Positive psychology is a new field of inquiry within modern psychology that emerged two

decades ago, with an exclusive emphasis on understanding the nature of happiness and well-
being and the conditions which promote them across cultures and societies. The aim was to
help people to lead a good life. Hence, we can say that the field of positive psychology had an
applied orientation from the very inception. Martin E. P. Seligman, Professor of Psychology at
the University of Pennsylvania and a Clinical Psychologist launched this new field of inquiry
in the new millennium.

As President of the American Psychological Association in 1998, he chose Positive Psychology

as the presidential theme for his tenure. He had a strong feeling that psychology has too long
focused on studying negative emotions like anger, anxiety and depression and treated mental
illness from a ‘disease model.’ He recognized that the discipline has not paid much attention to
study what makes people to experience joy, satisfaction and contentment; to be healthy,
resilient and grow; and to lead a meaningful, successful and worthy life. Therefore, he chose
to usher in a new era of research in psychology discipline in the new Millenium.

Seligman and his associates in their initial thrust on positive aspects of human existence appear
to have not paid much attention to the value of human adversities and suffering for human
growth and defining well-being. This came under criticism from quite a few psychologists.
Most vocal of them is Paul T Wong, a Canadian Professor of Psychology and also a Clinical
Psychologist. He actively promoted his vision of positive psychology, known as Existential
Positive Psychology. Wong emphasizes on the importance of pain, suffering and sorrow in
human existence and their relevance in defining what is happiness, well-being and meaningful
living (Wong, 2011). It cannot be said that Seligman neglected them totally. On the other hand,
Seligman preferred to emphasize more on the positive side of human experiences. However,
Wong, who is an Existential-humanistic psychologist, chose to highlight the relations between
suffering and meaningfulness to well-being. Further researches resulted in new insights and
shifts in the emphasis.

Thus, at present, there are two visions of positive psychology which are referred to as “two
waves”- PP1 (Positive Psychology 1 - Seligman’s version) and PP2 (Positive Psychology 2 -
Wong’s version)
POSITIVE PSYCHOLOGY 1 – AIMS AND SCOPE (MARTIN SELIGMAN)

According to Seligman & Csikszentmihalyi (2000) the agenda of Positive Psychology are as
follows.

• To articulate a vision of good life that is empirically sound while being understandable and
attractive.
• To show what actions can lead to well-being, to positive individuals, and to thriving
communities.
• To help document - (i) what kinds of families result in children who flourish, (ii) what work
settings support the greatest satisfaction among workers, (iii) what policies result in the
strongest civic engagement.
The PP manifesto says (Sheldon, et al., 2000) if one has to meet the objectives and achieve
the aim of positive psychology “one must consider optimal functioning at multiple levels,
including biological, experiential, personal, relational, institutional, cultural and global.”
What does it mean? How can that be done? As per the manifesto we have to study:
a) “The dynamic relations between processes at these levels.” b) “The human capacity to
create order and meaning in response to inevitable adversity.” c) “ The means by which
‘the good life,’ in its many manifestations, may emerge from these processes.”

As per the Positive Psychology Manifesto, “Positive Psychology is the scientific study of
optimal human functioning.” It aims to “discover and promote the factors that allow individuals
and communities to thrive.” The manifesto further states that positive psychology “represents
a new commitment on the part of research psychologists to focus attention upon the sources of
psychological health, thereby going beyond prior emphasis upon disease and disorder.”
(Sheldon, et al., 2000, p.1). Another early pioneer of this field, late Christopher Peterson (1950-
2012) says positive psychology is “the scientific study of what goes right in life” and what
makes “life most worth living” (2006).
“Positive Psychology is the scientific study of the strengths that enable individuals and
communities to thrive. The field is founded on the belief that people want to lead meaningful
and fulfilling lives, to cultivate what is best within themselves, and to enhance their experiences
of love, work, and play.”
“Positive Psychology aims to understand and build the emotions, and the strengths and virtues
that enable individuals and communities to thrive. Positive Psychology has three central
concerns: positive experiences, positive individual traits, and positive institutions.”

According to Duckworth, Rozin, and Seligman, the three central concerns of positive
psychology involve,
• “Understanding positive experiences or positive emotions consists in the study of
‘contentment’ with the ‘past’; ‘pleasure’ in the ‘present’; and ‘hope’ for the ‘future’;”

• “Understanding positive individual traits means the study of strengths and virtues viz., the
capacity to love, valour, altruism, grit, creativity, curiosity, integrity, moderation, self-control,
spirituality and humor;” and

• “Understanding positive institutions involves the study of the strong families, communities,
corporations and the virtues that nourish them such as justice, responsibility, civility, work
ethic, leadership, teamwork, purpose and tolerance.”

