Historical Roots of Positive Psychology (1).pdf

positive psychology historical roots

1. Historical Rootsof
PositivePsychology
Aqsa shahid

2. •AftertheSecondWorldWar,thefocusofPsychologywasontreatingabnormalbehaviorsandthe
resultingmentalillnesses.
•Dissatisfiedwiththisapproach,humanistpsychologists,suchasAbrahamMaslow,CarlRogers,
andEricFrommhelpedrenewinterestinthemorepositiveaspectsofhumannature.
•Thisrevelationofdevelopingwhatwasright,ratherthanfixatingonwhatwaswrong,sparked
whatSeligmanwouldgoontopromoteduringhiscareerasAPApresident-thatweshouldteach
ourchildrenandourselvestolookatourstrengthsratherthanourweaknesses.
•Positivepsychologycanbeviewedasthe“fourthwave”intheevolutionofpsychology,thefirst
3wavesbeing,respectively,thediseasemodel,behaviorism,andhumanisticpsychology.
•Thisapproachcontrastswithhow,initsearlyyears(thesecondhalfthe19
thcenturyandthefirst
halfofthe20th),thepracticeofpsychologyfocusedmainlyoncureandtreatmentofpsychic
ailments,whichisadecidedlynegativefocus.

3. •PositivePsychology,asthenamesuggests,ispsychologywithapositiveorientation.Thescience
behindwhatmakeshumanswell.
•Itdoesnotimplythattherestofpsychologyisunhelpfulorallnegativeand,infact,theterm
“psychologyasusual”hasbeencoinedtodenotetherestofpsychology.

4. TheFourWavesofPsychology
•Tounderstandtherootsofpositivepsychology,wehavetorevisitthethreewavesofpsychology
thatcamebeforethat.Afterall,itwasnotuntilrecentlythatthefieldofpsychologybegan
expandingitsresearchcriteriatostudywhatmakespeoplethrive,insteadofwhatmakespeople
sick.
The1stWave:TheDiseaseMode
•Duringthesecondhalfofthe19thcenturyandtheearlypartofthe20th,Psychologywas
concernedwithcuringmentaldisorders,suchasschizophreniaandhumancomplexesofvarious
kinds(inferiority,poweretc).
•Overtime,thisdiseasefocuspushedpsychologytowardsthedarkrecessesofthehumanmind
andawayfromthedeeperwell-springsofhumanenergyandpotential.AshighlightedbyMartin
Seligman,inPositivePsychology,thenegativefocusofpsychologyresultedinthreemajor
drawbacks for the field:

5. 1.Psychologistsbecamevictimologists(theyforgotthatpeoplemakechoicesandhave
responsibility);
2.Theyforgotaboutimprovingnormallivesandhightalent(themissiontomakerelatively
untroubledpeoplehappier,morefulfilled,moreproductive),and;
3.Intheir rush torepair the damage, i tnever occurred tothem todevelop interventions tomake
peoplehappier.
The2ndWave:Behaviorism
•SkinnerofHarvardUniversitywastheoriginator,alongwithWatsonandPavlov,ofthebehavioral
approachinPsychology.Skinnerbelievedthatfreewillwasanillusion,andhumanbehaviorwas
largelydependentontheconsequencesofourpreviousactions.

6. •I faparticular behavior attracted the r ight type ofreinforcement i thad ahigh probability ofbeing
repeated, and i f ,ontheother hand, the behavior resulted in punishment i thad agood chance of
notbeingrepeated.
•Thistheoryundoubtedlyhasalotofmerits,particularlytheideaofoperantconditioning-
influencingandelicitingdesiredbehavior,throughawell-conceivedrewardsystem.
•However,themanipulationofbehaviorthatsuchaproperlystructuredrewardsystemallows,is
opentogrossabusebyautocratsanddictatorsintermsofoppressingtheirsubjects.Andnotjust
insocietyatlarge,butintheworkplaceaswell.StaddonwasamongSkinner’smajorcritics.
•Criticismsofhistheorynotwithstanding,Skinnerstandstallasabrilliantpsychologistandprolific
writer.With21booksand180articlestohiscredit,hewasvotedthemostinfluentialpsychologist
of the 20th century in a 2002 survey.

