SCHOOL OF PSYCHOLOGY
POSITIVE PSYCHOLOGY
PYM805, SEMESTER A (2008/2009)
MODULE LEADER:
Ilona Boniwell
i.boniwell@uel.ac.uk
GENERAL OUTLINE/DESCRIPTION OF MODULE
This module provides a critical understanding of psychological theories and research
on positive psychology, an area of psychology that focuses on the scientific study of
positive aspects of human life, such as happiness, well-being and flourishing. The
following are examined:
• Correlates and predictors of life satisfaction and subjective well-being across
various cultures;
• The latest research on emotional intelligence, optimism, flow, post-traumatic
growth, positive ageing, character strengths, physical activity and well being, etc;
• Major theories and models within positive psychology – Self-Determination theory,
Broaden-and-Build theory, Authentic Happiness, Psychological Well-being, etc;
• Facilitating positive change (mindfulness meditation, acceptance, positive
psychology interventions);
• Theoretical and philosophical assumptions of the positive psychology movement.
Lectures take place on Monday afternoons from 2 to 5pm in AE1.01.
PRE-REQUISITES
This module is normally only available to students who have successfully completed
any level 2 module.
LEARNING OUTCOMES
At the end of this module, students will be able to:
1. Demonstrate an understanding of the historical and conceptual context of the
positive psychology movement.
2. Develop an informed perspective on the major theoretical models such as
positive affect, humour, emotional intelligence, flow, hope, optimism and
character strengths.
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3. Be able to compare and contrast hedonic and eudaimonic paradigms of wellbeing.
4. Identify various approaches to measuring positive psychology constructs and
discuss existing questionnaires and measures.
5. Integrate reading and lectures to evaluate critically different theories and
research.
6. Be able to discuss the conceptual limitations associated with an exclusive focus
on the study of ‘positive’ psychological phenomena.
7. Develop an understanding of how research findings from the field of positive
psychology can be used to inform the practice of psychotherapy and counselling.
8. Be able to describe and evaluate interventions designed to improve quality of life
and well-being.
COURSE STRUCTURE/LECTURE PROGRAMME
and key introductory readings
Date
Lecture topic
Sept 29th
1. Introduction to the module. What is positive
psychology? A historical and contextual overview.
Oct 6th
2. Understanding emotions and optimal experience:
positive emotions, emotional intelligence, the concept
of flow
Oct 13th
3. Physical activity and its role in positive psychology
Oct 20th
4. Happiness and subjective well-being across cultures
Oct 27th
5. Is happiness necessary or sufficient? The concept
of eudaimonic well-being
Nov.3rd
6. Hope, optimism and explanatory style
Nov 10th
7. Research on strengths and positive interventions
Nov 17th
DIRECTED STUDY WEEK
Nov 24th
8. Positive psychology and life complexities and
challenges: recovery, resilience and posttraumatic
growth, wisdom and positive ageing
Dec 1st
9. Meaning in making: values, motivation and goal
theories
Dec 8th
10. Applying positive psychology
Dec 15th
11. The sceptics’ perspective and the future of positive
psychology
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ASSESSMENT
Assessment is by cousre work (5000 wd)
Details to be advised.
Due in 5 Jan 2009 12 noon.
ASSESSMENT CRITERIA
When assessing your work we are looking for evidence that you:
 Are able to describe and evaluate interventions designed to improve quality of
life and well-being.
 Demonstrate an informed perspective on the major theoretical models (e.g.
such as positive affect, humour, etc.)
 Integrate reading and lectures to evaluate critically different theories and
research.
 Identify various approaches to measuring positive psychology constructs and
discuss existing questionnaires and measures.
Some guidelines for your coursework:
Step one: Review and identify assessment tools that you would like to utilize and
reflect upon their usefulness. Consider and discuss their psychometric
properties. Explain why you would like to implement these tools.
Step two: Select and implement a range of interventions.
Step three: Reflect on the usefulness of these interventions.
Step four: Repeat self-assessment again to determine if there are any differences.
We are also looking for evidence that you:




have read and can draw on material beyond the handouts provided
can critically evaluate research evidence and explanations
are aware of a range of theoretical and empirical positions
can present coherent arguments, directed at the question, drawing on a range of
relevant research evidence and theoretical positions
and, where appropriate, can consider policy and wider implicate
Useful discussion topics are given below:
1) Critically evaluate the positive psychology movement and its future as a
separate discipline.
2) Discuss the theoretical frameworks that fall under eudemonic well being
and how they separate/integrate with hedonic well being.
3) How can physical activity interventions be employed to enhance societal
well-being?
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4) Discuss how positive psychology’s empirical research can be used in oneto-one environments.
5) That which does not kill us makes us stronger. Discuss.
RECOMMENDED OR CORE TEXTS
Detailed references are provided for each topic in the lecture handouts. It is
recommended that you use the general texts first, to become familiar with a topic
and then read chapters in more specialised books and relevant journal articles to
follow up your interests and prepare for the assessment.
Primary texts (strongly recommended):
Boniwell, I. (2006). Positive Psychology in a Nutshell. London: PWBC.
Carr, A. (2004). Positive Psychology. Hove and New York: Brunner-Routledge.
Linley, P. A., & Joseph, S. (Eds.) (2004). Positive Psychology in Practice. Hoboken,
NJ: John Wiley.
