PSYC FPX 4100 assessment 4 History and Influence of the New School of Thought

History and Influence of the New School of Thought

Positive psychology is one of the new schools of thought in the late 20th century, pioneered by Martin Seligman and Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi (Sari & Alan, 2020). It tries to understand and enhance human strengths, well-being, and flourishing. In other words, it changed the focus of psychology from just dealing with mental illness to exploring positive experiences and characteristics. It is based on research findings into happiness, resilience, and life satisfaction and was preceded by early humanistic psychologists like Abraham Maslow and Carl Rogers, who underscored self-actualization and human potential.

Founding Figures, Events, and Ideas of the School of Thought

Positive psychology pioneers include Martin Seligman, a 1998 APA president who emphasized the need for psychology to focus on developing knowledge of human strengths as well as well-being (Ryff, 2022). Flow states were developed by Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi, explaining how people experience optimal experiences, and Christopher Peterson focused on character strengths and virtues, while Barbara Fredrickson’s positive emotions are associated with a broaden-and-build theory of positive emotions.

Founding figures

Positive psychology was established by Martin Seligman and Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi in the late 1990s as a reaction to psychology’s traditional concentration on mental illness and dysfunction. Seligman, when he was president of the American Psychological Association in 1998, declared a new movement toward understanding and promoting human strengths, well-being, and optimal functioning. Csikszentmihalyi’s initial work on “flow,” the sense of complete immersion and involvement in an activity, serves as the foundational concept of the movement (Miltiadou, 2024). Among its milestones was the release of foundational writings, such as Seligman’s Authentic Happiness, as well as the development of the VIA classification system universal character strengths and categorizations. The core ideas of positive psychology surround scientific study on happiness, resilience, and strengths to enhance individual and societal flourishing via the promotion of positive emotions, engagement, relationships, meaning, and accomplishment.

Events

The formal establishment of the field of positive psychology occurred with Seligman’s 1998 APA address challenging the profession to pay serious attention to human flourishing (Aloka et al., 2024). More recently, in 2000, a special landmark issue of the journal American Psychologist was dedicated to a discussion of positive psychology within the academic community. This would involve, among other things, the publication of Seligman’s book Authentic Happiness in 2002 and the development of the Values in Action (VIA) classification of character strengths in 2004, all of which were very crucial to publicizing these ideas among the broader public.

Ideas

Positive psychology is based more on discovering and enhancing personal strengths and positive virtues to maintain well-being and flourishing instead of concentrating on the diagnoses and treatment of psychological pathologies as is the general practice of traditional psychology, which promotes individuals to extend positive strengths like gratitude, hope, and resilience. Hence, it enables people and gives them an optimistic view as well as encourages them on the grounds of their inborn capacity for growth. A cornerstone of this concept is the VIA classification system by Christopher Peterson and Martin Seligman. The VIA framework is defined by six core virtues including six virtues: wisdom, courage, humanity, justice, temperance, and transcendence, which are comprised of 24 universal character strengths (McGrath & Brown, 2020). The system is used to enable the strengthening of personal strengths as part of a process leading to overall and collective well-being.

Positive psychology essentially deals with the study of happiness and well-being. It introduced the PERMA model developed by Martin Seligman to explain the building blocks of a fulfilling life comprehensively. PERMA represents positive emotions, engagement, relationship, meaning, and accomplishment as the elements that one needs to live a satisfying life. Positive emotions, such as joy and contentment, improve mental health and life satisfaction, while engagement is being absorbed in a meaningful activity. Relationships, meaning, and accomplishment are the three factors that point out the importance of social connections, purposeful living, and achievement and striving for goals. Based on these dimensions, positive psychology delivers practical strategies to improve life satisfaction and happiness both for individuals and for communities.

Another example of how positive emotions transform is Barbara Fredrickson’s Broaden-and-Build Theory. Positive emotions, such as joy, love, and gratitude, broaden an individual’s thought-action repertoire, promoting creative thinking, problem-solving, and exploration of new ideas. Such experiences, built over time, contribute to the construction of durable personal resources that can be mobilized during adversity, including social networks, skills, and resilience. For instance, love may induce social bonding, which would create stronger relationships, and happiness can induce creativity and innovation. This theory underlines the long-term benefits of cultivating positive emotions, as such emotions are not only improving well-being in the short term but are also creating lasting resources that could be supportive of continued growth and success.

