In the short time since the publication of the Handbook of Positive Psychology esearch 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 demonstrates their connections to other problems. Oxford Handbook of Methods in Positive Psychology will be the essential reference for methods in positive psychology.

This book is the definitive text in the field of positive psychology, the scientific study of what makes people happy. The handbook's international slate of renowned authors summarizes and synthesizes lifetimes of research, together illustrating what has worked for people across time and cultures. Now in paperback, this second edition provides both the current literature in the field and an outlook on its future.

The Oxford Handbook of Positive Psychology is the seminal reference in the field of positive psychology, which continues to transcend the boundaries of academia to capture the imagination of the general public. Almost 20 years after the first publication of this groundbreaking reference, this new third edition showcases how positive psychology is thriving in diverse contexts and fields of psychology. Consisting of 68 chapters of the most current theory and research, this updated handbook provides an unparalleled cross-disciplinary look at positive psychology from diverse fields and all branches of psychology, including social, clinical, personality, counseling, health, school, and developmental psychology. Several new chapters are included which highlight the latest research on positive psychology and neuroscience, as well as growing areas for applications of positive psychology.

The third edition of Positive Psychology is an accessible introduction to this rapidly growing field. It covers all major positive psychology topics including wellbeing, character strengths, optimism, gratitude, savouring, flow, mindfulness, emotional intelligence, creativity, giftedness, wisdom, growth mindset, grit, self-esteem, self-efficacy, adaptive defence mechanisms, functional coping strategies, positive relationships, and positive psychology interventions. Positive Psychology retains all of the features that made previous editions so popular, including: • Learning objectives • Accounts of major theories • Reviews of relevant research • Self-assessment questionnaires • Self-development exercises • Chapter summaries • Key term definitions • Research questions for student projects • Essay questions for student assignments • Personal development questions for student exercises • Relevant web material • Further reading This new edition has been completely updated to take account of the exponential growth of research in the field. It will prove a valuable resource for students and faculty in psychology and related disciplines including social work, nursing, teaching, counselling, and psychotherapy. This edition also provides access to online teaching resources at https://www.ucd.ie/psychology/resources/positive_psychology_carr/.

Roughly 54 million people with disabilities live in the U.S., and there are many more millions of people with disabilities around the world. Not surprisingly, differences among and between people with disabilities are often as notable as differences between people with and without disabilities. And, while the lack of homogeneity among people with disabilities makes creating a valid taxonomy under this term difficult, if not impossible, there is commonality among and between people with disabilities that justifies an authoritative resource on positive psychology and disability. That is, they have experienced discrimination and marginalization as a function of their disability. This volume assembles chapters by leading scholars in the fields of disability and positive psychology to provide a comprehensive synthesis of the state of the field of positive psychology and disability. Chapters are organized into thematic sections, beginning with an introductory section providing information on overarching themes in positive psychology and disability. The second section highlights the application of positive psychological constructs to disability, including quality of life, self-determination, adaptive behavior, optimism, hope, problem solving, forgiveness, gratitude, and spirituality. The following section addresses systemic issues in disability that impact positive psychology, again turning to disciplines beyond just psychology (special education, rehabilitation sciences, family, and disability policy) to address areas in which positive psychology can be applied. A fourth section examines positive psychology in specific disabled populations, including physical disabilities, cognitive and developmental disabilities, severe multiple disabilities, emotional and behavioral disabilities, and autism spectrum disorders. Disability has always been associated with "differentness" and, consequently, people with disabilities have, throughout time, been treated as such. As the first handbook to consider disability from a strengths-based perspective, this volume provides a catalyst to accelerate the application of positive psychology with regard to how disability is understood.

This book demonstrates how resources taken from positive psychology can benefit both teachers and learners. Positive psychology is the empirical study of how people thrive and flourish. This book explores a range of topics, such as affectivity and positive emotions, engagement, enjoyment, empathy, positive institutions, a positive L2 self-system, as well as newly added Positive Language Education. Some papers in this collection introduce new topics such as the role of positive psychology in international higher education, a framework for understanding language teacher well-being from an ecological perspective, or positive institutional policies in language education contexts.

