What is a Positive Intervention? Theoretical, Empirical and Experiential Perspectives.

Abstract

Three interrelated threads of inquiry -theoretical, empirical, and experiential- are pursued to answer one fundamental question: what is a positive intervention? Part 1 proposes a theoretical definition of the term “positive intervention” and a hypothesis about how positive interventions work. Part 2 presents an empirically based classification system and its value relevant to the longevity of positive psychology as an academic discipline. In Part 3, two positive interventions are experientially explored and related to the proposed theoretical model and empirical classification of positive interventions. Interweaving these threads yields a more thorough understanding of positive interventions, which will enable their more effective application and ensure the durability of positive psychology as a field of scientific endeavor and prevent its declination into a self-help fad.