Positive psychology studies how humans achieve happiness and mental satisfaction, focusing on building strengths in people to make the world a better place. It centralizes around positive emotions, character traits, and institutions. Dr. Martin Seligman founded the movement in 2000 to make psychology more comprehensive. Positive psychologists believe that by doing scientific research on how to cultivate positive emotions, they may eventually be able to discover ways to help people become happier.
Positive psychology is the scientific study of how humans achieve happiness and mental satisfaction, with the aim of discovering how people can lead the most productive lives possible. The movement is different from traditional psychology in that it chooses not to focus on the negative aspects of life, such as treating mental illness or counseling people through life’s hardships. Positive psychology is based on the principle that all people want to live happy and fulfilled lives. It aims to build strengths in people to make the world a better place.
Dr. Martin Seligman founded the movement in 2000 as a supplement to traditional psychology, not a replacement. His goal was to make the field of psychology more comprehensive, because he felt that clinical psychology focused on treating psychological problems but not on what makes people happy with their lives every day. Seligman centralized the concept of positive psychology around three areas of study: positive emotions, positive character traits, and positive institutions.
Most psychologists believe that emotions are an indicator of a person’s mental well-being. Positive psychology, however, believes that positive emotions, such as joy or interest, are the true cause of happiness, not merely an indicator that a person is already happy. To understand positive emotions, psychologists research what causes people to have positive feelings about their past, present, and future. Positive psychologists believe that by doing scientific research on how to cultivate positive emotions, they may eventually be able to discover ways to help people become happier.
Research on positive character traits and personal virtues is another important part of positive psychology research. Researchers study people’s capacities for love, as well as what makes them more likely to have resilience, courage and a work ethic. They believe that when people apply these positive character traits, it can help them lead more engaged lives. Positive psychology takes these findings and studies them, trying to find out which positive character traits influence people’s happiness and productivity the most.
Positive institutions are the latest concept studied by positive psychologists. Their institutional research focuses on learning the qualities that make communities a better place, such as justice, leadership, parental education, and teamwork. These qualities are thought by psychologists to make people happier, because they feel their lives are more meaningful when they live in a positive environment. Findings on positive institutions are generally used to find out what makes schools and jobs more fulfilling and therefore more productive.
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