POSITIVE PSYCHOLOGY
Positive Psychology is a scientific study which examines what makes life worth living.Positive psychology focuses on individuals’ strengths instead of their weakneses when studying their thoughts, emotions and behaviors. It is interested in building good life instead of repairing bad one (Peterson, 2008).
Positive Psychology mainly focus on strengths, life satisfaction, happiness, well-being, gratitude, optimism, compassion, self-compassion, hope, escalating self-esteem. It examines these in order to help people to live their best life. Founder of the positive psychology is Martin Seligman who is famous for the theory of “learned helplessness”. Seligman was bored of psychology’s narrow focus on negativism. Psychology was mainly interested in abnormal behaviors, trauma, pain, suffering and not very interested in well-being, strengths, development. The very benefits of positive psychology help us learn change our perspective. Very small difference in our perspective may make big diffrence in our well-being and quality of life. (Ackerman, 2020).
The Focus of Positive Psychology
Positive Psychology deals with positive influences and events. These are:
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Positive experiences: happiness, love, inspiration, cheer
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Positive states and qualities: Resilience, gratitude, compassion
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Positve Institutions
The reason why positive psychology is a hot topic nowadays is people have realised they are not happy even though they live in prosperity. After many technologic developments people still don’t feel completed. This made them examine what makes life worth living in a scientific way (Güngör,2017).
Positive Psychology and Education
Positive Education is a response to gap between what parents want from their kids and what schools give children according to Seligman (Seligman,2009). Most of the parents want their children to be happy, self-confident, healthy but schools just care discipline and academic success. Positive Psychology was introduced to close up the gate. Positive education is applying the goals of positive psychology in school (Selva,2020) .
The traditional approach in school concentrate on illnesses and problems of kids (Terjesen vd, 2004). Through the help of traditional approach in psychology, reasons for lots of disorders are well established and proper therapy techniques are found. However, they didn’t help decrease anxiety and depression levels and increase happiness in society and youth despite the developed welfare standards (Güngör,2017). Happines should be taught at schools because youth suffer from depression more than ever, their life satisfaction is low and there is a relationship between learning and positive emotions.Traditional education only focuses on academic success but life satisfaction brings success with it (Seligman et al.,2009).
Seligman and his friends clarify why we should teach well-being in schools with these reasons:
“1.It prorects against depression
2.It elevates life satisfaction
3.It enhance learning and promotes creative thinking” (Seligman et al.,2009).
Positive education is a combination of traditional education and study of happiness and well being. It is based on Seligman’s PERMA Model and VIA(Virtues in Action) classification (Moore,2020).
PERMA Model
“There are 5 factors which effect well-being according to Seligman
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Positif Emotions
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Engagement: to have an activity which acquires your skills but also make you to do your best
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Relationships
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Meaning: belonging something bigger than you and serve for it
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Accomplishment: chase after success, achievement, mastery “ (Seligman et al.,2009).
VIA (Virtues in Action)
Positive Education explains positive character with these 6 strengths
1.Wisdom and Knowledge
2.Courage
3.Humanity
4.Justice
5. Temperance
6.Transcendence
As you can see these are not the characters kids are born with.These are qualities which should be promoted and developed in kids.The goal of positive psychology is finging childrens’ strength and promote the best way to using them (Moore,2020).
Fatma Betül Yılmaz
Research Assistant
REFERENCES
Ackerman, C. E. (2020, December 6). What is Positive Psychology & Why is It Important? PositivePsychology.Com.
https://positivepsychology.com/what-is-positive-psychology-definition/
Güngör, A. (2017). Eğitimde pozitif psikolojiyi anlamak.
Türk Eğitim Bilimleri Dergisi,
15(2), 154-166.
Moore, C. P. (2020, October 12).
What is Positive Education, and How Can We Apply It? (+PDF). PositivePsychology.Com.
https://positivepsychology.com/what-is-positive-education/
Park, N., & Peterson, C. (2008). Positive psychology and character strengths: Application to strengths-based school counseling.
Professional school counseling,
12(2), 2156759X0801200214.
Seligman, M.E.P., Ernst, R.M., Gillham, J., Reivich, K., Linkins, M. (2009). Positive education: positive psychology and classroom interventions.
Oxford Review of Education, 35(3), 293-311. doi:10.1080/03054980902934563
Selva, J. B. (2020, October 12). Positive Psychology In Schools and Education For Happy Students. PositivePsychology.Com. https://positivepsychology.com/positive-educationhappystudents/#:%7E:text=Similarly%2C%20some%20of%20the%20most,positive%20psychology%20are%20in%20education.&text=Research%20shows%20that%20teacher%20well,main%20goal%20of%20positive%20education.
