Christopher Peterson, a well-known psychologist, defines positive psychology as “the scientific study of what makes life most worth living.” Human ideas, feelings, and behavior are studied using this specific methodology. It stresses the good while fixing the bad and generally improves people’s lives. There are three levels of positive psychology: the subjective level, the individual level, and the group level. On a subjective level, happiness, well-being, optimism, and emotions that are relevant to your daily life are explored. The subjective level of wellness is combined with attributes that make you a good persom, for example, love, forgiveness, and courage, at the individual level. At the group level, altruism, social responsibility, and other virtues that strengthen social relationships are emphasized.
Positive psychology can be hugely beneficial in your daily life. Topics such as strengths and weaknesses, self-esteem, well-being, gratitude, compassion, satisfaction, and others can help us understand how we may make changes in our lives to become the best version of ourselves. Positive psychology maintains that it is imperative to shift any negative view of the world into a more optimistic outlook in order to improve the quality of life. Because of the growing importance of positive psychology in recent years, more students have expressed an interest in pursuing a degree in positive psychology and assisting people in living their best lives. However, because it is a recent development, there are limited opportunities available to study the subject, specially at an undergraduate level.
Nevertheless, as it becomes more well-known, numerous additional programs are being developed over time. Positive psychology graduate and postgraduate programs are now available, both online and in person. Students can pursue an MAPP online or in-person and then go on to earn their Ph.D. degree. In recent years, positive psychology has received significant attention, and it is now more relevant than ever. Let us have a look at 6 reasons why it is important and why we need it more than we think.
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Better Strategies to Help People with Mental Health Issues
Positive psychology advocates focusing on improving patients’ mental health rather than simply addressing any current troubles they may be experiencing. They promote personal recovery and strive to improve mental health. Positive psychotherapy is an effective treatment for mental illnesses. It seeks to strengthen the patient’s positive emotions. In this therapy, the person is trained to maintain a positive attitude in whatever they do in order to produce positive feelings that lead to happiness. This treatment is more than just a cure; it is also a preventative measure. With this approach, patients are better prepared to minimize problems in the future.
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Nurtures Strengths and Recognizes Faults
Positive psychologists help people in identifying both their strengths and faults. They are taught how to build their strengths in order to become stronger individuals. People become more self-assured, energetic, and enthusiastic, as well as more resilient. Counselors express people’s strengths and urge them to build on them in counseling.
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Promotes Happiness
Because happiness involves maintaining positive feelings and attitudes, happiness and positive psychology are strongly linked. Positive psychology teaches us that happiness can be attained in a variety of ways. Emotional stability, however, is the most crucial factor. This can be accomplished by practicing positive psychology, which entails living in the present and finding joy in the small pleasures of life. This idea of positive psychology provides individuals with the hope that if they stay positive, they can survive anything.
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Improves Personal Relationships
Positive psychology assists people in forming and maintaining more meaningful and long-term relationships. This not only preserves strong social bonds but also makes the mind stronger and healthier. Positive communication is beneficial to one’s overall health and well-being.
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Deals with Failure
Positive psychology does not just dismiss negative experiences; it recognizes that they occur as something natural and assists people in dealing with them. People learn how to deal with failures by learning how to apply positive psychology in their daily life. This way, failure is viewed as a learning opportunity. It also encourages you to achieve your goals. It can do so by providing you a fresh outlook on difficulties and the motivation to persevere even when they seem to be overwhelming. You might feel confident in addressing difficulties if you change your perspective on failure and give it less importance in your life.
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Improves Relationships within Communities and Workplaces
Implementing positive psychology in the workplace can work wonders in your day-to-day life. Positive psychology is also concerned with the health and well-being of communities as a whole. The well-being of communities also influences the mental health of individuals. Positive psychology helps people stick together in both good and bad times and will be able to avoid internal conflicts. For example, employees that feel valued and respected are often happier, which correlates to better mental health and productivity. Positive psychology is commonly used by businesses to promote balanced and harmonious work cultures.
Final Thoughts
A mental health crisis has followed the coronavirus pandemic. To survive this pandemic, we need to adopt positive psychology as well as social distancing and regular hand washing. Spend more time doing things that make you happy, expressing appreciation, exercising regularly to release mood-enhancing endorphins, and relaxing and meditating. Focus your energy on the present, and live your life to your best extent because you deserve that treat!
