Tried of a monotonous life? If you discuss this with anyone, they might have the same feeling or have had the same sense at some point in their life. One needs to overcome such unnecessary feelings in life to be happy, contented, and prosperous.
Positive psychology helps one to appreciate life by acknowledging its positive qualities and probably you should consider welcoming entertainment in your life. The positive attributes shall include happiness, wellbeing, satisfaction, and the ability to sustain in one daily life. These aspects of life, such as joy, optimism, hope, and happiness, are emphasized to build confidence and persona. But this is not all.
The branch of psychology also covers attributes of character, self-esteem, and how all these can be applied to our work, interpersonal relationships, and life.
Positive psychology has not only to do with individual wellbeing; it is a science and is referred to as three-level or three stages of study. The three levels are the subject level, the personal level, and the group level. (Lee Duckworth, A., Steen, T.A. and Seligman, M.E., 2005)
Subject Level: The subject-level deals with daily life feelings and emotions such as feelings of happiness, wellbeing, optimism, and similar such feelings.
Individual Level:The individual level is wider than the subject level and embraces the subject level feelings of happiness, wellbeing, and optimism in it. It combines the subject-level feelings of joy, wellbeing, and so on with principles of forgiveness, love, and courage. The individual level makes you a well-rounded person. It encourages self-growth and a feeling of empathy to your near ones and to the society at large.
Group level: the group level concentrates on actual interaction with your community and incorporates traits like altruism, social responsibility, and other virtues that establish social bonds.
Positive psychologys primary purpose is to inspire people to discover and nurture their personality strengths rather than directing their efforts into correcting shortcomings.
Positive psychology highlights the requirement for one to shift their negative outlook towards life to a more positive view of life. This enables to enhance the quality of life and personality dynamics of a person.
According to the principles of positive psychology, positivity is the whole of the driving energies of life.
All of us daily experience both good and bad outcomes. In both these outcomes, it often feels easier to focus on the adverse consequences, overlooking how we could tackle the effect of good things to remedy the bad.
For much of its antiquity, psychological research focused on psychological weaknesses and anomalies that make some of us different from others. These diagnoses explain negative behaviors and models of behavior. These analyses include the mental health difficulties that many of us struggle with, including anxiety and depression.
A study into positive psychology, however, focuses more on precise explanations for positive feelings and actions. Positive psychology does not negate the dwelling of flaws and quirks in our thoughts and actions, but it explains that equal attention should be given to peoples strengths and virtues.
Psychology highlights the requirement for one to turn their negative outlook to a more sanguine view in order to elevate the quality of life.
According to the principles of positive psychology, positivity is the main ingredient of the driving forces of life. Each of us routinely encounters both good and bad results, but it often feels more natural to focus on the negative outcomes, neglecting the ways we could harness the impact of good things to remedy the bad.
Positive psychology has gained a good amount of acknowledgment from the media fraternity. However, there have been questions and concerns arising from some psychologists also. There have been questions as to whether positive psychology is practical or has only a theoretical approach. Million-dollar businesses such as IBM, FedEx, and Adobe have taken initiative and hired coaches in this regard. Schools have taken steps to implement this concept in their curriculum.
Apart from these, the US Army is developing a program known as the resilience program with a view to increasing the wellbeing of its personnel.
Psychologists and analysts against the theory agree positive psychology may lead to rewarding mental health in many situations. But they argue that the field lacks the observational evidence to support the assertions made regarding its benefit.
More accurate testing is demanded to determine how long any beneficial effects last. Positive psychology has also been scrutinized for rejecting, denying, or devaluing initial work closely related to the study. One potential issue with positive psychology is the potential to take positive applications to heights of impracticality. For example, some people in therapy think they can withstand the effects of severe physical and mental health problems by being positive in approach.
In conclusion, positive psychology inferences with a positive approach towards life by a shift in perception. Through criticism, the concept has emerged as a requirement of the modern era. (Compton, W.C., 2005)