Other recommended books:
Csikszentmihalyi, M (1992). Flow: The Psychology of Happiness. London: Rider.
Peterson, C. (2006). A primer in positive psychology. New York: Oxford University
Press.
Seligman, M. E. P. (2002). Authentic happiness: Using the new positive psychology
to realize your potential for lasting fulfilment. New York, NY: Free Press.
Snyder, C. R., & Lopez, S. J. (2002). Handbook of positive psychology. London:
Oxford University Press.
Session 1
Introduction: What is positive psychology?
Positive psychology is the study of topics as diverse as happiness, optimal human
functioning, subjective well-being, and the meaning of life. This session has three
goals: (1) to describe and critically examine the emergence of this new field in recent
years; (2) to orientate students to some of the topics studied by positive
psychologists; (3) to review the principles of essay writing.
Readings:
From the core texts:
Chapter 1 in Boniwell (2006)
Chapter 6 in Linley & Joseph (2004)
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Other texts (the most important chapters and papers are marked with *):
Gable, S. L. & Haidt, J. (2005). What (and why) is Positive Psychology? Review of
General Psychology, 9, 103-110. Download from:
http://faculty.virginia.edu/haidtlab/articles/gable.haidt.what-is-positivepsychology.pdf
Gottman, J. & Levenson, R. (2002). A two-factor model for predicting when a couple
will divorce: exploratory analyses using 14-year longitudinal data. Family
Process, 41, 83-96.
Peterson, C. (2006). A primer in positive psychology. New York: Oxford University
Press (Chapter 1).
*Lazarus, R.S. (2003). Does the Positive Psychology movement have legs?
Psychological Inquiry, 14, 93-109. HAVE A LOOK THROUGH THE
RESPONSES TO THIS PAPER IN THE SAME ISSUE. THIS WOULD ALSO
HELP YOU WITH ONE OF THE ESSAY QUESTIONS AND CONSTITUTE
YOUR READING FOR LECTURE 11.
*Seligman, M. E. P., & Csikszentmihalyi, M. (2000). Positive psychology: An
introduction. American Psychologist, 55, 5-14. Download from:
http://www.ppc.sas.upenn.edu/ppintroarticle.pdf
Snyder, C. R., & Lopez, S. J. (2002). The future of positive psychology. In C.R.
Snyder & S.J. Lopez (Eds.), Handbook of positive psychology (pp.751-767).
London: Oxford University Press.
Schwartz, B. & Ward, A. (2004). Doing better but feeling worse: The paradox of
choice. In Linley, P. A & Joseph, S. (Eds). Positive psychology in practice (pp.
86-104). Hoboken, NJ, US: John Wiley & Sons Inc, 2004
*The Psychologist – Journal of the British Psychological Society (March, 2003).
Special Issue on Positive Psychology. Download from:
http://www.bps.org.uk/index.cfm?F308855C-306E-1C7F-B65131728A71313E&fuseaction=inc_psychologistdet&ID=529&Publication_ID=1
.
Suggested Activities:

List 3 activities that you could do within the next week in order to (a)
increase the amount of hedonic pleasure in your life, (b) increase the
amount of engagement and flow in your life, and (c) increase the amount
of meaning in your life. Try out whether this actually works (e.g., measure
your own well-being at the end of each day and track the results). Can
happiness and well-being be increased by scheduling and pursuing
pleasurable, engaging, and meaningful activities? Why (or why not?)

Identify your “signature strengths” by taking the VIA survey (Peterson &
Seligman) at http://www.authentichappiness.org.
Positive Psychology
PY3024, Semester A, 2008/2009 Module Handout
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Session 2
Understanding emotions and optimal experience: positive emotions,
emotional intelligence & the concept of flow
This lecture will examine the origin and functions of positive affect and positive
emotions. Some theorists hold that positive affect is simply a function of people’s
progress towards goals. Other theorists have argued that positive emotions have a
constructive function—they facilitate learning, creativity, and play. These and other
theories will be reviewed and contrasted. A second focus in the lecture is on the
concept of flow, including conditions and characteristics of flow. Finally, the construct
of emotional intelligence, which has received much popular and research attention
over the past ten years will be considered.
Readings:
From the core texts:
Chapters 2 and 4 in Boniwell (2006)
Chapters 1 (relevant parts), 2 and 4 in Carr (2004)
Chapter 28 in Linley & Joseph (2004)
Other texts (the most important books and papers are marked with *):
*Carver, C S., & Scheier, M. F. (1990). Origins and functions of positive and
negative affect: A control-process view. Psychological Review, 97, 19-35.
Carver, C. S. (2003). Pleasure as a sign you can attend to something else: Placing
positive feelings within a general model of affect. Cognition and Emotion, 17,
241-261.
*Csikszentmihalyi, M (1992). Flow: The Psychology of Happiness. London: Rider.
LOOK FOR ANY BOOK OF THIS AUTHOR. IT DOESN’T NEED TO BE THIS
PRECISE ONE!
Davidson, R. J. (2003). Affective neuroscience and psychophysiology: Toward a
synthesis. Psychophysiology, 40, 655-665)
Davidson, R. J., Kabat-Zinn, J., et al. (2003). Alterations in brain and immune
function produced by mindfulness meditation. Psychosomatic Medicine, 65,
564-570.
Davies, M., Stankov, L., & Roberts, R. D. (1998). Emotional intelligence: In search of
an elusive construct. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 75, 9891015.
