Abstract
Mental health issues among the geriatrics in the US have increased significantly, creating the need for better interventions that are inclusive. The public sector is not yet prepared to meet the needs of an aging population, considering that most psychological interventions, such as positive psychology, have presented significant limitations. Therefore, a strategy to enhance their health is required to enhance well-being, self-actualization and safe aging. Although PPIs have been demonstrated to help boost happiness, more research on their use with the elderly is required. Furthermore, the latest data on PPIs in the elderly have not yet been established in a systematic review. This factor indicates a problem with the current version of PPIs, which justifies this research, considering that it will focus on integrating negative emotions in PPIs to make them a holistic intervention.
Introduction
The scientific study of impactful experiences, personality traits, and social structures is known as positive psychology. This new discipline offers a theoretical foundation for enhancing peoples’ welfare by acknowledging that mental health and cognitive issues are connected but different. Various works of literature have established that positive psychology helps develop a sense of well-being through optimism which helps people become more psychologically resilient, enabling them to manage challenges (Febrianingsih & Chaer, 2018). However, positive psychology ignores negative emotions, which can be dangerous since the avoided experiences are stored in the subconscious and may erupt at an inappropriate time. Therefore, negative emotions should be integrated into Positive Psychology Intervention (PPI) to ensure it becomes a holistic approach that does not suppress other essential experiences.
Significance of the Study
Since the invention of positive psychology, the idea of negative emotions has been ignored, making this rehabilitative approach have significant limitations. Various researchers have delved into the positive approach of this psychological approach without considering the deficit of non-integration of negative emotions in the approach. Therefore, this study focuses on incorporating negative emotions in positive psychology to reduce limitations such as inaccurate risk assessment, the epistemological assumption that negative emotions disappear, and poor outcomes due to failed reorganization of thoughts.
Research Questions
- How comprehensive is the positive psychology approach?
- What are some limitations of focusing on positive emotions alone?
- What are the effects of suppressing negative emotions?
Objectives of the Study
This study aims to promote the integration of negative emotions in Positive Psychology Intervention (PPI) to achieve a holistic approach. This idea will help psychologists consider addressing negative emotions to avoid suppression, which causes various limitations. The study will also highlight the importance of exploring negative emotions in positive psychology to promote healing and well-being. All these findings will be relevant in promoting an inclusive approach to ensure the older population benefits from this intervention.
Target Audience and Intended Outcome
This research investigates how integrating negative emotions would enhance Positive Psychology Intervention (PPI) among the elderly population. The target population are 60 years and above in at-home care and institutionalized settings. The reason for choosing this vulnerable population is that they experience varied issues, including chronic diseases, old age crisis and discrimination due to low economic standpoint. An exclusive approach that ignores their negative perception can have detrimental consequences (Febrianingsih & Chaer, 2018). The reason is that PPI has revolved around enhancing positive experiences while ignoring the influence of negative emotions when remediating using PPI among the elderly populations. Suppressing negative emotions results in recurrent oppressive symptoms such as anxiety and depression, considering that hiding sad feelings usually result in significant distress (Durgante & Dell’Aglio, 2019). Therefore, this study’s outcome will enable psychologists to introduce negative emotions to promote complete recovery and meaningful outcomes.
Intervention Method, Implementation, and Evaluation
The integration of negative emotions in PPI is an inclusive approach that will focus not only on building optimism, positive emotions, and personality and establishing talents but also the unpleasant experiences. The intervention will focus on establishing viable strategies to help clients cope or deal with negative emotions typically buried in the subconscious but haunts the individual (Izal et al., 2019). Typically, positive psychology helps individuals learn about their moral sense and personal strengths that make people successful or steer them to achieve an objective. This new approach will encourage the group to explore other aspects, such as the undesirable habits, emotions or traits that influence self-actualization or active functioning.
The approach should include Coaching and Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) strategies for dealing with negative experiences rather than focusing on the strengths and virtues that make a person successful in life or in reaching their life goals. Instead of focusing on these, the approach should include these. Exposure therapy, for example, is one of the core tenets of cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT). This therapy encourages patients to confront their irrational fears or challenging emotions to learn how to overcome fears better (Febrianingsih & Chaer, 2018). Coaching or mentorship ensures that an individual explores all the fears and challenging encounters so that the issues can be dealt with to avoid escalating in the future to cause more psychological harm.
The benchmark for evaluating the intervention’s efficacy will depend on its impact on wholesome recovery. This inclusive approach must examine positive and negative emotions and deal with both equally to promote holistic recovery (Durgante & Dell’Aglio, 2019). The reason is that when negative emotions are suppressed, they resurface when someone encounters a trigger, resulting in a cycle of depressive symptoms that overpower optimism. Therefore, evaluating the relevance of this integrated approach will depend on the outcome it has on the individuals. For instance, if the clients achieve self-actualization without relapsing into a depressive state, the intervention will have attained its relevance. However, the intervention will be deemed invalid if the result does not enhance the individuals’ well-being.
