Positive Psychology

Jennifer Teramoto Pedrotti, PhD, is associate dean for diversity and curriculum in the College of Liberal Arts and professor in the Department of Psychology and Child Development at California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo, where she has been teaching positive psychology with a multicultural focus for over 10 years. She is also serving in an interim role as the associate vice president for Academic Initiatives for the Office of University Diversity and Inclusion, also at Cal Poly. She is the lead editor on a volume entitled Perspectives on the Intersection of Multiculturalism and Positive Psychology (with Lisa M. Edwards) and often speaks on the topic of including cultural context in positive psychological discussions, including as a keynote speaker at the Asian Pacific Conference on Applied Positive Psychology in Hong Kong, and in presentations at conferences, including those of the American Psychological Association, and the International Positive Psychology Association. Additionally, Dr. Teramoto Pedrotti is the lead author on a second textbook for undergraduate students, Multicultural Psychology: Self, Society, and Social Change (with Denise A. Isom). She has contributed to many different volumes throughout her career such as The Oxford Handbook of Positive Psychology, Positive Psychological Interventions, Activities for Teaching Positive Psychology, and the Handbook of Multicultural Counseling. In addition, her work has appeared in multiple journals, including the Journal of Counseling Psychology, Journal of Positive Psychology, and Professional Psychology: Research and Practice. Recently, she was part of the prestigious Emerging Leaders Program 2022 Cohort via the American Association of State Colleges and Universities. In her current role, she encourages students, staff, and faculty daily to use their strengths to make change toward a more equitable and inclusive campus. Shane J. Lopez, PhD (deceased), was a Gallup Senior Scientist and Research Director of the Clifton Strengths Institute. Dr. Lopez published more than 100 articles and chapters and 10 books in addition to Positive Psychology: The Scientific and Practical Explorations of Human Strengths. These include Making Hope Happen, his first trade book; The Oxford Handbook of Positive Psychology (with C. R. Snyder); Positive Psychological Assessment: A Handbook of Models and Measures (with C. R. Snyder); Positive Psychology: Exploring the Best in People; The Encyclopedia of Positive Psychology; and The Psychology of Courage: Modern Research on an Ancient Virtue (with Cynthia Pury). Dr. Lopez was a fellow of the American Psychological Association and of the International Positive Psychology Association. A professor at the University of Kansas in both the Schools of Education and Business for more than a decade, he passed away on July 23, 2016.Ryon C. McDermott, PhD is a professor of clinical and counseling psychology at the University of South Alabama. He studies the measurement, applications, and intersections of culture and individual differences in emerging adulthood. Dr. McDermott has published more than 90 peer-reviewed studies in academic journals such as the Journal of Counseling Psychology, the Counseling Psychologist, Health Psychology, Body Image, Psychological Assessment, Psychology of Violence, Journal of Affective Disorders, Psychology of Men and Masculinities, and Sex Roles. His research has been funded by the National Science Foundation and the Centers For Disease Control and Prevention. He has been highly active in the American Psychological Association and served as the president of Division 51 (Society for the Psychological Study of Men and Masculinities). Currently, Dr. McDermott maintains an active research program and mentors doctoral students in clinical and counseling psychology research and practice.C. R. Snyder, PhD (deceased), was the Wright Distinguished Professor of Clinical Psychology at the University of Kansas, Lawrence. Internationally known for his work at the interface of clinical, social, personality, and health psychology, his theories pertained to how people react to personal feedback, the human need for uniqueness, the ubiquitous drive to excuse transgressions, and, most recently, the hope motive. He received 31 research awards and 27 teaching awards at the university, state, and national levels. In 2005, he received an honorary doctorate from Indiana Wesleyan University. Snyder appeared many times on national American television shows, and he was a regular contributor to National Public Radio. His scholarly work on the human need for uniqueness received the rare recognition of being the subject matter of an entire Sunday cartoon sequence by Garry Trudeau. All of these accomplishments were packaged in a graying and self-effacing absent-minded professor who said of himself, “If you don’t laugh at yourself, you have missed the biggest joke of all!”

"[…] a comprehensive textbook on Positive Psychology that incorporates the historical and cultural aspects of psychology, and provides a framework for where positive psychology fits within our current culture. The text provides a balance of research, relevant examples, and thought-provoking activities for students."

