Martin Seligman, founder of positive psychology

2024 Author: Miguel Ramacey | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 06:11

Martin Seligman is the founder of the psychology of joy and happiness. This American scientist has created a unique concept of positive thinking that has a positive effect on the mind. In his books, he clearly outlined a set of feelings, human states that help to cultivate a unique ability to enjoy life. Martin Seligman developed the so-called "scientific view of happiness". This approach contributes to the formation of personality, its further development and self-improvement. He made an attempt to explain to the world that you can endlessly be in search of happiness and never find it, if you do not know for sure which direction to go. When the direction of movement is known, a decent way out of any situation can be found in the shortest possible time.

The University of Pennsylvania played a special role in the life of a scientist. At first, he studied there himself, and then organized his own center for positive psychology in it. Pennsylvanianthe university was that sacred place where he could come in special thoughts and desire to sit over his books.

Learned helplessness syndrome

So the scientist called the condition in which, during the action of an external stimulus, there was complete passivity, unwillingness to act in such a way as to change the situation for the better. He conducted a scientific experiment, during which it turned out that some people and animals, faced with obstacles, give up in advance and do not make any attempts to improve their situation. Martin Seligman studied the nature of these individuals very carefully and determined precisely that it had become habitual for them to endure inconvenience, to always be a victim. The more such experience a person has, the stronger his conviction that the world is against him. As a rule, a person with similar problems never seeks help from others, strives to do everything on his own. He does not believe in his own prospects so much that he does not seek to develop himself, make big plans.

The syndrome of learned helplessness can be otherwise called voluntary slavery or excessive compliance. Such people most often live by the needs of others, forgetting about their own preferences. Loneliness is their characteristic feature, since not everyone needs sacrifice.

The phenomenon of conscious optimism

During the ongoing experiment, it turned out that despite significant inconvenience, some individuals preferred to maintain a positive attitude at all costs. They areThey tried to maintain a good mood and, fortunately, even in the most difficult moments they succeeded. The phenomenon of conscious optimism lies in the fact that a person, through an effort of will, chooses joy for himself, and deliberately does not focus on the bad. Martin Seligman talks about such a phenomenon. How to learn optimism?

To do this, you need to have a strong will and be able to look to the future with hope. Of course, you need to develop the appropriate habit. Otherwise, you will constantly feel that you are behaving extremely unnaturally. The one who is used to focusing on problems is actually resisting the universal flow of well-being. It is very difficult to convince such people that life can be pleasant and happy, and not just a heavy, unbearable burden.

Studying the inner world of a person, the causes of his spiritual contradictions is the science of psychology. Martin Seligman was able to prove experimentally that each of us makes his own choice individually and is responsible for it. However, not everyone is ready to accept this truth. A lot of people just find it convenient to think of themselves as failures.

Positive psychology

Martin Seligman spent many hours studying the human traits that are characteristic of happy people. He proved by numerous studies that the ability to enjoy and appreciate life does not come in one moment. This must be learned, as well as the skillmasterfully play the violin.

First of all, a person should strive for personal growth. Under any circumstances, focus on results helps to cultivate a positive attitude towards the surrounding reality. Only in this case he will not be afraid of any defeat. Failure happens to everyone. But not everyone is able to boldly step over them and move on with their heads held high. Most people, unfortunately, give up when they are at the peak of their creativity. The researcher makes a powerful emphasis on the fact that in the search for happiness it is so important not to forget about oneself, one's desires and possibilities. This is how the fullness of life is achieved.

Publications

Martin Seligman – a great master of psychology. He created several talented works that are of scientific interest and are very popular. Getting to know them will be extremely useful for those who strive for self-improvement, who want to work through existing problems in communicating with other people.

Helplessness

This study explains the nature of human internal vulnerability: how it is formed, under the influence of which it grows and develops. Helplessness is formed as a result of the expressed inability of the individual to stand up for himself, appreciate his own skills, and defend his individual position. Low self-esteem, constant reproaches from loved ones and ignorance of one's abilities turn into a great personal tragedy. The person is simply lost as an individual.

Psychology of deviations

Thisthe work is devoted to the issues of brain activity disorders due to the disorder of its functions. The psychology of deviation explains why people act in one way or another, sometimes acting to the detriment of themselves and others.

A learnable optimism

The ability to think positively is very valuable. Such a person at any time will be able to psychologically protect himself from the impact of any negative factors, to get away from disturbing experiences. In order to master positive thinking, there is no need to invent anything supernatural. You just need to know the features of your inner world and be able to protect it from the influence of energy vampires. The author of the study emphasizes that the main power lies in the hands of the person himself, only he himself decides how best to act in this or that case.

Thus, Martin Seligman is a significant figure in psychology. Thanks to his remarkable research, many people got the opportunity to look at the familiar world differently, to work effectively on themselves.