What is Developmental Science?
“Developmental Science” is an exciting and very dynamic multidisciplinary field that seeks to understand and explain human development in its many aspects and the vast number of factors that affect it. Both individual (ontogenetic) and, to a somewhat lesser extent, evolutionary development are considered. It centers on developmental psychology and cognitive neuroscience but scholars working in the field may also have expertise in biology, brain science, linguistics, anthropology, primatology, positive psychology, or other areas. There is considerable collaboration among researchers with varied backgrounds who draw on multiple research methods to examine issues. Human Development is regarded as a complex adaptive system, that is ever in transition. Many, but not all, developmental scientists have both theoretical and applied interests.
What is Positive Psychology?
From its inception, psychology has sought to explain human thinking and behavior, as well as to describe basic development. But it has traditionally focused on struggles and challenges, on disorders, and on those who have failed to thrive. Then, just about the time the 21st century was dawning, a small number of psychologists realized that the field itself had failed in a way, because it had not seriously considered why some people thrive. Psychologist Martin Seligman is sometimes regarded as the “founder” of the positive psychology because he articulated the issue in his now famous keynote address at the annual meeting of the American Psychological Association (APA) in 1998. Like a damn bursting open, a growing number of researchers began seriously investigating the positive experiences of people.
Positive psychology is the study of the strengths that enable people to thrive. It is often described as the scientific study of what makes life worth living. It focuses on positive experiences such as happiness and flow, and positive traits such as resilience, gratitude and compassion.
There is a core belief among positive psychologists that people want to be happy, want to have a sense of well-being, and that they want to flourish. From its beginnings, positive psychology has had a strong commitment to both theory and application, seeking to explain positivity and to find ways to help people build positive qualities through practices, coaching, teaching and other support.
Many leading Universities and organizations are committed to disseminating this information. Here are some resources you may want to explore to learn more about enhancing your own, or your child’s, positivity:
The Greater Good Science Foundation at U C Berkeley: https://greatergood.berkeley.edu
The Positive Psychology Center at the University of Pennsylvania: https://ppc.sas.upenn.edu
The Positive Psychology Program https://positivepsychologyprogram.com/category/positive-psychology-articles/