*Fredrickson, B. L. (2001). The role of positive emotions in positive psychology: The
broaden-and-build theory of positive emotions. American Psychologist, 56,
218-226.
Fredrickson, B. L., Tugade, M. M., Waugh, C. E., & Larkin, G. R. (2003). What good
are positive emotions in crisis? A prospective study of resilience and emotions
PY3024, Semester A, 2008/2009 Module Handout
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following the terrorist attacks on the United States on September 11th, 2001.
Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 84, 365-376.
Harker, L. & Keltner, D. (2001). Expressions of positive emotion in women’s college
yearbook pictures and their relationship to personality and life outcomes across
adulthood. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 80, 112-124.
Isen, A. & Simmonds, S. (1978). The effect of feeling good on a helping task that is
incompatible with good mood. Social Psychology Quarterly, 41, 346-349,
Keltner, D. & Bonanno, G.A. (1997). A study of laughter and dissociation: The
distinct correlates of laughter and smiling during bereavement. Journal of
Personality and Social Psychology, 73, 687-702.
Mayer, J. D., & Salovey, P. (1995). Emotional intelligence and the construction and
regulation of feelings. Applied and preventive psychology, 4, 197-208.
Popovic, N. (2005). Personal Synthesis. London: PWBC.
Schute, N.S., Malouff, J.M., Simunek, M., McKenley, J., & Hollander, S. (2002).
Characteristic emotional intelligence and emotional well-being. Cognition and
Emotion, 16(6), 769-785.
Suggested Activities:

In small groups of 4-5 discuss the incidences of flow in your own life and
consider the following questions:
1. What activities typically can help you to get in flow?
2. Is flow always good? What dangers of flow can you think of?
3. Is flow the only optimal experience that we know of? Describe other types of
optimal experience that you have come across in your life. You do not need to
know the right name for them.

Write down your main conclusions and be prepared to share them with
the group.
Positive Psychology
Session 3
Physical activity and its role in positive psychology
This lecture will review the importance of physical activity in optimal physical and
psychological functioning. By reviewing the biological, psychological and
psychosocial/emotional perspectives you will gain a greater understanding as to how
individuals and communities as a whole can utilise activity to enhance their quality of
life. This lecture will also review physical activity and its place/role within positive
psychology.
Readings:
From the core texts:
PY3024, Semester A, 2008/2009 Module Handout
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Chapter 9 in Linley & Joseph (2004)
Chapter 37 in Snyder, C. R., & Lopez, S. J. (2002)
Carr (2004) (pages 29, 222-226)
Other texts (the most important chapters and papers are marked with *):
*Special edition of Sport and exercise psychology, The Psychologist (2002), vol.15,
no.8.
Babyak, M. A., Blumenthal, J. A., Herman, S., Khatri, P., Doraiswamy, P. M., Moore,
K. A., Craighead, W. E., Baldewicz, T. T., & Krishnan, K. R. (2000). Exercise
treatment for major depression: Maintenance of therapeutic benefit at 10
months. Psychosomatic Medicine, Vol. 62. pp. 633-638.
*Blumenthal, J. A., Babyak, M.A., Moore, K. A., Craighead, W. E., Herman, S.,
Khatri, P., Waugh, R., Napolitano, M. A., Forman, L. M., Appelbaum, M.,
Doraiswamy, P. M., & Krishnan, K. R. (1999). Effects of exercise training on
older patients with major depression. Archives of Internal Medicine, Vol. 159
pp. 2349-2356.
*Camacho, T. C., Roberts, R. E., Lazarus, N. B., Kaplan, G. A., & Cohen, R. D.
(1991). Physical activity and depression- Evidence from the Almeda county
study. American Journal of Epidemiology, 134(2), 220-231.
Dienstbier, R.A. (1989). Arousal and physiological toughness: Implications for
mental and physical health. Psychological Review, 96, 84-100.
Faulkner G, Biddle S (1999) Exercise and schizophrenia: a review. Journal of Mental
Health 8 441-457.
Fox, K. R. (2000). Self-esteem, self-perceptions and exercise. International Journal
of Sport Psychology, 31(2), 228-240.
Hassmen, P., Koivula, N., & Uutela, A. (2000). Physical exercise and psychological
well-being: A population study in Finland. Preventive Medicine, 30(1), 17-25.
*Hefferon, K., Grealy, M. & Mutrie, N. (2008). The perceived influence of an exercise
class intervention on the process and outcomes of posttraumatic growth.
Journal of Mental Health and Physical Activity, 1 (1), 32-39.
Kritz-Silverstein, D., Barrett-Connor, E., & Corbeau, C. (2001). Cross-sectional and
prospective study of exercise and depressed mood in the elderly - The
Rancho Bernardo study. American Journal of Epidemiology, 153(6), 596-603.
Kubitz, K. A., Landers, D. M., Petruzzello, S. J., & Han, N. W. (1996). The effects of
acute and chronic exercise on sleep - A meta-analytic review. Sports
Medicine, 21(4), 277-291
Nelson, M.C. & Gordon-Larson, P. (2006). Physical activity and sedentary behaviour
patterns are associated with selected adolescent health risk behaviours.
Paediatrics, 117,1281-1290.
PY3024, Semester A, 2008/2009 Module Handout
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Rejeski, W. J., Shelton, B., Miller, M. E., Dunn, A. L., King, A. C., Sallis, J. F., et al.
