PPRC Library
As part of our contribution as a resource for positive psychology we have included a list of related books. If you know if a resource that we have missed, please submit it to us using our contact form.
 Positive Psychology
The central themes of positive psychology, including Happiness, Hope, Creativity and Wisdom, are all investigated in this book in the context of their possible applications in clinical practice. |
 Flow
What really makes people glad to be alive? What are the inner experiences that make life worthwhile? For more than two decades Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi studied those states in which people report feelings of concentration and deep enjoyment. His studies revealed that what makes experience genuinely satisfying is 'flow' - a state of concentration so focused that it amounts to complete absorption in an activity and results in the achievement of a perfect state of happiness. Flow has become the classic work on happiness and a major contribution to contemporary psychology. It examines such timeless issues as the challenge of lifelong learning; family relationships; art, sport and sex as 'flow'; the pain of loneliness; optimal use of free time; and how to make our lives meaningful. |
 A life worth living
A Life Worth Living brings together the latest thought on positive psychology from an international cast of scholars. It includes historical, philosophical, and empirical reviews of what psychologists have found to matter for personal happiness and well-being. The contributions to this volume agree on principles of optimal development that start from purely material and selfish concerns, but then lead to ever broader circles of responsibility embracing the goals of others and the well-being of the environment; on the importance of spirituality; on the development of strengths specific to the individual. Rather than material success, popularity, or power, the investigations reported in this volume suggest that personally constructed goals, intrinsic motivation, and a sense of autonomy are much more important. The chapters indicate that hardship and suffering do not necessarily make us unhappy, and they suggest therapeutical implications for improving the quality of life. Specific topics covered include the formation of optimal childhood values and habits as well as a new perspective on aging. This volume provides a powerful counterpoint to a mistakenly reductionist psychology. They show that subjective experience can be studied scientifically and measured accurately. They highlight the potentiality for autonomy and freedom that is among the most precious elements of the human condition. Moreover, they make a convincing case for the importance of subjective phenomena, which often affect happiness more than external, material conditions. After long decades during which psychologists seemed to have forgotten that misery is not the only option, the blossoming of Positive Psychology promises a better understanding of what a vigorous, meaningful life may consist of. |
 Celebrating strengths
A strengths-based school is one where the focus is primarily on strengths, not weaknesses, where teachers and pupils aim not to be 'OK,' but to excel. Celebrating Strengths combines the latest research from positive psychology with two ancient teaching methods, oral story telling and community celebration, to bring the concept of the strengths-based school to life. It helps teachers grow in confidence and creativity, and provides them with practical tools that will increase their own enjoyment of teaching and their pupils' enjoyment of learning. Celebrating Strengths does not 'teach' positive psychology as an additional subject, but weaves it into the existing curriculum and life of the school. It is based around Strengths Gym, a programme for helping adults and children identify and use their strengths inside and outside the classroom through a cycle of festivals and storytelling. The methods have been tried and tested during four years of work in primary schools in North Lincolnshire, UK.The principles that underpin it, however, are universal and will readily adapt to early years settings, as well as those involving older children and young adults, and will be of as much interest to parents and carers as they will be to teachers. |
 Average to A+
Who wants to be average? Nobody does, and yet few of us know our strengths clearly, or know how to make the most of them. Until now. Average to A+ is the seminal volume for identifying and maximising our strengths. Written by an international thought leader in the field, Average to A+ presents the state of the art understanding of strengths, including their evolutionary origins and what this means for us in modern times; the golden mean for optimal strengths use; the royal roads to identifying strengths in ourselves and in other people; and how we can make the most of strengths in ourselves, in our children, and at work. Throughout the book, you will see how using strengths is the smallest thing that makes the biggest difference. Average to A+ introduces the three pillars of responsibility of the strengths approach, demonstrating how the collective use of our strengths enables positive social change to tackle the major social challenges we face today. It speaks to each and every one of us as human beings, and invites us to become the best that we are capable of becoming.Average to A+ represents the cutting edge of the strengths approach, and is the standard bearer for the realisation of human strengths and human possibility. |
 Positive psychology in practise
Positive psychology is an exciting new orientation in the field, going beyond psychology′s traditional focus on illness and pathology to look at areas like well–being and fulfillment. While the larger question of optimal human functioning is hardly new – Aristotle addressed it in his treatises on eudaimonia – positive psychology offers a common language on this subject to professionals working in a variety of subdisciplines and practices. Applicable in many settings and relevant for individuals, groups, organizations, communities, and societies, positive psychology is a genuinely integrative approach to professional practice. |
 Positive psychological assessment
Offering a primer for practitioners and researchers, this volume strives to incorporate assessment of human strengths, resources and fulfilments into their work. Contributors examine the scientific underpinnings and practical application of measures of hope, optimism, self-efficacy, problem-solving, locus of control, creativity, wisdom, courage, positive emotion, self-esteem, love, emotional intelligence, empathy, attachment, forgiveness, humour, gratitiude, faith, morality, coping, well-being and quality of life. Vocational and multicultural applications of positive psychological assessment are also discussed, as is the measurement of contextual variables that may facilitate the development or enhancement of human strength. The variety of perspectives offered should be useful to readers who wish to incorporate balance into their assessments and research through the integration of theoretically grounded positive measures. |
 Happiness and education
