Assumptions

• 1 - Acknowledgement of Free Will

  • Believes that humans are in charge of their own emotions + have free will to change how they direct their emotions
  • A good life can be experienced if we use our strengths to enchance our lives
  • Supported by Ed Diener who carried out research into why people are happy - devoted research time into finding out factors that increase well-being and happiness
• 2 - Authenticity of goodness and exellence

  • According to Seligman (2002), traits such as virtue + happiness are less authentic than negative traits
  • Believes we inherent traits called ‘signature strengths’. We need to nurture in order to transform our lives
  • The focus is on celebrating the good things in life instead of magnifying the worst - instead of trying to fix what’s wrong the positive therapist is to facilitate positive well-being + help achieve fulfilment
• 3 - Focus on ’the good life’

  Seligman 2003 - distinguishes between 3 desirable lives:

  1. The Pleasant life - happiness comes from pursuing positive emotions in relation to the past, present + future
  2. The Good life - happiness comes from pursuing activities that positively absorb and engage us
  3. The Meaningful life - happiness comes from a deep sense of fulfilment by living for a purpose much greater than oneself
• Focus on the good life 2

  • In order to achieve a good life we need to develop our signature strengths + virtues

  Seligman suggests the good life is the combination of 3 elements:

  1. Positive connection to others - encompasses our ability to love, trust, enjoy happiness, forgive + develop spiritual connections with self and others
  2. Positive individual!- may include personal qualities
  3. Life regulation qualities - qualities that we need to develop to regularly monitor + control our behaviour in order to accomplish our goals
• Acknowledgement of free will - Criminal behaviour

  • Acknowledging free will means we have control over our decisions.
  • According to Kohlberg's theory, different people might have different reasons for doing something wrong. Some might do it to protect relationships, while others might do it for their own benefit. This shows that although we can choose what we do, our choices can be influenced by things like how we think about right and wrong.
• Authenticity of goodness and exellence - ASD

  • Links to ASD through the Weak Central Coherence theory
  • Individuals with ASD often display weak central coherence, meaning they struggle to grasp the bigger picture and tend to fixate on specific details
  • While this may hinder their understanding of broader contexts, it also enhances their ability to focus on intricate details.
  • Thus, by recognising and fostering their unique strengths (ties into signature strengths), individuals with ASD can capitalise on their exceptional attention to detail.
• Focus on the good life - Bullying

  • Seligman's focus on achieving fulfillment through positive connections, individual strengths, & meaningful pursuits aligns closely with the CAPSLE approach to bullying.
  • CAPSLE aims to create a positive school environment where students feel safe, connected, & understood, echoing Seligman's emphasis on positive relationships.
  • Additionally, Seligman's promotion of personal strengths parallels CAPSLE's cognitive element, which seeks to improve empathy & understanding among students to reduce bullying behaviour.