(2001). Mediators of increased physical activity and change in subjective wellbeing: Results from the Activity Counseling Trial (ACT). Journal of Health
Psychology, 6(2), 159-168.
Sallis, J.F., McKenzie, T.L., Kolody, B., Lewis, M., Marshall, S. & Rosengard P.
(1999). Effects of health-related physical education on academic
achievement: Project SPARK. Research Quarterly for Exercise and Sport,
70, 127-134
Suggested Activities:

Reflect upon your own physical and psychological responses to
exercise/activity. What role does it play in your life?

In small groups of 4-5 discuss how and/or why would you incorporate specific
physical activity interventions into communities, schools, hospitals and the
general population?

Try and start your own intervention! Set a target of walking briskly for 30
minutes 5X this week. You can break this up into 3 10 minutes sessions if this
is easier for you. Record how you feel physically and psychologically before
and after your activity (This could be part of your portfolio by the way!!!).
Positive Psychology
Session 4
Happiness and subjective well-being across nations
How do different cultures define well-being and optimal functioning? Are there
differences among countries in the experience of positive emotions and life
satisfaction? Does the wealth of a nation predict the well-being of its citizens? This
lecture will review current theories and recent research on these questions,
emphasizing a cross-cultural perspective.
Readings:
From the core texts:
Chapter 5 in Boniwell (2006)
Chapter 1 in Carr (2004)
Chapters 8 and 40 in Linley & Joseph (2004)
Other texts (the most important chapters and papers are marked with *):
*DeNeve, K. M., & Cooper, H. (1998). The happy personality: A meta-analysis of
137 personality traits and subjective well-being. Psychological Bulletin, 124,
197-229.
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Diener, E. (2000). Subjective well-being: The science of happiness and a proposal
for a national index. American Psychologist, 55, 34-43.
Diener, E., & Diener, M. (1995). Cross-cultural correlates of life satisfaction and selfesteem. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 68, 653-663.
*Diener, E., Diener, M., & Diener, C. (1995). Factors predicting the subjective wellbeing of nations. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 69, 851-864.
*Diener, E., Suh, E. M., Lucas, R. E., & Smith, H. L. (1999). Subjective well-being:
Three decades of progress. Psychological Bulletin, 125, 276-302.
Diener, E., & Seligman, M. E. P. (2004). Beyond money: Toward an economy of
well-being. Psychological Science in the Public Interest, 5, 1 – 31.
*Myers, D. G. (2000). The funds, friends, and faith of happy people. American
Psychologist, 55, 56-67.
Ryff, C. D., & Singer, B. (1998). The contours of positive human health.
Psychological Inquiry, 9, 1-28.
Ryff, C. D., & Keyes, L. M. (1995). The structure of psychological well-being
revisited. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 69, 719-727.
Schmutte, P. S., & Ryff, C. D. (1997). Personality and well-being: Reexamining
methods and meanings. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 73,
579-559.
Suh, E., Diener, E., Oishi, S. & Triandis, H. (1998). The shifting basis of life
satisfaction judgments across cultures: Emotions versus norms. Journal of
Personality and Social Psychology, 74, 482-493.
Suggested Activities:

From your own experiences of travelling and/or living in different countries,
write a short essay on why some nations might, on average, have happier
citizens than others. Identify three factors that you think are most
important in determining a country’s happiness, and describe how
governments could change policies to optimize these factors.
Positive Psychology
Session 5
Is happiness necessary or sufficient? The concept of eudaimonic well-being
Is happiness enough for a good life? Is merely feeling good an adequate measure of
someone’s quality of life? Do we really know what it means to be subjectively well
when we assess someone’s subjective well-being? This lecture will review some
answers to these questions and introduce the notion of eudaimonic well-being, as
well as some corresponding theories.
PY3024, Semester A, 2008/2009 Module Handout
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Readings:
From the core texts:
Chapter 6 in Boniwell (2006)
Other texts (the most important chapters and papers are marked with *):
*Compton, W.C., Smith, M.L., Cornish, K.A., Qualls, D.L. (1996). Factor structure of
mental health measures. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 71, 40613.
*Csikszentmihalyi, M. (1992). Flow: The psychology of happiness. London: Rider
*King, L.A., & Napa, C.K. (1998). What makes a life good? Journal of Personality
and Social Psychology, 75, 156-165.
Magen, Z. (1998). Exploring adolescent happiness: Commitment, purpose and
fulfilment. Thousand Oaks: Sage Publications.
*McGregor, I., & Little, B.R. (1998). Personal projects, happiness, and meaning: On
doing well and being yourself. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 74,
494-512.
Ryan, R.M., & Deci, E.L. (2000). Self-determination theory and the facilitation of
intrinsic motivation, and well-being. American Psychologist, 55, 68-78.
*Ryan, R.M., & Deci, E.L. (2001). On happiness and human potentials: A review of
research on hedonic and eudaimonic well-being. Annual Review of Psychology,
52, 141-166.
*Ryff, C.D. (1989). Happiness is everything or is it? Explorations on the meaning of
psychological well-being. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 57,
1069-1081.
*Ryff, C.D., & Keyes, C.L.M. (1995). The structure of psychological well-being
revisited. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 69, 719-727.
