Positive psychology is a hot topic these days. Books with "happiness" in the title are pouring out of publishers' lists, and studies on resilience, well-being and gratitude have made their way from academic journals to mainstream magazines. More than 200 colleges and universities in the United States, including my own, offer courses in this burgeoning field.
This upswell of interest represents a dramatic shift. For nearly a century, the emphasis in theory and practice has been on dysfunction, mental illness and repairing emotional damage. Then in 1998, Dr. Martin Seligman of the University of Pennsylvania used his position as president of the American Psychological Association to promote the scientific study of what he calls "human strengths and virtues" — encompassing such traits as curiosity, originality, courage, honesty, kindness, generosity, zestfulness and leadership.
Though Seligman is credited with coining the term "positive psychology," the idea of focusing not on what's wrong with us, but what's right, originated with another noted American psychologist more than 50 years ago — Abraham Maslow.