In 1998, positive organizational psychology at work gained legitimacy when the father of the movement, Martin Seligman, chose it as the theme for his term as president of the American Psychological Association (Azar, 2011). More than 20 years later, the principles of positive psychology have been creatively interwoven throughout the […]
Validation means that you understand where the other person is coming from, even if you disagree with what they say or do (Rather & Miller, 2015). Recognizing that someone’s feelings and thoughts make sense can show that we are listening nonjudgmentally and can help build stronger relationships, especially in therapy. […]
As every good clinician knows, diving into deep discussions without first establishing rapport is a sure-fire way to derail the therapeutic process. It can also increase client attrition. In contrast, establishing rapport at the outset helps to calm clients while promoting confidence in the clinician. This type of therapeutic engagement […]
Facing a client who is resistant or possibly hostile to the therapeutic process or therapist can be unsettling and challenge the treatment's success (Clay, 2017). However, the therapist must be careful. Labeling behavior as resistant may result from a lack of knowledge or therapeutic skills, and an inadequate response to […]
Whether or not we’ve thought about it, each of us carries in our heads an implicit set of boundaries that dictate how we expect to be treated in the professional environment. However, in some professions, bringing these expectations to our conscious awareness is critical. Therapy is one of these professions. […]
In 1764, the Italian criminologist and philosopher Cesare Beccaria wrote an essay that changed the face of the criminal law system across Europe and influenced the thinking of Thomas Jefferson in the U.S. (Wikipedia contributors, 2020). He not only advocated banning torture and the death penalty, but challenged social injustice, […]
We are always incredibly grateful to our growing community of like-minded professionals for sharing our mission to uplift others through positive psychology. As a small token of appreciation, we’re giving away three tools from our Positive Psychology Toolkit© for free. You can download them here. It turns out that it's […]
What do you do when you are not reaching your goals? Who can you turn to if everything in your life is pretty good, but something seems to be missing? You know that you want or can do more, but you cannot put your finger on what that is. You […]
One of the undeniable benefits of any form of therapy, coaching, or counseling is the greater sense of wellbeing and happiness it can help you achieve. Many people have found that finding the right type of psychological support has helped them overcome challenges and barriers they initially thought impossible and […]
Do you sometimes feel stuck thinking about unpleasant encounters you've had or setbacks you've endured? When you read the news, do you find yourself drawn to the more depressing articles? As humans, we tend to be impacted much more by negative events than by positive ones. This negativity bias can […]
In this conversation, Hugo and Seph discuss today's challenge -and the costs of- distraction. How can we reap the benefits of deep focus and end the day with a sense of achievement and fulfillment? Is it enough to eliminate distractions? Or is there a deeper issue that we need […]
In this episode on the PositivePsychology.com podcast, Hugo talks with Positive CBT expert and researcher Nicole Geschwind. Nicole Geschwind published the world’s first study on Positive CBT. In this podcast, she shares key insights from her research on, and practical experience with, Positive CBT. You can find Nicole's publication on […]
Humans are hardwired to pay attention to negative experiences. We have a propensity to attend to, learn from, and use negative information far more than positive information. As such, many clients are unaware of what influences the happiness in their life from one day to the next. At the heart […]
The efficacy of psychological interventions to increase well-being is, in many ways, the heart of positive psychology. While positive psychology can be beneficial in a multitude of individual and group contexts, incorporating concepts such as virtues, strengths, and mindfulness to your work with groups can help create a supportive framework […]
Do we really constantly have to push the membrane of reality? Or is there a way to spend more time in flow and to live more effortlessly? Hugo and Seph discuss the topic of effortful being and its opposite: effortless being. […]
In this episode, Hugo and Seph talk about what it means to be humble, how diving very deep in a topic can foster humility, and why the whole social justice movement is a perfect example of a lack of humility. […]
Blindly applying positive psychology can be dangerous if you don't take the factors discussed in this podcast into account... Hugo Alberts and Seph Fontane Pennock discuss why it is so important to 'meet clients where they are', how forcing progress or awareness onto your client can be counter-productive, and share […]
