According to its website, positive psychology is
…scientific approach to studying human thoughts, feelings, and behavior, with a focus on strengths instead of weaknesses, building the good in life instead of repairing the bad, and taking the lives of average people up to “great” instead of focusing solely on moving those who are struggling up to “normal” (Peterson, 2008).
Or as Psychology Today puts it (emphasis my own),
…focused on the character strengths and behaviours that allow individuals to build a life of meaning and purpose—to move beyond surviving to flourishing.
Positive psychology is a relative new concept in the psychology field though its origin is probably well-warranted. Current/modern psychology practices still place a strong emphasis on treating mental health problems but doesn’t quite equally emphasize on helping mankind live their lives in a mentally positive way, like how exercise has been touted to make your body stronger to prevent or slow the onset of debilitating diseases from setting in.
I won’t regurgitate all the information from Positive Psychology’s website but this page suggests some of the ways one can practice positive psychology e.g. positive reminiscing (negative thinking just comes too easy for many of us, isn’t it?)
I am for positive psychology and the practices can be implemented at home, in schools, at workplaces to nurture a mentally stronger, healthier and more resilient generation. Negative things are all around us in these super chaotic times; the number of people who are mentally not healthy are growing by the numbers. While the symptoms can be treated/controlled (albeit the illness never really goes away and one may be dependent on a lifetime of medication to keep the symptoms in check, like my family member) but wouldn’t it be better if mental illnesses could be greatly prevented or help increase the efficiency of existing treatments with positive psychology?
If you’re a mental health professional, what are your thoughts on positive psychology? If you’ve gone through some form of positive psychology practices/treatments, how has it helped you?
Hands to Heads 