CYP5212 - Mental Health: A Literature Review of Positive Psychology

This literature review explores the application of positive psychology to mental health, focusing on a case study of an individual named Shubha. The review highlights key concepts of positive psychology, including character strengths, happiness, wellbeing, and quality of life. It critically evaluates existing research, addressing both the benefits and limitations of positive psychology interventions. The review also considers ethical considerations in positive psychology research and practice, emphasizing the importance of protecting participants' wellbeing and privacy. The PERMA model is discussed as a framework for promoting wellbeing. It concludes that positive psychology offers valuable tools for improving mental health and quality of life, while acknowledging the need for rigorous research and ethical practices. Desklib is a valuable resource for students seeking similar solved assignments and past papers.

Mental Health

Table of Contents
INTRODUCTION...........................................................................................................................3
LITERATURE REVIEW................................................................................................................3
CONCLUSION................................................................................................................................6
REFERENCES................................................................................................................................7

INTRODUCTION
Positive psychology refers to the scientific study of human flourishing which can help apply
the approach for the optimal functioning along with strength and virtues. It helps to get happiness
and joy which make life most worthy for living. In this, Shubha case study has been chosen
where she is not getting positive perspective in life and think that whatever is going in her life is
due to her action. Shubha is facing depression where she need to positive psychology therapy
and due to her life quality she has some past experience which also plays a role in demotivating
about her life (White et. al., (2019)).
LITERATURE REVIEW
According to (Heekerens, (2021)) positive psychology includes the aim for encouraging
individual to discover along with nurture their character strengths. This is the one which allow
individual to get shift through positive outlook instead of negative outlook which are associated
with the optimistic view that can help individual to improve their quality of life. This may
include the influencing individual to get help through human being to live happy (Tanhan,
(2019)). This have the focus on abnormal behaviour and dysfunction and provided support and
help people to become happier. Key area of positive psychology is happiness, quality of life,
wellbeing along with meaningful life. It is necessary to use the positive psychology which can
enable individual who are not happier with their life and sees negative aspect rather than being
positive. Through using this positive psychology, it allows to get better and effective support to
individual that can enable them to share different aspect which are the reason to sees the life in
negative way (Wong, (2020)). Through using the research in the positive psychology it enables
to get better and effective response towards the sector which can improve the key concept of
positive psychology. Here, chosen case study is Shubha who is not positive about her life and
may feeling depressed due to her current living standard and situation. Here, she need for the
psychological therapy which can assist and help her to get positive about the life. In this, there is
need to take care about such type of case more effectively. To deal with such situation in better
way, it is essential to get more information which can be effective and allow to get better and
effective response that can allow to achieve better understanding about the positive psychology
(Bharara, (2020)). There are large number of population who are suffering through the negative
aspect of their life in which it is essential to consider about the reason and influence them to sees

the positive aspect which can be done through the help of positive psychology. Through the
research about the positive psychology, it can enable psychologist to use it in their practices
which are effective and allow them to encourage individual who are facing different situation of
mix of negative issues which make people depress. Through conducting research in this field, it
can allow to get better and effective situation which can enable them to get effective response
which can encourage them to deal more wisely with people who need the positive psychology. It
can help psychologist to provide support and encourage individual like Shubha to get happiness,
joy, love and compassion in her life. It can also harness the power of shifting individual
perspective for maximizing their potential which can include the happiness in their everyday
behaviour.
According to Martin Seligman (2022), human and animal both become helpless which is
due to what happened and going through the current situation. This can enable to face them
depression which is also a sigh of negative energy. This also includes that human may face
difficulty due to what is happening in their life. When human is not get consider about the
positive aspect of life and feeling low and not comfortable about the life which may lead to
difficulty in dealing with different situation positively. Here, Shubha is facing difficulty in
dealing with life situation which is combination of her health related issue and not having
enough potential to cover the situation effectively (What is Positive Psychology & Why is It
Important? (2022)). Due to getting pressure and negative influence of her mother in-law make
her feel anxious and get depressed. In this, there is need to ensure about the lifestyle which may
consider the evaluation of her helplessness. Shubha is also feeling depressed due to financial
problem which add the negative impact on her thinking aspect and create the situation of facing
helplessness.
According to (Hendriks et. al., (2020)) with positive aspect, there are also some of the
negative view of the positive psychology. In this, research findings are often misleading, invalid
and may be overstated. This may include some mistake in the research like other research
process. This also includes the too much emphasis on cross sectional survey data. Positive
psychology can have the ethnocentric and culturally bias. This field is also too individualistic. To
get the information about the positive psychology, it includes the scientific method of evaluating
theories which are based on the evidence. This may include different learning which are
associated with the positive psychology. Here, PERMA Model is one of the effective model

