Lance P. Hickey, Ph.D.

The Positive Psychologists

Psychology in the 20th Century

“Much will be gained if we transform your hysterical misery into common unhappiness.” – (Sigmund Freud,Studies in Hysteria, 1895)

What about happiness?

“The absence of mental illness is not a sufficient indicator of mental health.” (Marie Jahoda, Current Concepts of Positive Mental Health, 1958)

Abraham Maslow: the voice crying in the darkness

The Hierarchy of Needs

Martin Seligman: The Pioneer

“Authentic Happiness comes from identifying and cultivating your fundamental strengths, and using them everyday in work, love, play, and parenting.” (Authentic Happiness, 2002)

Strengths and Virtues: The VIA test

Wisdom (love of learning, curiosity, creativity, open-mindedness, perspective

Courage (authenticity, bravery, persistence, zest)

Temperance (Humility, Self-moderation, prudence, forgiveness)

Humanity (Kindness, Love, social intelligence)

Justice (Fairness, Leadership, Teamwork)

Transcendence (Appreciation of beauty, gratitude, hope, humor, meaning)

Mihalyi Csikszentmihaly

“Flow is…that state in which people are so involved in an activity that nothing else seems to matter; the experience is so enjoyable that people will continue to do it even at great cost, for the sheer sake of doing it.” (Flow: the Psychology of Optimal Experience, 1992)

The Flow Chart

Ed Diener: Dr. Happiness

“…over the past 50 years, income has climbed steadily in the United States, with the gross domestic product (GDP) per capita tripling, and yet life satisfaction has been virtually flat. Since World War II there has been a dramatic divergence between real income (after taxes and inflation) and life satisfaction in the United States, and a similar pattern can be seen in the data from other nations, such as Japan.” (“Beyond Money” APA, 2004)

Ed Diener: Dr. Happiness

“The most salient characteristics shared by the 10% of students with the highest levels of happiness and the fewest signs of depression were their strong ties to friends and family and commitment to spending time with them.” (‘Very Happy People,” Psychological Science 2002)