Lecture 1
What is positive psychology?
“Positive psychology is the scientific study of what enables individuals and communities
to thrive”
What are important themes in positive psychology?
Dimensions of positive psychology: three broad areas of human experience
Very large field with a focus on many subdisciplines
1. Positive subjective states
- lowest level, subjective, what people experience
2. Positive individual traits
- stable patterns that people have, between-person differences
3. Positive institutions
The Good Life is a combination of 3 elements
factors that lead to well-being
Flourishing
= a state of positive mental health
What do people do correctly in life?
Despite life’s difficulties, most people adjust quite well..and some people adapt
extraordinarily well. How do they manage?
A model of complete mental health (Keyes & Lopez, 2000)
2 relatively independent dimensions: 1) well-being (positive), 2) illness (negative)
Both function independently. You can score high on both.
Eliminating mental illness does not automatically enhance well-being!
, Complete mental health is: low mental illness
+ high emotional, psychological, and social
well-being
Positive emotions matter
Research on positive emotions has taken a back seat until recently.
PE (positive emotions) and NE (negative emotions) are independent.
Example: depression:
- Feeling sad
- Anhedonia
● absence of positive emotions
Therapy: Improvement in positive emotions induces improvement in negative emotion
History of positive psychology and wellbeing
Socrates 470 BC
What is happiness? A 2000+ year old question
History of positive psychology I
Ancient Greeks: Hedonism
Pleasure is the basic component of the good life
Focus on pleasure as much as possible and try to minimize negative things
Not in line with how we organize our life
Short term happiness does not have to result in long term pleasure (e.g. eating
unhealthily)
So this approach is too basic
History of positive psychology II
Aristotle: The golden mean (384-322 BCE)
- avoid extremes
Virtues as golden mean: Good, moral behavior is the moderation between two extremes
,Aristotle: Eudaimonia (384-322 BCE):
From hedonism to eudaimonia
- A condition of meaning and self-realization
- of flourishing and completeness
- of enduring joy
Innate in every person: recognizing and cultivating our innate potential can lead to
happiness. Everyone is born with this potential.
History of positive psychology III
Christianity:
Way to happiness is the message of the life of Jesus: Love and compassion.
Virtue theory in the middle ages: the struggle between spirit and flesh.
Internal battle. Wanting to do good but there are also distractions and sins.
Seven deadly sins: anger, envy, sloth, pride, lust, intemperance, greed.
Four cardinal virtues: justice, prudence, fortitude, temperance.
History of positive psychology IV
Renaissance (1400-1600):
Value of independent thought
Creativity and the rise of the artists:
- Artists possess a special gift (that others lacked); the rise of individualism
The rise of science (end of 17th century)
- Idea: rational persons can decide for themselves what is true
- Tools to seek the truth: Logic, objectivity, and empiricism
The rising importance of the social world (18th and 19th century)
- Utilitarianism: happiness for all people
● =ultimate aim of all human actions
Does not take into account the quality of the experience. They are all viewed as equal.
History of positive psychology V
Romanticism (19th century):
The growing importance of personal emotional expression for living a full
life
Rising individualism and the growing importance of love
- Marriage should be based on affection between two people
● Autonomy (from family, friends, institutions)
- the true self exists below social masks
, History of positive psychology VI
20th century: Before World War II
William James (1842-1910): The Emotions How to awaken human potential?
Alfred Adler (1870-1937): Individual Psychology Any child can learn anything.
Carl Jung (1875-1961): Analytic Psychology Capacity for personal growth in the second
half of lifespan.
History of positive psychology VIII
Humanistic psychology (mid-twentieth century):
History of positive psychology: Humanistic psychology
History of positive psychology: Current state of positive psychology
Martin Seligman (Penn State)
President of APA in 1998: “Psychology should return to its forgotten mission: to build
human strength and to nurture genius.”
300 publications, 25 books. Many positive psychology courses/
Summary
Positive psychology is the scientific study of optimal human functioning
Of what helps individuals and communities to thrive and actualize their potential
There is a long history and different approaches to how to lead the good life
Accomplishment within psychology: pay more attention to what people do right and their
strengths (vs. weaknesses)
What is positive psychology?
