Flourishing - A Positive Psychology Concept to Increase Wellbeing

Flourishing is known as one of the most important concepts to come out of positive psychology and has can provide significant direction for how we live, love and relate to each other.

Martin Seligman (2011) spent a career researching happiness and had discovered that many people didn’t know how to access “the good life” but desired to.

Flourishing can enhance wellbeing and happiness in a holistic way, but how do we build it and maintain it? To understand the how, we need to understand the five aspects of the PERMA model (Seligman, 2011).

PERMA

• Positive Emotions (learning how to increase them)

• Engagement (with the wider world)

• Relationships (building deep and meaningful connection)

• Meaning (finding a purpose in your life)

• Accomplishments (knowing and understanding your strengths and how to use them effectively)

Since Seligman proposed his PERMA model and theory of flourishing, hundreds of researchers around the world have sought to understand this better. Many therapists have actively engaged with clients to further explore this area in the clinical realm.

Most psychologists agree that flourishing encompasses wellbeing, happiness, and life satisfaction; however, research on positive psychology and mental health has revealed that there are two spectrums:

1. Mental illness

2. Mental health/flourishing

You may struggle with a mental health issue but still flourish or be mentally stable and languish.

(Languishing typically marks a decline in your mental health, though you can still function in your day-to-day life. Maybe you’re not going through a major mental health crisis or experiencing overwhelming distress, but your life may not involve much happiness or fulfillment either, Keyes, 2002).

Corey Keyes- Researcher/Psychologist (2016) states:

“…even if we could find a cure for mental illness tomorrow, it does not mean that most people would necessarily be flourishing in life. In other words, we cannot treat our way out of the problem of mental illness; we must also promote a life of balance in which people can achieve happiness and realize lives in which they can flourish.”

So, how can we develop the ability to flourish; what can we actively do?

Qualities to develop:

1. The ability to direct and re-direct your attention.
   Place attention: away from worrying, anger, revenge, and sadness toward curiosity, imagination, investigation, compassion, and growth.

2. The tendency to shape your time with intention and for impact.
   Consciously applying our time wisely and avoid wasting it on activities that do not bring us joy or move us closer to our set goals.

3. The practice of constant improvement.
   People who flourish tend to find ways to improve, develop, and grow. They work towards developing the knowledge and commitment towards these goals. They develop a growth, instead of fixed mindset. https://www.mindsethealth.com/matter/growth-vs-fixed-mindset

4. The ability to communicate and listen to others.
   Listening to others, learning from others and seeking advice as necessary, regardless of how we feel about doing so.

5. The commitment to positive experiences.
   Taking care of ourselves and committing to appreciating the joys that life can offer…however we need to be aware enough to notice. Curiosity can enable us to delight in the smallest of things.

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What areas would you be willing to develop in order to “flourish”?