Collectivity in flourishing: an argument against flourishing alone

Abstract

honors thesisCollege of Social & Behavioral ScienceHealth, Society, & PolicyMax Coleman,Positive psychology is a discipline of psychology, largely established by psychologist Martin Seligman, and is devoted to the idea of building happiness, strength, and virtue in all individuals (Keyes, 2003). In the 1990s, Seligman noticed that psychology had been a field largely devoted to issues of mental illness, such as anxiety and depression, rather than mental health. Psychologists, and society at large, have been so focused on how we can treat people dealing with debilitating diseases, instead of how we can promote long, fulfilled, meaningful lives for everyone. Yet, focusing on illnesses and problems inhibits us from exploring other areas of research (Keyes, 2003). It\u27s important now more than ever that we shift from avoiding negative experiences to promoting positive ones. As I\u27ll explain in greater detail in later sections, Americans are struggling in their day-to-day lives