Positive Psychology (from Wikipedia)

Positive psychology is a recent branch of psychology that "studies the strengths and virtues that enable individuals and communities to thrive".^[1] Positive psychologists seek "to find and nurture genius and talent", and "to make normal life more fulfilling",^[1] not simply to treat mental illness.^[1] This approach has created a lot of interest around the subject, and in 2006 a course at Harvard University entitled "Positive Psychology" became the most popular course that semester.^[2]

Several humanistic psychologists—such as Abraham Maslow, Carl Rogers, and Erich Fromm—developed theories and practices that involved human happiness. Recently the theories of human flourishing developed by these humanistic psychologists have found empirical support from studies by positive psychologists. Positive psychology has also moved ahead in a number of new directions.

Current researchers in positive psychology include Sonja Lyubomirsky^[3][4], Martin Seligman,^[1] Ed Diener,^[1] Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi,^[1], C. R. Snyder,^[1] Christopher Peterson,^[1] Barbara Fredrickson,^[1] Donald Clifton, Albert Bandura, Shelley Taylor, Charles S. Carver, Michael F. Scheier, Carol Dweck, Ilona Boniwell,^[5] and Jonathan Haidt.^[6]

Positive psychology began as a new area of psychology in 1998 when Martin Seligman, considered the father of the modern positive psychology movement,^[7] chose it as the theme for his term as president of the American Psychological Association,^[8] though the term originates with Maslow, in his 1954 book Motivation and Personality.^[9] Seligman pointed out that for the half century clinical psychology "has been consumed by a single topic only - mental illness",^[10] echoing Maslow’s comments.^[11] He urged psychologists to continue the earlier missions of psychology of nurturing talent and improving normal life.^[1]

The first positive psychology summit took place in 1999. The First International Conference on Positive Psychology took place in 2002.^[1] In June 2009, the First World Congress on Positive Psychology took place.^[12]