Publications - Book Chapter
Enhancing well-being in youth: Positive psychology interventions for education in Britain
Book ChapterK-A. Allen, M. J. Furlong, D. A. Vella-Brodrick, & S. M. Suldo (Eds.), The handbook of positive psychology in schools: Supporting process and practice (3rd ed.) (pp. 451-465). Taylor and Francis.
(Publication year: 2022)
(Publication year: 2022)
This chapter reviews school-based positive psychology interventions designed to enhance the well-being of children and adolescents. A review of current assessments of the well-being of children and adolescents in the U.K. is presented. Recent findings are summarized and presented with corresponding findings from the well-being literature in this area. The promotion of positive well-being in schools is considered in light of reported levels of well-being and current national strategies. Examples are provided of both single component and multicomponent positive psychology curriculum based interventions at the primary and secondary school level. The chapter concludes with a discussion of considerations for those wishing to implement or develop positive psychological well-being programs in education.
A historical style of art that includes reminders of death, deserves attention from positive psychologists because it hints at a failure in positive psychology. In particular, both the rhetoric and research practices of early positive psychology suggest a narrow vision of the good life. This type of messaging may cause people to crowd out the pursuit of other ideals that research, Aristotelian philosophy, and even historical art suggest as visions of the good life. In contrast, a more complete positive psychology promotes a vision of the good life that includes a broader array of eudaimonic constructs. Even among proponents of a eudaimonic perspective in positive psychology, however, the importance of wisdom and virtue, although supported by research, and central to the historical concept of eudaimonia, are relatively neglected. Throughout his life, Paul Wong has been disseminating messages that could have helped correct such errors.
A central construct within the positive psychology literature is life satisfaction. Whereas adult life satisfaction has been studied extensively, the life satisfaction of children and adolescents has only received attention more recently. This article provides a review of the extant research on youth life satisfaction. Empirical studies (n = 141) on life satis- faction among youth are reviewed. The review details how life satisfaction among youth relates to various other important emotional, social, and behavioural constructs. Evidenced by the review are the conditions that foster positive life satisfaction and the implications of positive life satisfaction among youth. Future directions in life satisfaction research among youth are briefly discussed.