scholarly journals Positive Psychology, Indian Psychology and Spirituality

2016 ◽  
Vol 7 ◽  
pp. 12-26
Author(s):  
PRIYANKA SHUKLA
Keyword(s):  
Positive Psychology ◽  
Human Life ◽  
Well Being ◽  
The Body ◽  
Spiritual Practices ◽  
Worth Living ◽  
Life Worth Living ◽  
Indian Psychology ◽  
The Rich ◽  
Yoga Meditation

Positive psychology is a relatively new field that examines how ordinary people can become happier and more fulfilled. Positive psychology is a science of positive aspects of human life, such as happiness, well-being and flourishing. Indian psychology is an approach to psychology based on the Indian ethos. Indian Psychology is essentially positive and rooted in the consciousness-based Indian worldview, yoga and a life-affirming spirituality. Human life is a journey of the soul which resides in the human body. Indian psychology highlights the pathway to make this journey easy and the ultimate goal of liberation of the soul (moksha) achievable through yoga, meditation and prayer. Humans are made of the body, mind, intellect, ego and soul and only soul can help to attain ultimate happiness and bliss through spirituality. The present paper is an attempt to explain that both positive psychology and Indian psychology focus on human happiness and their unique strength; and discusses how goals of positive psychology can be achieved through the rich Indian spiritual heritage. Indian psychology and spirituality share a framework that human has enormous potential hidden in its being. Indian scriptures (Vedas, Upanishads, Yoga, Bhagavad Gita) and spiritual practices (Yoga, meditation and prayer) help to discipline the mind to achieve balance, (samyavastha) to overcome the hindrance in the pursuit of happiness and to improve the qualities of different roles we play in our lives. In this way the Indian spiritual practices have important implications for the achievement of goals of Positive Psychology i.e. wisdom and knowledge, courage, humanity, justice and transcendence and makes life worth living.

scholarly journals A balanced psychology and a full life

2004 ◽  
Vol 359 (1449) ◽  
pp. 1379-1381 ◽  
Author(s):  
Martin E. P. Seligman ◽  
Acacia C. Parks ◽  
Tracy Steen
Keyword(s):  
Mental Illness ◽  
World War Ii ◽  
Positive Psychology ◽  
Positive Emotion ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Controlled Study ◽  
Worth Living ◽  
World War ◽  
Life Worth Living

Psychology since World War II has been largely devoted to repairing weakness and understanding suffering. Towards that end, we have made considerable gains. We have a classification of mental illness that allows international collaboration, and through this collaboration we have developed effective psychotherapeutic or pharmacological treatments for 14 major mental disorders. However, while building a strong science and practice of treating mental illness, we largely forgot about everyday well–being. Is the absence of mental illness and suffering sufficient to let individuals and communities flourish? Were all disabling conditions to disappear, what would make life worth living? Those committed to a science of positive psychology can draw on the effective research methods developed to understand and treat mental illness. Results from a new randomized, placebo–controlled study demonstrate that people are happier and less depressed three months after completing exercises targeting positive emotion. The ultimate goal of positive psychology is to make people happier by understanding and building positive emotion, gratification and meaning. Towards this end, we must supplement what we know about treating illness and repairing damage with knowledge about nurturing well–being in individuals and communities.

scholarly journals Positive Psychology and Hope as Means to Recovery from Mental Illness

2016 ◽  
Vol 47 (2) ◽  
pp. 34-42 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jinhee Park ◽  
Roy K. Chen
Keyword(s):  
Mental Illness ◽  
Positive Psychology ◽  
Personal Growth ◽  
Psychiatric Rehabilitation ◽  
Real Life ◽  
Recovery Process ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Worth Living ◽  
Life Worth Living ◽  
Rehabilitation Outcomes

The field of psychiatric rehabilitation has seen a paradigm shift in its perceptions of symptom reduction, recovery, and restoration of personal-growth and -development. Recovery is subjective in nature, as no two individuals achieve identical rehabilitation outcomes; the process is dynamic and influenced by an array of personal and environmental factors, all of which can facilitate a deeply personal, unique progression that changes one's attitudes, values, feelings, goals, skills, and roles. The concept of positive psychology is relevant to the perception from mental illness. Positive psychology seeks to understand what makes life worth living and encourages the use of mental strengths that reside in every human to confront challenges and create meaningful life experiences. Among the constructs of positive psychology, hope is one the most important concerning recovery, as it is directly tied to whether one believes that one's recovery is feasible. Having a sense of hope can enhance one's motivation to engage in the recovery process. The application of positive psychology, especially the concept of hope and recovery-oriented interventions in real-life rehabilitation settings can enormously benefit the well-being of people with mental illness.

