Which option best describes the focus of positive psychology?

Which option best describes the focus of positive psychology?

• A. The study of mental illness
• B. The study of behavior modification only
• C. The study of unconscious conflicts
• D. The study of human strengths, virtues, and happiness

Answer: (D)

Positive psychology asks what enables people to thrive, focusing on strengths, virtues, and well-being rather than on illness or dysfunction. It looks at qualities like happiness, resilience, meaning, engagement, and character strengths, and it seeks ways to cultivate flourishing in individuals and communities. This view is why the best description is the study of human strengths, virtues, and happiness—it directly captures the positive, growth-oriented side of human experience. The other options pull in different directions: studying mental illness centers on pathology, behavior modification emphasizes changing observable actions through conditioning, and unconscious conflicts come from psychodynamic theories about hidden motivations. None of those focus on the positive aspects of functioning and well-being that positive psychology emphasizes.

Positive psychology asks what enables people to thrive, focusing on strengths, virtues, and well-being rather than on illness or dysfunction. It looks at qualities like happiness, resilience, meaning, engagement, and character strengths, and it seeks ways to cultivate flourishing in individuals and communities. This view is why the best description is the study of human strengths, virtues, and happiness—it directly captures the positive, growth-oriented side of human experience. The other options pull in different directions: studying mental illness centers on pathology, behavior modification emphasizes changing observable actions through conditioning, and unconscious conflicts come from psychodynamic theories about hidden motivations. None of those focus on the positive aspects of functioning and well-being that positive psychology emphasizes.