Happy? (What is Positive Psychology)

This week is Core Course week at DIS! All of our regular classes are cancelled and we spend one week doing intensive work with our core courses in preparation for the first study tour (overnight field trips) to destinations in other parts of Denmark/Scandinavia. Half of DIS students will have their study tour from Monday to Wednesday of this week and the other half (including my class) will be gone from Thursday to Saturday. During the part of the week when your class is not on tour, you meet for day-long workshops to bond with classmates and begin to really dive into course material. 

Today my class (Positive Psychology) met and did a bunch of activities including small group discussions, conducting interviews about happiness with random Danes on the streets (more on that in my next post), and watching a documentary called Happy about positive psychology/happiness around the world. We will continue tomorrow and then have Wednesday off before our Thursday 7am departure. I will post tomorrow evening with info about the overall pre-departure experience, but for now I figure it would be important for me to give you a little more information about exactly what positive psychology is.

(The rest of this post is more academic (though I've tried to keep it short), so if you aren't interested feel free to skip this section.)

Defining Positive Psychology 

Before coming to DIS, I knew little to nothing about positive psychology. After our first course reading I was excited. After our first class I was intrigued. Now, by the middle of week three, I am hooked! 

Before I write more in future posts about my classes, realizations, and experiences on study tours (long class field trips to Western Denmark and London) I figure I should explain a bit about what positive psych actually is. Below I have written my own explanation of the roots, methods, goals, and application of positive psychology. Keep in mind that this is a description that I have come up with, not something from the books. My prof has helped me to tailor it, but it still needs work. We'll see how my understanding/definition changes over the course of the semester.

My definition/explanation: 

Positive psychology is a scientific discipline that uses research to develop ways to enhance the quality of life, productivity, and sense of fulfillment in individuals, communities, and societies around the world. It seeks to understand the mechanisms by which we flourish. 

[Important note: It is not the study of happiness (which is a transient state), but instead is the study of wellbeing (a quality/satisfaction with life).]

It is a movement within the field of psychology to look beyond the study of mental illness and to increase the scope of the discipline. It aims to additionally (not solely) investigate the things that contribute to optimal functioning rather solely focusing on how to bring someone to an adequate level of functioning. 

At a personal level, positive psychology uses scientific method and core principles to help us understand how to enhance the way we think about and experience our lives. It informs practitioners and decision makers who in turn help us discover and apply the things that make us feel good in the long term in part by appreciating the things that happen every day. 

Skeptics say that it isn't real psychology. Skeptics say that it implies all other psychology is "negative" or bad. Skeptics say that it undermines the importance of clinical research and treatment. Skeptics say that it isn't based on real science and that the benefits are only imagined. Today, it remains controversial, but the fact of the matter is simple: many skeptics don't truly understand what positive psychology is about. 

I'm only now beginning to get an idea of how positive psychology is studied and applied, but I can tell you its pretty exciting stuff. I will be sure to keep you updated throughout the semester.