(Happiness - Subjective Well-Being Cont. 3)
More Theories on Happiness
Positive Psychology
Positive psychology has been described as the psychology of potential, ie
"...What 'could be' as compared to what 'is'..."
Martin Seligman as quoted by Heather Craig, 2019.
It is changing focus from pathology to examining the development of positive qualities for individuals, communities, ie it
"...Aims to understand and cultivate the factors individuals, communities, societies in a position where they are able to 'flourish'......state of optimum well-being......happiness can be thought of as experiencing predominantly positive emotion......rather than negative ones.....positive emotions are a sign of flourishing, or, in other words, happiness..."
B. Fredrickson as quoted by Heather Craig, 2019
Some theories around positive psychology
1. Authentic happiness theory (
"...the notion of authentic happiness results from a person living according to their 'signature strengths' which develop as people become aware of their own personal strength and take ownership of them..."
Martin Seligman as quoted by Heather Craig, 2019)
2. Csikszentmihalyi's flow theory (flow is defined as
"...The state of engagement, optimal happiness, and peak experience that occurs when an individual is absorbed into a demanding and intrinsically motivating challenge......this state of engagement has been proposed to be a pathway to happiness..."
J. Norrish et al as quoted by Heather Craig, 2019
The notion that happiness is relative, ie comparing one situation against another situation has been refuted, ie
"...Comparison may affect the cognitive or life-satisfaction aspect of happiness, at the affective component results from the hedonic experience (meeting one's fundamental needs) and is therefore quite separate from any comparison..."
J. Norrish et al as quoted by Heather Craig, 2019)
3. PERMA model flourishing (psychological described in 5 domains:
"...- Positive emotions
- Engagement
- Relationships
- Meaning
- Accomplishment..."
Heather Craig, 2019
The 3 ways that psychologists tend to study happiness
1. Need and goal satisfaction theories (happiness results from striving to achieve appropriate goals and meeting one's fundamental human needs; under Self-determination theory, ie well-being is achieved when you meet your basic human needs, including autonomy, competence and relatedness)
2. Generic and personality predisposition theories (well-being is influenced by genes and is associated with personality traits of extraversion and nueroticism; well-being does not change much over time)
3. Process/activity theory (well-being may be improved by participating in activities that are engaging and require effort).
More theories
- the 'hedonic treadmill' or 'homoeostatic control' (this involves adaptation that leads to relatively stable levels of happiness; individuals experience temporary high /lows in either negative or positive impact, like lottery winners, paralysis victims, etc, while over time they revert to thier 'normal' range)
- Happiness set point (happiness cannot be enhanced, ie it is relatively stable over time; it is a' trait' or a personal disposition experiencing a certain effect)
NB Generally it is felt that it is better to 'replay' your happiest moments rather than over-analysing or trying to make sense of a happy experience; it is suggested that
"...individuals should feel content in reliving and savouring happy experiences rather than trying to understand their meaning or causes..."
Sonya Lyubomirsky as quoted by Heather Craig, 2019)
Furthermore, you need to be careful that you don't overplay your desire to feel happy, as it can be detrimental in terms of well-being.