Positive Pyschology

Positive Psychology

What is positive psychology? Positive psychology is the scientific study of how humans achieve happiness and mental satisfaction, in order to discovery how people can lead meaningful lives. This supplement to the traditional psychology chooses not to focus on negative life aspects but focus on the principle that all people want to live happy, fulfilled lives. Positive psychology is intended to build strengths in people and to enhance their experiences of love, work, and play.

Dr. Seligman founded the movement and wanted to make the field of psychology more versatile. He felt psychology focused too much on curing psychological problems and not on what makes people satisfied with their everyday life. Dr. Seligman centralized the concept of positive psychology around factors like love, empathy, self-control, wisdom, commitment, happiness, self-respect, hope, and friendship.

The concept I want to discuss is love. Love is considered to be the basis of our survival as an infant only if an adult is willing to give it. Forming an emotional bond between caregiver and infant is considered attachment. As stated by theorist Ainsworth and Bowlby, attachment serves as an important function throughout your lifespan (379). Their theory states that attachment provides a sense of security and comfort for an infant and in order for this infant to thrive mentally and physically depends on their level of attachment exposure. There are three components that contribute to attachment which is closeness, care, and commitment. The component closeness is considered an important characteristic of attachment which brings us together. Care helps establishes the strength of the relationship over long term. As for commitment, it holds relationships together and provides the security of the relationship. Research has shown that if infants were not provided with the right amount of attachment that the negative results are not fixed and can be corrected later in life.

Robert Sternberg's triangular theory of love looks at three components which are passion, intimacy, and commitment. Passion is the motivation that reflects attraction, romance, and sexual desire. Intimacy involves sharing a person's innermost thoughts, trust, and feelings of closeness. Commitment is the component in which one has made the decision to maintain a long relationship. Sternberg believed that various combinations of these components lead to different types of love. For example, romantic love is said to be a combination of passion with intimacy and compassionate love is intimacy with commitment.

John Harvey and Julia Omarzu have a theory about promoting and building close relationships. These two theorists believe that both individuals must have reciprocal behaviors and thinking patterns in order for the relationship to thrive. They also state that there must be continuity, which partners must continue to learn about each other, respect the other's values, and engage in positive attributions for their behaviors.

Last but not least in the theory of relationships there are some effective strategies in strengthening love. First strategy suggests taking the time to talk to your partner. When partners take the time to talk to each other it allows them to communicate and understand how they feel. Second, handle conflict constructively with partner. Theory suggest that was should respect each other and override anger and accept our partners different values. Third, express admiration for your partner. It is suggested that partners give positive statements about each other regularly. Fourth, show affection to your partner. It is suggested that couples show physical affection, have on weekly date, and show genuine appreciation. Fifth, create shared meaning for your partner. Develop interests, activities, and hobbies that can be shared together to strengthen the bond with your partner. Six, model Michelangelo which demonstrates that love thrived and endured when the relationship's meaning was interpreted through both partner's ability to focus on and achieve the personal growth that each held dear.

After reviewing Seligman's film clip on love he basically states that the more illusions we have on our partner the better the relationship. He claims that people try to live up to the expectations our partner has on us and by doing so it builds a strong love. Dr. Seligman suggested that people should go to the website www.authentichappiness.org and take the authentic happiness questionnaire to get an idea in ways to strengthen and improve our life.

One current research I found regarding love by Anna Miller gave some other strategies in strengthening love. According to Anna Miller's research, know that a little goes a long way in a relationship. It states that men need positive affirmations the most and if they didn't feel affirmed