• Part I • Looking at Psychology from A Positive PerspectiveChapter 1 • Welcome to Positive PsychologyGoing From the Negative to the PositivePositive Psychology Seeks a Balanced, More Complete View of Human FunctioningWhere We are Now and What We Will AskA Guide to This BookThe Big PictureKey TermsChapter 2 • Eastern and Western Perspectives on Positive Psychology: How “ME + WE = US” Might Bridge the GapA Matter of PerspectiveHistorical and Philosophical TraditionsSummary of Eastern and Western PhilosophiesEast Meets WestIndividualism: the Psychology of MeCollectivism: The Psychology of WeFactors Impacting How Strengths Manifest in Me vs We CulturesExemplar Constructs in Individualist and Collectivist CulturesMe/We Balance: the Positive Psychology of UsFinal ThoughtsWhere We are Going: From Me to We to UsAppendix: The Need For Uniqueness ScaleKey TermsChapter 3 • Classifications and Measurement in Positive PsychologyGallup’s Clifton Strengths FinderThe Via Classification of StrengthsIssues of Cultural EquivalenceMeasurement in Positive Psychology: a GuideKey TermsNotePart II • Positive Psychology in ContextChapter 4 • The Role of Culture in Developing Strengths and Living WellCulture and PsychologyHistorical Treatment of Strengths and CulturePositive Psychology: Culture is EverywherePutting Positive Psychology in a Cultural ContextFinal Thoughts on the Complexity of Cultural InfluencesKey TermsChapter 5 • Living Well at Every Stage of LifeResilience at Every ageFostering Positive Youth DevelopmentThe Life Tasks of AdulthoodToward a More Developmental Focus in Positive PsychologyKey TermsPart III • Positive Emotional States and ProcessesChapter 6 • The Principles of Pleasure: Understanding Positive Affect, Positive Emotions, Happiness, and Well-BeingDefining Emotional TermsDistinguishing the Positive and the NegativePositive Emotions: Expanding the Repertoire of PleasureHappiness and Subjective Well-Being: Living A Pleasurable LifeMoving Toward the PositiveKey TermsChapter 7 • Making the Most of Emotional Experiences: Emotion-Focused Coping, Emotional Intelligence, Socioemotional Selectivity, and Emotional StorytellingEmotion-Focused Coping: Discovering the Adaptive Potential of Emotional ApproachEmotional Intelligence: Learning the Skills that Make A DifferenceSocioemotional Selectivity: Focusing in Later Life on Positive Emotions and Emotion-Related GoalsEmotional Storytelling: The Pennebaker Paradigm as A Means of Processing Intense Negative EmotionsWorking with Emotions to Bring about Positive ChangeKey TermsPart IV • Positive Cognitive States and ProcessesChapter 8 • Seeing Our Futures Through Self-Efficacy, Optimism, and HopeFascination with the FutureSelf-EfficacyOptimismHopeAppendix A: A Summary of Hope TheoriesKey TermsNoteChapter 9 • Wisdom and Courage: Characteristics of the Wise and the BraveWisdom and Courage: Two of A KindTheories of WisdomBecoming and Being WiseTheories of CourageBecoming and Being CourageousCourage ResearchFinding Wisdom and Courage in Daily LifeThe Value of Wisdom and CourageKey TermsChapter 10 • Mindfulness, Flow, and Spirituality: In Search of Optimal ExperiencesMindfulness: In Search of Novelty and Embracing UncertaintyFlow: In Search of AbsorptionSpirituality: In Search of the SacredThe True Benefits of Spirituality?The Search ContinuesKey TermsPart V • Prosocial BehaviorChapter 11 • Empathy and Egotism: Portals to Altruism and GratitudeAltruismGratitudeThe Societal Implications of Altruism and Gratitude“I Have A Dream”: Toward A Kinder, Gentler HumankindAppendix A: The Helping Attitude ScaleAppendix B: The Gratitude Questionnaire—Six Items from GQ-6Key TermsChapter 12 • Attachment, Love, Flourishing Relationships, and ForgivenessInfant and Childhood AttachmentAdult AttachmentLoveFlourishing Relationships: A Series of Purposeful Positive Relationship BehaviorsThe Neurobiology of Close RelationshipsPositive Psychology as AcceptanceForgivenessAttachment, Love, and Forgiveness: Building A Positive Psychology of Close RelationshipsAppendix: The Heartland Forgiveness Scale (HFS)Key TermsPart VI • Understanding and Changing Human BehaviorChapter 13 • Preventing the Bad and Promoting the GoodPrimary Prevention: “Stop the Bad Before it Happens”Secondary Prevention (Psychotherapy): “Fix the Problem”Primary Enhancement: “Make Life Good”Secondary Enhancement: “Make Life the Best Possible”The Balance of Prevention and Enhancement SystemsAppendix: Hope Therapy WorksheetKey TermsPart VII • Positive EnvironmentsChapter 14 • Positive Schooling and Good Work: The Psychology of Gainful Employment and the Education That Gets Us TherePositive SchoolingThe Components of Positive SchoolingTeaching as A CallingGiving Back to TeachersCurrent Threats to EducationGainful EmploymentGainful Employment: Happiness, Satisfaction, and BeyondThe Strengths-Based Approach to WorkWhat Can be Done to Improve Your Work?The Psychology of Gainful Employment and the Education that Gets us ThereAppendix: Positive Workplaces in Hong Kong: Building Positive Organizations, Engaging the Heart of EmployeesKey TermsPart VIII • Finding Strengths in Others: Embodying Strengths in Everyday LifeChapter 15 • The Future of Positive Psychology for the Public Good: A Dialogue Between the AuthorsBasic Tenets of Positive PsychologyCurrent Issues for ExaminationConcluding Thoughts