7. The3rdWave:HumanisticPsychology
•Thiswaveisknownforitstwomajorstrandsofthought–existentialistpsychology(Sartre)and
humanisticpsychology(AbrahamMaslowandCarlRogers).
•According toSartre, every human being isresponsible forworking outhisidentity and hisl i fe’ s
meaningthroughtheinteractionbetweenhimselfandhissurroundings.Nooneelsecandoitfor
him,leastofallanon-existentGod.Forthisreason,meaningissomethingtrulyuniquetoeach
person–separateandindependent.

8. •Uncontrollableanxietywouldbeinevitable,particularlyintheabsenceoffaithinasupernatural
being,anidearejectedbyexistentialism.Thisanxietyisrecognizedinpsychotherapyas
“existentialanxiety”andhasbeenofmajortherapeuticconcernofmanyleadingpsychologists,
particularlyVictorFrankl,theoriginatoroflogo-therapy.
•Thereisaconsiderabledivergenceofviewsonthequestionof“Whatislife’smeaning?”and,
clearly,eachindividualneedstoworkitoutforthemselves,withtheirownuniqueexperienceand
surroundings.

9. The5basicprinciplesofhumanisticpsychologyare:
•Humanbeings,ashuman,supersedethesumoftheirparts.Theycannotbereducedto
components.
•Humanbeingshavetheirexistenceinauniquelyhumancontext.
•Humanbeingsareawareandareawareofbeingaware-i.e.theyareconscious.Human
consciousnessalwaysincludesanawarenessofoneselfinthecontextofotherpeople;
•Humanbeingshavetheabilitytomakechoicesandthereforehaveresponsibility.
•Humanbeingsareintentional-theyaimatgoals,areawarethattheycausefutureevents,and
seekmeaning,value,andcreativity.

10. The4thWave:PositivePsychology
•Positivepsychologyispsychologywithapositiveorientation,concernedwithauthentichappiness
andagoodlife.
•HumanisticpsychologistAbrahamMaslowmaintainedthatpsychologyitselfdoesnothavean
accurateunderstandingofthehumanpotentialandthatthefieldtendsnottoraisethebarhigh
enoughwithrespecttomaximumattainment.

11. •Whilethepreviouswavesofpsychologyfocusedonhumanflaws,overcomingdeficiencies,
avoidingpain,andescapefromunhappiness,positivepsychologyfocusesonwell-being,
contentment,excitement,cheerfulness,thepursuitofhappiness,andmeaninginlife.

12. The5FoundingFathers:DevelopingPositivePsychology
•In1998,MartinSeligmanwaselectedPresidentoftheAPAanditwasthenthatPositive
Psychologybecamethethemeofhistermaspresident.Heiswidelyseenasthefatherof
contemporarypositivepsychology.
•However,whilemostpeopleseeSeligmanasthefaceofPositivePsychology,hedidn’tstartthe
fieldaloneandwasnotthefirst‘positivepsychologist.’
•Therehavebeenmanyinfluencerswhichhavecontributedtothisneweraofpsychology.

13. WilliamJames
•James was aphilosopher, physician, and psychologist, and hewasthef i rsteducator tooffer a
PsychologycourseintheUnitedStates.Hearguedthatinordertothoroughlystudyaperson’s
optimalfunctioning,onehastotakeinhowtheypersonallyexperiencesomething,otherwise
knownastheirsubjectiveexperience.
•Despitethis,manyconsiderJamestobeAmerica’s“firstpositivepsychologist”becauseofhis
deepinterestinthesubjectivityofaperson.

