An Introduction to Positive Psychology

Chapter 1

An Introduction to Positive Psychology

  • Definition: Positive psychology is the scientific study of ordinary human strengths and virtues.

    • Purpose: Helps individuals find the best within themselves.

    • Applications: Enhances experiences in work and interpersonal relationships.

    • Source: Compton, Positive Psychology, 3e. © SAGE Publications, 2020.

The Dimensions of Positive Psychology

  • Three levels of positive psychology:

    • Subjective Level: Focuses on personal experiences and perceptions of happiness.

    • Individual Level: Examines individual traits, strengths, and psychological health.

    • Society Level: Studies the collective aspects of well-being in communities.

    • Source: Compton, Positive Psychology, 3e. © SAGE Publications, 2020.

The Scope of Positive Psychology

  • Areas of interest include:

    • Building enriching communities.

    • Fostering compassion, creativity, and empathy.

    • Studying the enhancement of the immune system and its functioning.

    • Investigating life span models of positive personality development.

    • Exploring the psychological benefits of Zen meditation.

    • Source: Compton, Positive Psychology, 3e. © SAGE Publications, 2020.

Basic Themes of Positive Psychology

The Good Life

  • Definition: A combination of three elements:

    • Connections with Others: Importance of relationships.

    • Positive Individual Traits: Characteristics that promote well-being.

    • Life Regulation Qualities: Skills to manage one's life effectively.

    • Source: Compton, Positive Psychology, 3e. © SAGE Publications, 2020.

Positive Emotions Are Important

  • Emphasis on working with positive emotions rather than focusing on negative ones.

    • Helps individuals recover from debilitating psychological issues.

    • Context for self-help interventions based on positive psychology principles.

    • Source: Compton, Positive Psychology, 3e. © SAGE Publications, 2020.

People Can Flourish and Thrive

  • Classification of mental health states:

    • Flourishing: High levels of well-being.

    • Struggling: Moderate well-being with difficulties.

    • Floundering: Low functioning and engagement.

    • Languishing: Minimal emotional and psychological health.

    • Source: Compton, Positive Psychology, 3e. © SAGE Publications, 2020.

Complete Health Components

  • Components of complete health include:

    • High emotional well-being

    • High psychological well-being

    • High social well-being

    • Low mental illness

    • Source: Compton, Positive Psychology, 3e. © SAGE Publications, 2020.

People Need Positive Social Relationships

  • Importance of teaching children about:

    • The nature of happiness.

    • The concept of a good life.

  • Encourages the idea that happiness can be achieved through individual efforts.

  • Enhances understanding of how psychological well-being is experienced by individuals.

    • Source: Compton, Positive Psychology, 3e. © SAGE Publications, 2020.

Strengths and Virtues Are Important

  • Notable values in positive psychology:

    • Courage, fidelity, honesty.

  • Emphasis on scientifically discovering values that improve life quality.

    • Source: Compton, Positive Psychology, 3e. © SAGE Publications, 2020.

Compassion and Empathy Are Important

  • Empathy is linked to:

    • Life satisfaction.

    • Positive relationships.

  • Promotes motivation to help others, potentially overcoming personal low self-esteem.

    • Source: Compton, Positive Psychology, 3e. © SAGE Publications, 2020.

Independence of Positive and Negative Emotions

  • Exploration of how optimism and pessimism affect self-reported well-being:

    • Introduction of a dynamic model of affect.

    • Suggests that psychological processes surrounding emotions are unique and diverse.

    • Source: Compton, Positive Psychology, 3e. © SAGE Publications, 2020.

Negative Emotions Are Still Important

  • Emphasizes the role of negative emotions in:

    • Self-understanding and personal growth.

  • Research indicates happiness contributes to a good life but is not solely sufficient.

  • Enhancing quality of life often involves helping others achieve happiness and satisfaction.

    • Source: Compton, Positive Psychology, 3e. © SAGE Publications, 2020.

The Science of Well-being

  • Focus on studying healthy personality development and optimal states of well-being.

  • A call for building an experimental knowledge base within the psychological laboratory.

    • Source: Compton, Positive Psychology, 3e. © SAGE Publications, 2020.

