The History of PSYCH 243
One theme that Peterson observes throughout the history of psychology is a preoccupation with negative things in life. An obvious example is mental disorders. Psychologists have spent so much time studying and treating mental disorders that often the general public thinks that this is the only thing we do. There are many other examples of negatives in life that psychologists have studied: biased and faulty thinking, child abuse, sexism and racism, delinquency and crime, war and aggression.
Because of psychology’s preoccupation with the negative, 60 years ago a course like this one focused on overcoming problems and coping with stress. These courses used to be called "The Psychology of Adjustment," as if there was one standard of mental health to live up to.
In the 1990s, Positive Psychology arose due to dissatisfaction with focus on negatives and on adjustment. Positive Psychology is "the scientific study of what goes right in life." (Peterson, 2006, p. 23). Positive psychology focuses on each person's unique potential for positive growth and excellence.
This course represents a blend of the older psychology of adjustment and positive psychology. The course emphasizes the positive as much as possible because sometimes dwelling on the negative simply prolongs the negative. At the same time, it is a fact that people suffer from anxiety, depression, low self-esteem, anger, and self-defeating behavior, and sometimes we have to manage these problems before we can focus on positives. This course therefore provides methods for overcoming negative states, dealing with the everyday stresses of life, and striving to become the best persons we can be.