How does positive psychology explain wellbeing through free will, the three pillars, signature strengths, flow and mindfulness?
The positive approach: assumptions (free will and the good life, focus on the positive, the three pillars, signature strengths and the role of flow), the named applications (mindfulness, building signature strengths), and evaluation. A2 content.
An Eduqas A-Level Psychology answer to the positive approach in Component 1. Covers the assumptions (free will, the good life, the three pillars and signature strengths), mindfulness and strengths-based interventions as the named applications, and a balanced evaluation for the Past to Present paper.
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What this dot point is asking
The positive approach is the fifth of the five approaches in Component 1, and it is A2 content. You must know its assumptions, its named applications (mindfulness and strengths-based interventions), how it applies to behaviour, and how to evaluate it.
The answer
Assumptions
The named applications
Application to behaviour
The approach explains and improves wellbeing. Low mood can be addressed not only by removing symptoms but by building positive emotion, engagement and meaning. Resilience can be developed by cultivating optimism and strengths. The approach contributes a positive, strengths-based angle to Component 3 work, for example using flow and mindfulness to support recovery and to reduce stress.
Evaluation
- Practical applications. Gratitude, strengths interventions and mindfulness improve wellbeing in controlled trials.
- Empowering. Offers a positive view and stresses free will and agency, countering the deficit focus of other approaches.
- Measurement. Happiness, flourishing and the good life are hard to define and measure objectively, weakening scientific rigour.
- Risk of minimising distress. May seem to blame individuals for their unhappiness or ignore serious disorder.
- Cultural bias. What counts as the good life varies; an individualist focus on personal happiness may not fit collectivist cultures.
Examples in context
Example 1. Why the applications follow from the assumptions. Because the approach assumes wellbeing can be actively built through strengths, engagement and meaning, its interventions train exactly those (signature strengths, gratitude, flow, mindfulness). The applications are a direct extension of the three pillars, which is why Eduqas pairs each approach with applications that flow from its assumptions.
Example 2. The contrast with the psychodynamic approach. The psychodynamic approach looks backwards to unconscious childhood conflict and treats disorder; positive psychology looks forwards to building strengths and flourishing and assumes free will. Comparing them shows the difference between a deficit, deterministic model and an empowering, agentic one.
Try this
Q1. Name Seligman's three pillars of positive psychology. [3 marks]
- Cue. Positive subjective experiences (positive emotions), positive individual traits (character strengths and virtues), and positive institutions.
Q2. Explain what is meant by flow. [2 marks]
- Cue. Flow is a state of complete absorption and engagement in an activity that is suitably challenging, in which a person loses track of time and self-consciousness.
Q3. State one weakness of the positive approach. [2 marks]
- Cue. Its key concepts (happiness, the good life) are hard to measure objectively, or it can be culturally biased, or it risks minimising genuine distress by emphasising individual responsibility.
Exam-style practice questions
Practice questions written in the style of WJEC Eduqas exam questions on this dot point, with worked answer explainers. The year tag is the paper they imitate, not the source.
Eduqas 20198 marksDescribe the assumptions of the positive approach. [8 marks]Show worked answer →
A description item (AO1). Eduqas rewards each assumption named and explained.
Positive psychology (Seligman) studies what makes life worth living, rather than only what goes wrong. Its assumptions:
(1) Free will and personal responsibility: people can actively choose to improve their own wellbeing, so behaviour is not wholly determined.
(2) A focus on the positive and the good life: psychology should study happiness, flourishing and strengths, not just disorder, to help people live well.
(3) The three pillars: positive psychology rests on positive subjective experiences (positive emotions), positive individual traits (character strengths and virtues) and positive institutions (families, schools, communities that enable flourishing).
(4) Signature strengths and authentic happiness: identifying and using one's core character strengths, alongside states such as flow (complete absorption in an activity), promotes lasting wellbeing.
Markers reward each assumption named, explained and ideally illustrated.
Eduqas 202212 marksEvaluate the positive approach in psychology. [12 marks]Show worked answer →
A balanced evaluation (AO3) reaching a judgement.
Strengths: it has practical, evidence-based applications (gratitude exercises, signature-strengths interventions and mindfulness improve wellbeing in controlled studies); it offers a positive, empowering view that counters the deficit focus of other approaches; and it stresses free will and personal agency.
Weaknesses: key concepts (happiness, flourishing, the good life) are hard to define and measure objectively, so it can lack scientific rigour; it risks ignoring genuine distress and may seem to blame individuals for their unhappiness; and it can be culturally biased, because what counts as the good life varies between cultures (an individualist focus on personal happiness may not fit collectivist cultures).
A strong answer concludes that the approach is empowering and practically useful but faces real challenges over measurement, cultural validity and the risk of minimising distress. Markers reward developed points with a judgement.
Related dot points
- The biological approach: assumptions (genes, brain structure and localisation, neurochemistry, evolution), the named therapy (drug therapy/chemotherapy), application to behaviour, and evaluation. AS content.
An Eduqas A-Level Psychology answer to the biological approach in Component 1. Covers the four assumptions (genes, brain structure and localisation, neurochemistry and evolution), drug therapy as the named treatment, applications to behaviour, and a balanced evaluation for the Past to Present paper.
- The behaviourist approach: assumptions (blank slate, classical conditioning, operant conditioning), the named therapy (aversion therapy/systematic desensitisation), application to behaviour, and evaluation. AS content.
An Eduqas A-Level Psychology answer to the behaviourist approach in Component 1. Covers the assumptions (blank slate, classical conditioning via Pavlov, operant conditioning via Skinner), aversion therapy as the named treatment, applications to behaviour, and a balanced evaluation for the Past to Present paper.
- The psychodynamic approach: assumptions (unconscious mind, tripartite personality, psychosexual stages, defence mechanisms), the named therapy (psychoanalysis/dream analysis), application to behaviour, and evaluation. A2 content.
An Eduqas A-Level Psychology answer to the psychodynamic approach in Component 1. Covers the assumptions (the unconscious, the id-ego-superego, psychosexual stages and defence mechanisms), psychoanalysis as the named treatment, applications to behaviour, and a balanced evaluation for the Past to Present paper.
- The cognitive approach: assumptions (information processing/computer analogy, internal mental processes, schemas), the named therapy (cognitive behavioural therapy), application to behaviour, and evaluation. AS content.
An Eduqas A-Level Psychology answer to the cognitive approach in Component 1. Covers the assumptions (the computer analogy, internal mental processes and schemas), cognitive behavioural therapy as the named treatment, applications to behaviour, and a balanced evaluation for the Past to Present paper.
- Classic research for the positive approach: Myers and Diener (1995), Who is happy? Aim, method (review of subjective wellbeing research), results, conclusions and evaluation.
An Eduqas A-Level Psychology answer to the classic positive-psychology research, Myers and Diener (1995), Who is happy? Covers the aim, the review of subjective wellbeing evidence, the findings on what does and does not predict happiness, the conclusions, and a balanced evaluation.
Sources & how we know this
- Eduqas GCE A Level in Psychology (A290) specification — Eduqas (2015)