Dr Johan Ferreira, Psychologist at Wholeness @ Mosaiek gives a brief introduction to the approach of Positive Psychology  

POSITIVE PSYCHOLOGY

Introduction

Martin Seligman introduced the concept of positive psychology to the psychological establishment, shortly after he was elected President of the American Psychological Association.  This new approach coincided with the start of the new millennium.  Positive psychology is an encompassing term for theories and research pertaining to what makes life worth living, and has as its root the Aristotelian tradition of evaluating human nature.  The focus in positive psychology is on positive experiences and positive character and virtues. There certainly is a need amongst psychologists for a more realistic and broader-based perspective on human behaviour.  Positive psychology has provided a new forum for evaluation of mental health.  Within positive psychology the therapeutic process is aimed at the development of positive character traits and civic virtues for effective living, by focusing on positive emotions.  The focus on positive emotions is of current concern to behavioural scientists.  It can be said that the focal point is on determining what works, what is right, and what improves the individual. 

In positive psychology the focus is on subjective experiences of the past, such as well-being, contentment and satisfaction.  People should feel better about their lives.  There is also a focus on the present, by evaluating experiences such as flow and happiness. It focuses on experiences in the future, such as hope and optimism.  Positive psychology is also concerned with finding the contexts within which people experience greater happiness, and then enabling the person to create these situations more frequently. For the individual, the theory is concerned with positive individual traits such as perseverance, courage, spirituality and wisdom.  The group focus is on civic virtues and good citizenship, which cultivates traits such as altruism, responsibility and tolerance.  Science, like religion, has woken up to the realization that individuals have a responsibility beyond themselves.  The focus is not only on how people feel about their lives, but also on what they can do to change the way they live.  Adopting a continuum model of positive and negative interventions, negativity is decreased by increasing positivity.

The question of what would be considered good within people and how their lives should function optimally has long been a field of interest in psychology.  James, in 1902, was interested in the development and evaluation of best possible functioning in individuals.  Jung, in 1933, developed the concept of individuation, focusing on how people reach their full potential.  Jehoda, in 1959, focussed on seminal thinking and Allport, in 1966 did work on the mature self.  Rogers, in 1963, worked on the fully functional person, with Maslow, in 1968 defining the concept of self-actualization.  Ryff, in 1989, integrated much of the research on well-being.  The most important contribution that positive psychology has made, was the creation of a universal identity for researchers and practitioners who share a focus on healthy living, well-being, optimal experience and positive outcomes.

Optimal functioning in positive psychology

Where Aristotle spoke of human excellence, modern psychology refers to optimal functioning. According to positive pychology authors optimal functioning is the main focus of positive psychology.  In order to achieve this level of functioning, the person must be able to evaluate subjective well-being.  In this process, positive individual traits are identified, such as forgiveness, emotional intelligence and wisdom.  The desired outcomes of this process are happiness and well-being.  Well-being is evaluated by the subjective experience of pleasure and the psychological outcome of enjoyment.  Enjoyment is experienced when the person is fully engaged with and participates in the challenges of everyday life.  The full range of human functioning is evaluated, from pathology to full functionality to preventative living.  Positive psychology is defined as the scientific study of optimal human functioning.