Positive Psychology can provide us new knowledge and insight about positive emotions, charter strength, good health, healthy relationships, engagement, meaning, and fulfillment. We human beings always want to experience positive emotions find deeper meaning in life, greater engagement, healthier relationships and future commitments.
William James (American philosopher and psychologist) showed interest in optimal human functioning in the year 1982. He wrote articles about perceiving all things as good. James called the vision of seeing good things as healthy-mindedness and tried to investigate human powers. American humanistic psychologist Abraham Maslow first time used the term ‘Positive Psychology.
Why need Positive Psychology arises: Before the introduction of Positive Psychology, Psychology was only about misery, conflict, mental disorders, trauma, and depression? Alleviation of suffering, misery, pain, suicide, drug addiction, panic, depression was the only target areas of psychology. Psychology was only focused on negatives, no efforts were made to promote positive emotions like optimism, joy, happiness, love, etc. There was no psychology of love, free will, thought, and good charter. Treating mental disorders is not an equal thing as promoting mental health, it is not just the absence of negatives. So an urgent need was felt to break the hammerlock of the negatives tries to find ways to increase the well-being of humans.
What is positive psychology: Positive Psychology try to understand what makes humans flourish and steps to increase subjective well-being? Positive Psychology ask questions like:-
What makes life worth living?
Does it mean/signify to live a good life?
What a human want for himself?
How positive emotions will cultivated?
Joy, optimism, peace, love, creativity can be nurtured?
Ways to maximize human values and find ways to measure well-being?
How Positive psychologist boost well-being:
Positive psychologists use the PERMA model and positive intervention as their instruments. Positive interventions are developed by psychologists using scientific methods to boost well-being. The client needs to do activities themselves to cultivate positive emotions, behavior, or thoughts.
PERMA Model of well-being: Seligman discovered a five-sided model of well-being called the PERMA model. Each element of this model is essential to our well-being and life satisfaction. PERMA is very much definable and universally applicable. With this model, psychologists can measure and boost well-being, regardless of culture, context, and age.
