Positive Psychology Complementary to Traditional Psychology in Education

Psychology is a science that has been accepted for centuries and its main purpose is to make sense of human behavior. Psychology, which has developed in the historical process and has changed the way it handles human, evaluated human as an organism when it first emerged; Over time, it has given human beings the attribute of an entity that exhibits free and independent behaviors. Because of this change, psychology, which was a central point of view, had a positive-centered perspective. This is how positive psychology emerged and has become a psychology concept that still exists today.

To answer the question of what is positive psychology, as the name suggests, it provides positive development in individuals; It is a branch of psychology that helps them reveal their positive and strong characteristics efficiently and effectively.

According to Martin Seligman, the founder of positive psychology, three paths to happiness are among the concepts of positive psychology: Living meaningfully, living for pleasure and living well. These concepts include the theories necessary for a good life by seeing the good in life.

In positive psychology, there is an application that goes beyond the daily struggle of the individual and enables them to build their lives on a purpose and meaning. Unlike pathological psychology, instead of focusing only on diseases, it focuses on how the individual can spend his life more fully and happily.

What is the Purpose of Positive Psychology?

While pathological psychology uses the traditional disease model; The positive psychology approach uses the health model. The purpose of psychology in the disease model is to bring the individual from -8 to neutral (0). On the other hand, in the health model, individuals are tried to be brought from the neutral state to the +8 state.

According to the definition made by WHO (World Health Organization), it is not enough to say that a person is healthy, just the absence of disease or weakness; In addition to this, the individual must be in a state of complete well-being in terms of social, mental and physical well-being. In this context, both WHO and positive psychology meet at the same health model center.

Positive psychology, by investigating what makes life worth living, improves the joy of life of individuals and ensures their psychological well-being. Positive psychology emerges as one of the newest branches of psychology that seeks answers to the questions of happiness, goodness and good life. In this context, the purpose of positive psychology is to help people find the meaning of life and happiness in their lives.

Let's Talk About the Importance of Positive Psychology

Among the branches of psychology, positive psychology is often confused with personal development and spirituality movements. Although the happiness of the individual is one of the goals of positive psychology, it is possible to say that positive psychology provides a more holistic and broad spectrum field to the individual.

Positive psychology provides many benefits to clients. In general, to give examples of the importance and benefits of positive psychology:

• It is a branch of psychology that is complementary to traditional psychology.

• It is a psychology that reveals and gives meaning to the positive nature of human beings.

• With its preventive function, it protects psychological health and helps to prevent the recurrence of disorders.

• It supports the restoration of the individual's relationship with himself and others.

• It helps the person to find his/her own life purpose and helps him/her to have a more balanced and happy soul unity.

• It is a supportive psychology branch in reducing the tendency of the 21st century to think loneliness, negative and pessimistic.

With this result, positive psychology sessions help the individual to be happier, more peaceful and in a state of well-being.