Essay Example on Positive Psychology: The Science of a Worthwhile Life

Introduction

Psychologists have described Positive Psychology (PS) in different ways. Peterson and Park (2014), however, said researchers have agreed on a standard definition in the field, which is "the scientific study of what makes life most worth living" (p. 3). This statement is valid because this area of psychology primarily focuses on positive influences and good events in life. The three main topics underlying PS are positive states or traits, positive experiences, and positive institutions (Peterson & Park, 2014). Examples of positive experiences are love, inspiration, joy, and happiness. The positive traits and states might include compassion, resilience, and gratitude to mention a few. Therefore, positive psychology focus on cultivating what makes life worth living because it encourages positive emotions and tenets that make people happy.

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Positive Psychology

The fact that the field of positive psychology is entirely about topics like life satisfaction, self-compassion, optimism, and character strengths suggests that the statement is true. Psychologists and other professionals study these topics mainly to understand how to help humanity to flourish and, more importantly, live their life to the fullest. Again, it teaches how to enhance the power of shifting peoples' perspective from negative to positive as a way to harness the potential for happiness. As an example, PS teaches that spending money on experiences helps maximize happiness that using it to acquire material possession. In other words, focusing less on attaining material possession rather than positive experiences makes one less happy.

Positive psychology focuses on promoting gratitude, which is an essential contributor to happiness in people's lives. This area of psychology says that the more people cultivate gratitude, the happier they will be (Peterson & Park, 2014). With this trait, people learn to acknowledge the goodness in their lives and also appreciate things they receive, whether small or big. Here, individuals develop the meaning of life and learn how to derive the goodness of life outside themselves. Gratitude, in this regard, helps people connect to other things in life that they perceive larger than themselves as individuals. Some of these aspects are a higher power, nature, and even other people. Being thankful for past blessings and retrieving positive memories is an example of how gratitude makes an individual live a happy life. Moreover, this tenet helps people deal with adversity, build strong relationships, relish good experiences, and also feel more positive emotions. By cultivating these traits and states, people can unlock the fullness of life by appreciating what they have and how it can make them happier (Seligman et al., 2006).

How Positive Psychotherapy Work

Positive Psychotherapy (PPT) is a multidisciplinary therapeutic approach that aims at promoting good and positive aspects of an individual while moving away from what is wrong and negative. PPT is a relatively new therapeutic intervention influenced by transcultural and humanistic approaches to diagnosis and treatment. It involves the use of metaphors and multicultural stories to encourage individuals under therapy to view their mental concerns in positive and unique ways (Rashid, 2014). Importantly, here, is that people under PPT treatment gets an opportunity to participate in stories. Such individuals play an active role in the healing process since PPT therapists incorporate them into narratives. Again, it enables them to talk about the type of person they are. By disclosing such details, psychotherapists would be in a better position to suggest positive adjustments and also address sensitive topics without seeming to attack the desires and concepts of a person in treatment. In the end, the therapists would have prepared an individual to initiate a discussion about good and bad memories (Rashid, 2014).

One of the main elements of positive psychotherapy that cause healing is the introduction of intuition and imagination into the therapy process. The use of cultural stories, for example, is one of the best means to mediate between the therapist and the person in therapy. Here, healing occurs since the therapeutic intervention provides the basis of identification for individuals receiving treatment. The technique also serves as a means of protection.

PPT integrates various forms of psychotherapy to stimulate the healing process. Such multidisciplinary methods help individuals become therapists of their health conditions, meaning they are in the best position to address their particular experiences, circumstances, and even the environment. However, the theory of positive psychotherapy says that people under PPT treatment can only achieve positive outcomes if they address three main tenets. These elements are the principle of consultation, the principles of hope, and balance.

Regarding the principle of hope, PPT professionals aim at encouraging individuals under psychotherapy to see disruption or problems in life from a new perspective. Since this tenet emphasizes the positive conception of humanity, therapists ought to guide individuals in treatment to see the good elements of an issue and decipher their actual qualities. The principle of balance, on the other hand, require psychotherapists to help clients develop their preferred coping mechanism where there are conflicts. The tenet of consultation outlines the stages of therapy, and it emphasizes developing achievable positive goals during treatment.

Conclusion

Positive psychology focuses on building good aspects of life as a way to improve people's experiences. It teaches positive events, including traits like compassion, gratitude, and resilience, which harness good behaviors, feelings, and thoughts. These elements not only improve the quality of life, but it also makes it most worth living. Psychologists have applied the principles of positive psychology to develop PPT therapy, which involves the use of cultural stories to encourage individuals to disclose their problems and how they see specific issues.

References

Peterson, C., & Park, N. (2014). Meaning and positive psychology. International Journal of

Existential Positive Psychology, 5(1), 7. https://pdfs.semanticscholar.org/3b86/f9252ba9baf7bcdcfcdd955ad97778f5ee8c.pdf

Rashid, T. (2014). Positive psychotherapy: A strength-based approach. The Journal of Positive

Psychology, 10(1), 25-40. https://doi.org/10.1080/17439760.2014.920411Seligman, M. E., Rashid, T., & Parks, A. C. (2006). Positive psychotherapy. American

Psychologist, 61(8), 774-788. https://doi.org/10.1037/0003-066x.61.8.774