Positive psychology, or the field of psychology that focuses on enhancing the positive aspects of the human experience, is the name of this new and daring offshoot of mainstream psychology. The historical context, methods and uses of this practice are as numerous as they are noteworthy, as they are part of history in the making.

Most authorities credit humanistic psychology as the springboard for positive psychology. Since then, however, the branch has found applications in many of the other schools of psychology such as behaviorism, psychoanalysis, cognitive behaviorism and so on. In 1998, Martin Seligman officially introduced positive psychology to the world through his address to the American Psychological Association. The concept of this field, however, can be traced back to Abraham Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs, which basically outlined the criteria for human happiness using a pyramid model.

Positive psychologists may describe their mission as a collective effort to correlate happiness with constructive, healthy life events and to educate people about how they can achieve their own happiness, or as Maslow would say, self-actualization. These studies basically aim to document the subjective and objective feelings associated with life events to sharpen the understanding as to what exactly about working, spending money and starting a family is so gratifying. Like almost all other scientists, positive psychologists rely on empirical data obtained through surveying and research to support these correlations and practices. Aside from casual observation, neuroscience also lends insight to euphoric reactions and what causes them through brain imaging.

The fact that this field of psychology now exists and is flourishing is evidence of a commendable transition for mankind: the transition from using innovation as a necessary counter for adverse situations to using it for enhancing quality of life. Using psychology in this way is starting to remove much of the negative connotations associated with the professionals in the psychology field. This new school of psychology has also added insight to the Western sense of the biological paradigm, which basically categorizes people as either “sick” or “not sick.” Now, respect for the intricacy of the human brain is really coming out in practice.

Tags: , ,