Stopping the “Madness”: Positive Psychology and Deconstructing the Illness Ideology and the DSM

2009 ◽  
pp. 60-70
Author(s):  
James E. Maddux
Keyword(s):  
Positive Psychology ◽  
Clinical Psychology ◽  
Interpersonal Skills ◽  
Personal Responsibility ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Worth Living ◽  
Life Worth Living ◽  
Statistical Manual ◽  
Diagnostic And Statistical Manual ◽  
The Social

This chapter describes the traditional view of clinical psychology as a discipline and profession that is steeped in an “illness ideology.” This illness ideology has roots in clinical psychology's early connections with psychiatry and medicine and limits clinical psychology to the study of what is worst and weakest about people rather than what is best and bravest about people. The historical, cultural, and professional causes of this ideology are discussed, with an emphasis on the social construction and deconstruction of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders as the manifestation of the illness ideology that has the greatest detrimental influence on clinical psychology. The chapter also proposes that the illness ideology be replaced with a positive psychology ideology that emphasizes well-being, satisfaction, happiness, interpersonal skills, perseverance, talent, wisdom, personal responsibility, and what makes life worth living.

scholarly journals Forgiveness Viewed from Positive Psychology and Islam

2020 ◽  
Vol 3 (2) ◽  
pp. 108-121
Author(s):  
Idi Warsah
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Positive Psychology ◽  
Physical Health ◽  
Role Model ◽  
Human Life ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Human Beings ◽  
Library Research

Conflicts are unavoidable in human life. Thus, for human beings, the attitude of forgiveness is of importance to be well-embedded and sustainably constructed. Resting upon the aforesaid premises, the present study conducted a library research to reveal how forgiveness is viewed from the perspectives of positive psychology and Islam. 102 scientific works reviewed, 58 works were finally selected to be scrutinized in depth. This study revealed that the discourses in the field of positive psychology imply that forgiveness attitude is of importance to be embedded in human beings and continuously constructed by virtue of its positive natural impacts on mental health, good relationships, physical health, and positive well-being. Furthermore, as informed by Islamic teachings, the attitude of forgiveness is also suggested to be well and continuously embedded. As the best Islamic role model for the end-time people, the Prophet Muhammad PBUH already exemplified that humans are indeed to always be forgiving and even to pray for others for the sake of good things that Allah SWT will bestow to. It is worth noting that both positive psychology and Islam encourage humans to be forgiving individuals.

Natural landscapes and human health: an introduction and overview.

2021 ◽  
pp. 1-9
Author(s):  
Alan W. Ewert ◽  
Denise S. Mitten ◽  
Jillisa R. Overholt
Keyword(s):  
Human Health ◽  
Human Life ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Natural World ◽  
Bottom Line ◽  
Health And Wellbeing ◽  
Natural Landscapes ◽  
The Rich ◽  
Natural Settings

Abstract This book chapter approaches the linkage between natural landscapes and human health through the lens of two guiding questions, the first considering the various ways nature benefits human health from both historic and contemporary perspectives, and the second considering the mechanisms through which this relationship occurs. In doing so, we consider the ways societies and cultures have mediated our relationship with the natural world over time, and the ways human health and planetary health are intertwined. It also examines these influences by providing an overview of what is currently known about specific variables, such as physical activity in natural landscapes, as well as discussing some of the past and current theories that seek to explain how these connections actually work. The book provides a bridge between what we do (individually and collectively) in natural settings and how those actions impact our health and our relationships with the natural world. The hope is that the information presented here empowers students and professionals to learn more and to be part of the rich dialogue occurring in many disciplines to help find ways to increase well-being for all people. The aim is for the readers to think critically about research and be able to analyse and evaluate the results. The bottom line, based on the undertaking of this book and the experience of the authors, is that nature has been and continues to be essential and incredibly positive for human life, and that mutualistic and reciprocal connections with nature will positively influence human development, health, and wellbeing.

scholarly journals Dilemmas for Natural Living Concepts of Zoo Animal Welfare

Animals ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 9 (6) ◽  
pp. 318 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mark James Learmonth
Keyword(s):  
Well Being ◽  
Natural Environments ◽  
Worth Living ◽  
Affective States ◽  
Practical Application ◽  
Life Worth Living ◽  
Ethical Concerns ◽  
Natural Living ◽  
Human Animal ◽  
Captive Animal

