Positive Psychology – Moving Forward

Positive Psychology – Moving Forward

Following on from my colleague Lisa Jones’ blog (January 2023), I want to consider further the recent paper by Carol Ryff (2022) “Positive Psychology: Looking back and looking forward.” From its inception, PP was intended to redress the historical focus on the negative and dysfunctional in psychology research and practice and seek what makes life vibrant and full. Seligman and Csikszentmihalyi (2000) suggested that the movement, if successful, could become redundant and be subsumed into “psychology as usual”. Has that happened? Is PP still needed and if so what is its role, function and direction within the wider field?   The waves of PP The history of PP is often described in a number of “waves”. The first wave of PP focussed heavily on boosting the positive and was criticised for promoting “toxic positivity”. This largely was due to a misunderstanding of the true nature of PP (in my opinion), but on the plus side a wider focus on “what makes a good life” did seem to gain traction in research. The potential “Pollyanna” nature of first-wave PP was addressed with the development of the second wave or PP 2.0. (Ivtzan et al. 2016, Wong 2011). This considered the dialectics of life and reconnected PP with its neglected humanistic and existential roots. The focus was on a balance of positive and negative experiences in context and the complex interplay of all the shades of grey in between black and white which reflect the reality of human experience. The role of meaning, wisdom, purpose, values and growth as part of the “good” life came to the fore alongside strengths, positive...
Climate Anxiety and Positive Psychology

Climate Anxiety and Positive Psychology

Introduction Most of us will have seen the coverage of the COP 27 summit on climate change in November 2022. Our news feeds are full of reports of extreme weather events and the impact they are having on the planet, nature and people. This crisis threatens the whole of humanity and at times is overwhelming. As awareness of the seriousness of the problem the planet is facing permeates our consciousness, climate anxiety or eco-anxiety is a rising problem affecting the mental health of many people (Frumkin 2022). I will outline the ways in which this is both similar and different to other types of anxiety and discuss PP interventions that might be helpful in ameliorating the impact.   Climate anxiety Anxiety is a normal emotion experienced in the face of challenge and uncertain outcomes. Indeed we need a certain amount of anxiety to perform at our best. The word is also used to refer to aspects of the clinical state of mental illness which can result when our normal threat response processes go wrong. In evolutionary terms, when we faced a physical threat, such as being eaten by a predator, those whose bodies responded with an effective “flight or fight” (FF) response were more likely to survive and reproduce. So this process became embedded in human neurophysiological functioning through natural selection. The FF response sends blood to the arms and legs and away from the gut, increases heart and respiration rates and floods you with adrenaline to prepare you to run/ fight. In modern life, most of the threats we face are not physical but social, and our cognitive...
Flourishing – What Does it Mean to Flourish?

Flourishing – What Does it Mean to Flourish?

To promote flourishing is a key target of Positive Psychology (PP). In this blog I hope to look at what is meant by the term flourishing and how theory and research about the concept are developing. I highlight the debates and challenges and ask how you might look at flourishing within your own life.   The challenge of definition Despite flourishing being a core tenet of PP, there is no one accepted definition of what it means to flourish. Consequently, neither is there an accepted way to measure it. There is also some confusion with related concepts such as happiness, subjective wellbeing and psychological wellbeing with some areas of overlap between them. These terms are (wrongly in my opinion) used interchangeably at times within the literature. In addition, flourishing is explored in other disciplines such as philosophy, bioethics, public health and anthropology and these don’t necessarily view it from the same perspective. Indeed qualitative research suggests that people’s everyday understanding of flourishing might differ from any of these standard definitions (Willen et al. 2022).   What do we know? There are at least seven distinct ways of characterising flourishing within  PP alone (Keyes 2002, Ryff & Singer 2008, Deiner et al. 2010, Seligman 2011, Huppert & So 2013 Vanderweele 2017, Wong 2020). The number of dimensions considered foundational to flourishing varies from three (Wong 2020) to fourteen (Keyes 2002). So what can we say? Firstly, it is likely that basic levels of human need for physiological integrity and safety are prerequisites to flourishing (Maslow 1943). Beyond this, two dimensions are core to all the models. These are the importance...
Finding Well-being in Nature