Sastre, M.T.M. (1999). Lay conceptions of well-being and rules used in well-being
judgements among young, middle-aged, and elderly adults. Social Indicators
Research, 47, 203-231.
Seligman, M. (2003). Authentic happiness. New York: The Free Press.
Thomas, L.E., and Chambers, K.O. (1989). Phenomenology of life satisfaction
among elderly men: Qualitative and quantitative views. Psychology and Aging,
4, 284-289.
Waterman, A.S. (1993). Two conceptions of happiness: contrasts of personal
expressiveness (eudaimonia) and hedonic enjoyment. Journal of Personality
and Social Psychology, 64, 678-91
Westerhof, G. J., Dittmann-Kohli, F., & Thissen, T. (2001). Beyond life satisfaction:
Lay conceptions of well-being among middle-aged and elderly adults. Social
Indicators Research, 56, 179-203.
Positive Psychology
Session 6
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Hope, optimism and explanatory style
People sometimes attribute miraculous powers to positive future-oriented thinking.
To what degree is it beneficial to have a positive, optimistic, or hopeful outlook?
Why, and in which ways do optimism and hope confer their beneficial effects? This
lecture discusses recent literature pertaining to optimism, hope, and related “positive
future-thinking” constructs.
Readings:
From the core texts:
Chapter 3 in Boniwell (2006)
Chapter 3 in Carr (2004)
Chapter 24 in Linley & Joseph (2004)
Other texts (the most important chapters and papers are marked with *):
Brissette, I., Scheier, M. F., & Carver, C. S. (2002). The role of optimism in social
network development, coping, and psychological adjustment during a life
transition. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 82, 102-111.
*Carver, C.S. & Scheier, M.F. (2002). Optimism. In C.R. Snyder & S.J. Lopez
(Eds.), Handbook of Positive Psychology. New York: Oxford University Press.
*Peterson, C. (2000). The future of optimism. American Psychologist, 55, 44-55.
Peterson, C. & Park, N. (2003). Positive psychology as the even handed positive
psychologists views it. Psychological Inquiry, 14, 143-147.
Scheier, M. F., & Carver, C. S. (1992). Effects of optimism on psychological and
physical well-being: Theoretical overview and empirical update. Cognitive
Therapy and Research, 16, 201-228.
Schneider, S. L. (2001). In search of realistic optimism: Meaning, knowledge, and
warm fuzziness. American Psychologist, 56, 250-263.
*Seligman, M.E.P. (1991). Learned Optimism. New York: Knopf.
Seligman, M. & Schulman, P. (1986). Explanatory style as a predictor of
performance as a life insurance agent. Journal of Personality and Social
Psychology, 50, 832-8.
*Snyder, C. R., Ilardi, S. S., Cheavens, J., Michael, S. T., Yamhure, L., & Simpson,
S. (2000). The role of hope in cognitive-behavior therapies. Cognitive Therapy
and Research, 24, 747-762.
Snyder, C. R., Rand, K. L., King, E. A., Feldman, D. B., & Woodward, J. T. (2002).
“False” hope. Journal of Clinical Psychology, 58, 1003-1022.
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*Taylor, S. E., Kemeny, M. E., Reed, G. M., Bower, J. E., & Gruenewald, T. L.
(2000). Psychological resources, positive illusions, and health. American
Psychologist, 55, 99-109.
Zullow, H., Oettingen, G., Peterson, C. & Seligman, M.E.P. (1988). Pessimistic
explanatory style in the historical record: Caving LBJ, Presidential candidates
and East versus West Berlin. American Psychologist, 43, 673-682.
Suggested activities:

How can optimism be increased in a brief (2-3 sessions) intervention?
Imagine you are a psychotherapist who wants to develop a new optimismenhancing intervention. Keep in mind that people are not “easily deceived”
and don’t tend to “buy into” superficial positive self-talk. How would you
measure whether the optimism intervention has an effect?
Positive Psychology
Session 7
Research on character strengths and positive interventions
This lecture will look at different approaches to conceptualising and classifying
human strengths and virtues, focusing specifically on the Values in Action Inventory.
It will also review recent research on positive psychology interventions.
Readings:
From the core texts:
Chapter 11 in Boniwell (2006)
Chapters 8 & 16 in Linley & Joseph (2004)
Other texts (the most important chapters and papers are marked with *):
*Baumeister, R. F., Gailliot, M., DeWall, C. N., & Oaten, M. (2006). Self-regulation
and personality: How interventions increase regulatory success, and how
depletion moderates the effects of traits on behavior. Journal of Personality,
74(6), 1773-1801.
Biswas-Diener, R. (2006). From the equator to the north pole: A study of character
strengths. Journal of Happiness Studies, 7, 293-310.
Clifton, D.O. & Anderson, E.C. (2001-02). StrengthsQuest, Washington: The Gallup
Organization.
*Emmons & McCullough (2003). Counting blessings versus burdens: An
experimental investigation of gratitude and subjective well-being in daily life.
Journal of Personality & Social Psychology; 84, 377-389
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Linley, A., Maltby, J., Wood, A., Joseph, S., Harrington, S., Peterson, C. & Park, N.
& Seligman, M. (2007). Character strengths in the United Kingdom: The VIA
Inventory of Strengths. Personality and Individual Differences, 43, 341-351.
*Linley, P.A. & Harrington, S. (2006). Playing to your strengths. The Psychologist,
19, 86-89.
