5.2 Positive Psychology

Positive Psychology

Focusing on trying to better understand what makes life most worth living; positive emotions, character strength, Resilience and well being, uses surveys to gauge individual satisfaction and how people attribute their success

Positive emotions

Psychologists will look at how feelings like joy, love broaden a person’s thinking and foster personal growth

Character Strength

Psychologists look at the personality traits of an individual to better understand what qualities contribute to a meaningful life

Resilience and well-being

examining how individual recover from setbacks and maintain positive psychological health in challenging circumstances

Gratitude

Recognizing and appreciating positive aspects of life

When people express gratitude they feel….

higher levels of happiness and life satisfaction

6 virtues of positive psychology

Wisdom, Courage, Humanity, Justice, Temperance, and Transcendence

Wisdom

Creativity and Curiosity

Courage

Bravery and integrity

Humanity

interpersonal strengths such as kindness and love

Justice

Fairness and leadership

Temperance

made up of strengths that protect a person against excess; such as humility or self-control

Transcendence

consists of strengths that lead to better connections, such as gratitude and hope

As people develop these traits they feel….

more satisfaction in life by focusing not just on what goes wrong, but what goes right

Posttraumatic growth

Positive Psychological changes that occur because of struggling with challenging life events or traumatic experiences