What is Positive Psychology & Why It's So Important

In this article we are going to look at what Positive Psychology IS & why It’s so important from clinical AND personal perspectives.

What is Positive Psychology? A Definition

The most common description of what Positive Psychology IS within the field of psychology is this:

To push this brief description a bit further, positive psychology is a 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.”
https://positivepsychology.com/what-are-your-strengths/

I find this to be an interesting and inspiring definition.

I have personally seen how you can’t bring someone who is really struggling up to ‘normal’ by suggesting they reframe their thoughts in a more positive way.

Those who are really struggling with a lot of negative thoughts and emotions most often need a spiritual intervention and healing first – BEFORE – they can even begin to learn to re-pattern their thought process.

As a field, Positive Psychology spends much of its time thinking about topics like character strengths. Below are examples of what that means. Although personally, I’m not sure how productive this is.

For example;

optimism
life satisfaction
happiness
wellbeing
gratitude
compassion (as well as self-compassion)
self-esteem
self-confidence
hope
elevation

The industry says these topics are studied in order to learn how to help people flourish and live their best lives. Which sounds very much like every self-help book I’ve ever read.

That’s not entirely a bad thing. However, psychology knows their science is imperfect.

It can never test for such things based on the conditions of scientific research. The experiments must be controllable. When you measure something that is inherently subjective, how can you control the process?

So, scientists must rely on the patient’s self observation which is most often not very observant.

In fact, if a psychologist is being honest they will tell you psychology is a pseudoscience.

For the exact reason stated above. They can do no external, controlled tests. They must rely on subjective data only which is inherently unreliable.

Here is a quick definition of pseudoscience from Wikipedia;

“Pseudoscience consists of statements, beliefs, or practices that claim to be both scientific and factual but are incompatible with the scientific method. Pseudoscience is often characterized by contradictory, exaggerated or unfalsifiable claims; reliance on confirmation bias rather than rigorous attempts at refutation; lack of openness to evaluation by other experts; absence of systematic practices when developing hypotheses; and continued adherence long after the pseudoscientific hypotheses have been experimentally discredited. It is not the same as junk science.” –https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pseudoscience

Well, that’s not a exactly a glowing explanation of what pseudoscience is. At least they pulled it back a bit and didn’t equate it with ‘junk science’. Barely.

However, I think it’s noteworthy to remember this definition the next time you hear a psychologist tell us they know for ‘certain’ or for a ‘fact’ that a particular type of human behavior means X or Y.

The REAL answer is possibly. Remember, it’s always a theory with psychology. It can’t be any other way.

The Future And Positive Psychology

The question “what is wrong with people” has guided the thinking of many researchers over the decades. There have been countless scientific studies during the 20th century on Positive Psychology and similar techniques.

In our attempts to answer the question of ‘what is wrong with people’, we have gained a better understanding of many illnesses. This has lead to the development of treatments for a wide range of problems.

However, as a consequence of focusing largely on the negative aspects of health and wellbeing, we have an almost exclusive attention to pathology.

This is where Positive Psychology comes in. Scientists are now moving away from the pathology and more toward the factors that “make life worth living.”

So, as the 21st century unfolds, the question, “What is right about people?” is now starting to be asked. It’s this question which is at the heart of positive psychology. Uncovering people’s strengths and promoting their positive functioning is the intended road to wellness.

Since 2010, the number of scientific studies on Positive Psychology has increased tremendously. In addition, countless interventions have been developed to increase people’s wellbeing.

These are great signs for the future in a world where things keep getting more confusing and stressful. Positive Psychology may be a big part of getting the world well again.