When parents are asked what they want for their children, they usually answer that they want their children to be happy. Why, then, is happiness rarely mentioned as an aim of education? This book explores what we might teach if we were to take happiness seriously as an aim of education. It asks, first, what it means to be happy and, second, how we can help children to understand what happiness is. It notes that, to be truly happy, we have to develop a capacity for unhappiness and a willingness to alleviate the suffering of others. Criticizing the present almost exclusive emphasis on economic well-being and pleasure, it discusses the contributions of making a home, parenting, cherishing a place, development of character, interpersonal growth, finding work that one loves, and participating in a democratic way of life. Finally, it explores ways in which to make schools and classrooms happy places. |
 Oxford handbook of methods in positive psychology
In the short time since the publication of the Handbook of Positive Psychology, research results on the psychology of human strengths have proliferated. However, no major volume has documented the methods and theory used to achieve these results. Oxford Handbook of Methods in Positive Psychology fills this need, providing a broad overview of diverse contemporary methods in positive psychology. With contributions from both leading scholars and promising young investigators, the handbook serves to illuminate and, at times, challenge traditional approaches. Incorporating multiple levels of analysis, from biology to culture, the contributors present state-of-the-art techniques, including those for estimating variability and change at the level of the individual, identifying reliability of measurements within and across individuals, and separating individual differences in growth from aspects of phenomena that exhibit shorter-term variability over time. The volume covers such topics as wisdom, health, hope, resilience, religion, relationships, emotions, well-being, character strengths, and laughter. It enhances our understanding of the balance between human deficits and strengths and demonstrated their connections to other problems. Oxford Handbook of Methods in Positive Psychology will be the essential reference for methods in positive psychology. |
 A primer in positive psychology
Positive psychology is the scientific study of what goes right in life, from birth to death and at all stops in between. It is a newly-christened approach within psychology that takes seriously the examination of that which makes life most worth living. Everyone's life has peaks and valleys, and positive psychology does not deny the valleys. Its signature premise is more nuanced, but nonetheless important: what is good about life is as genuine as what is bad and, therefore, deserves equal attention from psychologists. Positive psychology as an explicit perspective has existed only since 1998, but enough relevant theory and research now exist to fill a textbook suitable for a semester-long college course. A Primer in Positive Psychology is thoroughly grounded in scientific research and covers major topics of concern to the field: positive experiences such as pleasure and flow; positive traits such as character strengths, values, and talents; and the social institutions that enable these subjects as well as what recent research might contribute to this knowledge. Every chapter contains exercises that illustrate positive psychology, a glossary, suggestions of articles and books for further reading, and lists of films, websites, and popular songs that embody chapter themes. A comprehensive overview of positive psychology by one of the acknowledged leaders in the field, this textbook provides students with a thorough introduction to an important area of psychology. |
 Character strengths and virtues
This groundbreaking handbook of human strengths and virtues is the first progress report from a prestigious group of researchers in the Values in Action Classification Project, which has undertaken a systematic classification and measurement of universal strengths and virtues. This landmark work makes possible for the first time a science of human strengths that goes beyond armchair philosophy and political science. The handbook begins with the background of the VIA classification scheme and defines terms before describing in thorough detail the current state of knowledge with respect to each of the 24 character strengths in the classification. Addressing issues of assessment and measurement, practical applications, and directions for future research, this work will demand the attention of any psychologist who is interested in positive psychology and its relevance to clinical, personality, and social psychology. |
 Authentic happiness
This title describes 24 strengths and virtues which each person can develop to their maximum potential. It provides a variety of tests and assessment tools to enable readers to discover and deploy those strengths at home and in the home. |
 Handbook of positive psychology
Psychology has long been enamoured of the dark side of human existence, rarely exploring a more positive view of the mind. What has psychology contributed, for example, to our understanding of the various human virtues? Regrettably, not much. The last decade, however, has witnessed a growing movement to abandon the exclusive focus on the negative. Psychologists from several subdisciplines are now asking an intriguing question: "What strengths does a person employ to deal effectively with life?" THe Handbook of Positive Psychology provides a forum for a more positive view of the human condition. In its pages, readers are treated to an analysis of what the foremost experts believe to be the fundamental strengths of humankind. Both seasoned professionals and students just entering the field are eager to grasp the power and vitality of the human spirit as it faces a multitude of life challenges. The handbook is the first systematic attempt to bring together leading scholars to give voice to the emerging field of positive psychology. |
 Positive psychology
Written by two leaders of the positive psychology initiative, thiságroundbreaking new textábrings positive social science to life through a comprehensive review of literature and well-crafted exercises that encourage readers to put positive psychology principles to the test. Positive Psychology: Scientific and Practical Applications of Human Strengths covers western and eastern approaches to understanding human strengths, along with the cultural and developmental influences on positive functioning.áKey approaches for measuring and enhancing strengths and capitalizing on positive experiences are described.Key Features:Provides an in-depth discussion of science and applications associated with human strengths and positive emotions Offers contents developed in coordination with syllabus recommendations being formulated by the Positive Psychology Network national task force Includes pedagogical features such as chapter-opening quotes and introductions, over 50 case histories and special comments by leaders in the field, and Personal Mini-Experiments and Life Enhancement StrategiesInstructors' Resources on CD-ROM!Instructors' Resources on CD-ROM available to qualified adopters of this text. These include a test bank with 40-50 questions per chapter;áa two-page study guide chapter outline; two critical thinking questions; and suggestions onáhow to best useáthe mini-experiments from the book in the classroom with students.áIntended Audience: This text is ideal for courses in Positive Psychology, Personal Growth, Humanistic Psychology, and Adjustment in psychology departments. |