This ethical discourse specifically deals with dilemmas encountered within zoological institutions, namely for the concept of natural living, and a new term—wilding. It is agreed by some that zoos are not ethically wrong in principle, but there are currently some contradictions and ethical concerns for zoos in practice. Natural living is a complicated concept, facing multiple criticisms. Not all natural behaviours, nor natural environments, are to the benefit of animals in a captive setting, and practical application of the natural living concept has flaws. Expression of natural behaviours does not necessarily indicate positive well-being of an animal. Herein it is suggested that highly-motivated behaviours may be a better term to properly explain behaviours of more significance to captive animals. Wilding refers to extrapolation of the natural living concept to treating an animal as wild, residing in a wild habitat. This definition is intrinsically problematic, as quite literally by definition, captivity is not a wild nor natural environment. Treating a captive animal exactly the same as a wild counterpart is practically impossible for many species in a few ways. This article discusses complexities of natural living versus natural aesthetics as judged by humans, as well as the possibility of innate preference for naturalness within animals. Zoos nobly strive to keep wild animals as natural and undomesticated as possible. Here it is argued that unintended and unavoidable genetic and epigenetic drift favouring adaptations for life in a captive environment may still occur, despite our best efforts to prevent this from occurring. This article further discusses the blurred lines between natural and unnatural behaviours, and the overlaps with more important highly-motivated behaviours, which may be better predictors of positive affective states in captive animals, and thus, better predictors of positive well-being and welfare. Finally, as we are now in the Anthropocene era, it is suggested that human-animal interactions could actually be considered natural in a way, and notwithstanding, be very important to animals that initiate these interactions, especially for “a life worth living”.

Verbal Restrictions on the Communication of Turko-Mongols of Inner Asia

2020 ◽  
Vol 48 (3) ◽  
pp. 134-142
Author(s):  
M. M. Sodnompilova
Keyword(s):  
Material Culture ◽  
Social Communication ◽  
Cultural Context ◽  
Human Life ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Spoken Language ◽  
Climatic Conditions ◽  
Information Storage ◽  
Inner Asia ◽  
The Rich

Verbal restrictions common among the Turko-Mongol peoples of Inner Asia and Siberia are analyzed on the basis of folkloric and ethnographic sources. Their principal forms are silence, circumlocution, and whisper. The socio-cultural context of these restrictions is reconstructed. They are seen in various domains of culture, in particular relating to social norms, and are believed to refl ect fear of human life and the well-being of man and society in the communication with nature represented by deities and spirits. This is a natural reaction that has evolved under the harsh environmental and climatic conditions of Inner Asia. The sa me concerns, extending to social communication, have regulated interpersonal interactions. In a nomadic culture, verbal restrictions stem from the importance of the ritual function of language and a specifi c attitude toward spoken language, which, over the centuries, was the principal means of information storage and transfer, cognition and adaptation. This concept of speech affected the emergence of the principal behavioral stereotypes. The rigid norms of behavior account for the importance of the nonverbal context of the nomadic culture— the high informative potential of the entire space inhabited by the nomads, and the rich symbolism of their material culture, traditional outfi t, and dwelling.

The Politics of Life Extension in Francis Bacon's Wisdom of the Ancients

2015 ◽  
Vol 77 (3) ◽  
pp. 351-375
Author(s):  
Natalie Elliot
Keyword(s):  
Political Thought ◽  
Human Life ◽  
Life Extension ◽  
Francis Bacon ◽  
Worth Living ◽  
Political Strategies ◽  
Life Worth Living ◽  
Scientific Project ◽  
Politics Of Life

AbstractThe extension of human life is one of the central goals that Francis Bacon posits for science, and this goal shapes his political thought significantly. Bacon's interest in life extension appears throughout his corpus, but the Wisdom of the Ancients contains his most extensive treatment of its political and philosophical consequences. Here, I interpret a series of myths in the Wisdom of the Ancients and argue, first, that through them Bacon presents key political strategies for promoting life extension and tending to its hazards; and, second, as he does so, he sketches a new portrait of philosophy, which directs some of its energies to understanding what makes longer life worth living. My reading addresses a profound and neglected subject at the heart of Bacon's politico-scientific project, and advances the growing literature on Bacon that turns to the Wisdom of the Ancients to explain unexamined goals of his science.

scholarly journals Ecosystem and Ecological Services; Need for Biodiversity Conservation-A Critical Review

