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vi CONTENTS
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CONTENTS vii
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viii CONTENTS
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x CONTENTS
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CONTENTS xi
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xii CONTENTS
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CONTENTS xiii
REFERENCES 297
N A M E IN D E X 361
S U B J E C T IN D E X 375
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Preface to the Second Edition
xiv
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PREFACE TO THE SECOND EDITION xv
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Acknowledgments
W e would also like to thank the researchers who generously shared their
photographs with us for this edition and Dr. David G. Myers for allowing
us to use tables and graphs that appear in the book. We extend our appreciation
to a number of students who helped with various research tasks for the second
edition: Tori Counts, Courtney Allison, and Richard (“Ranger”) Tillman (good
luck in your doctoral program Ranger—you will be a great psychologist),
Melani Landerfeldt, and Megan Williams. Thanks are also extended to Ranger
and George Oeser for putting Figure 2.1 into a computer-friendly format. We
would also like to extend our deep appreciation to the students who have taken
our courses in positive psychology over the years. We thank them for their
interest, questions, and enthusiasm for a positive approach to psychology.
Finally, for their help and careful attention to the quality of this book, we
are grateful to Jon-David Hague, Ph.D., our publisher at Cengage Learning, to
the project manager Arul Joseph Raj, and to the many others who worked on
the production of this book.
xvi
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About the Authors
xvii
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xviii ABOUT THE AUTHORS
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Chapter 1
An Introduction to
Positive Psychology
In sum, positive psychology investigates the also include the ability to develop aesthetic
potential for doing what is right that people have sensibility or to tap into creative potential as
access to and that, with a little help, they can actualize well as the drive to pursue excellence. That is,
in their lives. “Positive psychology is the scientific positive psychology includes the study of pos-
study of what enables individuals and communities itive behaviors and traits that in the past were
to thrive” (International Positive Psychology Associ- understood in the language of character strengths
ation, 2009), according to the mission statement of and virtues.
the International Positive Psychology Association. In 3. Last, at the group or societal level, positive
studying what people do right and how it is that they psychology focuses on the development, crea-
manage to do it, positive psychology underscores tion, and maintenance of POSITIVE INSTITU-
what they do for themselves, for their families, and TIONS. In this regard, it addresses issues such as
for their communities. the development of civic virtues, the creation
of healthy families, and the study of healthy
work environments. It investigates how insti-
THE DIMENSIONS OF POSITIVE tutions can work better to support and nurture
PSYCHOLOGY all of the citizens they impact.
Positive psychology, then, is the scientific study
Although the range of interests in positive psychology of positive human functioning and flourishing on
is quite large, its dimensions encompass human life in multiple levels that include the biological, personal,
its positive aspects. In relational, institutional, cultural, and global dimen-
order to nurture talent sions of life (Seligman & Csikszentmihalyi, 2000).
and make life more ful-
filling, it focuses on three
broad areas of human
experience (Seligman & THE SCOPE OF POSITIVE
Courtesy of Martin E. P. Seligman
Csikszentmihalyi, 2000)
that reflect its positive PSYCHOLOGY
perspective.
A comprehensive list of topics that may be studied
1. At the subjective by a positive psychologist would, of course, be
level, positive psy- quite exhaustive. Evidently, people seem to be
Martin E. P. Seligman chology looks at quite good at doing things well. In fact, the ways
POSITIVE SUBJECTIVE in which persons excel is much more extensive than
STATES, or positive emotions such as happiness, has been recognized in psychology.
