Personal Reflection Paper on Positive Psychology Class

Positive psychology takes a different approach to human issues compared to other forms of psychology. One of the founding fathers of positive psychology Martin Seligman helps bring out a clear picture of how positive psychology develops. His description of authentic happiness may not be what is reasonable to people. His relation to happiness and health shows that individuals who are viewed to be physically healthy may not be necessarily happier than those who seem physically unhealthy (Seligman, 2015). His argument is that physical health may not necessarily be a determinant of happiness. My knowledge before enlightenment by Seligman was that people who exercise and keep fit tend to be happier than those who seem unfit. I love exercising and being at the gym and consider myself to be physically healthy. In my view, my fitness contributes to my happiness to a given level. However, it is evident that that may not necessarily be the case for other individuals.

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Warmer weather is often characteristic of happier people. Positive psychology shows that during winter or the cold season people may develop some form of depression. It is clear that cold weather causes more misery as compared to warmer weather which exuberates happiness in the individuals. My personal experiences from when we moved to North Dakota which is cold proved that cold weather may cause depression because I was always miserable. It will help especially when dealing with individuals who come from such areas because it will be a casual factor for any stressful issues they may be experiencing. Positive psychology involves signature strengths just as Seligman brings them out. They are characteristic of an individual who needs to find fulfillment and generate an overall happiness in his or her life. He talks about spirituality, courage, temperance, wisdom-knowledge, justice, humanity-love and kindness. It is clear that these virtues will enhance our interaction with other individuals in a positive way. It, therefore, means that it will be easy to develop a sense of happiness or move towards a happier life through the practice of these virtues in our daily lives. They trickle down to the career choices we make in that they will enhance our encounter with the organization and other individuals within the company. It will help in developing a positive working relationship with fellow employees and thus improve our levels of happiness and positivity.

Careers are often an aspect of our lives where it is necessary to find fulfillment. As Seligman asserts it is necessary that we mold our careers into what we love doing and the six virtues are necessary for ensuring that this happens. They will help in developing a sense of belonging with our chosen careers other than just doing it for the sake of the pay. It is in such instances that any individual who loves the career path that e or she takes that it is easier to deal with stress levels in life and avoid conditions like depression.

As Seligman recommends people need to work on developing their happiness and it is where he brings in the issue of authentic happiness. It may not be easy always to be happy, but it is necessary that one works towards developing a sense of genuine happiness in life. Stressful events will always be present, and it is not guaranteed that one will not go through such. It is, however, necessary that people identify their limit especially regarding stress and go for activities that help in reducing their levels of stress thus generating authentic happiness. Character strengths and virtues are also important aspects of positive psychology, which mainly help in self-awareness, and the improvement of personal accomplishments. I took the test from the positive psychology center to help me in identifying my top strengths. One was fairness, equity, and justices, which dictate that an individual will strive for the fair treatment of others. There was also the capacity to love and be loved where there is value in other creating relations with other people and getting reciprocation from them.

There was also leadership where there is excellence in one's leadership skills through engaging with other people while keeping harmony with them. My other strength was kindness and generosity where it is necessary to have time to help other people and be kind and generous to everyone. There was also modesty, and humility actions need to speak for one's accomplishments and not seek the spotlight for personal gains and satisfaction. I would say that the strengths clearly describe who I am because they depicted my specific strengths and virtues. However, their order was a surprise to me because what I would have had as the first strength was not what the test brought out. I would take my top strength to be fairness and equality followed by kindness and generosity; love would have been the third, modesty and humility fourth and leadership as the fifth. I believe that the above sequence describes me better that what come out through the test.

Happiness and well-being are also concepts in positive psychology, which in the class dealt mainly caring for children while applying the concepts of happiness and well-being. It is the work of parents to provide their children direction and the opportunity to inculcate happiness and well-being within and in their lives. It is however not healthy if there is room for too much choice as Dr. Ilona Boniwell describes. Parents will always which happiness for their children but in many cases does not help their children learn how to develop happiness from a young age. Children will need to assist in identifying what choices to go for, and in making decisions to settle for a particular thing other than going for everything, which may cause unnecessary distress and pressure for them. The comparison is also dangerous according to Dr. Ilona. The only thing that can result from comparison especially to a person who seems ahead of us in one aspect of the other is a negative frame of thinking and therefore unnecessary distress. It is, therefore, necessary to be satisfied with what we have and know that in life we can never be at the same level but there will be people better than us, and there will be those who are behind us.

How ones life often stems from their mind and consequently the brain. It was interesting to learn that the older we get, the thinner our mind becomes. It was a new a surprising concept for me. However, Diane recommended the use of meditation in maintaining the health of our brains. Meditation is a form of therapy which helps keep the mind at ease thus ensuring that the rest of the person remains calm (Winston, 2017). The clinical application of psychology also offered a point of insight. There was a picture demonstration that depicted positivity and negativity not only our lives but in society as a whole. It is always easy to notice happiness in other people because they will easily express happiness. However, sadness becomes a matter that people will want to hide from others. It is the reason why one will smile even when sad to avoid being questioned concerning the problem.

Dr. Seligman went ahead to talk about sources of happiness, and it was interesting to identify that many of the positive emotions individuals experience are fifty percent inherited and the individual has the power to increase these levels by ten to fifteen percent in the course of his or her life. An integration of positive psychology into the class also presented an interesting part of the course for me. It offered an opportunity for practicality and the chance for people to voice their strengths and learn how to apply these strengths in various organizations. It was also the opportunity to identify how one can integrate their strengths into their life to deal with their fears and incorporate these fears to a level where they are not points of distress. I find the class to be interesting so far and the information is applicable to all aspects of life. It offers the basis for generating happiness in ones life thereby living a fulfilling life.

References

Winston, Diana. (2017). The Practice of Mindfulness. Retrieved February 20, 2017 from http://www.allmeditate.com/mindfulness-videos-youtube/Seligman, Martin. (2015, June 30). Martin Seligman Authentic Happiness Discussion. Retrieved January 28, 2017 from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Em-VqtpNrgg