Most of the thoughts are based on Prof. Martin Seligman's latest book 'Flourish'. Though I had scheduled to read the book later; I could not resist the temptation. Martin Seligman, who pioneered the positive psychology movement, offers the reader to flourish in life through his theory of 'Well Being' as against 'Happiness'. He develops the theory based on the framework of PERMA (Positive emotions, Engagement, Relationship, Meaning and Accomplishment). ... It's a truly exhilarating experience to go through the book!
Seligman takes on a new journey, with his endeavors to reveal the secrets of well being. He talks about his journey leading Positive Psychology movement. The notable experience is about the funding he received by a (then) secretive philanthropic firm.
In my view, Seligman and Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi deserve a Nobel Prize for their study and contributions to the field of Positive Psychology. As I was writing, I could find Seligman's TED talk, please visit the link to know more about him and his study. (I also like to share Duckworth's TED talk. And here is Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi's TED talk link too!) Here, I am pleased to share 2 slides from Mihaly's presentation explaining the elements of 'Flow'. In brief, flow is a state of mind, while one experiences greatest pleasure while engaging in an activity.
The following representation shows that the flow is a state achieved, while the skills of an individual match the challenge at hand and stretch the skills of the individual to the next level. We can infer that, the individual, with repeated experience of flow, enhances his skills to meet the next level of the challenge/s.
Seligman's study on 'Well-Being' includes and goes beyond 'Flow' and his own 'Authentic Happiness' and includes Relations. In effect, the construct of Well-Being, is as follows;
Well-Being = Positive Emotions (P) + Engagement (E) + Relations (R) + Meaning (M) + Achievement/Accomplishment (A) = PERMA. As you may note, Well Being takes off from the five elements contributed by various psychologists.
Positive emotion (P) is largely associated with general feeling of happiness. Largely, a study of happiness covers this aspect. When we cover Happiness, the positive emotions,- whether transient (like moods) or permanent (general disposition),- are covered. Due to over-usage of the term 'Happiness' Seligman brings in the concept of Well Being. Most of the studies measuring 'Happiness', especially, the ones co-relating wealth and happiness, address only this aspect.
Engagement (E), I see this attribute emerges from Flow concept by Mihaly. A strong sense of engagement helps a person to identify and exercise their strengths to find happiness in their lives.
Relations (R), Martin Seligman brings this point strongly and rightfully so. He takes up the idea of 'Selfish Gene' proposed by Dawkins and illustrates how organisms which are socially connected or having 'responsible genes' are more successful! We, human beings are social animals. Our positive investments in building relationships contribute in developing strong sense of social well being. In fact, this factor helps us to create a flourishing organization in turn a community, in turn, a better world to live for all of us,.
Meaning (M), the meaning is some thing we find in our contribution to achieve a larger purpose. When we contribute to achieve larger purpose in life, a meaning emerges for our existence. A measure of well being should include this attribute, which is being done here. This aspect seems to be based on Viktor Frankl's study on 'meaning of life'. Recently, another book emphasized on this aspect through an example from Viktor Frankl's book 'Man's Search for Meaning'.
Achievement or Accomplishment (A), is the 'deliverable'. This, according to Angela Duckworth (one of very well known students of Prof. Seligman) can be represented as follows;
Achievement = Talent X Grit.
So, the individual leading a flourishing life, exudes positive emotions. In the quest of meaning of life, the person engages in activities matching his skills and abilities. When s/he meets the right challenge, experiences series of 'flow' states of mind. And in the process achieves the pinnacle of success which leads to accomplishment in her/his chosen field. If the person invests on social capital by strengthening the relationships, s/he flourishes in life.
So, the individual leading a flourishing life, exudes positive emotions. In the quest of meaning of life, the person engages in activities matching his skills and abilities. When s/he meets the right challenge, experiences series of 'flow' states of mind. And in the process achieves the pinnacle of success which leads to accomplishment in her/his chosen field. If the person invests on social capital by strengthening the relationships, s/he flourishes in life.
