Miriam Akhtar Positive Psychology: Coaching, Courses, Consultancy, Communications
Personal Coaching: A positive alternative to therapy
Short Courses in Positive Psychology
The Happiness Training Plan CD
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What is Positive Psychology?
POSITIVE PSYCHOLOGY is the scientific study of optimal human functioning and flourishing, often described as the science of happiness or the science of strengths. The field was established in the 1990s as a reaction to the prevailing direction that psychology had taken since WW2 with an emphasis on ill-being and negative behaviour. The subject lacked research into the more positive side of psychology, which includes the study of well-being, what it takes for us to feel at our best and the study of strengths, how to perform at our best so that we thrive.
Positive psychology includes the study of happiness & wellbeing, optimism, positive emotions and strengths – our natural talents. It does not deny negative aspects of life but goes beyond mere ‘positive thinking’ to include, for example, the study of resilience – how to build up resources to cope with hard times and post-traumatic growth, the search for benefits to life’s shattering experiences.
Positive Psychology News Daily
The science studies positive character traits, positive emotions, positive organisations and positive communities. Where it distinguishes itself from more traditional forms of psychology and therapy is that it’s based on a ‘health model’ rather than the ‘disease model’. What this means in terms of happiness, is that traditional psychology will look at fixing what’s wrong and help you back to zero on the happiness scale. Positive psychology, on the other hand, goes beyond zero by putting the focus on boosting happiness & well-being rather than healing trauma. There is a growing body of evidence to suggest that this is the effective approach to increasing happiness. It seems to be true that 'what you focus on is what you get.'
This also applies to the other branch of positive psychology, the study of optimal human functioning. Research into strengths shows us that by attempting to fix people’s weaknesses - as most workplace training and development sets out to do – the best you can achieve is mediocrity. But by focusing on developing your natural talents, you’re creating the conditions for people to excel.
Positive psychology is a new approach to professional and personal development. Positive emotions, for example, not only feel good, they do you good too, helping people become more productive and creative. If you experience positive to negative emotions at a ratio of 3:1 or above, you can enter an 'upwards spiral' of development. In business this helps people to perform at their best and turns a team that’s languishing into one that’s flourishing.
By using positive psychology in therapy, it takes the emphasis from what’s wrong towards what you want for your life, your well-being. There is little evidence to suggest that psychotherapy - which encourages the exploration of past pain - leads to well-being. The absence of depression, for example, is not the same as the presence of happiness. Many people find themselves stuck in the trauma rather than transcending it. The objective of positive psychology is to help individuals beyond that point into the plus scale of well-being. Positive psychology coaching helps you identify what makes you happy, find out what your natural talents are and build on those strengths so that you operate at your best creating an "upwards spiral" of happiness and success.