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A Seminar in Positive Psychology Positive Psychology Jan D. Sinnott Editor Positive Psychology Advances in Understanding Adult Motivation 2123 Editor Jan D. Sinnott Towson University, Baltimore, Maryland, USA ISBN 978-1-4614-7281-0 ISBN 978-1-4614-7282-7 (eBook) DOI 10.1007/978-1-4614-7282-7 Springer New York Heidelberg Dordrecht London Library of Congress Control Number: 2013938606 In press, Springer Publishing, New York, New York. © Springer Science+Business Media, LLC 2013 This work is subject to copyright. All rights are reserved by the Publisher, whether the whole or part of the material is concerned, specifically the rights of translation, reprinting, reuse of illustrations, recitation, broadcasting, reproduction on microfilms or in any other physical way, and transmission or information storage and retrieval, electronic adaptation, computer software, or by similar or dissimilar methodology now known or hereafter developed. Exempted from this legal reservation are brief excerpts in connection with reviews or scholarly analysis or material supplied specifically for the purpose of being entered and executed on a computer system, for exclusive use by the purchaser of the work. Duplication of this publication or parts thereof is permitted only under the provisions of the Copyright Law of the Publisher’s location, in its current version, and permission for use must always be obtained from Springer. Permissions for use may be obtained through RightsLink at the Copyright Clearance Center. Violations are liable to prosecution under the respective Copyright Law. The use of general descriptive names, registered names, trademarks, service marks, etc. in this publication does not imply, even in the absence of a specific statement, that such names are exempt from the relevant protective laws and regulations and therefore free for general use. While the advice and information in this book are believed to be true and accurate at the date of publication, neither the authors nor the editors nor the publisher can accept any legal responsibility for any errors or omissions that may be made. The publisher makes no warranty, express or implied, with respect to the material contained herein. Printed on acid-free paper Springer is part of Springer Science+Business Media (www.springer.com) With gratitude to my family, my friends, my colleagues who have enriched my life and work. We’re all in this together.... Preface The search for meaning in life, for what is good, for love, for hope, and for happiness has always motivated much of adult life, whether an individual is struggling in a developing war-torn country or happily enjoying a beach vacation. Sometimes, this set of desires can be stronger than the motivations that we consider so basic such as needs for food, sex, and pleasure. The study of Positive Psychology brings a much needed fresh emphasis to the study of the cognitions, traits, and contexts of behavior that are associated with optimal development and flourishing during the entire course of life. It highlights the ways in which growth, hope, and resilience (to name just a few positive adult experiences) aid a person and motivate him or her in dealing with the inevitable challenges of life. Whether as individuals or as members of cultures and organizations, we want to optimize chances for growth and flourishing. The chapters in this book each speak to one of the major portions of adult life that can be addressed in new ways by means of the new discipline of Positive Psychology. My own Positive Psychology work now focuses on positive aspects of cognition as we pass through adulthood and aging, factors in intimate relationships that thrive, constructing the ever-changing self, and conceptualizing thriving societies. In 2000, Seligman and Csikszentmihalyi, writing in the American Psychologist, offered a general introduction to a relatively new field of psychology that has been growing in popularity ever since, the field of Positive Psychology. Psychology had long been focused on pathology due, in part, to the historical events attending the founding of the field. It seemed time to study what makes individuals actually flourish. What individual traits or cognitions, what aspects of the environment, help a person to truly flourish, thrive and grow? When adults develop psychologically through the stages of emerging adulthood, full adulthood, middle age, and old age, they encounter numerous challenges that can “make or break” them. How do they develop resilience and a loving, caring, wise outlook on life? I have offered some ideas about Positive Psychology and adult development in two special issues of the Journal of Adult Development (Sinnott 2009). I also offer some of the ideas expressed by authors in this book to students when I teach courses related to Adult Development, Aging, and Positive Psychology. Positive Psychology is defined here as the scientific study of aspects of the human experience that enhance the positive quality of our experience, for example, hope, vii viii Preface joy, resilience, coping, spirituality, courage, cooperation, acceptance of diversity, workplace