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This course covers the theories and research contributing to the emerging field of positive psychology. The course provides an overview of the positive views of human functioning along with a review of this sub-discipline's contributions to traditional research and practice in psychology. Topics include human strengths, happiness, gratitude, flow, optimism and hope, wisdom and courage, positive affect, resilience, coping, friendship and love, positive psychology in organizations, clinical psychology and psychotherapy, positive education, and positive development across the lifespan.
This book belongs to the field of positive psychology, an approach to human behavior that focuses on strengths as well as weaknesses and on promoting human potential and fulfillment. It describes the classification of strengths and virtues and ways of measuring them devised by Martin Seligman, the scientific director of the Values in Action Institute created by the Manuel D. and Rhoda Mayerson Foundation, and Christopher Peterson, the project director of the classification project, with the assistance of a number of scholars and practitioners. 24 Character Strengths divided among 6 virtues are presented. One chapter is devoted to each of the 24 virtues.
