaborating on the need to pursue happiness through prudence. This concept applies the ideals of a person who is fully functioning and self actualization (Mathews and Izquierdo, 2009). As such the main premise is that the feeling of happiness is brought by a sense of having a purpose in life, growth or the feeling of having a challenge. This approach to happiness consists of the following aspects of life; Competence Autonomy Acceptance of one’s self A sense of growth at a personal level Contributing to the society Expressiveness Having a feel that one belongs The approach suggests that the feeling of happiness is directly proportional to the sense that one is fulfilled through attainment of competence and autonomy. As such, the concept relies on the theory of self-determination. This approach emphasizes that the pursuit of the purpose of life results in happiness. This means that in order to attain happiness one should pursue eudaimonic goals that are mainly positive. Achievement of these goals will bring about the feeling of happiness as a by-product. In contrast to hedonic happiness, eudaimonic happiness promotes views that pursuing pleasure is less likely to bring a sense of happiness and well being in comparison to the gaining virtues and individual strength (Mathews & Izquierdo, 2009). As such, this approach to happiness is viewed as a long term concept to the attainment of happiness as the feeling of fulfillment after realizing one’s potential and attaining a goal in life tends to last longer than the short lived pleasure moments associated with hedonic happiness. In this case, feelings of happiness are not very resilient, because the feeling takes a long time to attain and one may need to undergo the same process to recover, which may take a long time. Sense of well-being Well-being refers to the specific condition that an individual is in. This ranges from psychological, medical or spiritual states to social economic aspects (Robertson & Cooper, 2011). This is to mean that an individual said to be in a state of high well being is in an experience that can generally be labeled as positive, while a low sense of well- being describes the experience of the individual to be including occurrences that are negative. In the topic of positive psychology the term refers to an experience where the psychological state of an individual is generally favorable or positive (Peterson, 2006). Attainment of a sense of well-being is not achieved by one a element and is instead a construct of five elements summarized as PERMA, the theory of well-being (Authentichappiness.sas.upenn.edu, 2014). These elements are; P- positive emotion which consists of attainment of happiness as well as satisfaction in life E- engagements R- relationships with the people around us Meaning and purpose one derives from and has for experiences respectively A- accomplishments of our experiences Measurability of these elements is objective for some of the elements subjectively through self-report to the others. All these measurable elements determine the level of well being that an individual may attain. They all interact to construct the final feeling. However, for the elements have an effect on the wholesome feeling that of a high or low sense of well being, there are three conditions that they each must meet. First, the element needs to be a contributing factor of the well-being of the individual. In other, words the element’s relevance is necessary. Secondly, an element should have exclusivity. This is to say that each element needs to be able to be measured on its own and have a definition independently, without relying on other elements. Finally, pursuing of an element should be on the grounds of its own sake and not with the aim of gaining other elements. In contrast to the theory,authentic happiness, where other virtues and strengths support engagements, the five elements of well-being are underpinned by all the strengths and virtues. This means that their deployment in increased amounts results in increased levels of positive emotion, derivation of meaning, improved relationships and improved success in terms of accomplishments (Authentichappiness.sas.upenn.edu, 2014). According to the theory a sense of well-being revolves on all five elements and therefore requires a plural methodology in its attainment. As such, it is impossible for the feeling’s existence to be restricted to the head as it depends on various elements. Conclusion The science of positive psychology, although young in the scientific world is an important field in understanding the development and maintenance of happiness. The focus of positive aspects goes a long way in developing real happiness. With proper understanding of the theories and concepts of happiness, it is possible to develop real happiness that last longer. Notably, there is an evident deviation from the intended goals of the religious books as the focus shifts from acting in a positive manner. References Authentichappiness.sas.upenn.edu,. (2014). Authentic Happiness :: Using the new Positive Psychology. Retrieved on 7th May 2014, from http://www.authentichappiness.sas.upenn.edu/newsletter.aspx?id=1533 Azar, B. (2011). Positive psychology advances, with growing pains. Retrieved on 7th May 2014, from http://www.apa.org/monitor/2011/04/positive-psychology.aspx Boniwell, I. (2006). Positive Psychology in a Nutshell (1st ed.). London: PWBC. 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