Why settle for 'ok' when you can have 'great'?
Martin Seligman was the President of the American Psychological Association in 1998 and made the theme of positive psychology the basis for his tenure. Positive psychology is the study of optimal human functioning and challenges psychology's historical emphasis on the study of mental illness rather than on mental wellness. Traditionally, psychologists worked according to the disease model eg. curing schizophrenia. But what about nurturing genius and talent?
There are three features to the positive psychology model. These are 1) enjoyment 2) engagement and 3) affiliation. By understanding these three components, it gives us the opportunity to see how they are currently relevant to our lives. It also allows us to see how we can adapt our lives to achieve a 'positive psychology' state. We owe it to ourselves to understand this model and take responsibility for our own mental wellness. This way, we get the most out of life and are happier. This way we each play our role in building a happier community.
Wednesday, February 3, 2010
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Oh how very true! "We owe it to ourselves to understand this model and take responsibility for our own mental wellness"
ReplyDeleteIt's interesting how mental ilness and wellness actually have so much in common, only in reverse, so to say. I firmly believe that just like love can turn to ahte and back, emotional or mental ilness has a chance to equally turn to wellness... But we do owe it to ourselves!