This is the first PositivePsychology.com podcast, where you can join your hosts Hugo Alberts and Seph Fontane Pennock in their discussion on the importance and meaning of (negative) emotions, awareness, and mindfulness. Recommended Resources Allan Watts Explains a Mind in Vicious Circles Eckhart Tolle - How Do We Break The […]
Looking for more information on a specific positive psychology topic? Here we’ve gathered an extensive list of other websites that may help you in your search. In this article, you’ll find positive psychology websites for institutes, blogs, and specific subject areas, as well as links to positive psychology journals and […]
There is nothing more practical than a good theory. And this was never more true than in the case of positive psychology and its many applications. Chris Peterson defined positive psychology as “the scientific study of what goes right in life” and what makes “life most worth living” (2006, p.4). […]
In this article, we have compiled all the upcoming positive psychology conferences and included those we know about for 2021. If you’re interested in speaking or presenting at any of these, we have also included the official pages for each event. These links will include the guidelines for submissions, symposia, […]
Years ago, Lisa Sansom, MAPP, of LVS Consulting started a list of positive psychology researchers, using a Google spreadsheet and filling in all the names of the researchers that she knew about from her U Penn MAPP studies. She has been so kind as to hand this project over to […]
Hi there, The PositivePsychology.com website is managed by a small team based mostly in the Netherlands. Our team consists of two parts. One part is led by Hugo Alberts, Ph.D. He runs the development of the Positive Psychology Toolkit and all the masterclasses and training packages offered at PositivePsychology.com. Hugo's office […]
For many years, the prime focus of psychology was to diagnose and treat people with mental health problems and psychopathological issues. However, this focus began to shift in 1998, when Dr. Martin Seligman and Dr. Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi popularized the concept of positive psychology, an offshoot of clinical psychology that crafted […]
Have you ever been completely and utterly immersed in a task? Oblivious to the outside world, focused only on your own progress and what’s going on right here and now? Maybe you’ve been doing something you love, like playing music or a certain sport, before realizing that time has totally […]
The science supporting positive psychology has sparked a huge increase in degree programs. It makes sense: when we understand the "why" of positive human functioning, we can apply that knowledge to our own lives and unlock our true potential. Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to […]
Whether you’re new to the field of positive psychology or you’re an experienced positive psychology practitioner, you can always use more resources on positive psychology topics. The PDFs in this piece are a valuable collection to print and hand out to your clients, students, colleagues, and friends. Everywhere in the […]
To advance the field of positive psychology, scholars and practitioners need to gather evidence on internal experiences that are fundamental to our individual and collective wellbeing. Various surveys and measures have been developed to gain insight into these experiences, such as life satisfaction scales, gratitude scales, and ways to measure […]
Positive psychology is the scientific study of positive experiences, states, and traits. It grew as a field after the realization that psychology focused largely on dysfunctional and pathological disorders while largely ignoring the research of what conditions might lead to optimal functioning. "The aim of positive psychology is to catalyze a change […]
Martin Seligman is not called the "father of positive psychology" for no reason. To many, he is one of the leading researchers in the whole field of psychology. Born on August 12, 1942, in New York, Seligman is now a lead educator, researcher, and author of several bestselling books that […]
Update January 2020: The sailboat metaphor discussed by Hugo in the video below has become our main coaching framework here at PositivePsychology.com. This metaphor forms the backbone of our online masterclass series available here and, from the feedback we've heard, seems to be extremely helpful to practitioners and educators alike. […]
After the Second World War, the focus of psychology was on treating abnormal behaviors and the resulting mental illnesses. Dissatisfied with this approach, humanist psychologists, such as Abraham Maslow, Carl Rogers, and Eric Fromm helped renew interest in the more positive aspects of human nature. Before you read on, we […]
Powerful quotes can help you understand yourself and the world around you. They can even help you achieve personal fulfillment. Here is a list of 50+ of the most inspirational positive psychology quotes in the world. In this post, you'll find quotes provided by positive psychology experts, well-known psychologists, and influential […]
