The Positive Psychology Center at The University of Pennsylvania, defines positive psychology as the scientific study of the strengths and virtues that enable individuals and communities to thrive.
To appreciate the levels at which positive psychology operates we can turn to the thoughts of two of the leading commentators on the subject Martin Seligman and Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi, who note that:
"The field of positive psychology at the subjective level is about valued subjective experiences: well-being, contentment, and satisfaction (in the past); hope and optimism (for the future); and flow and happiness (in the present). At the individual level, it is about positive individual traits: the capacity for love and vocation, courage, interpersonal skill, aesthetic sensibility, perseverance, forgiveness, originality, future mindedness, spirituality, high talent, and wisdom. At the group level, it is about the civic virtues and the institutions that move individuals toward better citizenship: responsibility, nurturance, altruism, civility, moderation,
tolerance, and work ethic."
Learn About Positive Psychology
Positive Psychology Center
Outstanding collection of resources. A must visit and bookmark website for anybody interested in positive psychology.
Click Here To Visit The Positive Psychology Center
The Centre for Confidence and Well-being
A registered charity based in Glasgow in the UK, The Centre for Confidence and Well-being aims to support individual, organisational and cultural change. In addition to a wide range of resources, visitors can also access a positive psychology forum.
Click Here To Visit The Centre for Confidence and Well-being
Positive Psychology 2.0
This part of the positive psychology page is dedicated to the move towards what is known as web 2.0. Web 2.0 links people, it's a place where people contribute, share, collaborate and learn. To access some of the links below, you will need to register and/or login.
Very interesting interview with Dr. James Pawelski, director of education at the University of Pennsylvania’s Positive Psychology Center
Why Are We Happy? Why Aren't We Happy?
Excellent talk by Psychologist Dan Gilbert challenges the idea that we'll be miserable if we don't get what we want. Our "psychological immune system" lets us feel real, enduring happiness, he says, even when things don't go as planned. He calls this kind of happiness "synthetic happiness," and he says it's "every bit as real and enduring as the kind of happiness you stumble upon when you get exactly what you were aiming for."
A Primer in Positive Psychology by Christopher Peterson
Book Description
A Primer in Positive Psychology is thoroughly grounded in scientific research and covers major topics of concern to the field: positive experiences such as pleasure and flow; positive traits such as character strengths, values, and talents; and the social institutions that enable these subjects as well as what recent research might contribute to this knowledge.
Every chapter contains exercises that illustrate positive psychology, a glossary, suggestions of articles and books for further reading, and lists of films, websites, and popular songs that embody chapter themes. A comprehensive overview of positive psychology by one of the acknowledged leaders in the field, this textbook provides students with a thorough introduction to an important area of psychology.