Positive psychology in the light of Indian traditions – PsyInsight and AmAreWay

Print  | 

In a recente post, AmAre Way reviewed an article originally published on PsyInsight, which describes positive psychology in the light of Indian traditions, as seen by Dr. Salagame. K. Kiran Kumar (Professor of Psychology, University of Mysore).

Positive psychology, has defined by WikiPedia, is a branch of psychology whose purpose was summed up by Martin Seligman and Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi: “We believe that a psychology of positive human functioning will arise that achieves a scientific understanding and effective interventions to build thriving in individuals, families, and communities.”Positive psychologists seek “to find and nurture genius and talent”, and “to make normal life more fulfilling”, not simply to treat mental illness. The emerging field of Positive Psychology is intended to complement, not to replace traditional psychology. By scientifically studying what has gone right, rather than wrong in both individuals and societies, Positive Psychology hopes to achieve a renaissance of sorts. This approach has created a lot of interest around the subject, and around 2002, college courses on positive psychology taught by Martin Seligman, Michael Frisch, and others arrived. Little attention was given by the general public until 2006 when using the same framework, a course at Harvard University became particularly popular.

Indian philosophy (in Sanskrit: Darshanas), may refer to any of several traditions of philosophical thought that originated in the Indian subcontinent, including Hindu philosophy, Buddhist philosophy, and Jain philosophy. Having the same or rather intertwined origins, all of these philosophies have a common underlying theme of Dharma, and similarly attempt to explain the attainment of emancipation. They have been formalized and promulgated chiefly between 1,000 BC to a few centuries A.D, with residual commentaries and reformations continuing up to as late as the 20th century by Aurobindo and ISKCON among others, who provided stylized interpretations.

The meeting of Positive psychology and Indian traditions is very useful to grow happiness and meaning in the 21st century.

AmAre stands for “being”: Aware and Accepting; Meaningful and Motivated; Active and Attentive; Resilient and Respectful; Eating properly and Exercising. In Italian, it means “to love”; in English, interconnectedness: (I)Am (we) are. Bridging Dharma, cognitive neuroscience, philosophy, psychology.

Other press releases from AmAre Way c/o Institute of Subjective Well-Being

• Authentic Happiness Formula: A course in happiness & meaning - November 23rd, 2010
• New Year’s resolution 2011: a photographic essay of New Year’s resolution - November 23rd, 2010
• Zen: Bibliography and Webiography - November 22nd, 2010
• Why Animals Are Biologically Conscious - November 22nd, 2010
• Making Australia Happy: Making Australia Happy ABC reality show - November 22nd, 2010