Hope has long been a topic of interest for psychologists, philosophers, educators, and physicians. In the past few decades, researchers from various disciplines and from around the world have studied how hope relates to superior academic performance, improved outcomes in the workplace, and improved psychological and physical health in individuals of all ages. Edited by Matthew W. Gallagher and the late Shane J. Lopez, The Oxford Handbook of Hope provides readers with a thorough and comprehensive update on the past 25 years of hope research while simultaneously providing an outline of what leading hope researchers believe the future of this line of research to be. In this extraordinary volume, Gallagher, Lopez, and their expert team of contributors discuss such topics as how best to define hope, how hope is distinguished from related philosophical and psychological constructs, what the current best practices are for measuring and quantifying hope, interventions and strategies for promoting hope across a variety of settings, the impact it has on physical and mental health, and the ways in which hope promotes positive functioning. Throughout its pages, these experts review what is currently known about hope and identify the topics and questions that will help guide the next decade of research ahead.

This anthology focuses on empirical studies comparing cultures in relation to central positive psychological topics. The book starts out with an introductory chapter that brings together the main ideas and findings within an integrative perspective, based on a broad theoretical framework encompassing interdisciplinary and methodological issues. It gives special emphasis to some open issues in the theory and assessment of culture-related dimensions, and to the potential of positive psychology in addressing them. The introductory chapter is followed by two chapters that examine theoretical approaches and instruments developed to assess happiness and well-being across cultures. Following that examination, five chapters are devoted to the relationship between well-being, cultures and values. The second half of the book prominently investigates well-being across cultures in the light of socio-economic factors. This book shows that positive psychology, now officially well into its second decade, is providing still finer-grained perspectives on the diversity of cultures along with insights about our shared human nature, uniting us for better or worse.​

When a cultural movement that began to take shape in the mid-twentieth century erupted into mainstream American culture in the late 1990s, it brought to the fore the idea that it is as important to improve one's own sense of pleasure as it is to manage depression and anxiety. Cultural historian Daniel Horowitz's research reveals that this change happened in the context of key events. World War II, the Holocaust, post-war prosperity, the rise of counter-culture, the crises of the 1970s, the presidency of Ronald Reagan, and the prime ministerships of Margaret Thatcher and David Cameron provided the important context for the development of the field today known as positive psychology. Happier? provides the first history of the origins, development, and impact of the way Americans -- and now many around the world -- shifted from mental illness to well-being as they pondered the human condition. This change, which came about from the fusing of knowledge drawn from Eastern spiritual traditions, behavioral economics, neuroscience, evolutionary biology, and cognitive psychology, has been led by scholars and academic entrepreneurs, as they wrestled with the implications of political events and forces such as neoliberalism and cultural conservatism, and a public eager for self-improvement. Linking the development of happiness studies and positive psychology with a broad series of social changes, including the emergence of new media and technologies like TED talks, blogs, web sites, and neuroscience, as well as the role of evangelical ministers, Oprah Winfrey's enterprises, and funding from government agencies and private foundations, Horowitz highlights the transfer of specialized knowledge into popular arenas. Along the way he shows how marketing triumphed, transforming academic disciplines and spirituality into saleable products. Ultimately, Happier? illuminates how positive psychology, one of the most influential academic fields of the late twentieth and early twenty-first centuries, infused American culture with captivating promises for a happier society.

Bringing together leading authorities, this unique handbook reviews the breadth of current approaches for studying how people think, feel, and behave in everyday environments, rather than in the laboratory. The volume thoroughly describes experience sampling methods, diary methods, physiological measures, and other self-report and non-self-report tools that allow for repeated, real-time measurement in natural settings. Practical guidance is provided to help the reader design a high-quality study, select and implement appropriate methods, and analyze the resulting data using cutting-edge statistical techniques. Applications across a wide range of psychological subfields and research areas are discussed in detail.