"Positive Psychology in Practice"

This article on the MSN Health site, from the Harvard Health Publications, has done a great job publicizing the work being done in the field of Positive Psychology.
Focusing on the positive is not exactly new in the field of psychology. Think of Abraham Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs where the goal for optimal being has been to reach self actualization or where building on the positive has been used in Brief Solution Therapy based on the work of Milton Erickson. What is new is the naming and legitimizing of this field and the increased public awareness of addressing "problems" by building on the positive and thereby neutralizing the negative. There have been plenty of self help and personal development books out there promoting the use of "positive thinking" for many years now. Many of these theories were great and many people found value in them, but now these psychologists are putting these ideas to the test of holding up in controlled research studies. The results of these studies have also provided concrete and practical exercises that anyone can engage in on their own and without the supervision of a clinician.

http://tinyurl.com/aqbwdg