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Compton Response
Introduction to Positive Psychology
William Compton
“People deal too much with the negative, with what is wrong. Why not try and see positive things, to just touch those things and make them bloom?” -Nhat Hanh-
It was a pleasure reading Compton’s Introduction to Positive Psychology. I appreciated having the material broken down into such scientific form. From studies and research to real life application, the findings in his book really shed a new light on my understanding of Positive Psychology.
Compton introduces the idea of Positive Psychology as the scientific study of optimal human functioning. Basically, by focusing on strengthening the positive characteristics that we all have, we can achieve more life long happiness in areas such as education, job satisfaction, relationships, health and overall well-being. What a refreshing change from the traditional emphasis being on mental illnesses and psychological shortcomings.
The ability to have positive emotional experiences is something many people think of as being innate or biological. However, it’s clear now that our cognitions have a much greater influence on our emotions than previously understood. How we interpret and give meaning to situations plays a huge role in our happiness and understanding of the world around us. By giving more positive meaning to the events in our lives, it may help us adapt more effectively by giving us more response options and building psychological and social resources for the future.
Another area of the text that really caught my attention, were the six variables that are the core predictors of personal well-being. I’ve carefully thought about each predictor: positive self-esteem, a sense of perceived control, optimism, a sense of meaning and purpose in life, an extroverted personality, and positive interpersonal relationships. The two major ways these variables influence our well-being is through enhancing positive interpretations of life events and by fostering the pursuit of life goals.
Chapter eleven and its attention on work well being was especially helpful (it helped me decided I need a new job). Peter Warr did a particularly good job of classifying the major elements of work environment that determine well-being at work.
Too often people get hung on past events, particularly childhood ones, that they think are drastically impacting their present and future lives. It was refreshing to read the studies on child resilience. Unfortunately right now, not enough people now that they’re the ones in charge of their happiness. Not the regrettable past or the “tragic” event(s), but the ways we interpret those events are what shape our perspective on life. Again, focusing on what’s right about our lives is what will make the difference between a happy life and a mediocre one.
I also great enjoyed the Compton book and found the theme of the six variables that are core predictors of life satisfaction to be intriguing. A sense of perceived control is one of them, yet I think this is a different type of control than the type that is found in a common and I think dangerous paradigm of modern man: man over nature/mind over matter. With the latter, there is an implication that we will experience better living through dominating and conquering our surroundings and our natural mental functions. In this context, mind over matter seems to me to relate to the old adages “pull yourself up by your boot straps” and “keep a stiff upper lip.”
Positive psychology speaks to how much we can impact our own wellbeing through being deliberate about how we choose to think about the events of our lives, both past and present. Yet this doesn’t seem the same to me as “pull yourself up by your boot straps.” Nor does the idea of fostering a sense of perceived control seem to mean “man over nature.” Instead, I see positive psychology as a way to encourage humans to positively cope with both our internal and external experiences in a synergistic manner. I think these are subtle but very important differences. I think a lot of people become fairly miserable by trying to control everything. This is quite different from gaining a sense of perceived control.
In positive psychology, the question becomes “what can I do about my current situation.” In the “man over nature/mind over matter” paradigm, the question is, “how can I make the world be the way I want it to be.”