Methodology

Positive Psychology

The scientific study of human flourishing. Foundational research base for strengths-based, wellbeing, and happiness coaching.

At a glance
Type
Methodology
1998
Year founded
347
Studies in Carr 2021 meta-analysis
24
Character strengths (VIA)
5
Elements of PERMA
Overview

About

The question is not what makes people unwell — it is what makes life worth living. Positive Psychology is what happens when you study that with the same scientific rigour we have brought to studying illness.
After Martin Seligman, APA presidential address (1998)
Frequently asked

Questions about Positive Psychology

Positive Psychology is the scientific study of human flourishing — the conditions, character, and choices that allow individuals, groups, and institutions to thrive. Formally launched as a discipline in 1998 by Martin Seligman during his American Psychological Association presidency, Positive Psychology emerged as a deliberate counterbalance to a clinical psychology tradition focused on illness. Its central question is not what makes people unwell but what makes life worth living.

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