Editing Positive psychology (section)

== History ==

=== Influences from ancient history ===

[[File:Aristotle Altemps Inv8575.jpg|upright|thumb|The works of Aristotle include elements of what is now called ''positive psychology'']]

Before the first use of the term "positive psychology," researchers focused on topics that would now be included under the umbrella of positive psychology.<ref name=":12">{{Citation |last=Diener |first=Ed |title=The Oxford Handbook of Positive Psychology |date=2009 |pages=6–12 |editor1-last=Lopez |editor1-first=Shane J |chapter=Positive Psychology: Past, Present, and Future |publisher=Oxford University Press |doi=10.1093/oxfordhb/9780195187243.013.0002 |isbn=9780195187243 |editor2-last=Snyder |editor2-first=C.R}}</ref> Some view positive psychology as a meeting of [[Eastern philosophy|Eastern thought]], such as [[Buddhism]] and [[Hinduism]], and Western [[Psychodynamics|psychodynamic]] approaches.<ref name=":2">{{Cite book |last1=Levine |first1=Marvin |title=The Positive Psychology of Buddhism and Yoga |date=2000 |isbn=9781410605665 |edition=2nd |doi=10.4324/9781410605665}}</ref>

The historical Western roots of positive psychology are found in the teachings of [[Aristotle]], whose ''[[Nicomachean Ethics]]'' is a description of the theory and practice of human flourishing—which he referred to as [[Eudaimonia#:~:text=Eudaimonia (/juːdɪ,translated as happiness or welfare.|''eudaimonia'']] (a Greek word literally translating to the state or condition of ''good spirit'', and which is commonly translated as ''[[happiness]]'' or ''[[Well-being|welfare]])''—of the tutelage necessary to achieve it, and of the psychological obstacles to its practice.<ref>{{cite book |author=Aristotle |author-link=Aristotle |title=Nicomachean Ethics |editor=Andronicus |editor-link=Andronicus of Rhodes}}</ref> It teaches the cultivation of [[Virtue ethics|virtues]] as the means of attaining happiness and well-being.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Schwartz |first1=Barry |last2=Sharpe |first2=Kenneth E. |title=Practical Wisdom: Aristotle meets Positive Psychology |journal=Journal of Happiness Studies |date=September 2006 |volume=7 |issue=3 |pages=377–395 |doi=10.1007/s10902-005-3651-y |url=http://www.swarthmore.edu/SocSci/bschwar1/srp.html }}</ref>

=== Influences from psychological domains and theoretical foundations ===
Scientific research on well-being dates back to the 1950s.<ref>{{cite book |doi=10.4324/9781003314462-32 |chapter=Decades of scientific research on human happiness |title=The Routledge History of Happiness |date=2024 |last1=Ryff |first1=Carol D. |pages=408–428 |isbn=978-1-003-31446-2 }}</ref> Several [[Humanistic psychology|humanistic psychologists]], most notably Maslow, [[Carl Rogers]], and [[Erich Fromm]], developed theories and practices pertaining to human [[happiness]] and flourishing. More recently, positive psychologists have found [[Empirical evidence|empirical]] support for the humanistic theories of flourishing.{{Citation needed|date=September 2024}}

In 1984, psychologist [[Ed Diener]] published his [[tripartite model of subjective well-being]],<ref name="Diener1984">{{cite journal |last=Diener |first=Ed |year=1984 |title=Subjective well-being |journal=Psychological Bulletin |volume=95 |issue=3 |pages=542–575 |doi=10.1037/0033-2909.95.3.542 |pmid=6399758}}</ref> which posited 
"three distinct but often related components of wellbeing: frequent positive affect, infrequent negative affect, and cognitive evaluations such as [[life satisfaction]]."<ref>{{cite book |doi=10.1002/9781118339893.wbeccp518 |chapter=Subjective Wellbeing |title=The Encyclopedia of Cross-Cultural Psychology |date=2013 |last1=Tov |first1=William |last2=Diener |first2=Ed |pages=1239–1245 |isbn=978-0-470-67126-9 |chapter-url=https://ink.library.smu.edu.sg/soss_research/1395 }}</ref> In this model, [[Cognition|cognitive]], [[Affect (psychology)|affective]], and contextual factors contribute to subjective well-being.<ref name="Galinha_Pais-Ribeiro_2011">{{cite journal |last1=Costa Galinha |first1=Iolanda |last2=Pais-Ribeiro |first2=José Luís |year=2011 |title=Cognitive, affective and contextual predictors of subjective wellbeing |journal=International Journal of Wellbeing |volume=2 |issue=1 |pages=34–53 |doi=10.5502/ijw.v2i1.3 |doi-access=free |hdl-access=free |hdl=11144/1892}}</ref> According to Diener and Suh, subjective well-being is "based on the idea that how each person thinks and feels about his or her life is important."<ref>{{cite book |last1=Diener |first1=Ed |last2=Suh |first2=Eunkook M. |title=Culture and Subjective Well-being |date=2000 |publisher=MIT Press |isbn=978-0-262-04182-9 |page=4 }}</ref>

