Engagement
Well-Being and the Five ‘Happy’ Lives
By Christopher L. Heffner, PsyD, PhD Well-Being and The PERMA Model Seligman (2011) argues that well-being is enhanced through thriving in one or more pillars of well-being. His model, often referred to as the PERMA Model, consists of Positive Emotions, Engagement, Relationships, Meaning, and Accomplishment (or Achievement). The more we thrive in each of these,…
Read MoreThe Paradox of Flow and Happiness
By Christopher L. Heffner, PsyD, PhD What is Happiness? “…Aristotle concluded that, more than anything else, men and women seek happiness. While happiness itself is sought for its own sake, every other goal . . . is valued only because we expect that it will make us happy” (Csikszentmihalyi, 1990, p.1). Much of psychology has…
Read MoreGrit Can be Developed
By Crystal Hall What do you think of when you hear the word “grit”? Without context, maybe we think of something that is dirty or perhaps course. The Oxford online dictionary has two definitions of grit. The second is more applicable to the field of positive psychology. Grit is courage and resolve or strength of…
Read MoreFlow: A State of Full Engagement
Flow is “a psychological state involving the positive experience of being fully engaged in the successful pursuit of an activity” (Marin & Bhattacharya, 2013, p. 1)
Read MoreA Negative Beginning to Positive Psychology: Part 1
By Christopher L. Heffner, PsyD, PhD It didn’t Start Off Very Positive I could not think of a better or more ironic way to start a paper on the history of positive psychology than with a quote on the inevitability of pain and suffering. So here it is: “Life swings like a pendulum backward and…
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