14. AbrahamMaslow
•Whiletheentire3rdWaveofHumanisticPsychologyplayedavitalroleinprovidingPositive
Psychology with foundational concepts, there wasnogreater influence fromtheapproach than
AbrahamMaslow.
•Infact,theterm“positivepsychology”wasfirstcoinedbyMaslow,inhis1954book“Motivation&
Personality”Maslowdidnotlikehowpsychologyconcerneditselfmostlywithdisorderand
dysfunction,arguingthatitdidnothaveanaccurateunderstandingofhumanpotential.
•He emphasized how psychology successfully shows our negative s ide by revealing much about our
illnessesandshortcomings,butnotenoughofourvirtuesoraspirations.

15. MartinSeligman
•SeligmanisanAmericanPsychologist,educator,andauthorofself-helpbooks.Heisfamousfor
hisexperimentsandtheoryoflearnedhelplessness,aswellasforbeingthefounderofPositive
Psychology.
•Hisworkinlearnedhelplessnessandpessimisticattitudesgarneredaninterestinoptimism,which
ledtohisworkwithChristopherPetersontocreateapositivesidetotheDiagnosticand
StatisticalManualofMentalDisorders(DSM).
•Intheirresearch,theylookedatdifferentculturesovertimetocreatealistofvirtuesthatare
highlyvaluedandincludeditin”Characterstrengthandvirtues”intheDSM:wisdom/knowledge,
courage,justice,humanity,andtemperance.

16. •In1996,hewaselectedPresidentoftheAmericanPsychologicalAssociationandthecentral
themehechoseforhistermaspresidentwaspositivepsychology.Hewantedmentalhealthtobe
morethanjustthe“absenceofillness”andusheredanewerathatfocusedonwhatmakespeople
feelhappyandfulfilled.
•TodayheisthedirectorofthePositivePsychologyCenterattheUniversityofPennsylvania.

17. Mihaly
•wasborninHungaryin1934,andlikemanyotherpeopleofthattime,hewasdeeplyaffectedby
theSecondWorldWar.Hewasstrippedfromhisfamilyandfriendsasachildandwasputinan
Italianprisonanditwastherehehadhisfirstideaofworkingwithflowandoptimalexperience.
•Hehadanaffinityforpainting,notingthattheactofcreatingwassometimesmoreimportant
thanthefinishedworkitself.Thisledtohisfascinationwithwhathecalledtheflowstate,andhe
madeithislife’sworktoscientificallyidentifythedifferentmethodsthroughwhichonecould
achievesuchastate.
•Hisstudiesgainedmuchpopularinterested.Todayheisconsideredoneofthefoundersof
positivepsychology.

18. ChristopherPeterson
•ChristopherPetersonwastheprofessorofPsychologyattheUniversityofMichiganandthe
formerchairoftheClinicalPsychologydepartment.
•Hewastheco-authorofCharacterStrengthsandVirtueswithSeligmanandisnotedforhiswork
inthestudyofoptimism,hope,character,andwell-being.

19. InfluentialPositivePsychologyResearchers
•Thefollowingresearchersdeserveaspecialmention.However,therearesomanypositive
psychologyresearcherswhoseworkisshapingthefutureofpositivepsychology.
AlbertBandura
•AlbertBandura’sselfefficacytheoryoriginatedfromhissocial-cognitivetheory.Itrelatestoa
person’sperceptionoftheirabilitytoreachagoalandthebeliefthatoneiscapableof
performingitinacertainwayinordertoreachthem.Thisconcepthasbeenofgreatimpotence
anduseinpositivepsychology.

20. DonaldClifton
•SeligmanstatedthatCliftonfollowedasimilarpaththathedidwhenhecameupwithStrengths-
basedpsychology.Hestudiedsuccessfulindividualsandwantedtoknowwhattheydidrightto
achievetopperformance.
•Hisworkgaveemployeessolidrecommendations onhowtofindafulfillingcareerthatissuitable
forthem. Hewas honored in2002bytheAmerican Psychological Association with aPresidential
Commendation astheFatherofstrengthbasedpsychologyandhehasbeencalledthe
“grandfather of Positive Psychology”.

