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Positive Psychology: The Balance Between Victomology and Happyology

Kriti Sharma

Traditionally, the field of psychology has been focused on dysfunction and disease,

providing a one-sided, misleading view of the human condition. With the advent of positive

psychology, this has changed. A more balanced approach to human experience is now followed

and the usefulness of positive psychology in warding off mental illness is being explored.

However, it has been criticized that by introducing a dichotomy between supposedly positive and

negative emotions and assigning them to one of these two categories, puts one at risk of losing

perspective. Nevertheless, it is concluded that the positive psychology movement is a beneficial

step as it provides a more holistic and well-rounded understanding of the human experience and

both its benefits and it shortcomings.

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The traditional disease model of psychology provides an incomplete, one-sided view of the

human condition and an overpathologizing of daily life. With the advent of positive psychology,

humanitys understanding of itself has developed and can advance further as their virtues are

nurtured.

Before World War II, the field of psychology had three aims: (1) to cure mental illness, (2)

to help all people live productive and fulfilling lives and (3) to identify and nurture talent. In the

two years following the Second World War, both the Veterans Administration and the National

Institute of Mental Health were founded. This altered the course of psychology psychologists

realized they could earn money by treating mental illnesses and academics realized they could earn

money if their psychological research focused on pathology. Psychology essentially became a

discipline wholly centered on a model of illness and dysfunction and, at that stage, was primarily

victomology.

Positive psychology refers to something the pathological model of psychology does not

address. Psychologists understand very well the way in which afflicted individuals survive

adversity but do not know much or appreciate how normal individuals flourish under less harsh

conditions . Psychologists hoped that positive psychology would initiate a change in the focus of

psychology towards building positive attributes and understanding what it is that makes life worth

living. Positive psychology can thus be termed the scientific study of optimal human functioning.

The foremost question of philosophy, according to the French philosopher Camus, is why

one should not commit suicide? The central question is, What makes life worth living?. By

following psychologys traditional disease model, it can be seen that simply curing depression is

not enough. That is, there must be reasons for living, positive attributes which are nurtured by

positive psychology.
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The fundamental concept of positive psychology can be reaffirmed by the American

psychologist Seligmans experience as a father. He realized that raising a child was not simply

focused on fixing what was wrong with them, but rather about nurturing them and encouraging

them and allowing them to develop their strengths. Positive psychology refers to the values of

well-being, of satisfaction in the past, of hope and optimism for the future and for happiness in the

present Happyology.
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Another aspect of psychology of importance is the concern with prevention. It is clear now

that the disease model does not address how one can prevent problems such as depression,

substance abuse or schizophrenia in young people at risk. The noticeable advancements in

prevention have arisen from a perspective not on correcting weakness but rather building

capabilities. Researchers in prevention have uncovered some of the traits that can ward off mental

illness: courage, optimism, faith, hope, honesty and insight.

It is imperative to further the study of and continue advancing the practice of positive

psychology. One main reason is that not everyone will be afflicted with a mental illness during

their lifetime, but it is probable that nearly everyone will want to be happy and lead a fulfilling

life.
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However, focusing too much on either the positive or the negative puts one in danger of

losing persepective. The tendency to assign any emotion to one of two valences, positive or

negative, is a problem with the positive psychology movement. Separating several discrete

emotions into two broad categories (negative or positive) is seen as regressive. This approach can

be seen as unhelpful, as it undervalues the distinctive significance of each discrete emotion. In

reality, emotions arent fixed. They have the potential of being either negative or positive on

different occasions. For example, love can be a positive emotion when shared by two people but

an extremely negative emotion when unrequited. The classification of emotions is thus fluid and

not fixed. This relates to the positive psychology movement by undermining it insofar as it cannot

have solid foundations if the very nature of the traits and attributes it promotes are not intrinsically

positive and can in fact be seen as negative depending on the situation. Shakespeares Hamlet

affirms this as he stated that, There is nothing either good or bad, but thinking makes it so.

Psychotherapy currently is where one explores their troubles and weaknesses, but it would

be equally as beneficial to also build strengths in that instance. Psychologists in training will need

to learn about both negative and positive psychological perspectives in order to balance and

consolidate their understanding of the human experience and to better work with their clients.
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References

Boniwell, I., & Zimbardo, P. (2003). Time to find the right balance. The Psychologist, 16, 129-

131.

Lazarus, R.S. (2003). Does the Positive Psychology Movement Have Legs? Psychological

Inquiry, 14, 93-109.

Linley, P.A., Joseph, S., Harrington, S., & Wood, A.M. (2006). Positive psychology: Past,

present, and (possible) future. Journal of Positive Psychology, 1, 3-16.

Seligman, M.E.P., & Csikszentmihalyi, M. (2000). Positive psychology: An introduction.

American Psychologist, 55, 5-14.

Seligman, M.E.P., Steen, T.A, Park, N., & Peterson, C. (2005). Positive psychology progress:

Empirical validation of interventions. American Psychologist, 60, 410-421.