Positive Psychology Article Summaries

UK Experiencing Embrace, Awareness of Positive Psychology

A GoodTherapy.org News Headline While the ideals behind positive psychology have been popular in the United States for some time, other countries have experienced a slower relationship pace with concepts involving non-pathologizing, optimistic treatments. In particular, the UK has somewhat slowly picked up on the trend, but as noted in a recent editorial in the New Statesman, the nation is beginning to show signs of positive change in terms of its mental health treatments and professional culture. By moving away from older models of care focused on treating psychological “disease” and limiting client potential, the ... Read the rest of this entry »

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First World Congress on Positive Psychology Descends on Philadelphia

A GoodTherapy.org News Summary In the mental health professions, scores of conventions and symposiums take place each year, in fields from psychology to psychiatry, social work to school counseling, and everything in between. Events take place within the contexts of academia, as well as the professional world. The annual meeting and convention circuit has been taking on more new causes for congregating lately, though, and the First World Congress on Positive Psychology is a great example of the emergence of new and potentially powerful events. The Congress took place in Philadelphia, sometimes hailed ... Read the rest of this entry »

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Positive Psychology: Dismissing the Dark Side?

Positive psychology has been gaining quite a bit of momentum over the past decade or so, with more mental health professionals tuning into its tenets, and several international events cropping up to help grow the field. There's little doubt that the area has vast potential to teach both professionals and their clients much in terms of a different approach to life, but there is also some contention over whether positive psychology is too dismissive of what some would term the “dark side.” As with many things in life, positive psychology is experiencing a call to become more balanced, and both proponents and critics are awaiting ... Read the rest of this entry »

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Positive Psychology Meets the iPod

For many mental health professionals, it may have seemed simply a matter of time before the iPod was able to absorb some component of positive psychology and offer its customers a way to quickly pick up a brighter outlook. Well, the day has come; there isn't an iTherapist quite yet, but a new application developed specifically for the platform focuses on positive psychology proponent Sonja Lyubomirsky's steps to bring a better perspective into everyday activities. The application, which is less of a commercial effort than it is a creative way for Lyubomirsky to collect research data from an impressively large sample, allows users to keep ... Read the rest of this entry »

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Please add your comments about Positive Psychology - (click here to add a comment)

sunsy 2009-07-05 23:51:34

Thanks for the information.
kendra a. 2009-07-05 21:23:59

iTherapist! :) what a concept..funny....but really it's a bit scary how technology is taking the world over. at least for this old-timer. interesting, study though.
Yvonne 2009-07-06 05:09:12

I have to check this out! My exercise time is my therapy time anyway so nothing could be better than to combine the two!
Shannon 2009-07-07 10:13:41

I do like this idea, but then it is a little concerning that I need something to remind me to send out some nice notes to friends. Are we that far gone as a society that this is something that just naturally gets left to the wayside? If so I know that I have to do a better job of keeping up with those kinds of things!
sunny 2009-07-08 22:07:53

Good Information. Really it is helpful to everyone. Thanks
Doc Wagner 2009-07-13 07:13:24

The irony in healing is that we often need to visit those darker places of pain, shame, guilt, fear, worthlessness, etc., in order to heal and overcome. The idea that we can somehow break free of our negative thoughts, beliefs, and somatic reactions via affirmation, without ever tending to those vulnerable places is one of the greatest mistakes a healer can make. No matter how positive one's thinking is, if such a person does not care for and grieve the part of them from the past that has suffered or been wounded or experienced some injustice, they will continue to be plagued by the wound...that is a clear of a fact as I can see based on my forty years of experience as a therapist. It's about time someone helped to reign in positive psychology and restore some balance.
miker 2009-07-13 07:25:19

Bravo and well said Dr. Wagner! I second that.
FrancisW. 2009-07-13 18:13:08

The article makes a valid point. Doc Wagner is right. Until you're willing to look at yourself warts and all healing is far away. Perceiving everything in the garden as rosy doesn't work. Face the thorny overgrown parts too.
Austin 2009-07-14 12:14:01

negative nellies are never going to be convinced though
Samuel 2009-07-13 16:46:48

The negative aspects that had been focused on before positive psychology came to the fore were not in balance either. Mental health problems have carried an undeserved stigma for too long. Could that association with so much negativity be why? Psychology needs to redress the balance in more areas than simply positive psychology.
karim 2009-09-24 03:27:57

Very thoughtful post on positive psychology .It should be very much helpful. Thanks, Karim -
Dr. Kendall McKnight, DD 2010-03-19 16:18:31

My comment is very simple. If your sick get the help that you need. Don't let fear keep you from getting professional help. studies have shown those who get professional help to cope with a problem do a whole lot better in life than those who don't. Thank you and God Bless, Dr. Kendall McKnight
Trish 2010-03-15 10:50:51

Good message and hopeful future!
fernando 2010-03-16 00:42:09

awareness is very important and when there is wide-spread awareness about a new technique, it helps in improving the entire field of concern and thereby towards better and more efficient methods...
NATALIE 2010-03-15 07:41:47

Good to know that better and advanced methods are being embraced all over...its just the coming of age of the medical field... Just like it has happened before...from the cruel 'witch hunting' techniques to the medication methods, this switch is an important one too!
Todd H 2010-03-14 09:07:56

Great. Those are improvements that many have been looking to for a long time and that needed to be made.
chris 2010-03-14 10:57:10

it is always better to cure people by methods that do not involve the use of meds as much as possible...I have always believed this is the right thing to do,as have many experts from the medical fraternity.great to see that it is actually being followed now.
Madeleine 2010-03-15 06:23:27

The more that these issues are treated in a positive manner the more likely it is that one will heal
justin kemp 2010-03-14 17:43:53

it is nice to see that more people and in general more countries are promoting and believing in the power of positive psychology.what it does is that it ensures that the patient is not just superficially or temporarily cures;as is the case with general medication.it makes sure that the person is cured of the problem in his mind and that in turn makes sure,more often than not,that the problem does not recur.

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Positive Psychology