POSITIVE PSYCHOLOGY 2 – AIMS AND SCOPE (PAUL T. WONG)

In Wong’s view, suffering is as much required for flourishing and growth as the experience of
positive emotions. Therefore, he terms his vision as “Existential Positive Psychology (2.0) of
Flourishing Through Suffering.” He also terms it as second wave of PP.
“PP is intrinsically existential because it is concerned with such fundamental questions about
human existence as: What is the good life? What makes life worth living? How can one find
happiness? However, these existential questions cannot be fully addressed through PP research
alone without recognizing people’s existential anxieties. A maturing PP needs to return to its
existential humanistic roots to rediscover the richness of the lived experience and the many
pathways to meaning in life.” (Wong, 2016, ).
Though Seligman’s vision and approach to PP has become very popular, it has been criticized
for the overemphasis on positive emotions and undermining the significance of negative
emotions experienced in our life. Existential-Humanistic psychologists are of the view that
both pleasure and pain contribute to our well-being. Viktor Frankl, a German psychiatrist who
survived the Holocaust during Hitler’s regime and later developed his therapeutic approach
known as ‘Logotherapy’ argued that there is a strong relationship between depression, anxiety,
and meaninglessness. Based on his personal experiences and of his fellow prisoners in the
‘concentration camp’ he realized that when a person loses all hope and a sense of purpose in
life, he tends to become depressed and gives up. On the other hand, if he can take a perspective
on his pain and suffering and searches for a meaning even in that negative circumstance, he
can grow over that and feel a sense of well-being.

Therefore, Paul Wong has focused on ‘suffering’ and ‘meaning’ as other important aspects in
addition to the concepts discussed by Seligman as key themes of Positive Psychology.

Some of the fundamental questions of the Existential PP include (1) “ Who am I? What
defines me?”(2) “How can I be happy? Why am I so dissatisfied with life?” (3) “What is
the good life? “Is this all there is to life?” (4) “What should I do with my life? What is my
calling?’ (5) “How do I make the right choices? How do I know that I am making the
right decision regarding career and relationships?” (6) “Where do I belong? Why do I
feel so alone in this world? How can I develop deep and meaningful relationships? (7)
“What is the point of striving when life is so short?” (Wong, 2016, p.1).
Thus, eight sources of a meaningful life have been repeatedly found through research: (1)
Happiness and fulfilment, (2) Achieving something worthwhile, (3) Intimacy: marriage and
family, (4) Good relationship with friends and people, (5) Self-acceptance, (6) Self-
transcendence or altruism, (7) Religion and (8) Fairness or justice, (Wong 2011).

Majority of human beings face such questions sometime or other irrespective of gender, race,
color, socio-economic-status, caste, nationality, and others. Finding satisfactory answers to
such questions give us a direction and meaning for our life and also satisfaction. On the other
hand, failure to resolve such questions can cause anxiety and depression and may lead to
suicide.

The Third Wave of positive psychology

The third wave of positive psychology emphasizes going beyond the individual to take a deeper
look at the groups and systems in which we live. It also promotes becoming more
interdisciplinary and multicultural and incorporates more methodologies.

In broadening the scope and exploring the systemic and socio-cultural dimensions of people's
lived realities, there are four specific things to focus on:
 1. The focus of enquiry: becoming more interested in emergent paradigms like "systems-
informed positive psychology" which incorporates principles and concepts from the
systems sciences to optimize human social systems and the individuals within them.

2. Disciplines: becoming more multi- and interdisciplinary, as reflected in hybrid

formulations like positive education, which combines traditional education and
research based ways of increasing happiness and overall well-being.

3. Cultural contexts: becoming more multicultural and global.

4. Methodologies: embracing other paradigms and ways of knowing, such as qualitative
and mixed methods approach rather than relying solely on quantitative research.
Scope of Positive Psychology:

Well- being

Optimism

Balance

Virtues or strengths

Resilience

Indian Perspectives:

From the Upanishadic period, one finds that human existence is conceived as a multilayered
structure that is connected with human development and well being.

