THE SUNNY SIDE OF PSYCHOLOGY

The introducing article of the thematic volume delineates the circumstances of the birth of positive psychology, and the aims formulated in the first manifesto of the new scientific approach of the millennium. It reviews the antecedents: the heritage of the humanistic psychology, and mentions that positive psychology undertakes the empirical verification of humanistic hypotheses. The study summarizes the results of the positive psychology of the last 10 years in 10 points (e.g. elaborating the inventory of strengths, creating the theory of positive emotions, forming the symptoms, and setting the model of mental health, identifying the strategies of enhancing experience etc…). The deficit of a universal stock of concepts, and creating a general theory are mentioned as critical points.