A Case Study: Power of Gratitude and Positive Psychology

Abstract

‘Power of Gratitude and positive psychology’ is a case study of a young chap of 28 years old. He narrated his story in his own words. He is the only child of a well-established and functional family. Despite the education and various luxuries, he wasn’t satisfied. He was heading towards moderate to severe depression. The counselor thought GQ-6 test would be appropriate for such a person. Unsurprisingly, he scored poorly on it. The problem seemed to be a lack of gratitude for what he had and a lack of direction in life. The attempt at a solution for the former is the premise of this paper. A kind of meditation, derived from the idea of ‘12 virtues’ and the theory of induction or more precisely, nudging of feelings through ambient color was picked up from Matrimandir, Puducherry. Light green color was found appropriate for the task. The total practice went on for 4- 5/7-day weeks. The score had improved positively. Guided meditation on gratitude which focused on noticing the good things already at hand helped him, and might help more like him, in feeling more positive, hopeful, and willing to take responsibility for improving what can be improved.