A Study of the Characteristics of the Welfare Theory in Shams’ Lyric Poems based on Seligman’s Positivist Psychology

Problem Statement: 

Martin Seligman, the father of positive psychology, in search of what Aristotle called the “good life”, by focusing on the positive aspects of human beings, replaced virtues and abilities with the components of the Guidelines for Diagnosing Psychological Disorders. This new movement has been formed with the motivation of optimizing the quality of life by promoting mental happiness in the context of satisfaction with the past, the happiness of the present, and hopeful optimism for the future. The Welfare Theory refers to positive emotion, positive relationships, meaning, fascination, and achievement to achieve prosperity. The six virtues of justice, altruism, excellence, wisdom, courage and moderation, and twenty-four abilities underlie it.

 Research Methods: 

The present study, using content analysis and statistical findings, investigates the characteristics of the Welfare Theory in Shams’ sonnets based on Seligman’s positive psychology in order to introduce new dimensions of this work with a different perspective. 

Because the common goals of literary and mystical works with positive psychology are to acquire satisfaction from the past, hope for the future, and gain satisfaction in the present in order to cultivate a capable human being on the path to prosperity and meaningful life, the mysterious ocean of Shams’ lyric poems with the dominance of music and love, the field of wave formation and expression is one of the elements of the Welfare Theory that has been addressed in this interdisciplinary research. As a result, it looks at the ideas of Rumi and Seligman’s adaptation to the category of prosperity and the necessities of human endeavor in this direction to achieve perfection.