Park, N., Peterson, C., & Seligman, M. E. P. (2006). Strengths in fifty-four nations
and the fifty US states. Journal of Positive Psychology, 1, 118-129.
*Park, N., Peterson, C., & Seligman, M. E. P. (2004). Strengths of character and
well-being. Journal of Social and Clinical Psychology, 23, 603-619.
Park, N., Peterson, C., & Seligman, M. E. P. (2004). Strengths of character and wellbeing: A closer look at hope and modesty. Journal of Social and Clinical
Psychology, 23, 628-634.
Peterson, C. (2006). Strengths of character and happiness: Introduction to special
issue. Journal of Happiness Studies, 7, 289-291.
Park, N., & Peterson, C. (2006). Character strengths and happiness among young
children: Content analysis of parental descriptions. Journal of Happiness
Studies, 7, 323-341.
*Peterson, C., Park, N., & Seligman (2006). Greater strengths of character and
recovery from illness. Journal of Positive Psychology, 1, 17-26.
Peterson, C., & Seligman, M. E. P. (2003).Character strengths before and after
September 11. Psychological Science, 14, 381-384.
*Seligman, M. E. P., Steen, T. A., Park, N., Peterson, C. (2005) Positive psychology
progress: Empirical validation of interventions, American Psychologist, 60, 410421.
Steen, T. A., Kachorek, L. V., & Peterson, C. (2003).Character strengths among
youth. Journal of Youth and Adolescence, 32, 5-16.
Suggested activities:

Every night for one week, set aside 10 minutes before you go to bed. Use
that time to write down three things that went really well on that day and
why they went well. You may use a journal or your computer to write about
the events, but it is important that you have a physical record of what you
wrote. It is not enough to do this exercise in your head. The three things
you list can be relatively small in importance (“My husband picked up my
favourite ice cream for dessert on the way home from work today”) or
relatively large in importance (“My sister just gave birth to a healthy baby
boy”). Next to each positive event in your list, answer the question, “Why
did this good thing happen?” For example, someone might write that her
husband picked up ice cream “because my husband is really thoughtful
sometimes” or “because I remembered to call him from work and remind
him to stop by the grocery store.” When asked why her sister gave birth to
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a healthy baby boy, someone might write that “She did everything right
during her pregnancy. Writing about “why” the positive events in your life
happened may seem awkward at first, but please stick with it for one
week. It will get easier.
Positive Psychology
Session 8
Positive psychology and life adversities and challenges: Posttraumatic
growth, wisdom and positive ageing
Stress, limitations, challenging situations, loss, significant life changes like getting
older and even death, are inevitable part of being human. Although on the surface,
these issues sound like nemeses of positive psychology, some researchers argue
that instead of ignoring them, positive psychology should study how managing them
can contribute to a life well lived.
Readings:
From the core texts:
Chapter 9 in Boniwell (2006)
Chapters 5 and 7 in Carr (2004)
Chapters 11, 31 and 34 in Linley & Joseph (2004)
Other texts (the most important chapters and papers are marked with *):
Baltes, P.B. (1997). On the incomplete architecture of human ontogeny: Selection,
optimization and compensation as foundation of developmental theory.
American Psychologist, 52,366-380.
*Baltes, P.B., Staudinger, U.M., Maercker, A., & Smith, J. (1995). People nominated
as wise: A comparative study of wisdom-related knowledge. Psychology and
Aging, 10, 155-166.
Bower, J. E., Kemeny, M. E., Taylor, S. E., & Fahey, J. L. (1998). Cognitive
processing, discovery of meaning, CD4 decline, and AIDS-related mortality
among bereaved HIV-seropositive men. Journal of Consulting and Clinical
Psychology, 66(6), 979-986.
Frankl, Viktor E. (1963) Man's Search for Meaning. New York: Washington Square
Press, Simon and Schuster.
Hefferon, K., Grealy, M. & Mutrie, N. (In press). Posttraumatic growth and life
threatening physical illness: A systematic review of the qualitative literature.
British Journal of Health Psychology.
Linley, P.A. (2003). Positive adaptation to trauma: Wisdom as both process and
outcome. Journal of Traumatic Stress, 16, 601-610.
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*Linley, P.A., & Joseph, S. (2004). Positive changes following trauma and adversity:
A review. Journal of Traumatic Stress Studies, 17, 11-21.
Milam, J. (2006). Posttraumatic growth and HIV disease progression. Journal of
Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 74(5), 817-827.
Milam, J., Ritt-Olson, A., & Unger, J. (2004). Posttraumatic growth among
adolescents. Journal of Adolescent Research, 19(2), 192-204
Lupien, S.J., & Wan, N. (2004). Successful ageing: from cell to cell. Philosophical
Transactions of the Royal Society, 359, 1413-1426.
Nolen-Hoeksema, S., & Davis, C.G. (2002). Positive responses to loss. In C.R.
Snyder & S.J. Lopez (Eds.), Handbook of Positive Psychology (pp. 598-607),
New York: Oxford University Press.
*Sternberg, R.J. (1998). A balance theory of wisdom. Review of General
Psychology, 2, 347-365.
*Tedeschi, R.G., & Calhoun, L.G. (2004). A clinical approach to posttraumatic
growth. In P. A. Linley and S. Joseph (Eds.) Positive Psychology in Practice
(pp.405-419), Hoboken, New Jersey: John Wiley & Sons.