Historical and Societal Influences

Historical trends in psychology and broader societal changes deeply influenced the development of positive psychology (Wissing, 2022). In the mid-20th century, two schools of thought held sway over the field: psychoanalysis and behaviorism, both of which were very much concerned with curing mental illness and dysfunction. While these served as great insights into describing human behavior and psychological function, they were focused in the main on pathology; that is, not understanding what helps make life meaningful and therefore fulfilling. Humanistic psychologists include Abraham Maslow and Carl Rogers, who introduced ideas for self-actualization or personal growth, pointing more to the importance of realizing human potential. This opened the door to positive psychology, where a more global approach was taken to exploring human experiences.

This era also has positive contributions, namely the post-World War II era, to the development of positive psychology. After the war, much more funding went into the research of mental health, but most of it was for the treatment of psychological disorders rather than prevention or building well-being (Luthans & Broad, 2020). By this time, scholars like Seligman were already questioning the imbalance. While treating mental illness was essential, psychology needed to extend its scope to study what makes people strong. This realization is crucial in shifting focus toward studying positive human traits and experiences, such as resilience, happiness, and strengths.

The influence of the scientific method on psychology furthered the rise of positive psychology. In the past, criticisms of humanistic psychology often came in the form of attacks against the empirical rigor of those theories. Martin Seligman and his peers attempted to fill this gap by basing positive psychology on empirical research. By applying scientific methods to concepts such as happiness, gratitude, and optimism, they founded a credible framework for understanding and enhancing human well-being. With this approach, positive psychology was recognized as a valid, evidence-based field of study within psychology.

It powerfully influences social thinking by reframing issues and deficits into strengths and potential (Christina & Walton, 2023). The traditional narrative here shifts from “fixing things” to the creation of strength, thus encouraging individuals and societies to concentrate on building such attributes as resilience, gratitude, and kindness. This perspective has influenced numerous social initiatives, like the strength-based education programs that help students recognize and build their unique capabilities. As mentioned earlier, by including this VIA classification in the school curriculum, the student will then be able to identify all these character strengths. This develops and boosts the student’s level of confidence and engagement to achieve even greater things within themselves and others.

Well-being as represented through the PERMA model has thus revolutionized the way societal structures approach happiness and satisfaction with life. Organizations and governments have begun to consider and implement well-being metrics within policies and workplace practices. For instance, the Gross National Happiness Index introduced by Bhutan emphasizes citizen well-being more than economic output, giving testimony to the greater society’s recognition of happiness as a measure of success. Similarly, in the workplace, positive psychology has inspired employee engagement, recognition, and purpose initiatives that are contributing to healthier and more productive organizational cultures. Applications of positive psychology principles thus show how systemic change can lead to better social and institutional outcomes.

Positive psychology thus guides social thinking by incorporating the role of positive emotions in making connections and resilience. Barbara Fredrickson’s Broaden-and-Build Theory illustrates how joyful, loving, and thankful positive emotions can enhance the creativity, collaboration, and social bonding that is needed (Brown & Fredrickson, 2021). This knowledge can be applied to the practice of conflict resolution and building community where the cultivation of more positive emotional experiences can lead to more constructive interactions and deeper social bonds. For example, practices of gratitude, such as giving thanks within interpersonal relationships, have been found to increase trust and cooperation and strengthen social networks.

PSYC FPX 4100 assessment 4 Conclusion

The approach to understanding human behavior has dramatically shifted since the introduction of positive psychology, which focused on strength, well-being, and positive emotions rather than merely looking at dysfunction (Broad & Luthans, 2020). With scientific underpinnings and practice-based applications, it has shaped individual growth, education, workplace culture, and public health initiatives into more holistic and optimistic ways for human flourishing. It keeps society moving in the right direction and provides the impetus for proactive efforts towards enhancing quality of life as well as building resilient, thriving communities.

PSYC FPX 4100 assessment 4 References

Aloka, P. J., Ajayi, O. B., & Nzukiso Mnyamana. (2024). Development of Positive Psychology Among Freshmen at Universities. 1–18. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-72520-3_1