Positive Psychology Paper Essay

Positive Psychology   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Positive psychology is a new branch of psychology founded by Dr Martin Seligman, who is the Director of the University of Pennsylvania Positive Psychology Center.   This branch is defined as â€Å"the scientific study of the strengths and virtues that enable individuals and communities to thrive† (Seligman, 2007).   In addition, positive psychology is â€Å"founded on the belief that people want to lead meaningful and fulfilling lives, to cultivate what is best within themselves, and to enhance their experiences of love, work, and play† (Seligman, 2007). As a critique, developing such field may be beneficial to human and in turn, to society.   Being aware of what positive psychology entails and applying these in life will promote healthy relationships as this field aims to promote â€Å"positive emotions, positive individual traits, and positive institutions† (Seligman, 2007).   Then again, one possible setback for the development of this new branch of psychology is seeing all the others as negative.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Generally, researchers value positive psychology as an essential part in the aim of studying the entire spectrum of human experience.   Researchers of this field do acknowledge the existence of the negative aspects of life such as hardships and dysfunctions, however, aim to study the other side of the coin.   This includes joys, good feelings and functional institutions. Studies say that humans, by nature, easily recall the negative events than the good ones.   Basing from this, a positive perspective and a healthy state of mind should be set.   One effective way of fighting the negative is to list every good thing that occurred during the day and contemplating on them.   This should be done despite having a bad day.   To be happy, one must develop the initiative to dwell on the good and appreciate one’s blessings. One should exert conscious efforts to dispel the ugly and replace them with positive and pleasant thoughts. Reference Seligman, M. â€Å"Authentic happiness†University of Pennsylvania Website. Retrieved     Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   February 27, 2008, from http://www.authentichappiness.sas.upenn.edu/Default.aspx