Psych 205 Unit 3 DB

Jessica A. Aybar
Unit 3 Discussion Board
Psych 205

“Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Happiness”. These are listed as the inalienable right of men, by the constitution of the United States of America. As we have seen previously, people’s actions are motivated by two things: to eliminate any displeasure or pain; and to obtain pleasure and happiness. Bearing this thought in mind, it makes perfect sense to have a branch in psychology, the study of mind and behavior; devoted to the research and advancement of what motivates, inspires individuals, communities and societies and makes them thrive.
Positive Psychology is defined as the field of psychology that focuses on researching and developing ways to enhance the positive ways of thinking and acting in order to enhance people’s lives, health and overall well-being.
In the year 2000, the magazine American Psychologist published an article on this field: “The study of positive emotion, positive character, and positive institutions” (Seligman & Csikszentmihalyi, 2000).

Since then, this branch of psychology has evolved and there has been considerable advance in this field.
It is based on three main ideas: Positive Emotions, Positive Characters and Positive Institutions.
These are to be applied to the past, present and future, so as to have positive emotions in regards, to one’s past, positive character to build a positive present, and positive institutions to serve as guidelines for our future.
It also bases itself on six main virtues which can be found all across different cultures: Wisdom, Courage, Humanity, Justice, Temperance, and Transcendence.

So far, research has come to the conclusion that although there is no magic formula for happiness, with the help of positive psychology, an individual who is willing and applies positive principle to his/her life, experiences higher levels of happiness and decreased depression levels as well.

I believe that the study, research and advance in this field will help us grasp a better understanding of mental illnesses and depression, and can help improve the quality of people’s lives.


References:

http://www.authentichappiness.sas.upenn.edu/images/apaarticle.pdf

http://www.apa.org/apags/profdev/pospsyc.html

http://www.authentichappiness.sas.upenn.edu/Default.aspx