Last year I first heard of Positive Psychology during a course I attended at UnB, and believe
me, it was love at first sight. Just like its founder, Prof Martin Seligman, I
found my motto and what was missing in Psychology. But let me begin from the
beginning and explain what Positive Psychology is and is not.
For over 50 years, Psychology has had a pathology-
based view on human functioning, which has proved to be really valid. A wide
range of mental illnesses have been described and categorized. Psychologists
can now not only identify, but treat and even cure one or another mental
problem. And psychologists and other
experts have been able to produce a compendium of disorders, now the DSM- V (Diagnostic
and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders). But it is about time to shift
interests and to get away from repairing damage or healing only, to developing
positive qualities. What about the positive aspects of human experience? What
is right in human beings that promote well being?
Positive Psychology is a relatively new field of
Psychology that examines how people can become happier and more fulfilled. It
is the scientific study of the strengths that enable individuals to thrive.
Human beings want to lead a meaningful life and enhance their experiences of
love, work and play. Positive
features that make life worth living, such as hope, wisdom, creativity, future
mindedness, courage, spirituality, responsibility, and perseverance have been
ignored or explained as transformations of more authentic negative impulses.
Then positive psychology has been trying to understand and build factors that
allow individuals and communities to flourish.
However, it should not be
understood as the science of happiness. Nor should it be mistaken with
self-help philosophies. It is based on a cumulative body of scientific
research.
Also, positive psychology is not only about thinking positively. To
think so is really naive. Part of the misinterpretation comes from the book titles
on happiness. According
to Dr. Seligman, “a complete science and a complete practice of psychology
should include an understanding of suffering and happiness, as well as their
interaction, and validated interventions that both relieve suffering and increase
happiness— two separable endeavors (Seligman et al., 2005).”
Then how can we apply it to EFL? It is well known that
a positive school climate predicts both the teacher
and student satisfaction. If the teacher invests in positive psychology, he/she
will have students in class who have a positive outlook, try hard, and help
others, present fewer negative behaviors and greater motivation. So positive
psychology teaches social and emotional learning skills that change how much --
and how well -- students learn by changing how they feel. In my next post, I
will be describing a few exercises that teachers could do in the classrooms.
Patrícia Villa da Costa Ferreira-PhD