Literature Review
Various research has established that PPI interventions are inadequate in catering for the needs of the elderly population. According to Febrianingsih & Chaer (2018), there is evidence that PPIs have a significant effect on several health indicators. Recent meta-analyses have demonstrated that the number of interventions made for and given to older or retired people is still far below the standard level of quality. This factor indicates that this discipline focuses on improving an individual’s strengths while ignoring other aspects, such as weak points, regrets or negative thoughts that affect daily functioning. A study by Cantarella et al. (2017) reveals that few studies reveal the efficacy of PPI interventions in older adults since most of the trials conducted are on small sample sizes that cannot yield generalized data. This fact is based on the idea that positive psychology is a new field that has not been extensively researched.
Positive psychology focuses on how people can strive for and achieve a sense of well-being even through a harrowing experience that can result in positive toxicity. As Subramaniam (2022) mentions, emotions are adaptive, meaning that negative and positive feelings help us function better. One idea expanded in her article is how ignoring negative emotions can make an individual relax during a threat inset ad of activating their flight or fight response (Subramaniam, 2022). This claim reveals that focusing on positive emotions alone can result in toxicity, which means irrelevant aversive reactions to adverse situations.
Methodology
One of the instrumental research designs employed in this study will be the qualitative research strategy. Mainly, interviews and structured questionnaires will enhance the data collection strategy. These strategies will be used to gauge the efficacy of PPI as a reminiscence intervention. A systematic literature review will also be used to explore the online database of publications addressing PPI as a practical intervention and others providing recommendations for improvement. Participants to be interviewed in this study must be aged 60 years and above, interested in this subject, or knowledgeable in positive psychology. This selection strategy will ensure that the group does not deviate from the study’s objectives and save time.
Some participants will be directly interviewed, while others will be given questionnaires. The sample size for this study will include 120 participants selected randomly based on interest or expertise in the subject of interest. The results will be analyzed using content analysis strategies to understand the views highlighted. The limitations expected with this type of study design are Attrition and lack of generalized data. Subjects may consider exiting the study when information has not yet been obtained. Similarly, this sample size is small, meaning that the results obtained cannot be generalized to the larger population.
Theoretical Considerations
Self-actualization is a process by which an individual fully develops their capabilities and appreciation for life, as well as the total realization of their full potential. Its position is at the pinnacle of Maslow’s hierarchy of requirements, which are difficult to achieve. The Maslow theory focuses on the hierarchy of needs that must be met to ensure an individual has a fulfilled life (Izal et al., 2019). This theory suggests that when some aspects of human life, including negative emotions, are ignored, individuals cannot become optimistic or enjoy their lives. For instance, love and belonging are among the needs that must be achieved to ensure an individual leads a fulfilling life. When such needs are denied, an individual can develop negative emotions, which can interfere with well-being if not addressed. With positive psychology, the negative thoughts about rejection or loneliness may not be emphasized, resulting in significant issues.
Conclusion
Positive Psychology Interventions (PPI) focus on analyzing happy emotions by examining people’s moods, behavior, and thoughts. The strategy focuses on fostering positive emotions while ignoring negative emotions and thoughts. Various studies highlight the importance of PPI, but not much can establish the relevance of this intervention due to limitations such as suppressing negative emotions and inaccurate assessment. Therefore, this study will highlight the importance of integrating negative emotions to achieve a holistic approach. The importance of this study is to justify the relevance of an integrated approach to dealing with psychological concerns among the elderly population. Therefore, completing this research will contribute to the existing knowledge on improving PPI to ensure better client outcomes and satisfaction.
References
Cantarella, A., Borella, E., Marigo, C., & De Beni, R. (2017). Benefits of well‐being training in healthy older adults. Applied Psychology: Health and Well‐Being, 9(3), 261-284. Web.
Durgante, H., & Dell’Aglio, D. D. (2019). Multicomponent positive psychology intervention for health promotion of Brazilian retirees: a quasi-experimental study. Psicologia: Reflexão e Crítica, 32.
Febrianingsih, D., & Chaer, M. T. (2018). Positive psychology: personalities, major issues, advantages and disadvantages. Muaddib: Studi Kependidikan dan Keislaman, 8(1), 34-53. Web.
Izal, M., Nuevo, R., & Montorio, I. (2019). Successful Aging and positive psychology: Two empirically related perspectives. OBM Geriatrics, 3(4), 1-1. Web.
Subramaniam, A. (2022). The Positives of Negative Emotion. Psychology Today. Web.