Reaction Paper About Positive Psychology

I was fortunate enough to watch a ted talk in one of my other courses that had Seligman talking about positive psychology. I was very interested when I found out that he only recently started studying positive psychology, and that most of his work has been working with the disease model within psychology. It made me think about how positive psychology is just now emerging as a field in terms of popularity. Referring to the video we watched in class on the hidden influence of relationships, I have come to see how important not only our relationships are but the way we perceive our everyday life. For instance, medication might lower the amount of symptoms, but that does mean an increased value of life. A focus on positive psychology, regardless

The article also explains that at the individual level, positive personal traits are the focus. Seligman, I think, makes a great point when he talks about the shift of thinking in the field and the focus of treating individuals in a more holistic approach. While an individual may be functioning poorly in their life with jobs or drugs, there is more to the story. Focusing on an individual’s strengths and building up the skills or traits that the individual possess is essential for improving lives. The idea of positive psychology reminds me a lot of the Recovery Model that I learned from another course. Instead of focusing on deficits, individuals are treated based on their strengths and ways to bring satisfaction and meaning to an individual’s life despite their disorder or condition. Thinking about the whole topic of positive psychology makes me what to implement this into whatever career I find myself in. This approach could be applied to behavioral techniques used to treat mental illness. If more people were aware of the power of concepts within positive psychology, I believe we could see a large impact in

Throughout my college career, I have learned many concepts, techniques, therapy styles, and disciplines within the field of psychology. It is really refreshing to read something that gives another perspective. Related to positive psychology, I feel as though implementing the concept of well-being therapy would be very beneficial despite any career I choose within this field. An interesting point the article made in regards to recovery was not only decreasing the negative symptoms, but building and increasing the positive ones. The concepts presented in the article (environmental mastery, personal growth, purpose in life, autonomy, self-acceptance, positive relations with others) really highlight some of the important ways to positively impact the lives of those being treated. It is unfortunate that there are still barriers that prevent these concepts from being incorporated into every clinician’s treatment plan. It makes sense when you look at the history of psychology and the system which has formed what we know as psychology today. It was nice to see a breakdown of the different sessions and the guidelines for each stage of the therapy process. It was also interesting to have the case study of the 23-year-old, to give a tangible example of how this process might be carried out. Reading this article made me think back to my volunteering work at the Crisis Center of Tampa Bay. As a peer