quality, human-enhancing economic systems, brain/body changes related to fear vs. joy, and creating personal/cultural meaning. In this book, you will explore the ideas of 32 authors presented in 19 chapters who are active scholars and researchers in the global field of Positive Psychology. Their topics range from acceptance to teaching Positive Psychology. The book is divided into 4 Parts about research and scholarship related to the creation or existence of: • Positive Subjective Experiences (Part I); • Positive Personality Traits (Part II); • Positive Environments (Part III); and • Learning to Thrive During Adulthood (Part IV). Of course, many chapters overlap the subfields, but this usually makes them even more interesting and useful. Within a Part, the chapters appear in alphabetical order based on the name of the lead author. Each chapter author gives a summary of the state of that part of the field at the end of the chapter. Positive Subjective Experiences Justin Coulson, of the School of Psychology, University of Wollongong, Australia, with coauthors Gerald Stoyles and Linsay Oades, offers ideas regarding childrearing as a “calling” or vocation. The construct of calling has received substantial attention in careers and vocational research. Recent qualitative and quantitative research also supports the prospect that people may feel called in other roles in life—specifically childrearing. This chapter will report on research that indicates that calling in chil- drearing is relevant to adult development, and functions in the same way that calling in the career/vocation domain does. Specifically, qualitative reports indicate that calling is relevant for parents and fits the childrearing context. Furthermore, recent research has quantitatively measured parents’ subjective sense of calling in chil- drearing. Parental calling is positively associated with authoritative parenting style, importance of parenting, pleasure of parenting, parenting satisfaction, presence of meaning in life, satisfaction with life, and positive affect. The construct was nega- tively related to age and the sense that parenting is a burden. Children’s well-being, positive affect, and engaged living in youth (measured through social integration and absorption in activities) are positively related to parental sense of calling in chil- drearing. This chapter examines the construct definition, its relation to optimizing adulthood and family life and the manner in which calling is measured. Further- more, this chapter describes how calling facilitates flourishing through its relation to pathways to happiness most associated with a life well lived. Sanne M. A. Lamers, Gerben J. Westerhof, and Ernst T. Bohlmeijer of the Uni- versity of Twente, the Netherlands, and Corey L. M. Keyes of Emory University, explore the level and variability of mental illness and mental health across the lifes- pan using findings from a 9-month longitudinal Internet study. Mental health has Preface ix long been defined as the absence of psychopathologies such as depression and anxi- ety. Although important, the absence of mental illness is a minimal outcome from a psychological perspective on lifespan development. This chapter therefore focuses on mental illness as well as on three core components of positive mental health: (1) feelings of happiness and satisfaction with life (emotional well-being), (2) positive individual functioning in terms of self-realization (psychological well-being), and (3) positive societal functioning in terms of being of social value (social well-being). The two continua model holds that mental illness and mental health are related, but have distinct dimensions. This model was studied on the basis of a representative Internet survey of Dutch adults who filled out questionnaires four times with 3-month intervals (n = 1,067). Mental illness was measured with the Brief Symptom Inven- tory and mental health with the Mental Health Continuum Short Form. Analyses controlled for demographic characteristics as well as personality traits. Across time, older adults score lower on psychopathological symptoms as well as on mental health. Compared with younger adults, older adults experienced less variability across time in psychopathological symptoms, but not in symptoms of positive mental health. These findings support the validity of the two continua model in adult development and illustrate that there is more to mental health development than the absence of illness. Bryan Moore, addresses flow theory and the paradox of happiness. We all desire the experience of happiness, but happiness is not a substance in and of itself. It is a derivative, or after-effect, of something. We experience happiness through a thing that we are conscious of. The more we focus on our experience of happiness the less that it exists. A paradox arises: the only way to be truly happy is to not desire happiness. We know from personal experience that we are most satisfied when our focus is on some entity that is not directly linked to ourselves. When we savor a meal we are focused on the taste and texture of the food.
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