Realizing the Power and Potential of Positive Psychology

Unfortunately, the modern world of work — especially high school life — is contemporaneous with mental health issues. Adolescents struggle to deal with depression and anxiety due to a complex matrix of factors, posing a serious threat to not only the quality of their education, but also to their quality of life. While many suggest that the ever burgeoning mental health crisis is the result of increased use, and misuse, of social media, as was addressed in a mental health awareness assembly here at George W. Hewlett High School, others attribute it to a lost sense of community/belonging, stress from homework or pressures relating to college admissions. Although the true cause of this epidemic among adolescents is still unknown, we believe that the situation can be better through positive psychology education.

Positive psychology education means teaching students how to reach their full potential, with emphasis on building a life with meaning and purpose. By teaching students how to feel truly fulfilled and content with their life, they are better prepared to use the necessary tools to combat life’s inevitable emotional hardships. Moreover, positive psychology fosters sustained feelings of happiness, rather than simple fleeting or superficial happiness. Mental health issues are very real, especially to those who suffer from them. Yet, students and parents should be more aware of methods other than medication to lessen the burden of these struggles.

Schools should implement a program that teaches students the concept of eudaimonia, which is Aristotle’s theory of flourishing. According to this theory, although people are born with specific challenges, it is important for adolescents to realize that they have the ability to grow, evolve and advance throughout their lives; if adolescents concentrate on working toward a vision of truly thriving in their lives, their journey along that path will naturally put a life of struggle outside of their realm of thought. For example, many people who take SSRIs, or drugs that mimic the neurotransmission chemicals in the brain that they are lacking, still have a low mood and live in struggle because they do not practice the positive thinking that is always required to live happily. Further than the benefits of practiced positive psychology in bridging this gap among those with mental health issues, the majority of students — those without mental illness — have the potential to realize unimaginably positive long-term effects. High schools and middle schools hold the unique power to influence students for the rest of their lives, since students experience much of their maturation into adults in these institutions.

To some extent, Hewlett High School does teach positive psychology in the classroom, though the range of classes that do is very limited. Yoga II, a course taught by Melissa Pantelis, which is available to juniors and seniors, has units that focus on gratitude, mindfulness and taking care of the body. In this class, students create vision boards that promote and encourage their dreams for the future. The most popular activity, one that many students have used outside of the classroom, is the gratitude journal. Students were directed to write meaningful entries about moments, things or people that they deeply appreciate. Furthermore, the mental health activities were effectively coupled with yoga, which was the “full package” for students when it comes to overall health. Similar themes are touched upon in Yoga I, as well. Unfortunately, these discussions are not reverberated throughout the school community. Yoga I and Yoga II are dominated by female students, although it is considered a co-ed class. Some may speculate that this is a result of the nature pressure for male students to conform to societal expectations of masculinity, one that does not include yoga and writing in a diary. Additionally, these classes meet every other day for just 41 minutes. Most importantly, though, encouraging students to live their lives focused on gratitude, love, growth and confidence should not have to be values that are instructed in an academic setting; instead, they should be a focal point of the conversation of the broader community. While the Hewlett-Woodmere community places a justifiable and important emphasis on providing mental illness education and resources, positive psychology should take equal weight in very much the same way that nutritionists tell their clients both which unhealthy foods to avoid and which healthy ones to eat.

Positive psychology can also increase students’ performance in their academic subjects, another incentive for its implementation. Theories behind this include the increased connection between students and teachers, as teachers will naturally learn more about their students on a more human level, rather than solely based on their test scores, when their students feel fulfilled and confident. As a result, teachers may feel more sympathetic and motivated to be more involved with each of their students. It is clear that positive psychology fosters a constructive environment in which to learn because students and teachers are connected in their shared goals of uplifting themselves, each other and their community.

The alternate benefit that positive psychology offers when integrated into the curriculum should not be discounted. The subdiscipline is already an important facet of social sciences education in renowned universities such as the University of Pennsylvania, Harvard University and Yale University. Perhaps, the curriculum implemented in high school can be inspired by that in colleges in order to limit the frequently perceived ambiguity of its open-endedness and embrace both sides of the metaphorical psychology education coin: mental illness and positive psychology. In some respects, that is the beauty of a prospective positive psychology course. Unlike any other class students are involved in, they have the freedom to take what they want from a positive psychology class. Each student, as a result of various backgrounds and experiences, will use the tools in different ways.

Ultimately, positive psychology education is useful for all that seek to harness their own internal power and hunger to reach their full potential. The proliferation of the subject among students would show them how to create their own reality, embrace a growth mindset, practice gratitude and fulfillment, feel confident and live exceptionally, and these impacts would greatly benefit the lives of all Hewlett-Woodmere students in the long term. It is imperative that adolescents live with the expectation and vision of an exceptional life rather than a typical one, filled with joy rather than struggle. As author Stephen Covey once stated, “You are not the product of your circumstances, you are the product of your decisions.”