• Annamaya Kośa or bodily sheath, it is concerned with food, the physical body, and the
material world.
• The second level is Prāņamaya Kośa or the sheath related to vital biological functions
such as life-breath, emotions, and bio-energy.
• The third level is the sheath of Manomaya Kośa which is made up of the mind.
• The next level is Vigyānamaya Kośa which relates to higher forms of the mind and
Positive Psychology: An Introduction the subtle reams like high order insights,
intuition, and clarity of awareness.
• The final stage is the Ānandamaya Kośa or the realm of transcendence and blissful
release into infinity and perfect awareness. The Ānandamaya Kośa is full of profound
happiness and bliss beyond ordinary experience.

The Pursuit of Dharma and Human flourishing

It is important to note that the concept of Dharma implies virtues and extends to duties which
allow maintenance and sustenance of life. In the social context the duties are performed based
on one’s position in society and stage of life. This maintains social order which contributes to
cosmic order leading to universal well-being. Human flourishing is brought about by balancing
and pursuing the life goals or purusharthas. According to Vaiśeśik school of Indian thought ,
dharma includes both prosperity in this world (Abhyudaya) and liberation (Nihsreyas) from
suffering and pursuing Moksha. Therefore, material development and spirituality both have
legitimate places in life and they need not be seen as mutually exclusive. In this context, it must
be remembered that the four life goals (Puruśārthas) i.e. dharma (ethical duties), artha
(prosperity), kāma (pleasure), and moksha (liberation) are equally important. This implies that
all aspects have to be integrated and form a description of an ideal life.

HISTORICAL PERSPECTIVES ON POSITIVE PSYCHOLOGY

Happiness, well-being, flourishing, good life, meaningful life and others are not new concepts
and topics in themselves. Perhaps these topics have been the subject of human inquiry ever
since man acquired the ability for self-reflexivity and began to contemplate on the meaning
and purpose of one’s existence. Globally humans have developed some notion of happiness
over several millennia (Lomas, Case, Cratty and Vander Weele, 2021). Therefore, it is best to
say positive psychology has a long past but a short history, as it is said about many other topics
in our discipline.
Humanistic psychologists had already dwelt on the issues related to human potential and
quality of human life in many ways and most importantly in terms of self-actualization and
growth. Abraham Maslow (1954) had already used ‘positive psychology’ in his discussions on
motivation and personality. Carl Rogers’s concepts of acceptance, unconditional positive
regard and genuineness; James Bugental’s emphasis on authenticity, Sidney Jourard’s research
on self-disclosure and many others were discussed under the notion of “healthy personality”
(Jourard & Landsman, 1980). In other words, there already existed a background to think about
positive aspects of human existence. What differentiates Seligman’s vision is his insistence on
empirical and quantitative methodology that is characterized by “nomothetic approach”, as
against humanistic thinkers who laid stress on “idiographic approach” that emphasizes on
uniqueness of individual persons. Humanistic thinkers’ emphasis on phenomenological
approach to study of subjective experiences in understanding an individual led to
marginalization, because the quantitative and experimental approach of mainstream scientific
psychology seem to be much easier to carry out.

he immediate antecedent factors that provoked Seligman to think about positive psychology is
his interaction with his five year old daughter Nikki. The incident is as follows: One day he
and his daughter were doing some garden work and he got irritated by her playful and jovial
behavior in carrying out the task. That interaction is reproduced here as described by him.
“Daddy, I want to talk to you.” “Yes, Nikki?” “Daddy, do you remember before my fifth
birthday? From the time I was three to the time I was five, I was a whiner. I whined every day.
When I turned five, I decided not to whine anymore. That was the hardest thing I’ve ever done.
And if I can stop whining, you can stop being such a grouch.” (Seligman & Csikszentmihalyi,
2000, p. 6). (Italic added for emphasis). He says, it led to a shift, in himself as well as in his
thinking about the discipline, from negative emotions to positive emotions eventually to the
emergence of positive psychology. Introduction to Positive Psychology Another important
incidence that led to the launch of a new field was Seligman’s chance meeting with Mihalyi
Csikszentmihalyi in a beach resort. Csikszentmihalyi (1990) had been working on the concept
of “flow” which is related to “optimal human experience” and functioning. Both of these
persons had not met earlier though they knew about each other and their works. In this chance
meeting they spent days together discussing about the status of psychology as a discipline, the
direction it has taken and finally agreed that there is a need to focus on the positive aspects of
human nature.

Positive Psychology and Other Social Sciences Positive Psychology:

An Introduction Since the main theme of positive psychology is happiness, well-being and
flourishing, this field of inquiry is related to other disciplines in social sciences such as
economics, political sciences, and sociology on the one hand, and to medicine, psychiatry and
public health on the other. In general, we can say that positive psychology has relation to any
discipline or a branch within it that has something to do with human welfare.