*Valliant, G. (2000). Adaptive mental mechanisms: their role in positive psychology.
American Psychologist, 55, 89-98.
Valliant, G.R. (2004). Positive aging. In P. A. Linley and S. Joseph (Eds.) Positive
Psychology in Practice (pp.561-578), Hoboken, New Jersey: John Wiley &
Sons.
*Williamson, G.M. (2002). Aging well. In C.R. Snyder & S.J. Lopez (Eds.), Handbook
of Positive Psychology (pp. 676-686), New York: Oxford University Press.
Suggested Activities:
•
Think about a trauma that you have either experienced yourself or
observed someone close to you experiencing. What helped you to
recover? Applying the concept of posttraumatic growth to your own life,
can you identify something you have gained from this experience?
Positive Psychology
Session 9
Meaning in Making: Values, Motivation and Goal Theories
This lecture focuses on the relevance of motivational and goal theories for
understanding optimal adjustment and well-being. This includes, for example,
differences in well-being between people who are intrinsically versus extrinsically
motivated. Some of these researchers have examined whether it is psychologically
better to strive for wealth and fame versus meaning and personal growth.
Readings:
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From the core texts:
Chapter 7 in Boniwell (2006)
Other texts (the most important chapters and papers are marked with *):
Deci, E. L., & Ryan, R. M. (2000). The “what” and “why” of goal pursuits: Human
needs and the self-determination of behaviour. Psychological Inquiry, 11, 227268.
Emmons, R. (1992). Abstract Versus Concrete Goals: Personal Striving Level,
Physical Illness, and Psychological Well-Being. Journal of Personality and
Social Psychology, 62, 292-300.
*Lyubomirsky, S. (2001). Why are some people happier than others? The role of
cognitive and motivational processes in well-being. American Psychologist, 56,
239-249.
*McGregor, I., & Little, B.R. (1998). Personal projects, happiness, and meaning: On
doing well and being yourself. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 74,
494-512.
*Oishi, S., Diener, E., Suh, E., & Lucas, R.E. (1999). Value as a moderator in
subjective well-being. Journal of Personality, 67, 157-184.
Reis, H. T., Sheldon, K. M., Gable, S. L., Roscoe, J., & Ryan, R. M. (2000). Daily
well-being: The role of autonomy, competence, and relatedness. Personality
and Social Psychology Bulletin, 26, 419-435.
*Ryan, R. M., & Deci, E. L. (2000). Self-determination theory and the facilitation of
instrinsic motivation, social development, and well-being. American
Psychologist, 55, 68-78.
Ryan, R. M., & Deci. E. L. (2000). The darker and brighter sides of human existence:
Basic psychological needs as a unifying concept. Psychological Inquiry, 11,
319-338.
*Sheldon, K.M., Elliot, A.J., Kim, Y., & Kasser, T. (2001). What is satisfying about
satisfying events? Testing 10 candidate psychological needs. Journal of
Personality and Social Psychology, 80, 325-339.
*Sheldon, K. M., & Kasser, T. (2001). Goals, congruence, and positive well-being:
New empirical support for humanistic theories. Journal of Humanistic
Psychology, 41, 30-50.
Sheldon, K. M., Ryan, R. M., & Reis, H. T. (1996). What makes for a good day?
Competence and autonomy in the day and in the person. Personality and
Social Psychology Bulletin, 22, 1270-1279.
Schwartz, S.H. (1994). Are there universal aspects in the content and structure of
values? Journal of Social Issues, 50, 19-46.
Suggested Activities:
PY3024, Semester A, 2008/2009 Module Handout
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
According to self-determination theory, a straightforward way of increasing
well-being and happiness in your daily life is to ensure that the three basic
psychological needs—autonomy, competence, and relatedness—are
adequately fulfilled by your daily activities. Test whether this holds true in
your own life. Write down all the activities you could add to your daily life
to maximize autonomy, competence, and relatedness. Then, follow
through with these activities for one or several days and monitor whether
this increases your daily satisfaction.
Positive Psychology
Session 10
Applying positive psychology
How can psychotherapists and other clinicians facilitate optimal functioning and
psychological well-being? This lecture discusses some of the recent advances on
the interface between psychotherapy and positive psychology. It also considers the
applications of positive psychology to educational and organisational psychology.
Readings:
From the core texts:
Chapter 13 in Boniwell (2006)
Chapters 9, 24, 30, 37 in Linley & Joseph (2004)
Other texts (the most important chapters and papers are marked with *):
a) One-to-one helping by talking practices
Brown, K. W., & Ryan, R. M. (2003). The benefits of being present: Mindfulness and
its role in psychological well-being. Journal of Personality and Social
Psychology, 84, 822-848.
Hayes, S., Luoma, B., Bond, F., Masuda, A., Lillis, J. (2006). Acceptance and
Commitment Therapy: Model, processes and outcomes Behaviour Research
and Therapy 44, 1–25.
*Kauffman, C. & Scoular, A. (2004). Towards a positive psychology of executive
coaching. In Linley, P.A. and S. Joseph (Eds.), Positive Psychology in Practice
(pp. 287-302). Hoboken, New Jersey: John Wiley & Sons.
*Linley, P.A. & Harrington, S. (2006). Playing to your strengths. The Psychologist 19,
86-89.
Linley, P.A. & Harrington, S. (2005). Positive psychology and coaching psychology:
perspectives on integration. The Coaching Psychologist, 1 (1), 13-14.
