Editing Positive psychology (section)

===PERMA===
[[File:Perma.svg|alt= PERMA: Positive Emotions, Engagement, Relationships, Meaning and purpose, and Accomplishments.|thumb|PERMA model]]
In ''Flourish'' (2011), Seligman argued that the last category of his proposed three kinds of a happy life, "meaningful life", can be considered as three different categories. The resulting summary for this theory is the [[mnemonic]] acronym [[Martin Seligman#Well-being|PERMA]]: Positive Emotions, Engagement, Relationships, Meaning and purpose, and Accomplishments.<ref name=":1" /><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.edge.org/q2011/q11_2.html |title=The World Question Center 2011|page=2 |publisher=Edge.org |access-date=2011-02-07 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110210015906/http://edge.org/q2011/q11_2.html |archive-date=2011-02-10 |url-status=dead }}</ref>
; Positive emotions: include a wide range of feelings, not just happiness and joy,<ref name=Seligman2011>{{cite book |last=Seligman |first=M.&nbsp;E.&nbsp;P. |author-link=Martin Seligman |year=2011 |title=Flourish: A Visionary New Understanding of Happiness and Well-Being |location=New York |publisher=Free Press |isbn=978-1-4391-9076-0 }}</ref>{{rp|at=ch.&nbsp;1}} but excitement, satisfaction, pride, and [[awe]], amongst others. These are connected to positive outcomes, such as longer life and healthier social relationships.<ref name=":6">{{Cite web |title=Martin Seligman & Positive Psychology |url=https://www.pursuit-of-happiness.org/history-of-happiness/martin-seligman-psychology/ |access-date=2022-04-08 |website=Pursuit of Happiness}}</ref>
; Engagement: refers to involvement in activities that draw and build upon one's interests. Csikszentmihalyi explains true engagement as ''flow'', a state of deep effortless involvement,<ref name=":1" /> a feeling of intensity that leads to a sense of [[Ecstasy (emotion)|ecstasy]] and clarity.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.ted.com/talks/mihaly_csikszentmihalyi_flow_the_secret_to_happiness?language=en|first=Mihaly|last=Csikszentmihalyi|title=Flow, the secret to happiness|website=TED|date=23 October 2008 }}</ref> The task being done must call upon a particular skill and it should be possible while being a little bit challenging. Engagement involves [[Passion (emotion)|passion]] for and concentration on the task at hand—complete absorption and loss of self-consciousness.{{r|Seligman2011|at=ch.&nbsp;1}}
; Relationships: are essential in fueling positive emotions,<ref name=":4" /> whether they are work-related, familial, romantic, or platonic. As Peterson puts it, "other people matter."<ref>{{cite web|first=Jaime Booth|last=Cundy|url=https://www.psychologytoday.com/intl/blog/the-beauty-in-the-beast/201210/other-people-matter|title=Other People Matter|website=Psychology Today|date=2012-10-10}}</ref> Humans receive, share, and spread positivity to others through relationships. Relationships are important in bad times and good times. Relationships can be strengthened by reacting to one another positively. Typically positive things take place in the presence of other people.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://health.usnews.com/health-news/family-health/brain-and-behavior/articles/2009/06/24/using-positive-psychology-in-your-relationships|title=Using Positive Psychology in Your Relationships|first=Lindsay|last=Lyon|date=2009-06-24|website=U.S. News}}</ref>
; Meaning: is also known as ''purpose'', and answers the question of "why?" Discovering a clear "why" puts everything into context from work to relationships to other parts of life.<ref name=":4">{{cite book |doi=10.4324/9781003082866-1 |chapter=Positive psychology and wellbeing |title=Positive Psychology |date=2022 |last1=Carr |first1=Alan |pages=1–29 |isbn=978-1-003-08286-6 }}</ref> Finding meaning is learning that there is something greater than oneself. Working with meaning drives people to continue striving for a desirable goal.
; Accomplishments: are the pursuit of success and mastery.{{r|Seligman2011|at=ch.&nbsp;1}} Unlike the other parts of PERMA, they are sometimes pursued even when accomplishments do not result in positive emotions, meaning, or relationships. Accomplishments can activate other elements of PERMA, such as pride, under positive emotion.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://awesomeculture.com/2011/09/13/the-science-of-a-happy-startup/|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110924214108/http://awesomeculture.com/2011/09/13/the-science-of-a-happy-startup/|archive-date=2011-09-24|first=Dave|last=Kashen|date=2011-09-13|title=The Science of a Happy Startup}}</ref> Accomplishments can be individual or community-based, fun-based, or work-based.

Each of the five PERMA elements was selected according to three criteria:
# It contributes to well-being.
# It is pursued for its own sake.
# It is defined and measured independently of the other elements.