(2011-05-15) Flourish A New Understanding Of Happiness And Wellbeing And How To Achieve Them Review

Flourish: A New Understanding of Happiness and Well-Being — and How to Achieve Them by Martin Seligman — review. What positive psychology is about – it goes beyond the treatment of depression and anxiety to ways in which we could all live more rewarding lives.

It is about how you can construct your own reality by developing the positive side of your nature.

there are two important areas where I disagree with Seligman

First, flourishing versus happiness. In his great book, Authentic Happiness, Seligman focused on just that, and I agreed with his argument. He now prefers a different objective: flourishing

Seligman is against the "monism" of focusing on happiness alone.

I dare guess that, in the end, the weights he chooses will in fact depend on how far positive emotion, engagement, relationships, meaning and accomplishment each affect human happiness.

Which brings me to my second issue: the happiness of the individual versus the happiness of the group

Positive psychology can come over as very individualistic...