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Dr. Bob is Robert Hsiung, MD,
bob@dr-bob.orgShown: posts 1 to 3 of 3. This is the beginning of the thread.
Posted by pseudoname on February 11, 2006, at 19:00:14
In last month's "Psychotherapy Networker", there's a essay by a guy who took Martin Seligman's positive psychology course and failed it — in spirit.
Seligman is the guy who coined "learned helplessness" when his dogs gave up trying to avoid an electric shock. He went on to try figuring out how people could learn optimism. He wrote a book called "Learned Optimism" (1990). Then he had an international happiness conference and started a new academic discipline devoted to making people look on the bright side of life. He published "Authentic Happiness: Using the New Positive Psychology to Realize Your Potential for Lasting Fulfillment" in 2002.
So Handler, the guy who wrote the article, took Seligman's course and couldn't be positive enough, happy enough, or satisfied enough to meet its standards (though he pretended to anyway). He found the approach a little forced, a little bit Victorian, a little bit in denial.
That was my feeling about Seligman. He's WAAAY too confident about his answers. Beware psychologists who have it all figured out. (Bossy control freaks.)
Not that studying happiness is bad! Dictating happiness is bad.
Like most "Networker" articles, it's about twice as long as it needs to be, but it's got a worthwhile perspective on the positive putsch.
• LINK: "20 Weeks to Happiness: Can a course in Positive Psychology change your life?" by Richard Handler. Psychotherapy Networker, Jan-Feb 2006 http://www.psychotherapynetworker.org/jf06_handler.html
Posted by sleepygirl on February 11, 2006, at 19:51:02
In reply to Positive Psychology reconsidered, posted by pseudoname on February 11, 2006, at 19:00:14
interesting.......
I'll say that I had an odd sick feeling through the whole thing that I didn't mean to have, but nevertheless
Well, I appreciate several things within the article, it's focus on attention and intention, perhaps akin to the Nike "just do it" philosophy, but not quite so simple.
A self indulgent culture now? yes, sureI just kept thinking I could not (not that I'm quite done) make peace with certain things without acknowleging some supremely negative emotions and experience. My stiff upper lip just did not do it. There are some people who would embrace suffering as just part of life - no hills without the valleys, no yin without the yang.
Something's missing.
I just read Vikor Frankl's "Man's Search for Meaning" last week, so I'll quote him a little:
"To the European, it is a characteristic of the American culture that, again and again, one is commanded and ordered to "be happy." But happiness cannot be pursued; it must ensue. One must have a reason to "be happy."To me such a pursuit might feel empty, maybe what Frankl means when he describes "hyper-intention"
-just some thoughts
Posted by pseudoname on February 12, 2006, at 7:40:11
In reply to Re: Positive Psychology reconsidered » pseudoname, posted by sleepygirl on February 11, 2006, at 19:51:02
> There are some people who would embrace suffering as just part of life - no hills without the valleys, no yin without the yang.
That's my thinking, I guess.
I haven't read "Man's Search for Meaning" in a long time. I'm sure I have a copy. I'll have to read it again.
This is the end of the thread.
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