Positive Psychology

Positive psychology is a branch of psychology that gained traction in 1998 with acclaimed psychologist, Martin Seligman, but holds both historical roots in Black Psychology and ancient roots with Aristotle in the 300s BC. It started with Aristotle's concept of "eudaimonia", which translates to "spiritual flourishing", the ultimate state of happiness and well-being. Unlike clinical psychology, positive psychology focuses on people's strengths rather than weaknesses and teaches people how to thrive as well as survive. Positive psychology does not teach people to force themselves to think positively through challenges (which is called "toxic positivity"), but rather teaches people to think and feel accurately through challenges and to take an optimistic charge in one's engagement with life. 

P.E.R.M.A.

P.E.R.M.A. is an acronym created by Martin Seligman that represents the 5 main components of positive psychology and overall well-being, as pictured above. We separated these 5 key facets into categories of our interpretations to extend Seligman's definition listed below: Mindfulness (Engagement), Social Connection (Relationships), Gratitude and Giving (Positive emotion, Engagement, and Meaning), Positive and Negative Emotions (Positive emotion), Growth Mindset and Achievement (Achievement), Purpose and Meaning (Meaning), and Neuroplasticity, which is interconnected to all 5 characteristics. This website will help lay out definitions of each of these pillars, as well as provide outside resources of articles, books, videos, and podcasts to help better understand them and apply them to your life. That is the key to gaining the true benefits of positive psychology, a term Aristotle called "phronesis", or "practical wisdom" -- one may only know true long-term happiness if they are committed to the consistent, everyday practice of these pillars.