Finding Well-being in Nature

Introduction Contact with nature has long been thought to have positive impacts on well-being. In recent years this effect has been researched systematically. I hope to give you a brief overview of what has been found, discuss the mechanisms that might underpin these effects and talk about how you might use these findings to support your own path to flourishing.   What do we mean by “nature”? Like many issues in Positive Psychology (PP), the first question is how to define what we mean by nature. If you are going to research the impact of something you need to understand what you are actually talking about. This is complicated by the fact that what is considered “natural” may change over time, place and the perspective of the individual. We know our world is changing and many of our natural ecosystems are being impacted by human infrastructures. Being “in nature” could mean anything from a full-on wilderness experience, exposure to countryside/ forest/ water bodies, being in urban green spaces, through to having a window to look out of, pictures of natural scenes or even virtual reality immersion. Therefore, research looking at the impact of natural environments on people has tended to use comparative approaches across an urban-natural gradient. In general, the more natural condition involves an area featuring living systems including plants and (non-human) animals and typically tends to be quieter and have a larger field of view than the comparative urban environment (Bratman et al. 2012). Exposure time is also a factor, how can you compare a two-week mountain hiking experience with an hour-long walk in the park once...
Positive Psychology and Acceptance and Commitment Therapy

Positive Psychology and Acceptance and Commitment Therapy

Introduction In this blog I aim to give you a brief overview of Acceptance and Commitment Therapy/Training (ACT), outline why I believe it is very compatible with Positive Psychology (PP) and look at how the two approaches might complement each other.   What is ACT? ACT is a process-based model for understanding and developing psychological flexibility. Thus, it is relevant to people with or without mental health issues, even though it was originally developed from a therapeutic perspective. It can be used in coaching or organisational level interventions as well as applied across a range of psychological disorders. ACT was pioneered by Stephen Hayes in the 1980s and is one of the “third wave” of cognitive behavioural therapies (CBT) and has been described as an existential, humanistic cognitive behavioural therapy. The ACT model is very similar to Susan David’s (2016) conceptualisation of emotional agility within PP.   Aims of ACT The goal of ACT is to help people create a rich and meaningful life rather than “treat” problems. (Does this sound like eudaimonic wellbeing to you?) This is seen as involving experiencing the full range of human emotions because life inevitably has periods of challenge and our emotions have important messages for us about what is going well and what isn’t (Second Wave PP). The avoidance of or struggle with difficult emotions or experiences is considered a key factor in becoming psychologically stuck. We all use a certain amount of experiential avoidance to help us cope at times, the odd glass of wine or chocolate to help us feel better is not an issue, however, when we rely on...
Mindfulness and Meditation Revisited

Mindfulness and Meditation Revisited

Introduction Mindfulness and meditation are two of the most prolific terms in Positive Psychology and often the most misunderstood. I have not written a blog specifically on this topic since my very first one in 2017, so I thought it was time to revisit the mindfulness movement. I hope to clarify what we mean by mindfulness and meditation, the broad different types of these approaches, their varying benefits and what to think about if you are planning to engage with these practices.   Mindfulness Vs Meditation First of all, mindfulness and meditation are not the same thing. Helpfully, there is also a lack of agreement on the precise definitions. These are mine, based on the literature consensus and my own experience. I have been personally engaged in these approaches for seven years. This makes me a novice by many standards. I’m always happy to be challenged and educated by those with greater expertise.   Mindfulness Mindfulness is intentionally noticing what is going on right here, right now from an observational and non-judgemental perspective. This can refer to paying attention to our external world, but more commonly means our internal world of thoughts, feelings and bodily sensations. This means being aware, as an observer, of what is occurring in our mind, body or environment without getting caught up with or carried away by what we perceive. It does not mean having an empty mind but awareness of what is happening there. A quietened mind can be a side effect of practising mindfulness, as you develop the ability to step back from your thoughts and feelings and let them come and...