By Michelle Maldonado
Associate Vice President of Corporate and Strategic Relationships, American Public University System
In today’s leadership economy, there are many currencies in the marketplace designed to help each of us achieve greatness—emotional intelligence, mindful leadership and other “conscious” business practices. In this installment of The Authentic Leadership Series, I speak with American Public University Professor Dr. Lisa M. Miller about the emergence of positive psychology and how it is helping people transform their lives and their professions by adopting an empowered mindset.
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Q: What is positive psychology and what are its origins?
Dr. Miller: The concept of positive psychology originated with Dr. Martin Seligman of the University of Pennsylvania. His key turning point in psychology came in 1998, after studying presidential stump speeches (since 1968), which indicated that candidates with more positive messages almost always won the election. Positive psychology presented a very different paradigm. To Dr. Seligman, in the traditional study and practice of psychology, there is too much focus on dysfunction and on finding out what is wrong with a person instead of looking at the positive side. Positive psychology takes a different approach. It asks, “What are we doing right? What are our strengths?”
Early in his studies at Penn., Dr. Seligman first developed the theory of learned helplessness. It’s a concept that people or animals in inescapable conditions (and under threat of harm), would eventually over time stay in those conditions, because they learned that this was the way they would be treated. If you’re categorizing topics, learned helplessness comes from a negative state of mind. As he was doing his own self-analysis for overcoming challenges with depression and other psychological anxieties, Dr. Seligman started writing about learned optimism. As he progressed from learned helplessness to learned optimism, he started to see a change in his own views. Rather than viewing someone as “stuck,” the new approach views the person as capable and empowered.
Read on to learn more about Dr. Lisa Miller’s insights into positive psychology as part of the APUS Authentic Leadership Series, “Learned Optimism and the Power of Positive Leadership.”
About Michelle Maldonado:
Michelle Maldonado is the creator of The Authentic Leadership Series and serves as Associate Vice President of the Corporate and Strategic Relationships team for American Public University. She is a former practicing attorney with more than 17 years of leadership experience in strategic planning, operations and partnership development across the education, technology, and online media industries. Michelle is passionate about talent development, coaching, and mentoring of professionals to support individual growth and success. Utilizing an authentic and consultative approach, Michelle collaborates with industry organizations to form education alliances that support overall talent and institutional growth strategies. To learn more about how American Public University’s programs and services may help you, please visit: www.StudyAtAPU.com/Solutions or contact Michelle at mmaldonado@apus.edu.
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