DIFFERENT ASPECTS THAT CONSTITUTES HAPPINESS

This is a sequel to my earlier article on positive psychology. Here I would like to elaborate upon the three aspects, pleasure, engagement and meaning which constitute lasting happiness. This was stated by Martin Seligman the American psychologist , I would sequentially be starting with pleasure, thru engagement and ultimately to meaning. Pleasure has an emotional aspect attached to it, a thought of a sense of feel-good linked to the positive emotion. Pleasure can be further categorized into  passive pleasure, and active pleasure.

Passive pleasure is one that a person enjoys without participating in the source that brings the pleasure. These are like sitting and watching the television, or cinema, enjoying good food or music or reading a good book or any other means of gratification of one's needs. In this form of pleasure, there is very little or no application of mental faculties, but the person only derives a sense of feel-good which is purely temporary from very short period like enjoying good food, to maybe a few hours like watching television or cinema or listening to music. On the other hand, active pleasure is one in which the person mentally participates in the act of doing it which is the source. Ṭhis could be like playing a musical instrument, writing book, directing a play or cinema or preparation of different cuisines etc. In each of these activities, the person enjoys it by participating in it’s creation . And this may even have a close implication in the person’s  vocation itself too , or purely active pleasure without making any earning out of it.

Engagement is the next level source that brings a greater degree and longer lasting happiness as compared to pleasure .

When a person loves to do what he is doing because he is able to deploy his mental faculties to the best of his abilities and strength , this gives the person a higher degree of happiness than pleasure alone because in this activity his inherent strengths get further reinforced . And so  brings to him a sense of personal achievement thereby elevating his level of esteem and can also lead to advancement in his career.

Thus pleasure plus engagement brings greater happiness than only pleasure. This also has a limitation and after a certain length of time when he has had high level of achievement with the use of his strongest abilities and there is nothing else beyond that for him at that stage . Till now, his all happiness has been related to himself i.e. personal goals ; his loved ones  or people closely related to his loved ones and up to the level of his social circle at the most.

Adding meaning is that last milestone which brings the long-lasting happiness which a person may cherish for. Because, when a person is looking for meaning in life he voluntarily looks for everything which is beyond his self , as he thinks that working for good of  the society or humanity at large is much higher and hence a  noble purpose in life . This stage is also called the " SELF ACTUALISATION " as stated by Abraham Maslow in his " Hierarchy of Needs " which is the highest among the different stages of human needs .As per him, very few people reach up to this stage. And this is the highest level in man's quest for needs that he can contemplate in life.

POSITIVE PSYCHOLOGY

Humanity has a choice to make. It is either materialistic affluence through economic prosperity ignoring the human needs and well being of the people. But such a course is more likely to lead to increased selfishness and alienation of the deprived from the affluent which would eventually plunge the society into chaos and despair. The other side is a balanced society with equal benefits, opportunities and overall well being of humanity. For achieving such a state, social and behavioral science can play an enormously important role towards the articulation of a good life for one and all irrespective of the religious, ethnic or cultural diversities. And this where the most crucial role of psychology becomes an essential requirement.

Psychology is a subject that conventionally has been dealing with mental illness with almost exclusive attention to pathology with a disease model of human functioning. The latter half of the 20^th century has seen the advent of the other side dealing with a fulfilled individual aiming at the positive side of the human psyche with a focus on human strength and virtue. Psychology per se is based on the subjective experience of individuals. On focusing on the positive side which is the topic of this article includes experience like well being, contentment and satisfaction  ( in the past ), hope and optimism ( for the future )  and happiness  & flow ( in the present ). These are the general aspects from the past, through the present to the future. At the individual level, the positive traits are capacity of love  & vocation, courage, interpersonal skills, aesthetic sensibilities, perseverance, forgiveness, future mindedness, compassion, empathy, spirituality, and wisdom. And at the group level, it would be about civic virtues and institutions that move the individual toward better citizenship, responsibility, nurturance, mentoring, altruism, tolerance and work ethic.

The two pioneers in this field of positive psychology have been   Martin Seligman and Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi of the USA. Both these psychologists have a personal narrative based on their close observation of human beings that has directed them towards this stream.  Martin Seligman  ( Prof of Psychology at the University of Pennsylvania ) during his interaction with his daughter and her responses realized that raising children is vastly more than fixing what is wrong with them. It is about identifying and nurturing their strongest qualities and reinforcing them with what they are best at, so that they can best live out these strengths. This concept he developed and applied in general to all spectrum of the individual so that a person could lead a happy and purposeful life. Now, as per Seligman, three aspects lead to such a life as given in the below equation.

HAPPINESS   =  PLEASURE + ENGAGEMENT + MEANING .

 In the below video presentation he has elaborated upon  each of these three aspects in detail as to how these factors can ultimately lead to a life with lasting happiness.

Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi the Italian born American psychologist realized the need for positive psychology in Europe during World War II. He observed that the majority of the affected people were mentally embittered with shattered dreams & aspirations struggling to sustain themselves. Amid this gloom and despair without jobs, money or status they were reduced to empty shells. Yet there were a few who kept their integrity and purpose of life despite the surrounding chaos. Their serenity acted as a beacon that kept others from sinking into gloom and losing hope. And incidentally, these were not the most respected, educated or more skilled individuals. This is what set him to thinking as to what was the source of strength these people were drawing on. His video presentation below has elaborated on his concept of   "FLOW" as a major parameter that could act as the trigger to drive an individual. What it means to be in the “ FLOW ” is living in the present i.e . in the  “ HERE and NOW”  both physically and mentally without hangs ups of the past painful events or thinking of  an uncertain future. Because the present is the most powerful on which  an individual needs to concentrate his focus for achieving anything meaningful. And this can act as the driving spirit to sustain him under all circumstances.

 This he has elaborated in the below video presentation.

  And lastly much of the task in  present century will be to evolve science of human strength with a mission to understand and learn to foster these virtues in young people