Positive approach
ASSUMPTIONS
- Acknowledgement of free will
o We need to acknowledge that we are in control of our
emotions
o We can determine where our emotions are directed
o Happiness is not a result of luck or genes
o Happiness is a result of ignoring negativity and focusing on
the positives and strengths
o Seligman: ‘authentic happiness comes from raising the bar for
yourself, not rating yourself against others’
o We are adaptive and self – directing
o Example: Ed Diener research in why people are happy
Conducted a lot of research on factors that make people
happy
Looked into students' relationships with their friends and
family – measured in terms of how often they spent with
them
Found that those with stronger relationships with the
friends and family were happier and found a negative
correlation between happiness and depression
Suggests that we are in control of our happiness as we
decide where and who we spend our time with
- Authenticity of goodness and excellence
o Feelings of happiness is as natural as feelings of anxiety and
stress
o So, a positive state of mind needs to be given equal attention
by psychologists
o Seligman: we have ‘signature strengths’ i.e. kindness,
generosity and humour which need to be nurtured
o Seligman: we should celebrate the good things in life instead
of magnifying the worse
Example: positive therapy
Role of the positive therapist is the facilitate
positive wellbeing to help achieve fulfilment
Approach offers different way to elevate illnesses
e.g. depression by focusing on traits the produce
goodness and excellence
Approach believes understanding this will act as
buffer to protect individual from future health
problems
, - Focus on the good life
o Factors:
o pleasant life – happiness comes from pursuing emotions in
the past, present and future
o good life – happiness comes from engaging in activities that
absorb and engage us
o meaningful life – happiness comes from a deep sense of
fulfilment by living for a purpose much greater than oneself
o To achieve a good life, we need to develop our strengths and
virtues
o These are natural routes of gratification and help us function
in times of difficulty
o Example: developing signature strengths and virtues
3 elements to have a good life:
positive connections to others – encompass our ability to
love, trust, enjoy and forgive ourselves and others
positive individual traits – e.g. sense of integrity,
morality, creativity, and bravery
life regulation qualities – we need to develop to
regulate, monitor and control our behaviour so we can
accomplish our goals e.g. sense of autonomy,
independence, and faith in our decision-making
CASE STUDY
- Myers and Diener (1995)
o They conducted a literature review
o Literature review research what is already known about what
makes people happy
o The research that was reviewed was conducted at different
times using different methods
- Methodology and procedure
o One way to assess happiness is to consider a person’s sense
of their own happiness / subjective well-being
o Non-experimental correlation methodology
o Data was collected using self-report questionnaires – included
a closed question and a rating scale to measure happiness
and life satisfaction.
o Participant also provided information about factor: income,
relationship, personality and cultural background
o The researchers then compared these variables to identify
relationships between happiness and different life factors
o Non-experimental: manipulating an independent variable
ASSUMPTIONS
- Acknowledgement of free will
o We need to acknowledge that we are in control of our
emotions
o We can determine where our emotions are directed
o Happiness is not a result of luck or genes
o Happiness is a result of ignoring negativity and focusing on
the positives and strengths
o Seligman: ‘authentic happiness comes from raising the bar for
yourself, not rating yourself against others’
o We are adaptive and self – directing
o Example: Ed Diener research in why people are happy
Conducted a lot of research on factors that make people
happy
Looked into students' relationships with their friends and
family – measured in terms of how often they spent with
them
Found that those with stronger relationships with the
friends and family were happier and found a negative
correlation between happiness and depression
Suggests that we are in control of our happiness as we
decide where and who we spend our time with
- Authenticity of goodness and excellence
o Feelings of happiness is as natural as feelings of anxiety and
stress
o So, a positive state of mind needs to be given equal attention
by psychologists
o Seligman: we have ‘signature strengths’ i.e. kindness,
generosity and humour which need to be nurtured
o Seligman: we should celebrate the good things in life instead
of magnifying the worse
Example: positive therapy
Role of the positive therapist is the facilitate
positive wellbeing to help achieve fulfilment
Approach offers different way to elevate illnesses
e.g. depression by focusing on traits the produce
goodness and excellence
Approach believes understanding this will act as
buffer to protect individual from future health
problems
, - Focus on the good life
o Factors:
o pleasant life – happiness comes from pursuing emotions in
the past, present and future
o good life – happiness comes from engaging in activities that
absorb and engage us
o meaningful life – happiness comes from a deep sense of
fulfilment by living for a purpose much greater than oneself
o To achieve a good life, we need to develop our strengths and
virtues
o These are natural routes of gratification and help us function
in times of difficulty
o Example: developing signature strengths and virtues
3 elements to have a good life:
positive connections to others – encompass our ability to
love, trust, enjoy and forgive ourselves and others
positive individual traits – e.g. sense of integrity,
morality, creativity, and bravery
life regulation qualities – we need to develop to
regulate, monitor and control our behaviour so we can
accomplish our goals e.g. sense of autonomy,
independence, and faith in our decision-making
CASE STUDY
- Myers and Diener (1995)
o They conducted a literature review
o Literature review research what is already known about what
makes people happy
o The research that was reviewed was conducted at different
times using different methods
- Methodology and procedure
o One way to assess happiness is to consider a person’s sense
of their own happiness / subjective well-being
o Non-experimental correlation methodology
o Data was collected using self-report questionnaires – included
a closed question and a rating scale to measure happiness
and life satisfaction.
o Participant also provided information about factor: income,
relationship, personality and cultural background
o The researchers then compared these variables to identify
relationships between happiness and different life factors
o Non-experimental: manipulating an independent variable
