Positive Psychology Careers

Positive psychology is a recently developed discipline of psychology that focuses on human strengths and studies the factors that make social units such as families and communities flourish. Unlike most fields of psychology that seek to manage behavior problems and mental distress, positive psychology aims to foster an individual's healthy experiences of love, responsibility and happiness.

Source: *U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics

Career Options in Positive Psychology

Positive psychology is a specialty that is often applied to other major disciplines within psychology, such as counseling psychology or industrial-organizational psychology. Although employment choices for psychologists are highly flexible, many of them work in academic institutions, research firms and government agencies. Alternatively, they may become therapists or counselors within health care establishments. Other industries rely on psychologists as human resource recruiters who identify applicants who will best fit the needs of the organizations. Furthermore, they might be employed as executive coaches or consultants, assisting industries on a variety of matters.

The U.S. Bureau of Labor and Statistics (BLS) reported in May 2013 that clinical, counseling and school psychologists earned a yearly annual wage of $72, 710, industrial-organizational psychologists earned a mean annual salary of $87, 960 and that all other psychologists made $88, 400 on average each year (www.bls.gov). Psychologists who hold doctorate degrees and those who are skillful in quantitative research and computer technology also have an edge in qualifying for a larger range of jobs and pulling in better compensation. The BLS predicts at 12% increase in employment for all psychologists during the 2012-2022 decade.

Job Duties

The idea behind positive psychology is to bring out the best in individuals in order for them to carry out happy, satisfying and meaningful lives. Positive psychologists contribute to society as they help nurture and maintain the well-being of people, create environments with high productivity, build interactive communities that support children and guide families to develop healthy lifestyles. Psychologists also coach people to keep a positive outlook in life, perform effectively in their jobs, harbor positive emotions and virtues, nurture healthy relationships and make a good impact in the world.