21. DeciandRyan
•ThetheoryofhumanmotivationknownasSelf-DeterminationTheorywasdevelopedin2000by
Deci,professorintheDepartmentofClinicalandSocialSciencesattheUniversityofRochester,
NewYork, and Ryan, clinical psychologist andProfessor attheInstitute for Positive Psychology
andEducationattheAustralianCatholicUniversityinSydney,Australia.
•Theirgroundingworkonselfdeterminationtheoryupdatedthehierarchyofneedsoriginally
identifiedbyMaslowandfoundthathumanmotivationisfoundedinthreemajorneeds:
autonomy,competence,andrelatedness(connectingtootherpeople).

22. Diener
•Dr.EdDiener,aka“Dr.Happiness”,isaleadingresearcherinPositivePsychologywhocoinedthe
term “ subjective well being ”astheaspect ofhappiness that can bemeasured scientifically. His
argumentthatthereisastronggeneticcomponenttohappinesshasledtoahugeamountof
datastudyingtheinternalandexternalconditionsofhappinessandhowonecanchangeit.
•Dienerevenresearchedtherelationshipbetweenincomeandwell-being,aswellascultural
influencesonwell-being.
•Hispublicationshavebeencitedover98,000timesandhisfundamentalresearchonthesubjectis
whatearnedhimhisnickname.HehasworkedwithresearchersKahnemanandSeligmanandisa
seniorscientistfortheGallupOrganization.

23. CarolDweck
•Dweckconductedresearchonthenotionofgrowthvs.fixedmindset.Ithasbeenusedwith
parents,teams,students,entrepreneurs,andbusinessleaders.Itisapositivepsychologytoolthat
isusedwidelyandpraisedhighly,bringingpeoplemoreinteresttotheworldofpositive
psychology.

24. Al-Ghazali&Happiness
•AbuHamidal-Ghazali(1058-1111A.D.)wasnotonlyoneofthegreatIslamicphilosophers,heis
alsoconsideredtobe,aftertheProphetMuhammad, theforemostauthorityonIslamictheology.
•Whatmostpeopledon’tknow,however,isthatal-Ghazaliwroteextensivelyonthetopicof
happiness.Indeed,hismonumentalRevivaloftheReligiousSciences,whichrunsover6000
pagesand4volumes,wasreprisedasashortertextinPersian,labeledtheAlchemyof
Happiness.

25. •Inthisweseesomeofhiscoreideas:thathappinessconsistsinthetransformationoftheself,
andthat this transformationconsists intherealizationthat oneis primarily aspiritualbeing.The
ultimateecstasy,al-Ghazalicontends,isnotfoundinanyphysicalthing,butratherliesin
discovering through personal experience one’s identity with the Ultimate Reality.

26. TheAlchemyofHappiness
•IntheAlchemyofHappiness,al-Ghazalibeginsbywritingthat“Hewhoknowshimselfistruly
happy.”Self-knowledgeconsistsinrealizingthatwehaveaheartorspiritwhichisabsolutely
perfect,butwhichhasbeencoveredwithdustbytheaccumulationofpassionsderivedfromthe
bodyanditsanimalnature.
•Theessenceofoneselfislikenedtoaperfectmirrorwhichifpolishedwouldrevealone’strue
divinenature.Thekeytothispolishingistheeliminationofselfishdesiresandtheadoptionofa
contrarydesiretodowhatisrightinallaspectsofone’slife.Ashewrites,“theaimofmoral
disciplineistopurifytheheartfromtherustofpassionandresentmenttill,likeaclearmirror,it
reflects the light of God.”

