What do you think of when reading the words Positive Psychology?
“Just smile!”
“Keep your head up”
“Don’t look at the past, just look at the future”
“Don’t worry, be happy!”
You might think of positive psychology in terms of those examples. At least, that is what many people may think when hearing it the first time, and to be honest, I myself thought so as well.
In fact, positive psychology is very different from that. What makes this approach to psychology “positive” is the way how we see individuals compared to other “traditionally medical” approaches. Instead of seeing what is wrong with you, we acknowledge that there are things that are actually right with the way you are, and this is more than you might think. You do not only have deficits, weaknesses, pathologies, illnesses, and diagnoses which label you to be ultimately sick.
How Did Positive Psychology Emerge?
For a long time, psychology focussed on only one of 3 main themes within its discipline: Curing the mentally ill. With that, (clinical) psychologists started to see people as patients. Patients have a whole range of faults, deficits, weaknesses, illnesses, pathologies and psychologists are very good, and even trained, to find those misbehaviours in every little aspect of their patients. Every bit of the illness must have a diagnosis, a label which they can print on the person to describe how miserable they are. But are human beings really just that? Are they just a pile of ill-behaviour and faults presenting themselves to a clinician to be treated as such?
Mostly because of the horrors of the 2 world wars, clinicians were deemed to cure traumatised people, as fast and as efficient as possible. That means, psychologists and medical doctors wanted people to function, to fulfil their duty and to stop behaving in unacceptable ways. Their value as humans was seen in terms of functional workforce, as being a functional member of society and not posing a vice to the public.
Unfortunately not too much has happened since then. If you look at the current healthcare system (or you even experienced it yourself) you might observe a very similar disease-oriented scheme still today. Patients come in and out, they get some time granted by the health insurance to “get fixed” and if this is done, they should continue with their life that has made them so dissatisfied in the first place. Is this what we call true “health” and happiness? I propose that what we call “healthcare system” is rather a “disease-care system”.
About half a century ago, some psychologists raised those questions and started to focus on the 2 neglected main themes of their discipline: To nurture people’s individual strengths and talents in order to really flourish in life. People strive to look back at the end of their lives and feel that they were truly fulfilled and happy, not functional and empty.
The Aims of Positive Psychology
The aim of Positive Psychology is simply said: to help humans thrive and flourish in their own unique way, and achieve true fulfilment and well-being. Contrary to the belief that humans in need are just ill people with damaged brains carrying a bag of wrongness with them, we recognize that every person possesses a wealth of strengths, talents, and individual resources that define who we are and what we can accomplish in our life.
Instead of merely “coping” with deeply inner wounds, we can utilise and tap into our individual strengths and unique talents to conquer the challenge of true healing, self-leadership, and self-actualization. Positive Psychology concerns itself with concepts such as mindfulness, resilience, hope, values, spirituality, gratitude and how we can unlock our full human potential. It is the study of positive emotions and optimal psychoscoial well-being.
To say it in the words of two of its main founders:
“it is much larger. It is about work, education, insight, love, growth, and play. And in this quest for what is best, positive psychology does not rely on wishful thinking, faith, self-deception, fads, or hand waving; it tries to adapt what is best in the scientific method to the unique problems that human behavior presents to those who wish to understand it in all its complexity“
Seligman & Csickszentmihalyi (2000, p. 7)
At this point, you may be wondering how Positive Psychology can help individuals struggling with severe mental health challenges.
The Clinical Part of Positive Psychology
The truth is, the approach is not just about “being positive.” Rather, we recognize that true healing and growth come from understanding and embracing all aspects of our being – the good, the bad, and everything in between.
In my view, humans are not categorizable in terms of illness. There is no one word that can label a person in what the person truly is. Depressed, anxious, schizophrenic, bipolar, all those labels have a meaning, but the meaning is to give a name to specific symptoms someone shows, not the person itself. There is no “majorly depressed person”, but a person showing depressive symptoms. There is no “anxiety-disordered person” but a person showing intense anxiety.
We have to stop labelling people according to the symptoms they show, and ask ourselves what the actual reason is for those symptoms. These humans do not need a tool and some tips and tricks to cope with their symptoms, they need the space and time to truly heal from what has caused them to show those symptoms. A person showing intense anxiety might do so because the person cannot deal with the environment, with a certain situation. There is nothing inherently wrong with this person. In fact, the strength of the person to be very sensitive to outside influences might cause the person to feel threatened by specific situations.
Positive Clinical Psychology is concerned with the actual holistic individual, not only their symptoms. What strengths and ressources are available at the moment? What is your unfair advantage over others? How can we prevent such destructive behaviours while fostering a more positive alternative instead? Looking for exceptions and solutions is key here.
It is not our weaknesses and deficits that lead to our symptoms, but the strengths and talents that our mind once evoked to protect ourselves. Someone whose strength is to be very diligent and determined might fall into perfectionism and overthinking. Someone whose strength it is to be harmonious might fall into anxiety and paralyses in threatening social situations.
Is Positive Clinical Psychology Alone Effective In Clinical Treatment?
The short answer is: yes. The long answer is: partially.
Positive Clinical Psychology alone can be effective in clinical treatment, but its effectiveness can be enhanced when combined with other approaches. As in Positive Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT), or systemic approaches like Internal Family Systems (IFS), Positive Clinical Psychology can glance at its best.
In my opinion, Positive Clinical Psychology is a vital and long needed step forward towards a holistic and well-being-oriented clinical approach. It brings together the most effective, researched, and holistic approaches of our time. It fosters acceptance, strengths, compassion and resilience, which lie at the heart of virtually all evidence-based therapies.
This is the very reason why I specialise and confidently utilise Positive Clinical Psychology (PCP). By using PCP we can conduct true inner work and come to impactful, long-term holistic healing and well-being.
My goal is to help you achieve lasting change and transformation, so you can live a fulfilling and meaningful life, up to its best!
References
Seligman, M.E.P., & Csickszentmihalyi, M. (2000). “Positive Psychology: An Introduction.” American Psychologist 55(1), 5-14