Happiness & positive psychology:
A proactive approach to life

Traditional psychotherapy has been focused on treating illnesses and dysfunctions. In recent years, there has been a trend in the psychotherapy professions to pay attention to happiness and well-being, as opposed to exclusively focus on dysfunctions. This is what Martin Seligman and others have called "positive psychology".

Being happy and fulfilled is good for you. The following is an excerpt from a study Barbara L. Fredrickson and colleagues:

"In sum, the work reported here illuminates one reason, beyond intrinsic pleasure, for the pursuit of happiness: Positive emotions help downregulate the potentially health-damaging cardiovascular reactivity that lingers following negative emotions. This effect may be especially critical for those most at risk for developing coronary heart disease. Nonetheless, the undoing effect is likely to be just one of many reasons to pursue positive emotions. The broaden-and-build theory describes many others (Fredrickson, 1998, in press-a, in press-b). Chief among these is that experiences of positive emotions are thought to build individuals’ lasting personal resources. By consequence, positive emotions could be tapped to optimize people’s health and well-being (Fredrickson, 2000). It appears then that we have reasons other than pure hedonism to pursue positive emotions."

Source: The Undoing Effect of Positive Emotions, in Motivation and Emotion, Vol. 24, No. 4, 2000

It is interesting to note how positive psychology came into being. Martin Seligman realized that he was “a pessimist and depressive and someone of high critical intelligence” and that he needed to change… (He) decided to put his considerable talents into finding out “what made life worth living”.

In quoting the above, I want to point out two key components:
(1) self-awareness (this is how I am, this not how I want to be); and
(2) a proactive attitude (I will find a way to be how I want to be).

To me, the crucial shift is the proactive attitude. It’s not just that we’re now focusing on the positive, on happiness (after all, people have always been wanting to be happy). But we’re now talking about the process of actively pursuing happiness (as opposed to simply hoping for it).

This is why, in my practice, I prefer to describe this as “a proactive approach to life” as opposed to a “positive psychology”.

I see my work as helping my clients experience other perspectives on life. This gives you the possibility of choosing how you want to behave from an expanded repertoire of possibilities, as opposed to just the “default mode” you have been living with.

See: Proactive psychotherapy

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