positive psychology
Wellbeing research field
Positive psychology is a branch of psychology that studies what makes life fulfilling rather than what makes it dysfunctional.
Traditional psychology focuses on treating mental illness; positive psychology examines well-being, resilience, gratitude, and human flourishing.
The field emerged in the late 1990s: Her therapist incorporated positive psychology techniques like gratitude journaling.
Succeeding vigorously
- fulfillmentState of achieved purpose
- vitalityCapacity for spirited existence
- resilienceCapacity to recover quickly
- well-beingState of health, contentment
life satisfaction · self-actualization · contentment · happiness · meaning · purpose · engagement · accomplishment
Positive moral traits
- talentsInnate abilities
- capacitiesMaximum holding amounts
- courageFortitude facing danger
- wisdomGood judgment from experience
humanity · justice · temperance · transcendence · strengths-based · grit · perseverance · curiosity
Record of things appreciated
- savoringEnjoying something slowly
- forgivenessReleasing resentment toward offenders
- goal-settingEstablishing intended outcomes
- mindfulnessAwareness of the present
Desire for good outcomes
- resilienceCapacity to recover quickly
- confidenceSelf-assurance or trust
- sanguineCheerfully optimistic temperament
- buoyancyFluid's upward resistance
Systematic fact-finding effort
- empiricalBased on observation, not theory
- psychometricsPsychological measurement science
- interventionPurposeful involvement to change course
- measurementDetermining size or amount
evidence-based · replication · longitudinal · cross-sectional · validity · reliability · Peterson · meta-analysis
thriving
Succeeding vigorously
- fulfillmentState of achieved purpose
- vitalityCapacity for spirited existence
- resilienceCapacity to recover quickly
well-being · life satisfaction · self-actualization · contentment · happiness · meaning · purpose · engagement · accomplishment · growth
virtues
Positive moral traits
- talentsInnate abilities
- capacitiesMaximum holding amounts
- courageFortitude facing danger
wisdom · humanity · justice · temperance · transcendence · strengths-based · grit · perseverance · curiosity · kindness
gratitude journal
Record of things appreciated
- savoringEnjoying something slowly
- forgivenessReleasing resentment toward offenders
- goal-settingEstablishing intended outcomes
mindfulness · visualization · affirmations · counting blessings
hope
Desire for good outcomes
- resilienceCapacity to recover quickly
- confidenceSelf-assurance or trust
- sanguineCheerfully optimistic temperament
buoyancy · agency · self-efficacy · persistence · prospection
research
Systematic fact-finding effort
- empiricalBased on observation, not theory
- psychometricsPsychological measurement science
- interventionPurposeful involvement to change course
measurement · evidence-based · replication · longitudinal · cross-sectional · validity · reliability · Peterson · meta-analysis
- self-improvementpersonal growth, self-help books, focus, self-improvement, personal development
- well-beingwell-being, happiness, wellbeing, wellness, contentment
- Psychology HistoryFreud, Sigmund Freud, Carl Jung, Jung, William James
- Maslow's hierarchyself-actualization, esteem, belongingness, safety needs, hierarchy of needs
- psychology booksresearch journals, cognitive therapy, psychoanalysis, behavioral analysis, attachment theory
- mental healthpsychiatry, psychotherapy, mental illness, psychiatrist, therapist
positive psychologypsychopathology
Study of mental disorders
abnormal psychology · clinical psychology · mental illness treatment · psychiatric diagnosis · psychiatry
positive psychologylearned helplessness
Trauma-induced belief in powerlessness
positive psychologycrisis intervention
Help during acute emergencies
damage control · illness prevention · harm reduction · relapse prevention · remediation
positive, positively, postulate, psychology, positivity, psychologist, psychological, positiveness, psychologists