Misconceptions About Positive Psychology

Before we look at some misconceptions about Positive Psychology, let’s remind ourselves of what it is.

Positive psychology has been described in many ways and with many words, but the commonly accepted definition of the field is this:

“Positive psychology is the scientific study of what makes life most worth living” (Peterson, 2008).

To push this brief description a bit further, positive psychology is a scientific approach to studying human thoughts, feelings, and behavior, with a focus on strengths instead of weaknesses, building the good in life instead of repairing the bad, and taking the lives of average people up to “great” instead of focusing solely on moving those who are struggling up to “normal” (Peterson, 2008). 

Martin Seligman, one of the founders of positive psychology, developed a five core element (PERMA) of psychological wellbeing and happiness. PERMAH “a five core element of psychological wellbeing and happiness. Seligman believes that these five elements can help people work towards a life of fulfillment, happiness, and meaning.”

Over time health has been added to the PERMA acronym to become PERMAH. (Wellness@ES Positive Psychology Section)

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Here are some of the misconceptions about Positive Psychology>

Positive Psychology is not Happyology

Ok. So there’s some truth in this. Positive psychology indeed tries to understand the role of positive emotions in the good life. But they are only one of the five key elements in Martin Seligman´s PERMA concept. I guess most positive psychologists would agree that – at the end of the day – concepts like meaning in life and positive relationships are more important for a life well-lived. Additionally, it is important to acknowledge that positivity is not (only) and end in itself. It may be a powerful way to attain other important things in life (e.g., success at work) (Mappalicious Blog)

Self-help promoters and the media often give the impression that people “should” be happy all or most of the time. This can lead people to feel pressure to achieve the impossible or like a failure for feeling negative emotions, moods and experiences. This in turn can increase negative self-talk, rumination or depression. A study (Bastian et al 2011) highlighted the impact of social expectation on happiness: when people believe others think they should feel happy and not sad or stressed, they feel worse. Offering a supportive space where people can express emotions and honestly share what they are experiencing is far more helpful and authentic than simply telling people to “be positive” and “look on the bright side”.

The science and practice of positive psychology is not about promoting “happyology” or ignoring the realities of negative experience or ups and downs of life. Positive psychology does not prescribe specific levels of happiness. It provides meaningful insight, analysis and strategies to help people leverage positive emotions, build resilience to learn from and manage negative emotion and experience, and raise levels of wellbeing and effectiveness over all. (Langley Group)

Positive Psychology is not Self-Help/Positive Thinking

For sure, there are similarities in the subject matters of positive psychology and positive thinking. By way of example, both are concerned with cultivating optimism in individuals, since being optimistic (most of the time) is associated with an array of beneficial outcome variables. The difference is: positive psychology is a science. It´s grounded in thorough academic research. Of course it’s possible to arrive at correct conclusions without conducting large-scale studies – but personally, I feel a lot better when what I recommend to my clients is based on coherent theories and scientific evidence. (Mappalicious Blog)

Positive Psychology is not about ignoring Negative Emotions 

Once again: positive psychology is not about being happy-smiley all day long. It is not trying to eradicate “the Negative”. It´s just that psychology as an academic discipline has very much focused on negative phenomena (such as fear and depression) for the first hundred years. Positive psychology wants to point the spotlight to the positive side of our emotional and behavioral continuum in order to create a more balanced view of human functioning. Actually, negative events and emotions play a crucial role in studying so-called post-traumatic growth which basically is concerned with the question: How can we profit in the long run from going through really hard times in our lives? 

And on the contrary, rather than ignoring negative emotions, the literature suggests we need to recognise them for what they are – an essential part of being human. One of my favourite authors, Tal Ben-Shahar calls this, Giving yourself permission to be human.

What positive psychology is about is finding what enables us to be at our best more often. Why wouldn’t you want to explore that? (Mappalicious Blog)

Emotions themselves are neither good nor bad; behaviours that may result from emotions may be viewed as good or bad depending on the situation. Emotions contain data about ourselves, other people and the world around us. Whether scientifically classified “positive” (eg happiness) or “negative” (eg fear, anger, sadness), each give us early data points that help us think and act more intelligently. Both positive and negative emotions have a purpose and can be beneficial. (The Science & Practice of Positive Psychology: White Paper)

Positive Psychology is not ignoring its Roots, e.g. Humanistic Psychology 

Positive psychologists readily do acknowledge the theories and findings that came out of Humanistic Psychology, thereby standing (partly) on the shoulder of giants like Abraham Maslow and Carl Rogers. Additionally, positive psychology draws heavily on the ancient wisdom of some of the great philosophers. A lot of positive psychologists seem to be very fond of William James, and especially Aristotle and his conception of Eudaimonia. The crucial difference once again is positive psychology´s strong foundation in (experimental) research. (Mappalicious Blog)

Sources: 

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Langley Group

Mappalicious Blog by Dr. Nico Rose

The Science & Practice of Positive Psychology: White Paper

Wellness@ES Positive Psychology Section