Positive psychology: an introduction and techniques
Positive psychology is a branch of psychology that focuses on the strengths and character traits that help people build meaningful, purposeful lives and move beyond simply surviving towards flourishing. Researchers in this field set out to identify the elements of a good life, and they proposed and tested ways to improve life satisfaction and wellbeing. In this article we get to know positive psychology a little better.
The principles of positive psychology
Positive psychology emphasises deep meaning and satisfaction, not just passing happiness. Martin Seligman, often called the father of positive psychology, describes several ways of understanding a happy life, including the pleasant life (the "Hollywood" view of happiness), the good life (focused on personal strengths and engagement) and the meaningful life.
Positive psychologists have studied a range of experiences and behaviours involved in different versions of a positive life, including specific positive emotions, states of "flow", and a sense of meaning or purpose, which I explain below.
Positive psychologists have also tried to catalogue character strengths and virtues, and to some extent still do. The 2004 book Character Strengths and Virtues described six virtues: wisdom and knowledge, courage, humanity, justice, temperance and transcendence (which includes strengths such as gratitude, hope and humour).
Keep these in mind, because I explain each idea in more detail below.
How positive psychology differs from other branches of psychology
Although there is a lot of overlap, positive psychology focuses on psychological assets, while many other branches focus on cognitive and psychological weaknesses and problems.
The founders of positive psychology
Key figures in positive psychology include Martin Seligman (who promoted the idea as president of the American Psychological Association in 1998), Christopher Peterson and Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi, although many others have helped develop the field.
Positive psychology echoes the work of humanistic psychologists such as Abraham Maslow, who used the term "positive psychology" in the 1950s.
What makes a good life, according to positive psychology?
Positive psychologists have studied many elements of wellbeing and satisfaction. One well-known set is Martin Seligman's five building blocks of wellbeing, known as the PERMA model: positive emotion, engagement (for example, in a project), positive relationships, meaning and accomplishment. PERMA is not the first or only model of wellbeing.
How positive psychology works
Identifying character strengths (such as courage, humanity or justice) is an important step towards the good, meaningful life that positive psychologists describe.
Some positive psychology practices can also be used at home to support wellbeing. For example, psychologists have studied gratitude exercises as a way to increase happiness over time. Just as the name suggests, they involve simple tasks such as writing down three things you are grateful for each day.
Although positive psychology focuses on happiness and satisfaction, this does not mean people are told to push away negative feelings altogether. People who are flourishing make room in their lives for these unavoidable moods too.
The benefits of positive psychology
Studies suggest that practices linked to positive psychology, such as gratitude interventions, can improve social and emotional wellbeing.
Positive psychology has led to research on how developing certain character strengths, positive emotions such as awe, and other qualities such as a sense of meaning and purpose may contribute to good life outcomes.
Why do meaning and purpose matter?
Measures of meaning in life have been linked to other positive outcomes. For example, research suggests that older adults who see their lives as worthwhile tend to have better physical and mental health. Other studies point to possible wellbeing benefits of having a sense of purpose.
What is flow in positive psychology?
"Flow" is a term coined by the psychologist Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi to describe the state of being fully absorbed in an activity, such as when people make art or play a sport they love. Positive psychologists see flow as one of the things that contribute to a happy life.
Criticisms of positive psychology
One of the best-known criticisms is that positive psychology focuses on positive experiences at the expense of "negative" experiences that are also necessary, and that some of its concepts (such as character strengths) may not be defined clearly enough or may need more rigorous scientific definition.
Using positive psychology in therapy
The main aim of psychotherapy is to help people resolve their difficulties, which may come from negative patterns of behaviour or thinking, or from difficult relationships with others. Whatever the cause, therapists work with the person to address the problem. What these difficulties share is that they harm the person's wellbeing.
The aim of positive psychology is to help people flourish.
Therapists use many different positive psychology techniques and tools. A central theme is creating a space where the person can trust that many of the answers they are looking for lie within them. In this approach, the client plays an active part in their own therapy.
Martin Seligman, one of the founders of positive psychology, has explained how it can be used in a therapeutic relationship. He described positive psychology as a "complement" to traditional therapy (Psychotherapy.net, 2009), and noted that conventional therapy is compatible with positive psychology techniques.
The therapist and coach Robert Biswas-Diener (2010) developed a positive diagnosis system. It is a checklist, somewhat like the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders that is traditionally used.
The positive diagnosis system helps practitioners work more effectively with their clients. Biswas-Diener defined five axes to guide the work between practitioner and client:
- Capacities (strengths, interests and resources)
- Wellbeing
- Future orientation
- Situational benefactors (the people and circumstances that support the person)
- Sense of mission
In his book Practicing Positive Psychology Coaching: Assessment, Activities and Strategies for Success, Biswas-Diener outlines tools for each axis. For example, he suggests the Satisfaction with Life Scale to assess wellbeing, and for future orientation he recommends the Adult Hope Scale.
Common positive psychology techniques
Ryan Niemiec's Character Strengths Interventions (2018) is an excellent resource, full of research-based activities, and Niemiec invites readers to use the tools for themselves or with clients. Here are some of them.
Mental subtraction
Mental subtraction means imagining your life without one of your key strengths. The aim is to help us appreciate our strengths more and to strengthen happiness and wellbeing (Niemiec, 2018).
Picture how you use the strength now, in detail. Then imagine what your life would be like if you did not use it. For example, if curiosity is one of your key strengths, how would your daily life be different without it? What effect would its absence have on your relationships or your work?
Your life summary
A life summary is a chance to write how you would like to be remembered. In particular, how would you like your grandchildren to remember you? What stories would you want them to hear about you? Write a short paragraph, then put it aside for a few days. When you read it again, which character strengths stand out? Are they visible in your daily life now? If not, what changes could you make so that they are?
Focusing on what matters
When did you last think about what really matters to you? In this activity, you imagine what one particular area of your life will look like in six months or a year. You can choose an area that is already strong or one that is not. Picture how that area becomes better or stronger.
Set an intention that focuses your energy on that area. For example, you might want to improve your health, finish a qualification or become more effective at work. Using your top five strengths, make a list of how each one could help you reach your goal. You now have five different plans to bring you closer to what matters to you.
Three good things
The three good things exercise builds gratitude. It helps us appreciate the small things in our daily interactions (Niemiec, 2018). At the end of each day, write down three things that went well and why. Do this for a week.
Lyubomirsky, Sheldon and Schkade (2005) found that "counting blessings" once a week increased wellbeing more than doing it three times a week, perhaps because the activity stayed fresh and meaningful. The takeaway: if you want to boost your happiness, practise gratitude in a way that goes beyond saying "thank you".