Apart from research in positive psychology as will be discussed in this article, there has also been a surge in popular interest in mindfulness. One form in which this has taken root is in the practice of meditation, which is a way of nurturing mindfulness. tMeditation, a new interest group in Tembusu, meets every Monday, Wednesday and Friday at 6.50am, at the ERC rooftop, for about 15 minutes of meditation. There is also a Mindfulness Flash Mob, organised by the PL4320 module, happening on October 22 at 6.30pm, on UTown Green. Join them for a new experience!
Over the previous semester and this, I have been researching on the topic of mindfulness and how its methods can be applied to settings of higher education as a research assistant in the Psychology Department. The methods of mindfulness has been empirically proven to lower rates of depression, improve attention states, and assist in emotion regulation. The same concepts have found uses in hospitals, prisons, and schools alike.
Mindfulness is a prime example of the methods of positive psychology. By relying on the human capacity to be actively aware of their own mental states, physical states, or immediate surroundings in order to assist in recovery, enhance learning, and improve the quality of relationships, we return our focus on the person’s own positive capabilities to remove the unwanted and to multiply the desired. This emerging subfield – positive psychology – is fascinating because it focuses on the good and beautiful, instead of the bad and ugly.
It is true that the traditional form of psychology has been concerned with atypical mental states and behaviour. These behaviours are studied in length from different points of view – biological, social, evolutionary, cognitive – all with the purpose of understanding them more so that we can get rid of them more easily.
This form of thinking paints a picture and makes a clear distinction of the normal human psyche from the ‘sick’ parts that should be removed. We know what we don’t want, we identify the problems, and we seek to remove them. The problem with this line of thinking is, however, the failure to address the question, ‘Then what is it that is good, what is it that we want?’
From the humanistic wave in the 1950s pioneered by names such as Carl Rogers and Abraham Maslow that placed the person at the centre of understanding the human psyche, the idea that the self-actualised individual should be studied became popular. Instead of only questions such as ‘What are the symptoms of depression? What is the cure for schizophrenia? How does one develop post-traumatic stress disorder?’ we started asking other questions such as ‘What makes a person creative? How do we become psychologically healthy? What is a man’s maximum potential and how do we actualise it?’
‘What do we need to live a good life?’
The wave of humanistic psychology has come to be regarded as the roots of positive psychology, which only became official in 1998 when Martin Seligman chose it as a theme for his term as the president of the American Psychological Association. The field of positive psychology is often dearly termed ‘the study of happiness’, but its subject of study extends more widely than a fleeting pleasurable feeling. The three big issues in positive psychology are positive emotions, positive traits, and positive institutions.
Martin Seligman popularised positive psychology (Image source)
The idea of positive emotions spans across the entire human timeline: contentment about the past, happiness in the present, and hope for the future. Positive traits refer to our strength and virtues: those that allow us to face adversity and still be able to survive it well, those that allow us to make meaningful connections, and those that allow us to make the right decisions. Lastly, a positive institution would be a community with a structure conducive for its members to better themselves as individuals and as a whole.
Positive psychology remains a subset of psychology, and thus requires the rigorous methodologies and extensive empirical evidence for its theories. While we are definitely able to distil lessons on how to be happy from the research, positive psychology should never be mistaken with the instances of methods to achieve positive feelings, such as self-help notions of secrets to happiness or fulfilment. Positive psychology attempts to uncover what makes one happy and strong, not introduce a standalone method that purports to make one happy.
The starkly different notion of positive psychology is not meant to revolutionise and overthrow the traditional problem-focused view, but rather, it is meant to complement the efforts of curing humanity of its mental ailments and to provide a more balanced study of the human psyche. Just as sick people should be treated and cured, the healthy should be able to know how to get healthier.
Next time, instead of asking ‘How do I take the stress out of my life?’, you may consider, ‘How do I experience life more in the way I want to?’
Instead of only ‘How do I minimise the negative?’, try, ‘How do I maximise the positive?’ too. It is an equally valid point of view.
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About the Author
Enthusiastic about all things artsy-fartsy, Alison is rightly enrolled in FASS. She also happens to be an awkward turtle who prefers to listen to the music and people-watch during barbeques, although she has been known to sing and play the ukulele on stage. It is rumoured that you can never take the psychologist out of Alison. Even when she’s drunk.