2021 ◽  
pp. 1-14
Author(s):  
C. E. Oguh ◽  
E. N. O. Obiwulu ◽  
O. J. Umezinwa ◽  
S. E. Ameh ◽  
C. V. Ugwu ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Water Management ◽  
Ecosystem Services ◽  
Human Life ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Chloride Ions ◽  
Worth Living ◽  
Organic Salts ◽  
Waste Products ◽  
The Future ◽  
Aesthetic Enjoyment

Biodiversity and ecosystems are closely related concepts. Biodiversity provides numerous ecosystem services that are crucial and important to human well-being at present and in the future. The review aim to explain the Ecosystem services, and need for conservation of biodiversity. Ecosystem services (also called environmental services or nature’s services) are benefits provided by ecosystems to humans, which contribute to making human life both possible and worth living. Human kind fully depends on the earth’s ecosystems and the services they provide, such as food, water, disease management, climate regulation, spiritual fulfillment and aesthetic enjoyment. Over the past 50 years, humans have changed these ecosystems more rapidly and extensively than ever before, so that growing demands for food, fresh water, timber, fiber and fuel can be met. Pollution through the discharge of municipal and industrial wastewater and solid waste (e.g. plastics) exacerbates the related problems. Environmental pollution results from mishandling, deliberate disposal, spilling and leakage of waste products, such as gasoline, lubricating oils, diesel fuel, heating oil’s, used or spent engine oils, animal wastes, human excreta, certain dissolved organic compound (e.g. urea, carbohydrate etc.), and organic salts such as nitrates, soap, phosphates of detergent, sodium, potassium, calcium and chloride ions. Under natural process most of the biodegradable pollutants of sewage are rapidly decomposed, but when they accumulate in large quantities, they create problems, i.e., when their input into environment exceeds the decomposition or disposal capacity. Ecosystem health is inherently linked to water management, sanitation and agriculture as these aspects influence water availability and quality. The loss of biodiversity can reduce the provision of ecosystem services essential for human well-being. Therefore, sustainable sanitation and water management is crucial for a more sustainable ecosystem management in the future.

Healing and Religion

Anthropology ◽  
2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Dori-Michelle Beeler ◽  
Jojan L. Jonker
Keyword(s):  
Human Life ◽  
Indigenous Communities ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Theory And Practice ◽  
Spiritual Practices ◽  
Social Psychological ◽  
Biological Mechanisms ◽  
Global Institutions ◽  
Bodily Function ◽  
Illness And Disease

The etymology of the term “healing” dates back to 900 ce with references pointing to northwestern Europe. Historically, healing is seen to be embedded in religion. The connection between religion and healing, while emphasizing an anthropological approach, considers categories such as (but not limited to): worldviews, religious beliefs, religious and spiritual practices, rituals, deities, and symbols rather than science. Considered holistically, studies on healing depict “healing-as-practice” (framed as praxis: theory and practice integrated) rather than just a phrase, a concept, a cognitive undertaking or even a discipline in and of itself. Positioned in this way, healing is also situated in practices of global institutions, religions, spiritualties, and indigenous communities alike. In doing so, the nuances of healing used as a phrase or concept, as well as the flexibility it has in terms of understanding what matters to humans are illuminated. Healing embraces all dimensions of human life: the physical, psychological, social, and cultural. This helps position the term “healing,” a popular term within biomedicine, health care, and complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) modalities, as associated with holism. In considering the holistic nature of healing, one process includes the healing of bones, organs, and tissue suggesting an underlying common order for healing that can be influenced by religious or spiritual rituals. At the other end of the spectrum of processes, individuals experience healing without any improvement in bodily function. Rather, they experience a type of subjective transformation as a result of distinct cultural, religious, or spiritual practices. In between the biological mechanisms of healing and the psychosomatic influences on healing, lies healing-as-praxis where something or someone intervenes in a person’s constellation of body, mind, spirit, and environment intent on stimulating healing or reaching a state of healing. This indicates that healing-as-practice has (at least) three domains; process or activity, intervention, and outcome or accomplishment, and relates to tradition, community, and social environment. Furthermore, healing-as-practice implies salutogenesis, an approach that focuses on the processes that support healing and well-being; while a focus on illness has to do with the configuration of one’s social, psychological, and spiritual condition. Thus, a distinction is made between curing and healing. Healing is concerned with meaning in relation to illness and curing is related to disease, albeit the terms illness and disease may be swapped in which case disease is interpreted as dis-ease—to be read as “being not at ease”—where mind and/or spirit are also involved. Therefore, the relation between healing and religion/spirituality is a natural one.

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