Martin Seligman’s Flourish: A look at Chapter 1

In this series I will summarize and give my own impressions of Martin Seligman’s new book, Flourish.

I must admit that the first thing I liked about Seligman’s new book was the second “Praise for Flourish” on the very first printed page of the volume (before the cover page.) It simply says, “I greatly enjoyed the book! It’s another Postive Psychology classic!” –Yakov Smiroff

If you do not understand why I like it, google Yakov Smirnoff.

I have just read the first chapter, and I will give you my impressions as I go along.

The most impressive fact about the first chapter, and probably about the whole concept of this book, is that it is a restructuring of a research concept by the main proponent of that first concept. Most people have a difficult time giving up their theoretical view of their profession, even with a great preponderance of conflicting evidence. Seligman revamps his whole view of positive psychology and opens up a huge window for study and research.

The main thesis of this first chapter is that positive psychology became known (albeit against his will) as the psychology of happiness. Seligman shows how this is grossly insufficient and redefines the field as the study of the human quest to flourish. (Hence the name of the book.) He calls the former theory the theory of “Authentic Happiness” and the new theory, “Well-Being Theory.”

In the Happiness Theory the science studied and measured life satisfaction and assumed that the goal of healthy people was to increase life satisfaction. Seligman became convinced that this was not robust enough to encompass all of life positive activities, particularly since he was shown that some people engage in major activity for the sole purpose of succeeding and achievement for achievement’s sake.

So Seligman constructs a more comprehensive idea. I use this term because the idea of well-being he defines as a “construct.” This means that it cannot be measured directly and can be made up of various amounts of other measurable elements. The obvious flexibility here is enormous. Just like there are an infinite amount of weather conditions (weather being a construct) made up of elements of temperature, humidity, wind, etc. there can be an infinite amount of states of well being. The task then is to identify the elements of well being, and find a way of measuring them, and classifying the different types of general combinations.

The five elements that Seligman identifies are represented in the mnemonic: PERMA

• P: Positive emotion: this is a carryover from the happiness theory, but it now includes within it the aspects of happiness and life satisfaction. I have to admit that I need more time to contemplate this.
• E: Engagement: This is also a carryover from the happiness theory, and this is related to the state of “Flow.”
• R: Relationships: While it seems obvious, we all need to have positive human contact to feel any sense of well-being. Without positive contact we feel dead. There is saying in the Talmud, “Give either friends or death.” (My addition not Seligman’s)
• M: Meaning: This is the idea that we engage in behavior because it connects us to something greater than ourselves. That can be a religion, a nation, a cause, etc. While this is very culture and time dependant, people can pursue a life of meaning even when the other element s are lacking.
• A: Achievement: Again, people will engage in behavior for the sole purpose of achieving a goal, even if that behavior is not fun, does not foster positive relationships, is not engaging, and is devoid of greater meaning. Success for the sake of success.

I assume that the rest of the book will illuminate and illustrate these principles. I will try to summarize them as I read them. Stay tuned.