A Short History of Well-being in the Western World

Hedonism

  • Hedonism posits that pleasure or displeasure are our primary motivators.

    • Arguments for psychological hedonism and against it explored.

    • Source: Compton, Positive Psychology, 3e. © SAGE Publications, 2020.

The Greeks

  • The Greeks laid the foundation for developments in various fields such as philosophy, science, art, and psychology.

    • Source: Compton, Positive Psychology, 3e. © SAGE Publications, 2020.

Socrates

  • Focused on achieving true happiness through self-knowledge.

    • Advocated for understanding the good or the core elements of a fulfilling life.

    • Source: Compton, Positive Psychology, 3e. © SAGE Publications, 2020.

Plato

  • A student of Socrates and teacher of Aristotle.

  • Explored themes such as the conflict between nature and convention and the influence of heredity and environment on human intelligence.

    • Source: Compton, Positive Psychology, 3e. © SAGE Publications, 2020.

Aristotle

  • His work influenced by Socratic ideas to discuss the principle of eudemonia (a flourishing life).

  • Proposed twelve basic virtues, which lead to the development of virtue theory.

    • Source: Compton, Positive Psychology, 3e. © SAGE Publications, 2020.

The Epicureans

  • The founders of Epicureanism argued that true pleasures come from avoiding unnecessary pains.

    • Source: Compton, Positive Psychology, 3e. © SAGE Publications, 2020.

Summary of Greek Ideas on the Good Life

  • Four major theories:

    • The contemplative life.

    • The active life.

    • The fatalistic life.

    • Hedonism.

    • Source: Compton, Positive Psychology, 3e. © SAGE Publications, 2020.

Additional Perspectives on the Good Life

  • Two alternative views:

    • The heroic life.

    • The saintly life.

    • Source: Compton, Positive Psychology, 3e. © SAGE Publications, 2020.

Early Christianity and the Middle Ages

  • Shift in the meaning of religious devotion influenced by Christianity.

  • Exploration of Virtue Theory in the Middle Ages, which included:

    • Seven deadly sins.

    • Four cardinal virtues and three theological virtues.

    • Source: Compton, Positive Psychology, 3e. © SAGE Publications, 2020.

Moses Maimonides

  • Important Jewish religious leader, philosopher, and physician who:

    • Advocated mindfulness as critical for healthy functioning.

    • Encouraged the cultivation of positive character traits.

    • Source: Compton, Positive Psychology, 3e. © SAGE Publications, 2020.

The Renaissance to the Age of Enlightenment

The Rise of Science

  • Viewed the universe as a comprehensive machine;

    • Marked a modern transition in Western intellectual life concerning mood, temper, purpose, and presuppositions.

    • Source: Compton, Positive Psychology, 3e. © SAGE Publications, 2020.

The Rise of Democracy

  • Concept that all men are created equal, endowed with natural rights, leading to the idea that the pursuit of happiness is both a right and personal choice.

    • Source: Compton, Positive Psychology, 3e. © SAGE Publications, 2020.

Romanticism and the 19th Century

Emotion and the Romantics

  • Individualism and self-expression were prioritized in the Romantic movement.

  • High value placed on the ability to feel emotions deeply for a meaningful life.

    • Source: Compton, Positive Psychology, 3e. © SAGE Publications, 2020.

Love in the Romantic Period

  • Exploration of romantic love across different cultures.

    • Source: Compton, Positive Psychology, 3e. © SAGE Publications, 2020.

Celebrating Childhood Experience

  • Importance of nature exposure and fostering individual self-expression in children were emphasized.

    • Source: Compton, Positive Psychology, 3e. © SAGE Publications, 2020.

The 20th Century: Humanistic Psychology

  • Comparison between humanistic psychology and positive psychology.

  • Differences noted between Western and Eastern psychological approaches throughout the 20th century.

    • Source: Compton, Positive Psychology, 3e. © SAGE Publications, 2020.

Positive Psychology Today

  • Positive psychology is widely covered in professional journals.

  • Focus on studying topics pertaining to positive human functioning.

  • Recognition of the lasting place positive psychology holds in scientific exploration of psychology.

    • Source: Compton, Positive Psychology, 3e. © SAGE Publications, 2020.