Positive Psychology
Positive psychology was formally born in 1998 when Martin Seligman, in his presidential address to the American Psychological Association, proposed a paradigm shift in the discipline. Seligman argued that psychology had spent most of the 20th century studying pathology — depression, anxiety, psychosis — but had systematically neglected the study of what makes life fulfilling and meaningful. The point was not to ignore suffering but to complement the traditional medical model with a science of well-being, character strengths, and institutions that allow individuals and communities to flourish. This proposal resonated deeply in a discipline that indeed had far more studies on depression than on happiness.
Seligman's PERMA model identifies five elements of well-being: Positive emotions (joy, gratitude, serenity), Engagement (flow states and absorption), Relationships (meaningful social connections), Meaning (belonging and service to something greater than oneself), and Accomplishment (mastery and goal achievement). Peterson and Seligman (2004) developed a classification of 24 character strengths grouped into six universal virtues — wisdom, courage, humanity, justice, temperance, and transcendence — with the VIA (Values in Action) instrument for measuring them. Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi contributed the concept of flow: a state of complete absorption in an activity that is intrinsically rewarding, where the person's skills perfectly match the level of challenge.
Carol Dweck contributed the concept of growth mindset — the belief that abilities and intelligence can be developed through effort and learning, as opposed to a fixed mindset that considers them innate and immutable. Research on gratitude has shown that simple practices such as writing down three good things that happened each day measurably improve subjective well-being. Mindfulness meditation, adopted by positive psychology from Eastern contemplative traditions, has accumulated a substantial evidence base for stress reduction and well-being enhancement.
Positive psychology has not been exempt from significant criticism. The "tyranny of positivity" — social pressure to be always happy and optimistic — can invalidate legitimate and necessary negative emotions. Barbara Held has argued that positive psychology may blame those who suffer, implicitly suggesting that their suffering is due to their attitude. Methodological critiques have been substantial: some popular findings, such as Fredrickson's 3:1 positivity ratio, have been statistically discredited. Cultural bias is another concern: most research has been conducted in Western, Educated, Industrialized, Rich, and Democratic (WEIRD) populations. The second wave of positive psychology (PP 2.0) has attempted to address these critiques by integrating the study of suffering, the dialectic between well-being and adversity, and more culturally diverse perspectives.