On the 8th of November members of PPL met to talk about the future of positive psychology (in general) and specifically what we would like to do in Luxembourg to share the research, best practices and interventions in the field.
We had a rich discussion and a fun evening of brainstorming and thinking. The discussion was led by Jannie Stricker MSc MAPP, who shared her insight from the IPPA World Conference in Vancouver this summer. The 3 main takeaways for the members of PPl were:
Maybe the name “Positive” is not the right one anymore – since the field was formed back in the late 90s and early 2000 and had evolved and developed enormously since. The field has moved towards a “science of well-being”. (question to be answered by members in the year to come: should we change the name of the association?)
· To be or not to be…prescriptive. Flourishing and well-being are complex matters and researchers and practitioners need to be aware of this. There are different parameters when talking about wellbeing and flourishing for the individual, organizational or societal levels and this needs to be addressed with better research and awareness if we are to be prescriptive in our practice.
· Climate change and AI is now a part of the “Positive Psychology/Science of well-being” future.
After a rich discussion, we concluded that the most important message we can share in the moment is the perception of Positive Psychology. We would like to share that positive psychology is NOT about being happy all the time – it is MUCH MORE.
Positive Psychology is about becoming aware of the positive and the negative, it is complex to be human and this is now common knowledge – one can be happy about something and then at the same time not so happy about another thing that is happening in your life. Positive Psychology should be seen as a guide to help us through tough times by developing resilience, using our strengths and so many more tools that are in the Positive Psychology toolbox. The message is we don’t want to give false hope, but keep it real.
As our association enters its 6th year of existence and the main theme is ACCOMPLISHMENT (following the PERMA model – each year had the main theme one element) we will dive into the complexity of accomplishment, with its positive, motivating and fulfilling feeling and meaning but also into its traps (through the entanglement of our social world today) as source of “never good enough”, low self-esteem, workaholism, perfectionism and…burnout.
Therefore we want to create awareness specifically on the self-care of the care-givers - in both categories professional or private:
- the professionals: coaches, psychologists, medical professions, veterinarians and others who care for animals, and those who by their profession care for the nature surrounding us;
- in private: as parents, grandparents, adult children caring for elders or other ways of taking care of others and the environment.
So, for all those who are curious, interested and willing to jump into this adventure join us, follow us and support us.