REBT and Positive Psychology

Abstract

The nature of happiness and the good life have preoccupied people for millennia and the idea that what matters is not just to live, but to live well has been central to both Eastern and Western philosophical thought (Kesebir & Diener, 2008). In psychology, interest in this topic can be traced back to the origins of the field itself, in William James’ writings about “healthy mindedness “(James, 1902; Linley, Joseph, Harrington, & Wood, 2006). Human flourishing was also a fundamental issue for the humanistic movement (Huta, 2013). However, the systematic empirical study of the conditions and processes that lead to flourishing and well-being is related to the emergence positive psychology, at the end of the 1990s (Gable & Haidt, 2005).