Positive psychology and New View Safety are two relatively new approaches to improving human performance. Both approaches focus on the positive, but they do so in different ways.
POSITIVE PSYCHOLOGY
Positive psychology is a branch of psychology that focuses on the strengths and virtues that enable individuals and communities to thrive. It is a relatively new field, having been founded in 1998 by Martin Seligman, then-president of the American Psychological Association.
Seligman was inspired to create positive psychology by the work of Abraham Maslow, who argued that psychology should focus not only on treating mental illness but also on human potential. Seligman also drew on the work of other psychologists, such as Carl Rogers and Viktor Frankl, who emphasised the importance of hope, meaning, and purpose in life.
There are many reasons why positive psychology has become so popular in recent years. One reason is that it offers a more optimistic view of human nature than traditional psychology. Positive psychology focuses on the good things in life, such as happiness, strengths, and virtues. This can be a refreshing change from the focus on mental illness and dysfunction that is often found in traditional psychology.
Another reason for the popularity of positive psychology is that it has been shown to be effective in improving people's lives. Studies have shown that positive psychology interventions can help people increase their happiness, reduce their stress levels, and improve their physical and mental health.
NEW VIEW SAFETY
New View Safety is a safety management approach that focuses on identifying and learning from things that go well, not just things that don't go well. It is based on the belief that by understanding what contributes to success, we can prevent or minimize accidents and injuries. Further information is provided on New View Safety on the main website – this link will take you there.
COMPARISON
Here is a table comparing the two approaches:
| POSITIVE PSYCHOLOGY | NEW VIEW SAFETY |
FOCUS | Strengths as opposed to weaknesses | Success, as well as failure |
GOAL | Enhance wellbeing and promote human flourishing | Prevent accidents and injuries, as well as increasing efficiencies and productivity |
METHOD | Identify and build on positive traits, capabilities, and characteristics | Build on positive organisational capabilities, and learn from negative experiences |
APPLICATION | Organisational coaching, psychology, counselling etc | Various industries |
SIMILARITIES
Despite their differences, positive psychology and New View Safety have some similarities. Both approaches focus on improving the positive in order to improve the overall outcome – be it personal human performance or organisational human performance.
CONCLUSION
Positive psychology and New View Safety are two promising approaches to improving human performance, and both approaches have been shown to be effective in different settings. As always though, there isn’t a ‘one size fits all’ approach to either of these. Each individual and organisation should properly evaluate both to determine if these approaches are relevant and applicable to their particular context.
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