[[Carol Ryff]]'s [[six-factor model of psychological well-being]] was first published in 1989. It postulates that [[self-acceptance]], [[personal growth]], [[purpose in life]], environmental mastery, [[autonomy]], and positive relations with others are crucial to well-being.<ref>{{cite news |author=David |date=4 December 2014 |title=Carol Ryff's Model of Psychological Well-being: The Six Criteria of Well-Being |url=https://livingmeanings.com/six-criteria-well-ryffs-multidimensional-model/ |website=Living Meanings}}</ref>

According to [[Corey Keyes]], who collaborated with [[Carol Ryff]] and used the term [[flourishing]] as a central concept, mental well-being has three components: [[Hedonism|hedonic]] (i.e. subjective or emotional<ref name="Robitschek">{{Cite journal |last1=Robitschek |first1=Christine |last2=Keyes |first2=Corey L. M. |year=2009 |title=Keyes's model of mental health with personal growth initiative as a parsimonious predictor. |journal=Journal of Counseling Psychology |volume=56 |issue=2 |pages=321–329 |doi=10.1037/a0013954}}</ref>), psychological, and social well-being.<ref name="Keyes2002">{{cite journal |last=Keyes |first=Corey L.&nbsp;M. |author-link=Corey Keyes |year=2002 |title=The Mental Health Continuum: From Languishing to Flourishing in Life |journal=Journal of Health and Social Behavior |volume=43 |issue=2 |pages=207–222 |doi=10.2307/3090197 |jstor=3090197 |pmid=12096700}}</ref> [[Hedonic treadmill|Hedonic well-being]] concerns emotional aspects of well-being, whereas psychological and social well-being, e.g. eudaimonic well-being, concerns skills, abilities, and optimal functioning.<ref name=":0">{{Cite journal |last=Joshanloo |first=Mohsen |date=2015-10-23 |title=Revisiting the Empirical Distinction Between Hedonic and Eudaimonic Aspects of Well-Being Using Exploratory Structural Equation Modeling |journal=Journal of Happiness Studies |language=en |volume=17 |issue=5 |pages=2023–2036 |doi=10.1007/s10902-015-9683-z }}</ref> This tripartite model of mental well-being has received cross-cultural empirical support.<ref name="Robitschek" /><ref name=":0" /><ref>{{multiref2|{{Cite journal|last1=Joshanloo|first1=Mohsen|last2=Lamers|first2=Sanne M. A.|date=2016-07-01|title=Reinvestigation of the factor structure of the MHC-SF in the Netherlands: Contributions of exploratory structural equation modeling|journal=Personality and Individual Differences|volume=97|pages=8–12|doi=10.1016/j.paid.2016.02.089 |url=https://ris.utwente.nl/ws/files/6945051/1-s2.0-S0191886916301258-main.pdf }}|{{Cite journal|last1=Gallagher|first1=Matthew W.|last2=Lopez|first2=Shane J.|last3=Preacher|first3=Kristopher J.|date=2009-08-01|title=The Hierarchical Structure of Well-Being|journal=Journal of Personality |language=en |volume=77 |issue=4 |pages=1025–1050 |doi=10.1111/j.1467-6494.2009.00573.x |pmc=3865980|pmid=19558444}}
}}</ref>

=== <small>Key figures</small> ===
The positive psychology movement was first founded in 1998 by Martin Seligman. He was concerned about the fact that mainstream psychology was too focused on disease, disorders, and disabilities rather than well-being, resilience, and recovery. He aimed to apply mainstream psychology's methodological, scientific, scholarly, and organizational strengths to facilitate well-being rather than illness and disease.<ref name=":4" />

The field has been influenced by humanistic and [[Psychodynamics|psychodynamic]] approaches to treatment. Predating the use of the term "positive psychology", researchers within the field of psychology had focused on topics that would now be included under this new denomination.<ref name=":12" />

[[File:Martin Seligman Philadelphia 2009.jpg|thumb|To [[Martin Seligman|Seligman]], psychology (particularly its positive branch) can investigate and promote realistic ways of fostering more well-being in people and communities.]]

