Positive Psychology Waves & Dyslexia

Positive psychology is the science of wellbeing; it is about what makes our lives good and what allows us to live the best life, with purpose and joy. It looks at what fulfillment is and how it influences us as individuals. 

There are four waves or forms of positive psychology that most people are unaware of, and most have only ever heard of the first wave. The first wave of positive psychology was led by Martin Seligman, focusing on what makes a good life a purposeful one. This wave focuses on what is right, sound, and strong within the individual. The next wave of positive psychology, or Positive Psychology 2.0, was led by Dr. Paul Wong, who believed that positive psychology should also acknowledge what is not right with a person to raise wellbeing. Another way to look at this is through the symbolism of yin and yang: what is not good and what is good create the whole, allowing us to see the whole picture.

Positive psychology 2.0, with its focus on bringing the whole into improved wellbeing, brought attention to resilience and post-traumatic growth. I believe that the focus of dyslexia needs to be through this second wave of positive psychology because no matter what we dyslexics do, we will forever be reminded of our challenges. However, to raise our wellbeing, we also need to bring in what is right and strong within our processing style, so that we gain the complete picture of who we are. From an artist's lens, we need to see the complete picture of anything; we need to accept both the contours and highlights of the scene. When we do this, we have something that draws our eye in and makes us curious about what lies beyond our field of vision. 

The next wave within positive psychology is the third wave, which focuses on underrepresented groups and cultures, where the research and approach around dyslexia also fit. Finally, we have the fourth wave of positive psychology, which looks at existentialism. Existentialism is a term used to describe anything that goes beyond the self, including spirituality, meaning, and mattering, and anything that allows individuals to grow beyond the physical self.

Within the topic of dyslexia, we must focus on what is and what could be, so we can hold space for where we, as dyslexics, can grow. It is from this place that we can become the person we want to be and gain a greater understanding of how we matter and what meaning we bring to others.