Until about ten years ago, the science of psychology was having a strong bias towards negative emotions and psychopathology. When Martin Seligman became president of the influential American Psychological Association (APA) in 1998, he put Positive Psychology high on the agenda. Positive Psychology is the science that researches what makes people and organizations thrive.Nowadays, the science of Positive Psychology is gradually seeping through into Belgium, this small but sometimes influential country in the heart of Europe. Some initiatives, large and small, include (extra suggestions are welcome) :
- On December 11th, 2009, the Belgische Federatie van Psychologen / Fédération Belge des Psychologues organizes a study day around Positive Psychology.
- May 13-16, 2010, the 4th international SDT conference will take place in Ghent. The Self-Determination Theory (SDT) is starting to thrive and really feel well at home under the umbrella of Positive Psychology.
- In some places in Belgium, education and research is being done around Positive Psychology. See the many posts on this very same quadrilingual blog .
- The internet also hosts groups about Positive Psychology in Belgium, both on Facebook and on LinkedIn : "Belgische Positieve Psychologie Positive Belge" .
- Belgium has been represented for several years already in the European Network for Positive Psychology .