joy, satisfaction with life, relaxation, love, in- Even a partial list of areas of interest for positive
timacy, and contentment. Positive subjective psychology runs the gamut from A to Z: altruism,
states also include constructive thoughts about empathy, the building of enriching communities,
the self and the future, such as optimism and creativity, forgiveness, compassion, the study of pos-
hope, as well as feelings of energy, vitality, and itive emotions in job satisfaction, the enhancement
confidence and the effects of positive emotions of our immune system functioning, models of
such as laughter. positive personality development throughout the
2. At the individual level, positive psychology lifespan, psychotherapeutic emphasis on accompli-
focuses on POSITIVE INDIVIDUAL TRAITS, or the shments and positive traits, the savoring of each fleet-
more positive behavioral patterns seen in peo- ing moment of life, the strengthening of virtues as
ple over time, such as manifestations of cour- way to increase authentic happiness, and the psycho-
age, persistence, honesty, and wisdom. It can logical benefits of Zen meditation (Lopez & Snyder,
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AN INTRODUCTION TO POSITIVE PSYCHOLOGY 3
2009). Encouraging psychologists to pay attention to In positive psychology, the good life is seen as
what people do right was an early accomplishment involving a combination of three elements: connec-
of positive psychology. Once psychologists began to tions to others, positive individual traits, and life
notice the many ways that human beings succeed in regulation qualities. Aspects of our behavior that
life, these neglected characteristics and behaviors contribute to forging positive connections to others
became the focus of theory, research, and psycholog- include the ability to love, the presence of altruistic
ical intervention strategies. concerns, the ability to forgive, and the presence of
A discussion of why the perspective of positive spiritual connections to help create a sense of dee-
psychology is relevant today follows. This will per meaning and purpose in life. Positive individual
entail a deeper examination of just what we traits include such elements as a sense of integrity;
consider to be the good life. the ability to play and to be creative; and the
presence of virtues like courage and humility.
Finally, life regulation qualities allow us to regulate
BASIC THEMES OF POSITIVE our day-to-day behavior so that we can accomplish
our goals while helping to enrich the people and
PSYCHOLOGY
institutions we encounter along the way. These
qualities include a sense of individuality or auton-
The Good Life omy; a high degree of healthy self-control; and the
Positive psychology is concerned essentially with presence of wisdom as a guide to behavior.
the elements of and predictors of the good life. This In short, positive psychology’s concern with
term might be only somewhat familiar to students living the good life entails the consideration of
of psychology, having popular associations with the factors that lead to the greatest sense of well-
possession of extreme wealth, power, prestige, and being, satisfaction, or contentment. Note, how-
beauty. Such popular usage is quite loose, for in fact ever, that the good life is not to be understood
the term comes to us from philosophy. here in the sense of individual achievement
The idea of the good life derives from speculation removed from its social context. On the contrary,
about what holds the greatest value in life—that is, if it is to be a worthwhile determination, the good
what is the nature of the highest or most important life must include relationships with other people
good. When this idea is applied to human life, the good and with society as a whole.
refers to the factors that contribute most to a well-lived Although the definition of the good life has so
and fulfilling life. Honderich (1995) stated: far been rather broad and abstract, future chapters
will address the finer points involved.
Things that are good may also be consid-
ered from the point of view of how they
will contribute to a well-spent or happy Positive Emotions Are Important
human life. The idea of a complete good is
In the past 30 years, scientific research has revealed
that which will wholly satisfy the complete
how important positive emotions and adaptive
need and destiny of humans, the summum
behaviors are to living a satisfying and productive
bonum (p. 322).
life. For much of the twentieth century, many
Qualities that help define the good life are those scientists assumed that the study of positive emo-
that enrich our lives, make life worth living, and tions was somewhat frivolous at best, and probably
foster strong character. Martin Seligman (2002), unnecessary. Many assumed that psychology should
the founder of positive psychology, defined the focus on more pressing social problems, such as
good life as “using your signature strengths every drug abuse, criminal behavior, and the treatment
day to produce authentic happiness and abundant of serious psychological disorders like depression.
gratification” (p. 13). This assumption is only partially correct. It is quite
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Editorial review has deemed that any suppressed content does not materially affect the overall learning experience. Cengage Learning reserves the right to remove additional content at any time if subsequent rights restrictions require it.
4 CHAPTER 1
true that psychology does need to study serious because people cannot recollect joy, which in turn
social and psychological problems. In fact, positive leads to a retreat from active participation in life. In
psychologists do not reject the need to study and practice, positive forms of psychotherapy can be use-
attempt to eliminate the terrible social and personal ful adjuncts to more traditional forms of psychother-
costs of such problems. Recent research, however, apy and even quite successful in helping people
suggests that the study of positive emotions can emerge from debilitating psychological problems
actually help to fight these problems. (Stalikas & Fitzpatrick, 2008).
