POSITIVE PSYCHOLOGY NUTSHELL 1

POSITIVE PSYCHOLOGY NUTSHELL 1 Positive psychology is a science of Happiness , psychological well being and flourishing ,building resilience for everyday life. Psychology traditionally focused on dysfunction: i.e dealing people with mental illness or other psychological problems and how to treat them whereas Positive psychology, in contrast, is a relatively new field that examines how ordinary people can become happier . move towards achieving goal and accomplishment. Levels of positive psychology: The science of positive psychology operates on three different levels – the subjective level, the individual level and the group level. The subjective level includes the study of positive experiences such as joy, happiness, optimism, well-being, satisfaction, contentment, and flow. This level is about feeling good, rather than doing good or being a good person. At the individual level, the aim is to identify the constituents of the ‘good life’ and the personal qualities that are necessary for being a ‘good person’, through studying human strengths and virtues, future mindedness,capacity for love, courage, perseverance, forgiveness, originality, wisdom, interpersonal skills and giftedness. Finally, at the group or community level, the emphasis is on civic virtues, social responsibilities, altruism, civility, tolerance, work ethics, positive institutions and other factors that contribute to the development of citizenship and communities and reaching beyond oneself. This level is much more about taking actions or positive behaviors aimed at something larger than ourselves.