Life Above Zero

I recently ran into an acquaintance of mine at the supermarket. We talked for a little while about what is going on in each of our lives. Upon hearing that I have a degree in Psychology, she instantly asked "Oh! So you treat mental patients?"

This is just one instance. I am sure, students of Psychology often hear the following questions- "Oooo...so you can read minds?" or "Tell me what am I thinking?" or "I'll have to be careful around you, or you'll know all my secrets'.

This just shows that people aren't really aware of what all Psychology as a subject encompasses. 

First of all, sorry to disappoint you people, but we CANNOT read minds. Yes, after observing you for a little while, we might be able to form a hypothesis regarding what type of a personality you have; but we cannot really tell you what is going on in your minds. 

Secondly, there's a difference between a psychiatrist and a psychologist. Psychiatrists are trained medical professionals. They can prescribe medicines, and work with children, adolescents or adults with cases of mental illness. A psychologist, on the other hand, cannot prescribe medicines.They focus on psychotherapy and behavioral interventions to treat emotional and mental suffering of patients. 

Psychiatrist and psychologists, however, often work together to enhance the well-being of patients. 

Again, there are psychologists specializing in different areas. For example, while clinical and counselling psychologists share many functions (such as providing psychotherapy or conducting research, etc), they differ in theory and career paths. Clinical psychologists tend to work with more serious mental illnesses such as personality disorders, schizophrenia, depressive disorders, etc.

In contrast to their clinical counterparts, counselling psychologists work with relatively healthier patients having fewer psychological problems. They focus more on the emotional, social, physical and other issues, rather than issues related to pathology. 

Yet another type of psychologists  are the "Positive Psychologists".

Many people are unaware of this branch of Psychology, or may have heard about it, but aren't really sure about what it is. To be honest, even I did not know about it, until we were taught about it in college.

Positive psychology has been defined in many ways. But the most widely accepted definition is the one given by Peterson, 2008- "Positive Psychology is the scientific study of what makes life most worth living".

Traditionally, psychology has focused on dysfunction, mental illness and its diagnosis and treatment. 

In contrast to that, positive psychology actually focuses on ordinary people (having no mental illness) and how they can enhance their own lives and become happier and more fulfilled.

Positive psychology began as a new domain of psychology, when Martin Seligman (often regarded as the founder of positive psychology) chose it as the theme for his term as the president of the American Psychological Association. In Seligman's words- "The most important thing, the most general thing I learned, was that psychology was half-baked. We had baked the part about mental illness[...] The other side's unbaked. The side of strength, the side of what we are good at." (Address, Lincoln Summit, Sep, 1999).

An important element of Positive Psychology is "Life Above Zero".

Life Below Zero is all about mental illness and what goes wrong. Traditional psychology focuses on this part.

Life At Zero is defined by absence of any mental illness, but also a low degree of positive mental health.

Life Above Zero is what positive psychologists aim for. It is defined by an absence of mental illness and a presence of positive mental health. According to a research conducted, only 17% of the population leads a life above zero.

Why is Life Above Zero important?  Life above zero acknowledges the things in life that enrich and sustain, what we call the 'Good Life'. And who doesn't want a 'Good Life'.

Thank you for reading!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9FBxfd7DL3E