1. Positive Psychology 2013 With Ed Wohlmuth
“…On the shoulders of giants”
Presentation adapted and inspired by the writings of Martin Seligman, Tal Ben Shahar, Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi, Barbara Fredrickson, Jonathan Haidt, Carl Rogers, Abraham Maslow, William Glasser, Dan Gilbert, and others.

2. Our Journey
Is this class another thing to do or your chance to tip the scales on happiness?
Our challenge and Opportunity: winter and waning energy
Knowledge, application, assessment
Bridging the ivory tower and main street
Rigor of academe

3. The Road to Positive Psychology
Humanistic Psychology (50’s)
(The Third Force)
Reaction to behaviorism (First Force)
Reaction to psychoanalysis (Second Force)
Lacked rigorous methodology
Abraham Maslow
April 1, 1908 – June 8, 1970 (62)
Carl Rogers
Jan.8, 1902 –
Feb. 4, 1987 (85)

4. MPS The Road to Positive Psychology
Martin Seligman
Ellen Langer
The Scientific Study of Optimal Human Functioning – M Seligman
MPS

5. Meaning Pleasure Strengths
Positive institutions:
love relationship, family, school work, community
Pleasure
Strengths
Positive subjective experiences
Pleasure, enjoyment, happy, fulfilled
Positive Traits:
Character, virtues, talents, interests, values

6. Why Positive Psychology?
Balancing attention between disorder research and wellness research
Happiness is not the negation of unhappiness
Cultivating capacity-positive emotion and relationships
Psychological Abstracts
( )
Anger: 5,584
Anxiety: 41,416
Depression: 54,040
Joy: 415
Happiness: 1,710
Life satisfaction: 2,582

7. Hell at Hogwarts: 80% of Students at Harvard experiencing depression, 94% debilitating stress

8. Why Positive Psychology?
Depression 10 times higher today than 1960

9. Why Positive Psychology?
Mean age for depression today is 14.5 (compared to 29.5 in 1960)

10. Scope of Psychology Disease Model Health Model
neurosis, anger, anxiety, wellbeing, satisfaction, joy
depression, psychosis excitement, happiness
Disease Model Health Model
_______________________ 0 ____________________ +
Focus on weaknesses
Overcoming deficiencies
Avoiding pain
Running from unhappiness
Neutral state (0) as ceiling
Tensionless as ideal
Focus on strengths
Building competencies
Seeking pleasure
Pursuing happiness
No ceiling
Creative tension as ideal