Positive Psychology TYLER, JAMAICA, JULIAN

Who summed up the purpose of Positive Psychology?

Martin Seligman In 1988 was elected president of the American Psychological Association Positive psychology became the theme of his term. He is widely viewed as the father of contemporary positive psychology

Mihaly Csikszentmihayli Hungarian psychology professor, who emigrated to the United States at the age of 22. Now at Claremont Graduate University, he is the former head of the department of psychology at the University of Chicago and of the department of sociology and anthropology at Lake Forest College

What is Positive Psychology

” “ We believe that a psychology of positive human functioning will arise that achieves a scientific understanding and effective interventions to build thriving in individuals, families and communities. M ARTIN S ELIGMAN M IHALY C SIKSZENTMIHAYLI

Listen to the facts  Many other branches of Psychology tend to focus on dysfunction and abnormal behaviors, positive psychology is centered on making people happier.  Over the last 10 years the general interest in positive psychology has grown tremendously.  In 2006, Harvard's course on Positive Psychology became the university's most popular class.  In 2002 the first international conference on positive psychology was held.  In 2009 the first world congress on positive psychology took place in Philadelphia

History of Positive Psychology…  Before WW2 psychology had three distinct missions : Curing the mental illness, making lives more productive and fulfilling, and nurturing high talent.  Shortly after WW2 the primary focus of psychology shifted to the first priority: treating abnormal behavior and mental illness.  During the 1950’s humanist thinkers Carl Rogers, Erich Fromm, and Abraham Maslow helped renewed interest in the other two areas by developing theories that focused on happiness and positive aspects of human nature.

What is positive Psychology and what it is not

” “ Positive psychology is…a call for psychological science and practice to be as concerned with strength as with weakness: as interested in building the best things in life as in repairing the worst; and as concerned with making the lives of normal people fulfilling as with healing pathology,” C HRISTOPHER P ETERSON ARTICLE PUBLISHED IN 2008 BY PSYCHOLOGY TODAY

What IS positive psychology  What is good in life is as genuine as what is bad—not derivative, secondary, epiphenomenal, illusory, or otherwise suspect.  What is good in life is not simply the absence of what is problematic  The good life requires its own explanation, not simply a theory or disorder stood sideways or flipped on its head  Positive psychology is psychology—psychology is science—and science requires checking theories against evidence.

What ISN’T positive Psychology  Nowhere does this definition say or imply:  Psychology should ignore or dismiss the very real problems that people experience  The rest of psychology needs to be discarded or replaced  Positive psychology is not to be confused with untested self-help, footless affirmation, or secular religion-no matter how good these may make us feel.  Positive psychology is neither a recycled version of the power of positive thinking or a sequel to the secret.

TEST QUESTION!  Who is considered the contemporary father of psychology?

Works cited:     psychology.htm psychology.htm  psychology-and-what-is-not psychology-and-what-is-not 