Bringing together today’s most prominent positive psychology researchers to discuss current themes and issues in the field
Positive psychology is the scientific study of the strengths, rather than the weaknesses, in human thoughts, feelings, and behaviors. For much of its history, psychology has focused on the negative, completely overlooking the positive attributes that allow individuals and communities to thrive. Positive Psychology is a collection of essays that together constitute a much-needed theoretical rationale and critical assessment of the field. This book assesses what we already know and provides directions for the future. Contributors are leading international authors, including Paul Ekman, Robert Sternberg, Vittorio Caprara, C. Daniel Batson, Illona Boniwell, and Eve Ekman, among others. These luminaries write in a way that is rigorous enough for academic use but accessible to professionals, policymakers, and lay audiences as well.
The content of Positive Psychology is divided into two sections: theoretical and applied. Among the issues presented are: advances in positive psychology and interventions, time perspective, empathy-altruism, mindfulness, positive orientation, love, forms of enjoyment, positive cyber psychology, epigenetic and physiological implications of positive psychology, and positive creativity. This wide-ranging book covers the latest issues in an attempt to bring together emerging answers to open, neglected or unresolved questions about this relatively new area in the discipline of social psychology.
- Brings together the latest viewpoints and research findings on positive psychology, from the leading thinkers in the field
- Offers both theoretical and applied insights, for a well-rounded reference on this new and fast growing field
- Contains contributions from well known authors like Paul Ekman, Robert Sternberg, and Vittorio Caprara
- Appeals to academic, professional, and lay audiences with an interest in acquiring a profound knowledge of positive psychology
No other book currently on the market addresses such a breadth of issues in positive psychology. Positive Psychology represents a significant theoretical boost to this exciting field.
List of Contributors ix
Acknowledgment xvi
Introduction: Embracing Psychology Positively xvii
1 The Empathy‐Altruism Hypothesis:What It Is and Why It’s Important 1
C. Daniel Batson
2 Positive Creativity: Creativity in Service of a Better World 22
Robert J. Sternberg
3 Notable Advances in the Science of Well‐Being 32
Jessica Kansky and Ed Diener
4 Positive Psychology Coaching for Leadership Tensions 57
Ilona Boniwell and Wendy‐Ann Smith
5 Positive Cyberpsychology: A Conceptual Framework of an Emerging Field 73
Jolanta Burke
6 Earth to Humans: Get with It or Get Out!: Adaptive Intelligence in the Age of Human‐Induced Catastrophes 90
Robert J. Sternberg
7 Time Perspective and Good Feelings 101
Aleksandra Kostić, Derek Chadee, and Marija Pejičić
8 Physiological and Epigenetic Implications of Positive Emotions 117
Massimo Agnoletti and Sandro Formica
9 Youth Civic Engagement: Exploring Micro and Macro Social Processes 140
Laura Wray‐Lake, Burkhard Gniewosz, Celina Benavides, and Sara Wilf
10 The Ups and Downs of Love: What Makes Love Go Well, or Badly? 165
Robert J. Sternberg
11 Flow as a Component of a Good Life 181
Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi
12 Global Perspectives on Positive Psychological Science: Systematic Reviews and Meta‐Analyses 189
Stewart I. Donaldson, Saida Hesmati, and Scott I. Donaldson
13 Self‐Efficacy, Collective Efficacy, and Positive Psychology 202
Shari Young Kuchenbecker
14 Positive Psychology Intervention: Going Viral and Staying Vital 224
Everett L. Worthington, Jr
15 From Serbia with Positive Orientation: The Serbian Studies 248
Vesna Petrović, Dragan Âuljević, and Gian Vittorio Caprara
Index 000
Derek Chadee
