P01.02. Positive Psychology: A Path to Greater Well-being

Focus Area: Supporting Behavioral Change In 1998, when Dr Martin Seligman was president of the American Psychological Association, he proposed a new approach to psychology. The thinking at that time led to a disease-based model in which the focus was on treating mental illness. Dr Seligman advocated, however, that the science should be expanded to include factors that contribute to optimal functioning and greater well-being. He, along with his colleague Dr Csikszentmihalyi, stated, “The exclusive focus on pathology that has dominated so much of our discipline results in a model of the human being lacking the positive features that make life worth living.” Since this time, a more complete and balanced scientific understanding of the human experience has begun to unfold, with human flourishing being the goal. The five pillars that significantly contribute to a flourishing life and greater well-being include positive emotions, engagement, relationships, meaning, and accomplishment. It is important to incorporate these pillars into our professional and personal lives, but in doing so, we must keep in mind the fundamental building blocks to getting there: responsibility, choice, and action. Even as far back as the ancient Greek philosophers, it was believed that “the good life” is not something that happens to us—it is not something the world owes us. There is nothing passive about it. Now, with the scientific model that Positive Psychology has given us, we have a path to follow that will move us in the direction of this “good life.”