International Positive Psychology Society is an autonomous non profit private institute which promotes awareness, debate and learning in the field of Positive Psychology.

Positive psychology was established 7 years ago and is a rapidly developing field. Positive Psychology in a Nutshell is a refreshing but scholarly view of this emerging area – highlighting all that is right and good about positive psychology as well as noting its drawbacks and discussing its potential problems.

So firstly what is positive psychology and what distinguishes it from the mainstream?  Martin Seligman, its founder, describes it as “a scientific study of optimal human functioning [that] aims to discover and promote the factors that allow individuals and communities to thrive”.  Its inspiration is to bring solid empirical research into areas such as well-being, personal strengths, resilience, wisdom, creativity and psychological health. 

This is a science of happiness, and answers a very real and important need to help normal people thrive.  It therefore addresses questions such as what is right about this person rather than what is wrong.. . .what works rather than what doesn’t .  This is clearly a different focus to that of mainstream psychology which operates squarely within the disease model and addresses itself, on the whole, to pathology and depression.