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Introduction to Positive Psychology - 1/26/08
Positive Psychology Patricia Sims
Seminar Pass 02/02/08
“An Introduction to Positive Psychology”
by William C. Compton
The main points of this book seem to be an attempt to answer these questions: What is happiness? Where has it been and where is it going in the field of psychology? Does “happiness” belong in the field of psychology?
Happiness is an elusive concept. When a person says they want to be happy, what do they actually hope to achieve? Gordon Allport said that “The state of happiness is not itself a motivating force but a by-product of otherwise motivated activity. Happiness is far too incidental and contingent a thing to be considered a goal in itself.” (p 242) I see happiness as part of the process. For example; one goal of knitting is to make a sweater, but part of the process involved includes what Csiksentmihalyi termed “flow” – “the state in which action follows action according to an internal logic which seems to need no conscious intervention on our part”. (p 70) Happiness, it seems, is like so many other aspects of life: It’s not the destination that’s most important, it’s the journey.
Prior to World War II, the journey to mental health was pretty clear-cut: “cure mental illness, make life more fulfilling, and nurture talent”. The last two of the trio really took a backseat to the “curing mental illness”. Psychology was (and for the most part still is) focused on pathology; what is wrong with a person. As mentioned on page 175 of Introduction to Positive Psychology, the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual for Mental Health is based on the same “disease model” used in medicine. This focus on mental deviations seems to be creating victims, along with a “victim mentality” and a DSM that continues to fill with more and more disorders.
Taking this class and reading about some of the current trends in psychology is a much needed breath of fresh air for me. Looking at what’s “right” with a person is a welcome change in perspective; learning that – “Health is a state of complete physical, mental, and social well-being, and not merely the absence of disease and infirmity.” makes me feel better (happier) already. Happiness, not only belongs in the field of psychology, but it is needed, desperately.It’s difficult to grasp the fact that there is currently “no standard method for assessing positive psychological functioning”. (p 175) I see some steps in the right directions from Seligman and his work with “signature strengths”. The chart on page 181 which classifies strengths and virtues looks like a good start to developing a framework of positive characteristics. Another step would be training mental health professionals.
“One of the tasks of good therapist should be to amplify client strengths as well as to help decrease debilitating negative emotions.” (p 183) What if, as therapists, we could instill “hope” instead of prescribe “hope”?