For instance, an awareness of their psychological Recent studies also support the important
strengths can help people recover from psychological influence that positive emotions and adaptive
problems (Huta & Hawley, 2010). In addition, a lack behavior have on several positive outcomes in life.
of well-being in the present can set the stage for the Sonja Lyubomirsky, Laura King, and Ed Diener
development of depression up to 10 years later (2005) completed a somewhat voluminous review
(Joseph & Wood, 2010). Newer forms of psycho- of 225 studies on happiness and well-being. They
therapy focus on the development of positive emo- concluded that people who experience more posi-
tions and adaptive coping strategies rather than on tive emotions tend to have greater success in
negative emotions, internal conflicts, and anxieties numerous areas of life than those more negatively
formed in childhood. Positive psychology researchers oriented. For instance, people who experience and
have found that positive forms of therapy can be as express positive emotions more often than those
useful as older therapies that focus on eliminating who do not are more likely to be satisfied with
negative emotions (Duckworth, Steen, & Seligman, their lives, have more rewarding interpersonal rela-
2005; Seligman, Rashid, & Parks, 2006; Rashid, tionships, be more productive and satisfied at their
2009). In an interesting twist, psychoanalyst Volney job, be more helpful to other people, and be more
Gay (2001) argued that adult distress actually occurs likely to reach desired goals in life. Interestingly,
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AN INTRODUCTION TO POSITIVE PSYCHOLOGY 5
people who experience and express positive emo- basic adjustment to life to actually flourish and
tions more often than those less positive are also thrive in the face of change. That is, some people
more likely to be physically healthier, be more don’t just adapt to life—they adapt extraordinarily
resistant to illness, and even live longer. The authors well. Some adapt so well that they serve as role
also conclude that while being successful can make models of incredible resiliency, perseverance, and
one feel happier, the converse is also true: being fortitude. One of the goals of positive psychology
happier can lead to greater success later in life! By is to understand how those people manage to
helping people both to reach their potential and to accomplish such high levels of thriving.
eliminate negative emotions and problematic beha- Corey L. M. Keyes and Shane Lopez (2002) cre-
viors, the study of positive emotions and adaptive ated a classification system that has yielded some basic
behavior can thereby offer beneficiaries more terms in positive psychology. In their fourfold typol-
fulfilling lives. ogy of mental health functioning, people who score
high on well-being and low on mental illness are
flourishing. As we will see, the term flourishing is
People Can Flourish and Thrive
used in many areas of positive psychology to describe
Positive psychology investigates what people do cor- high levels of well-being. In contrast, someone who
rectly in life. As Sheldon and King (2001) noted ear- exhibits both high well-being and high mental illness
lier, positive psychology recognizes that many people is struggling. This refers to a person who is generally
adapt and adjust to life in highly creative ways that doing quite well in life but is currently experiencing
allow them, and those they come in contact with, to significant distress about some issue. People who reg-
feel good about life. All too often psychological ister low on well-being but high on mental illness
research has displayed a blatant bias toward assump- symptoms are floundering. Obviously, floundering
tions that people are unwitting pawns of their biol- describes a difficult situation. When someone shows
ogy, their childhood, and their unconscious. Previous signs of low well-being but also scores low on mental
psychological theories have often argued that human illness, they are languishing. This would describe some-
beings are determined by their past; by their biology, one who has no significant mental health issues but is
their cultural conditioning and unconscious motives. nevertheless very dissatisfied or unfulfilled in life.
Positive psychology takes the position that despite the Keyes and Lopez take their system a bit farther
very real difficulties of life, it must be acknowledged to look at how well-being has been defined in the
that most people adjust quite well to life’s ups and past. They believe that other systems of classifying
downs. Most people at least try to be good parents, to mental health and well-being are incomplete
treat others with some degree of respect, to love because they focus on only a portion of what it
those close to them, to find ways to contribute to means to be mentally healthy. Instead, they suggest
society and the welfare of others, and to live their that complete mental health is a combination of
lives with integrity and honesty. These achievements high emotional well-being, high psychological
should be celebrated rather than explained away as well-being, and high social well-being, along with
“nothing but” biological urges or unconscious low mental illness.
attempts to ward off anxiety and fear. Therefore, a High emotional well-being or emotional vitality is
basic premise of positive psychology is that “human present when people are happy and satisfied with
beings are often, perhaps more often, drawn by the their lives. High psychological well-being is found
future than they are driven by the past” (Seligman, when people feel competent, autonomous, self-
2011, p. 106). accepting, have a purpose in life, exhibit personal
In addition, in the past psychology has paid growth, and have positive relationships with others.
even less attention to how people move beyond High social well-being is found when people have
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