Hi everyone. For my letter P post in the #AtoZChallenge, I want to talk about positive psychology. Positive psychology, first developed by Martin Seligman at the beginning of this century, is focused on optimal wellbeing as opposed to overcoming mental health problems. After all, according to Seligman, curing the negative (such as depression or anxiety) does not produce the positive. As such, though positive psychology also focuses on interventions, its aim is to maximize people’s happiness rather than merely curing mental problems.
What are the main ideas behind positive psychology? First are the three types of happiness. These are hierarchical in order. Lowest on the ladder is the Pleasant Life. This refers to daily pleasures and indulgences. For example, I enjoyed a BBQ yesterday. Next up is the Good Life, which is achieved when people are engaged in their daily activities. This form of happiness is focused more on longer-term goals. For example, engagement might look like being passionate about your work, cultivating healthy relationships or pursuing hobbies. Highest up then is the Meaningful Life, which is achieved when people use their strengths and character traits to serve a cause greater than them.
I for one find myself mostly at the lowest point if even that. Occasionally, I try to work towards longer-term goals, but this easily gets overwhelming.
Next, positive psychology looks at the pillars behind happiness. These are summarized as the acronym PERMA or PERMAH. These stand for:
- Positive emotions.
- Engagement in activities: being truly present when doing something.
- Relationships that are meaningful and intentionally investing in them.
- Meaning in life: focus on a cause greater than yourself.
- Accomplishment: achieving goals that are important to you.
- Health, particularly physical health. This one is the most recent addition to the acronym. For physical health, research shows that three things in particular help: physical activity, healthy eating and sleep.
Like I said, in order to lead a Meaningful Life, people utilize their strengths and virtues. However, it may be hard to discover what your strengths are. To find these, researchers have developed the VIA (Virtues in Action) strengths survey. For some reason, I couldn’t register in order to take the survey.
Gratitude and grit are two more concepts in positive psychology. Grit is a focus on long-term goals. This is what keeps people going when they have temporary setbacks. Gratitude can also help people focus on the things they do have rather than the things they don’t.
Overall, though I know that positive psychology is actually science-based, it does leave me wondering how well people can actually influence their happiness. Positive psychology, though it might help people who aren’t struggling with their mental health in any major way, won’t cure significant mental distress. In this sense, the reverse of what Seligman said about curing the negative not producing the positive, is also true.
A Multitude of Musings 
I think we are all born with a predisposition to look at things in a positive way or a negative way. Using actions suggested by positive psychology can enhance people’s experience no matter where they begin from.
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Oh yes, I think so too. I didn’t mean to imply that positive psychology doesn’t help people with a more negative outlook on life, but it isn’t a cure for significant depression or anxiety. Implying that positive psychology will cure those is like saying mental illness is a weakness.
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I am a positive person married to a negative person, I am happy and he says he is rarely happy
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Thanks for sharing. That must be hard on him and sometimes on you too.
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I think happiness can sneak up on you – particularly the second sort – engagement. It is good to try and make postive moments though such as a barbecue with friends. Good luck.
Visiting from the A to Z https://anneyoungau.wordpress.com/
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Thanks so much for sharing your thoughts. I definitely feel daily pleasures can help too.
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It’s good to have a positive focus. But some think that staying positive is the end all/be all, and while it’s a good plan, life has a way of getting the way sometimes.
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Agree. Focusing too much on positivity as the be all and end all of mental wellbeing can lead to a judgmental attitude towards those with a less positive outlook on life.
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Another interesting post.
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Thank you!
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Good info presented here. Thank you.
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Thanks so much and you’re welcome.
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I found your post on this topic to be very interesting Astrid. I never knew the acronom for permah! X
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Thanks for commenting. I’m glad you liked my post. I’d never heard of PERMAH before writing this post, in fact.
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First I have heard about Positive Psychology and PERMAH. I found this very interesting. Although I am beginning to wonder what you will find for X and Z. This is a great series!
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Thanks so much for your kind comment! Re the letters X and Z, I have both figured out already, although as usual they’re tricky indeed. Like, I think I’ve used ZZZ for sleep at least three times since first attempting the challenge in 2015.
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You’re welcome.
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