which can provide the framework to encourage the positive aspect that can have high impact on
the delivery of better and effective response. This model includes the positive emotions,
engagement, relationships, meanings and achievement which are effective for describing
individual wellbeing in more efficient way.
According to (Filep et. al., (2019)), there are some of the findings which are positive and
attract research for the positive psychology which can have various aspect to encourage people to
get better wellbeing and idea about living happily with better joy. It has evaluated that impact of
money is higher on the individual thinking perspective which needed to lower the focus on
wealth that can allow to decrease the attention on wealth and improve the opportunity to make
individual happier (Lambert et. al., (2019)). Here, Shubha is also facing one of the financial
situation where due to lack of money she is not able to be happy in terms of her family happiness
to fulfil and support them more effectively. There is also a finding that oxytocin can also
provoke trust, morality and empathy which can be there due to hugs and other physical affection
that can lead to create high impact on the delivery of physical affection that can help to boost
individual overall wellbeing. There is another finding that there is need to encourage the
individual which are associated with providing better nad effective response to the people who
need some psychological therapy. There is need for the Shubha which can enable her to think
positive to act in positive way which can encourage her to get well to perform various activity
which are associated with people happiness and their wellbeing.
According to (Ng et. al., (2018)), there is various ethical consideration which are followed in
the article which are associate to deliver quality of understanding about the positive psychology.
In this, there is ethical consideration which include the taking care about the research participants
which should not get harm during the research in any ways. During the research, there are also
taken in consideration that there should take care about the privacy and confidentiality of
individual who are involved in the research article (Ross et. al., (2018)). There is also taken care
about the research which are done through which are effected and should be care about the
ethical response which are associated during the research that should not get any type of
difficulty which impact the research result or any other ethical issues. There are some of the
relevant policy which includes the measurement of wellbeing, exploration of paths to good life
and others. These are some of the policy which can relates with positive psychology. During
research for positive psychology, there are various ethical consideration has been followed like

not harming any individual, taking care about the privacy and confidentiality and others. As per
the case study, psychologist of Shubha should also take care about the ethical consideration
which includes not sharing of Shubha personal and professional information with other parties
and should take care that Shubha should not get harm during the therapy and taken care about
informed consent along with voluntary participation (Davis et. al., (2020)).
CONCLUSION
From the above discussion, it can have concluded that there are large number of population
which are suffering from depression which are generally cause due to financial and family
related problem. In this, there is need to sees the positive aspect which can help to motivate and
get encouraged about the better life. There is need to use the positive psychology which can
allow to encourage individual about sees the happiness, joy and other positive things. Such
perspective can allow them to get better and effective response that are essential and allow
individual to improve their quality of life. There is also need for research in terms of positive
psychology which can allow to get better impose the improve result through using the ethical
consideration.

REFERENCES
Books and Journals
Bharara, G. (2020). Factors facilitating a positive transition to secondary school: A systematic
literature review. International Journal of School & Educational Psychology, 8(sup1),
104-123.
Davis, A. K., Barrett, F. S., & Griffiths, R. R. (2020). Psychological flexibility mediates the
relations between acute psychedelic effects and subjective decreases in depression and
anxiety. Journal of contextual behavioral science, 15, 39-45.
Filep, S., & Laing, J. (2019). Trends and directions in tourism and positive psychology. Journal
of Travel Research, 58(3), 343-354.
Heekerens, J. B., & Eid, M. (2021). Inducing positive affect and positive future expectations
using the best-possible-self intervention: A systematic review and meta-analysis. The
Journal of Positive Psychology, 16(3), 322-347.
Hendriks, T., Schotanus-Dijkstra, M., Hassankhan, A., De Jong, J., & Bohlmeijer, E. (2020). The
efficacy of multi-component positive psychology interventions: A systematic review and
meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials. Journal of happiness studies, 21(1), 357-
390.
Lambert, L., Passmore, H. A., & Joshanloo, M. (2019). A positive psychology intervention
program in a culturally-diverse university: Boosting happiness and reducing fear. Journal
of Happiness Studies, 20(4), 1141-1162.
Ng, Q. X., Peters, C., Ho, C. Y. X., Lim, D. Y., & Yeo, W. S. (2018). A meta-analysis of the use
of probiotics to alleviate depressive symptoms. Journal of affective disorders, 228, 13-19.
Ross, L. E., Salway, T., Tarasoff, L. A., MacKay, J. M., Hawkins, B. W., & Fehr, C. P. (2018).
Prevalence of depression and anxiety among bisexual people compared to gay, lesbian,
and heterosexual individuals: A systematic review and meta-analysis. The Journal of Sex
Research, 55(4-5), 435-456.
Tanhan, A. (2019). Acceptance and commitment therapy with ecological systems theory:
Addressing Muslim mental health issues and wellbeing. Journal of Positive Psychology
and Wellbeing, 3(2), 197-219.
White, C. A., Uttl, B., & Holder, M. D. (2019). Meta-analyses of positive psychology
interventions: The effects are much smaller than previously reported. PloS one, 14(5),
e0216588.
Wong, P. T. (2020). Existential positive psychology and integrative meaning
therapy. International Review of Psychiatry, 32(7-8), 565-578.
Online
What is Positive Psychology & Why is It Important? (2022) [Online] Available through
<https://positivepsychology.com/what-is-positive-psychology-definition/>