27. •Suchataskisnoteasy,thusitwouldseemthatgenuinehappinessisnotastatemostpeoplecan
attain.Indeed,al-Ghazaliemphasizesthatonlyafewpeoplehaveattainedthissupreme
happiness,whichistheecstasyofunionwiththedivine.Thesepeoplearetheprophets,which
appearinalltimesandplaces,asmessengerstoremindmankindoftheirtruepurposeandtheir
ultimategoal.
•Theprophetsarethosewhohavesucceededincleansingtheirinnermirrorsofalltherustand
dirtaccumulatedbybodilydesiresandcomparisonswithothers.Asaresult,theycanseeintheir
wakingmomentswhatotherpeopleonlyseehaphazardlyintheirdreams,andtheyreceivean
insightintothenatureofthingsthroughanimmediateflashofintuition.

28. •Hepointsoutthattherearedifferentfacultieswithinthesoul,andthatacorrespondinghappiness
isconnectedwitheachfaculty.Eachpartofthesouldelightsinthatforwhichithasbeen
created.Butthehighestfunctionofthesoulistheperceptionoftruth;henceitisthegreatest
happinessonecanobtain.Al-Ghazaliusesananalogytodescribethis;onewouldbemuch
happiertomeettheKingofacountrythanitsPrimeMinister.Similarly,oneshouldbemuch
happiertodiscovertheUltimateRealitythansomeconditionallessertruth.

29. •Inasimilar vein, al-Ghazali writes that unhappiness iscreated byenslavement todesire and the
beliefthatoneshouldsatisfyonlyone’sowndesires(asgovernedbybaseinstinctsand
appetites). Hemaintains that everyone perceives, even in that bewildering state, that something
isamiss,thatwearelivinganinauthenticlifethatneedscorrection.

30. Al-Ghazaliteachesusthefollowingaboutachievingtruehappiness:
•HappinesscomesfromSelf-Knowledge,theknowledgethatwehaveaheartorspiritthatis
originallyperfectbuthasbecomeobscuredbypassionsanddesires.
•Happinessdependsonourfaculties:ifweexerciseourhigherfaculties(likeReason,
Imagination),wewillbehappierthanifweexerciseourlowerones(merephysicalpleasures)
•Thereareexamplesinhistoryoftrulyhappypeople,andtheywere“prophets”-peoplewhohave
attainedaperfectunionwithUltimateReality.

31. •Wearehappytothedegreetowhichwecanemulatetheseprophets
•Weareallbornwitha“knowingpaininthesoul,”whichcausesustoseekhappiness,butmostof
usseeksubstitutepleasuresderivingfromthebodywhichcannotresolveapainthatis
essentiallyspiritual.

32. Al-Farabi’sconceptofHappiness“Sa’ada”
•AlthoughAlfarabimakesadistinctionbetweenearthlyhappinessandsupreme
happiness,hemakesnofurthermentionofearthlyhappinessintherestofhisbook.
Earthlyhappinessisnecessaryinthislifefortheattainmentofsupremehappinessin
theafterlife,yetitisclearlyincompleteandsecondarytosupremehappiness.

33. •HappinesstoAlfarabiistheabsolutegood.Itisthegoodthatisdesiredforitsown
sakewherethereisnothinggreatertoachieve.Achievinghappinessisthepurposeof
life.Alfarabimakeshappinessthereasonforhumanexistence.Heexpresslystatesthat
Godcreatedustoachievehappiness,theultimateperfection.ToAlfarabi,anythingthat
helpsapersonachievehappinessisgoodandanythingthatobstructsapersonfrom
achievinghappinessisevil.
•Happinessisachievedwhenthesoulofthepersonreachesperfection,inwhichitneeds
nomaterial substance toexist. One need not only comprehend andbeconscious about
happiness;onemustalsodesirehappinessandmakeitthepurposeoflife.Ifone's
desireforhappinessisweakandonehasadifferentpurposeinlife,theresultwillbe
evil.