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*Joseph, S., & Linley, P.A. (2004). Positive therapy: A positive psychological theory
of therapeutic practice. In P. A. Linley and S. Joseph (Eds.), Positive
Psychology in Practice (pp.354-369). Hoboken, New Jersey: John Wiley &
Sons.
*Ruini, C. & Fava, G. (2004). Clinical applications of well-being therapy. In P. A.
Linley and S. Joseph (Eds.), Positive Psychology in Practice (pp.371-387).
Hoboken, New Jersey: John Wiley & Sons.
Seligman, M. E. P. (2002). Positive psychology, positive prevention, and positive
therapy. In C. R. Snyder & S.J. Lopez (Eds.), The handbook of positive
psychology (pp. 3-12). New York: Oxford Press.
Seligman, M. E. P., Rashid, T. & Parks, A. (2006). Positive psychotherapy. American
Psychologist, 61, 774-788.
b) Education
*Lopez, S.J., Snyder, C.R., Magyar-Moe, J.L., Edwards, L.M., Pedrotti, J.T.,
Janowksi, K., Turner, J.L. & Pressgrove, C. (2004). Strategies for accentuating
hope. In P. A. Linley and S. Joseph (Eds.), Positive Psychology in Practice
(pp.388-403). Hoboken, New Jersey: John Wiley & Sons.
Peterson, C. (2006). A primer in positive psychology. New York: Oxford University
Press. *Chapter 11
Popovic, N. (2005). Personal Synthesis. London: PWBC.
*Popovic, N., & Boniwell, I. (2006). Personal Synthesis Programme – bringing
psychology to education. In Delle Fave, A. (Ed.) Dimensions of Well-Being:
Research and Interventions. Milano: Franco Angeli.
*Reznitskaya, A. & Sternberg, R.J. (2004). Teaching students to make wise
judgements: The “Teaching for Wisdom” program. In P. A. Linley and S.
Joseph (Eds.), Positive Psychology in Practice (pp.181-196). Hoboken, New
Jersey: John Wiley & Sons.
Seligman, M.E.P., Schulman, P., DeRubeis, R.J. & Hollon, S.D. (1999). The
prevention of depression and anxiety. Prevention and Treatment, 2 ( 8) pp.122.
c) Organisations and institutions:
*Henry, J. (2004). Positive and creative organisations. In P.A. Linley and S. Joseph
(Eds.), Positive Psychology in Practice (pp.269-287). Hoboken, New Jersey:
John Wiley & Sons.
* Peterson, C. (2006). A primer in positive psychology. New York: Oxford University
Press. Chapter 11
Suggested activities:
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
Can you apply some positive psychology principles to actually increase
someone’s happiness? Design a simple intervention and try it out on
yourself (and/or a consenting friend). Monitor your happiness and wellbeing (e.g., with questionnaires) for at least 2-3 days, then systematically
introduce your well-being intervention. Monitor and document any changes
in your well-being and happiness. Write a short report of your experience.
Positive Psychology
Session 11
The sceptics’ perspective and the future of positive psychology
Does positive psychology overemphasize the positive and neglect the useful
functions of negative psychological processes, such as pessimism, complaining, and
doubt? Does this emerging field overemphasize psychological factors, such as
positive affect and cognition, at the expense of social and environmental predictors
of adjustment? This lecture discusses some of the limitations and recent criticisms
aimed at positive psychology.
Readings:
From the core texts:
Chapter 14 in Boniwell (2006)
Chapter 42 in Linley & Joseph (2004)
Other texts (the most important chapters and papers are marked with *):
Cowen, E.L. & Kilmer, R.P. (2002). “Positive Psychology”: some pluses and some
open issues. Journal of Community Psychology, 30, 229-460.
Held, B. S. (2002). The tyranny of the positive attitude in America: Observation and
speculation. Journal of Clinical Psychology, 58, 965-992.
Held B. S. (2004). The negative side of positive psychology. Journal of Humanistic
Psychology, 44, 9-46.
Kowalski, R. M. (2002). Whining, griping, and complaining: Positivity in the
negativity. Journal of Clinical Psychology, 58, 10-23-1035.
Lazarus, R. (2003). Does the positive psychology movement have legs?
Psychological Inquiry, 14, 93-109. (+ several comments on Lazarus’s article
that appeared in the same issue of Psychological Inquiry)
Lazarus, R.S. (2003). The Lazarus Manifesto for positive psychology and
psychology in general. Psychological Inquiry, 14, 173-189.
Linley, P.A., Joseph, S., Harrington, S., & Wood, A.M. (2006). Positive psychology:
past, present and (possible) future. The Journal of Positive Psychology, 1(1), 316.
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Maddi, S.R. (2006). Building an integrated positive psychology. . The Journal of
Positive Psychology, 1(4), 226-229.
Norem, J. K., & Chang, E. C. (2002). The positive psychology of negative thinking.
Journal of Clinical Psychology, 58, 993-1001.
Stokols, D. (1992). Establishing and maintaining healthy environments: Toward a
Social ecology of health promotion. American Psychologist, 47, 6-22.
Suggested activities:

Does the positive psychology movement have it all wrong? Reflect on the
question whether the “sceptical” views expressed in these readings
compromise or undermine the positive psychology movement. Write a
short essay to develop and defend your view.
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