“Positive psychology is the scientific study of what enables individuals and communities
to thrive”
What are important themes in positive psychology?
Dimensions of positive psychology: three broad areas of human experience
Very large field with a focus on many subdisciplines
1. Positive subjective states
- lowest level, subjective, what people experience
2. Positive individual traits
- stable patterns that people have, between-person differences
3. Positive institutions
The Good Life is a combination of 3 elements
factors that lead to well-being
Flourishing
= a state of positive mental health
What do people do correctly in life?
Despite life’s difficulties, most people adjust quite well..and some people adapt
extraordinarily well. How do they manage?
A model of complete mental health (Keyes & Lopez, 2000)
2 relatively independent dimensions: 1) well-being (positive), 2) illness (negative)
Both function independently. You can score high on both.
Eliminating mental illness does not automatically enhance well-being!
, Complete mental health is: low mental illness
+ high emotional, psychological, and social
well-being
Positive emotions matter
Research on positive emotions has taken a back seat until recently.
PE (positive emotions) and NE (negative emotions) are independent.
Example: depression:
- Feeling sad
- Anhedonia
● absence of positive emotions
Therapy: Improvement in positive emotions induces improvement in negative emotion
History of positive psychology and wellbeing
Socrates 470 BC
What is happiness? A 2000+ year old question
History of positive psychology I
Ancient Greeks: Hedonism
Pleasure is the basic component of the good life
Focus on pleasure as much as possible and try to minimize negative things
Not in line with how we organize our life
Short term happiness does not have to result in long term pleasure (e.g. eating
unhealthily)
So this approach is too basic
History of positive psychology II
Aristotle: The golden mean (384-322 BCE)
- avoid extremes
Virtues as golden mean: Good, moral behavior is the moderation between two extremes
,Aristotle: Eudaimonia (384-322 BCE):
From hedonism to eudaimonia
- A condition of meaning and self-realization
- of flourishing and completeness
- of enduring joy
Innate in every person: recognizing and cultivating our innate potential can lead to
happiness. Everyone is born with this potential.
History of positive psychology III
Christianity:
Way to happiness is the message of the life of Jesus: Love and compassion.
Virtue theory in the middle ages: the struggle between spirit and flesh.
Internal battle. Wanting to do good but there are also distractions and sins.
Seven deadly sins: anger, envy, sloth, pride, lust, intemperance, greed.
Four cardinal virtues: justice, prudence, fortitude, temperance.
History of positive psychology IV
Renaissance (1400-1600):
Value of independent thought
Creativity and the rise of the artists:
- Artists possess a special gift (that others lacked); the rise of individualism
The rise of science (end of 17th century)
- Idea: rational persons can decide for themselves what is true
- Tools to seek the truth: Logic, objectivity, and empiricism
The rising importance of the social world (18th and 19th century)
- Utilitarianism: happiness for all people
● =ultimate aim of all human actions
Does not take into account the quality of the experience. They are all viewed as equal.
History of positive psychology V
Romanticism (19th century):
The growing importance of personal emotional expression for living a full
life
Rising individualism and the growing importance of love
- Marriage should be based on affection between two people
● Autonomy (from family, friends, institutions)
- the true self exists below social masks
, History of positive psychology VI
20th century: Before World War II
William James (1842-1910): The Emotions How to awaken human potential?
Alfred Adler (1870-1937): Individual Psychology Any child can learn anything.
Carl Jung (1875-1961): Analytic Psychology Capacity for personal growth in the second
half of lifespan.
History of positive psychology VIII
Humanistic psychology (mid-twentieth century):
History of positive psychology: Humanistic psychology
History of positive psychology: Current state of positive psychology
Martin Seligman (Penn State)
President of APA in 1998: “Psychology should return to its forgotten mission: to build
human strength and to nurture genius.”
300 publications, 25 books. Many positive psychology courses/
Summary
Positive psychology is the scientific study of optimal human functioning
Of what helps individuals and communities to thrive and actualize their potential
There is a long history and different approaches to how to lead the good life
Accomplishment within psychology: pay more attention to what people do right and their
strengths (vs. weaknesses)
