Hello, dear readers and welcome back to my blog!
This 1st article on the subject of Positive Psychology is meant to offer you a definition of it and to show what are some of its biggest advantages for any of us.
When I started studying the field, I remember my first thoughts: “This is THE way to find out about our real potential, what we are best at, to discover our own greatness. So many of us who don’t know what our potential is, especially in a world where there are so many choices it’s easy to get confused. It’s a real gem, especially for the young ones, to know what they’re best at when they are undecided about which way to take in their careers.”
Later on, when I learned more, I remember thinking “It’s such a blessing that our happiness depends (mostly) on ourselves. I mean, yes, working with yourself is difficult, but also extremely rewarding and so empowering. Just knowing that your happiness is up to you is empowering.”
But enough about my thoughts and, before getting back to basics, please allow me to share with you a fascinating true story.
In this family, both me and my hubby, we like biographic movies and, after we watch them, we get curious and go on Wikipedia and try to find out more about their lives.
This is how I discovered that Benjamin Franklin (1706 – 1790) has been strongly connected to the field of positive psychology.
He was an amazing person: a writer, scientist, inventor, statesman, diplomat, publisher and philosopher. Among the leading intellectuals of his time, Franklin was one of the Founding Fathers of the United States, a drafter and signer of the United States Declaration of Independence. To count just a few.
When he was only 20 years of age, Franklin developed a plan to cultivate his character using 13 virtues, and then he continued to practice this plan for the rest of his life.
He wrote about this in his autobiography and, just to give you an example of what some of our virtues can be, I will list here the 13 virtues that he wanted to develop in himself and how:
- “Temperance. Eat not to dullness; drink not to elevation.”
- Silence. Speak not but what may benefit others or yourself; avoid trifling conversation.”
- Order. Let all your things have their places; let each part of your business have its time.
- Resolution. Resolve to perform what you ought; perform without fail what you resolve.
- Frugality. Make no expense but to do good to others or yourself; i.e., waste nothing.
- Industry. Lose no time; be always employed in something useful; cut off all unnecessary actions.
- Sincerity. Use no hurtful deceit; think innocently and justly, and, if you speak, speak accordingly.
- Justice. Wrong none by doing injuries, or omitting the benefits that are your duty.
- Moderation. Avoid extremes; forbear resenting injuries so much as you think they deserve.
- Cleanliness. Tolerate no uncleanliness in body, clothes, or habitation.
- Tranquility. Be not disturbed at trifles, or at accidents common or unavoidable.
- Chastity. Rarely use venery but for health or offspring, never to dullness, weakness, or the injury of your own or another’s peace or reputation.
- Humility. Imitate Jesus and Socrates.”
He worked on one virtue at a time and dedicated a week to each. He believed that doing this made him a better man, contributing greatly to his success and happiness, which is why in his autobiography, he devoted more pages to this plan than to any other single point and wrote, “I hope, therefore, that some of my descendants may follow the example and reap the benefit.”
Now that we have this fascinating story in mind…what is Positive Psychology?
Positive psychology studies what makes life most worth living, aiming to improve the quality of our life.
As opposed to the the classical psychology practices, which were focusing on mental illness and negative thinking, positive psychology encourages us to focus on happiness & well-being.
How can Positive Psychology help you?
First, it can help you identify your own potential, talents and resources. And this is just the 1st step in a beautiful, rewarding and empowering process. The process where we actualise our potential using specific interventions.
Then, it can helps us identify and develop our emotional intelligence – which is essential to our having a balanced social life, basically. So important nowadays, right?
It gives us the tools for personal development (like the one Franklin used): to work on those talents and resources of ours so that we obtain a certain goal – doing this contributed greatly to his success and happiness.
For each of the 24 strengths that we all have – just in different “quantities” – there are specific ways of improvement.
To be more precise: out of the 24 strengths (16 of there are in the table above), the first 5 are the ones that describe us the best as a person. We feel “in flow” when we use those strengths in our life.
And there are interventions designed to develop each of these 24 strengths, depending on our needs and objectives. In other words, to improve ourselves as a person => personal development.
Of course, there is a multitude of ways positive psychology can be of service to you. But I will stop here for the moment being.
I really hope you will find this article useful and at least interesting if not fascinating :).
And if you are interested in giving a try to your personal development, I would be happy to be your partner on this most rewarding path.
Until next one, stay safe and positively well ;)!