Positively Psyching Out

With the advent of the pandemic, the world has reached a new trough economically, politically, but most importantly, within the mental health sphere. Due to the restrictions of the quarantine, individuals' mental states were devastated by the lack of human interaction, loss of economic opportunity, and possible lost of loved ones during the tough time. No matter the economic standing of an individual, happiness can still be a wavering factor due to its elusive nature. As per the Happiness Income Paradox introduced by Richard Easterlin, it can be found that money only makes people happy until their basic needs are met. Thus, individuals of all socioeconomic classes are faced with the fundamental question of what truly brings happiness, especially during an age where social interactions are limited and the political atmosphere is volatile. This period sparked a reaction amongst the psychological space of tackling this issue with none other than Positive Psychology.

Positive Psychology is the paradigm of therapy as proposed by the main proponent of Positive Psychology, Martin Seligman, the president of the American Psychology Association in 1998. This notion promoted living by having a pleasant, good, and meaningful life. These ideas were also echoed by Abraham Maslow in humanistic psychology as well as a way of understanding how to move past trauma and change human behavior. The fundamental values of PP (Positive Psychology) are grounded on the idea of PERMA: Positive Emotions, Engagement, Positive Relationships, Meaning, and Accomplishment and Achievement.

" Well being cannot exist just in your own head. Well-being is a combination of feeling good as well as actually having meaning, good relationships, and accomplishment." - Martin Seligman

Positive emotions as per PP help to build a better life as present emotions are fundamentally the only aspect of life that we are experiencing at all times. These emotions can be evoked through having better self compassion: the notions of self kindness, common humanity, and mindfulness must be exhibited to achieve this sense of self compassion. Through speaking to ourselves in a positive manner, understanding that we are not alone in our imperfection, and observing our feelings and emotions with no judgement, we can find a sense of stability and positivity in our lives.

Positivity can also be found in the ways we engage with our lives, where we discover manners of interactions that provide meaning to us, such as any activity that produces Flow. Flow is a state in which an individual is engaged in a specific activity that allows them to lose track of time and find enjoyment in. These types of activities allow powerful grounding to society and establishment of a sense of success and achievement as well, providing meaning and a sense of purpose in one's life. Last but not least, positive relationships such as family and friend support also provide a sense of purpose for an individual, theorizing that these factors are the keys to producing a good life. But to what extent do we have to think positively? What if we were diagnosed with cancer? How can we go about this situation?

This is the exact scenario that a famous opponent of PP, Barbara Ehrenreich, where she was diagnosed with breast cancer and was faced with the teachings of PP in therapy. The possibility of victim blaming can be illustrated in her experiences, where she mentions how “the flip side of positivity is thus a harsh insistence on personal responsibility: If your business fails or your job is eliminated, it must be because you didn’t try hard enough, didn’t believe firmly enough in the inevitability of your success,”. In addition to the possible victim blaming, toxic positivity is also a recent phenomenon where it is counterproductive to be too positive, as it may harm the mental health to carry such a positive mindset. Rather than trying to establish a sense of constant positivity, Ehrenreich proposes to individuals to realize and be aware of the negatives in life, but stay optimistic about being able to get through anything that comes their way. The lack of acknowledgement about anything negative in life as emphasized by PP provides a lackluster solution to the obstacles of life.

Instead, I personally believe that the negatives in life often do tell us a lot about how life is: it shows us what caused pain and teaches us how to avoid it. Without looking at how to diminish the bad in our life, we are unable to tackle issues at the root no matter how many positives are in our lives. Not just that, without recognizing that there are negatives in life, we can often be taken for granted as we are unable to display the negative emotional repercussions of people's harm towards us. We can also easily fall into the trap of overconfidence when thinking too positively, and therefore lose humility to provide us a better moral guidance.

Instead of simply only focusing on what is good, our lives can be optimized by realizing that we can learn and acknowledge the pains that we feel but we need to focus on increasing the positives in our lives. PP provides a manner of establishing a better life through adding more positives, but it should also focus on how we can remove the negatives to achieve an overall happier life.

Works Cited “Popping the Bubble of Positive Psychology - SNF Paideia Program at the University of Pennsylvania.” SNF Paideia Program at the University of Pennsylvania, 29 Mar. 2023, snfpaideia.upenn.edu/news/popping-the-bubble-of-positive-psychology/. Accessed 7 Sept. 2023. “Positive Psychology.” Psychology Today, 2020, www.psychologytoday.com/us/basics/positive-psychology. Accessed 7 Sept. 2023. “Positive Psychology - Harvard Health.” Harvard Health, Harvard Health, 2023, www.health.harvard.edu/topics/positive-psychology. Accessed 7 Sept. 2023. “The Negative Side of Positive Psychology.” Psychology Today, 2022, www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/feeling-smart/202206/the-negative-side-positive-psychology. Accessed 7 Sept. 2023.