The term "positive psychology" dates at least to 1954, when [[Abraham Maslow]]'s ''[[Motivation and Personality (book)|Motivation and Personality]]'' was published with a final chapter titled "Toward a Positive Psychology."<ref>{{Cite book |last=Maslow |first=Abraham H. |url=https://archive.org/details/motivationperson0000masl/page/n5/mode/2up |title=Motivation and Personality |publisher=Harper & Brothers |year=1954 |edition=1st |location=New York |pages=353–63 |chapter=Toward a Positive Psychology |chapter-url=https://archive.org/details/motivationperson0000masl/page/353/mode/1up |url-access=registration |chapter-url-access=registration}}</ref> In the second edition published in 1970, he removed that chapter, saying in the preface that "a positive psychology is at least available today though not very widely."<ref>{{Cite book |last=Maslow |first=Abraham H. |url=https://archive.org/details/motivationperson0000masl_o5g6 |title=Motivation and Personality |publisher=Harper & Brothers |year=1970 |isbn=978-0-06-044241-5 |edition=2nd |location=New York |page=[https://archive.org/details/motivationperson0000masl_o5g6/page/n26/mode/1up?q=positive xxiii] |url-access=registration}}</ref> There have been indications that psychologists since the 1950s have increasingly focused on promoting [[mental health]] rather than merely treating mental illness.<ref>{{multiref2|{{cite journal|url=http://www.her.oxfordjournals.org/cgi/reprint/13/1/57.pdf|title=Current conceptualizations of mental health and mental health promotion|last=Secker|first=J.|access-date=2010-05-18|journal=Health Education Research|year=1998|issue=1|volume=13|pages=57–66|doi=10.1093/her/13.1.57 |pmid=10184883 |quote=... Amongst psychologists... the importance of promoting health rather than simply preventing ill-health date back to the 1950s|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100713234428/http://her.oxfordjournals.org/cgi/reprint/13/1/57.pdf|archive-date=2010-07-13|url-status=dead}}|{{cite book|title=An Invitation to Health|edition=Brief|chapter=Psychological Well-Being|author=Hales, Dianne|publisher=Wadsworth Cengage Learning|year=2008|page=26|isbn=9780495391920}}
}}</ref> From the beginning of psychology, the field addressed the human experience using the "Disease model," studying and identifying the [[Abnormality (behavior)|dysfunction]] of a person.

In the opening sentence of his book ''Authentic Happiness'', Seligman claimed: "For the last half century psychology has been consumed with a single topic only—mental illness,"<ref name="Seligman2002">{{cite book |last=Seligman |first=Martin E.&nbsp;P. |author-link=Martin Seligman |url=https://archive.org/details/authentichappine00seli_0 |title=Authentic Happiness: Using the New Positive Psychology to Realize Your Potential for Lasting Fulfillment |publisher=Free Press |year=2002 |isbn=978-0-7432-2297-6 |location=New York}}</ref>{{rp|xi}} expanding on Maslow's comments.<ref>{{cite book |last=Maslow |first=Abraham |title=Motivation and Psychology |page=354 |quote=The science of psychology has been far more successful on the negative than on the positive side. It has revealed to us much about man’s shortcomings, his illness, his sins, but little about his potentialities, his virtues, his achievable aspirations, or his full psychological height. It is as if psychology has voluntarily restricted itself to only half its rightful jurisdiction, the darker, meaner half.}}</ref> He urged psychologists to continue the earlier missions of psychology of nurturing talent and improving everyday life.<ref name="Compton2005">{{cite book |last=Compton |first=William C. |url=https://archive.org/details/introductiontopo0000comp |title=An Introduction to Positive Psychology |publisher=Wadsworth Publishing |year=2005 |isbn=978-0-534-64453-6 |location=Belmont, Calif.}}</ref>{{rp|1–22}}

===Development===
The first positive psychology summit took place in 1999. The First International Conference on Positive Psychology took place in 2002.{{r|Compton2005|pp=1–22}} In September 2005, the first master's program in applied positive psychology (MAPP) was launched at the University of Pennsylvania.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Master of Applied Positive Psychology {{!}} Penn LPS |url=https://www.lps.upenn.edu/degree-programs/mapp |access-date=2024-01-31 |website=www.lps.upenn.edu |language=en}}</ref> In 2006, a course on positive psychology at [[Harvard University]] was one of the most popular courses on offer.<ref>{{cite web |date=2017-08-15 |title=Harvard Course on Positive Psychology: Watch 30 Lectures from the University's Extremely Popular Course |url=https://www.openculture.com/2017/08/find-happiness-by-watching-30-lectures-from-harvards-extremely-popular-positive-psychology-course.html |website=Open Culture}}</ref> In June 2009, the First World Congress on Positive Psychology took place in [[Philadelphia]].<ref>{{cite web |date=2009-06-18 |title=First World Congress on Positive Psychology Kicks Off Today With Talks by Two of the World's Most Renowned Psychologists |url=http://www.reuters.com/article/pressRelease/idUS130343+18-Jun-2009+PRN20090618 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://archive.today/20120908022121/http://www.reuters.com/article/pressRelease/idUS130343+18-Jun-2009+PRN20090618 |archive-date=2012-09-08 |website=Press Release, International Positive Psychology Association}}</ref>

The field of positive psychology today is most advanced in the United States, Canada, Western Europe, and Australia.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Compton |first1=William C. |title=Positive Psychology: The Science of Happiness and Flourishing |last2=Hoffman |first2=Edward |publisher=Wadsworth Cengage Learning |year=2013 |edition=2nd |location=Belmont, Calif. |isbn=978-1-4080-7711-5 }}{{page needed|date=July 2022}}</ref>