Forum of Unitarian Universalists Hong Kong

Positive Psychology: An Introduction www.ppc.sas.upenn.edu/ppintroarticle.pdf

A science of positive subjective experience, positive individual
traits, and positive institutions promises to improve
quality of life and prevent the pathologies that arise when
life is barren and meaningless. The exclusive focus on
pathology that has dominated so much of our discipline
results in a model of the human being lacking the positive
features that make life worth living. Hope, wisdom, creativity,
future mindedness, courage, spirituality, responsibility,
and perseverance are ignored or explained as transformations
of more authentic negative impulses. The 15
articles in this millennial issue of the American Psychologist
discuss such issues as what enables happiness, the
effects of autonomy and self-regulation, how optimism and
hope affect health, what constitutes wisdom, and how talent
and creativity come to fruition. The authors outline a
framework for a science of positive psychology, point to
gaps in our knowledge, and predict that the next century
will see a science and profession that will come to understand
and build the factors that allow individuals, communities,
and societies to flourish.


Positive Psychology Center www.ppc.sas.upenn.edu

Positive Psychology is the scientific study of the strengths and virtues that enable individuals and communities to thrive. The Positive Psychology Center promotes research, training, education, and the dissemination of Positive Psychology. This field is founded on the belief that people want to lead meaningful and fulfilling lives, to cultivate what is best within themselves, and to enhance their experiences of love, work, and play.

Positive Psychology has three central concerns: positive emotions, positive individual traits, and positive institutions. Understanding positive emotions entails the study of contentment with the past, happiness in the present, and hope for the future. Understanding positive individual traits consists of the study of the strengths and virtues, such as the capacity for love and work, courage, compassion, resilience, creativity, curiosity, integrity, self-knowledge, moderation, self-control, and wisdom. Understanding positive institutions entails the study of the strengths that foster better communities, such as justice, responsibility, civility, parenting, nurturance, work ethic, leadership, teamwork, purpose, and tolerance.


www.positivepsychology.net


http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Positive_psychology


正面心理學日報 Positive Psychology News Daily http://hk.positivepsychologynews.com
正面心理學日報是由賓夕法尼亞州大學應用正面心理學碩士課程(MAPP)的畢業生以及客席作者所撰寫。

正向心理動力 Positive Psychology Power www.pppower.org

Positive Psychology can be a threat to religion. It strikes me that how similar the purposes and goals of Positive Psychology are to those of traditional religions. "Positive Psychology is the scientific study of the strengths and virtues that enable individuals and communities to thrive. ...to lead meaningful and fulfilling lives, to cultivate what is best within themselves, and to enhance their experiences of love, work, and play." ( http://www.ppc.sas.upenn.edu/index.html ) Finding "the strengths and virtues that enable individuals and communities to thrive," teaching individuals "to lead meaningful and fulfilling lives, to cultivate what is best within themselves, and to enhance their experiences of love, work, and play" are the very roles remaining of traditional religions in today's highly secularized world. If provision of "meaningful and fulfilling lives" can be viewed as a market, a relatively new player (Positive Psychology) entering into the market will certainly erode the "market shares" of traditional religions, if not throwing a few less popular religions out of the market entirely. Humanism is the philosophy behind Positive Psychology. Positive Psychology, being a science, might not be a direct threat to traditional religions. Religious Humanism, on the other hand, being a religious form in itself, might be. Religious Humanism can be the religion of the future. Religious Humanism plays a prominent role in the liberal religion UUism. HUUmanists represents Religious Humanists in UUism.