Although its roots go back further in time, positive psychology began to develop as a growing field within psychology in the 1990s with the work of Dr. Martin Seligman when he was president of The American Psychological Association and others. Since that time it has grown to have international status and acclaim. Today you can actually major in positive psychology at many universities and classes in positive psychology are often filled on the first day or two of registration. ​ Positive psychology does not negate traditional psychology for those who need it which focuses primarily on alleviating the symptoms or curing various mental and emotional illnesses or serious personal difficulties. But while traditional psychology has focused mainly on improving the negative positive psychology focuses on understanding the nature of positive happiness itself and the strengths and actions that are needed for anyone to significantly increase and sustain it. As such it can significantly complement traditional psychology for people who need it but stands alone in studying how anyone can increase happiness and well being in every area of their lives and really thrive in life - not just people with mental and emotional illness.. ​ Robert Biswas Diener, a positive psychology expert described Positive Psychology in the following way. (2008) “Positive psychology is not a self-help book or a repackaging of the “power of positive thinking”. It is not American-style “happy-ology” and is not a passing thing. Positive psychology is a science that brings the many virtues of science – replication, control causal studies, peer-reviewed, representative sampling (to name a few)-to bear on the question of how and when people flourish.” ​ There is also a related field called Positive Education which believes that besides academics and career education, the real purpose of education should be for the happiness of each individual child, the development of their character and their ability to contribute to society. In the relatively small number of schools where this is part of the daily core curriculum the results have been amazing even with traditionally under performing students.