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A Primer on Positive Psychology
by Christopher Peterson

Positive psychology as an explicit perspective has existed only since 1998, but enough relevant theory and research now exist to fill a textbook suitable for a semester-long college course.

A Primer in Positive Psychology is thoroughly grounded in scientific research and covers major topics of concern to the field: positive experiences such as pleasure and flow; positive traits such as character strengths, values, and talents; and the social institutions that enable these subjects as well as what recent research might contribute to this knowledge.

Peterson is a psychology professor at the University of Michigan. He writes, “I spent most of my professional career concerned with depression, despair and demoralization. I am now a different kind of psychologist, one concerned with happiness, character and purpose.”

Soar with your strengths by Donald O. Clifton and Paula Nelson

The Chinese have long held the Olympic gold medal in Ping-Pong. At the 1984 Olympics, when they again captured the gold, the coach of the Chinese team was asked by a reporter, "Tell me about your team’s daily training regimen."

’We practice eight hours a day perfecting our strengths.’

’Could you be a little more specific?’

’Here is our philosophy: If you develop your strengths to the maximum, the strength becomes so great it overwhelmes the weaknesses. Our winning player, you see, plays only his forehand. Even though he cannot play backhand and his competition knows he cannot play backhand, his forehand is so invincible that it cannot be beaten.’

This is the Strengths’ Theory in a nutshell." (page 19-20)

Focus on strengths and manage the weaknesses. Find out what you do well and do more of it. Find out what you don’t do well and stop doing it.

In Time magazine, Jan 17, 2005: The New Science of Happiness.

What makes the human heart sing? Researchers are taking a close look. What they’ve found may surprise you.

Authentic Happiness: Using the new positive psychology to realize your potential for lasting fulfillment
by Martin Seligman

“Relieving the states that make life miserable... has made building the states that make life worth living less of a priority. The time has finally arrived for a science that seeks to understand positive emotion, build strength and virtue, and provide guideposts for finding what Aristotle called the ‘good life,’” writes Seligman. Trying to fix weaknesses won’t help, he says; rather, incorporating strengths such as humor, originality and generosity into everyday interactions with people is a better way to achieve happiness. Seligman provides the attitude adjustment and practical tools (including self-tests and exercises) for charting the course. authentichappiness.com

Flow: The psychology of optimal experience
by Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi

You have heard about how a musician loses herself in her music, how a painter becomes one with the process of painting. In work, sport, conversation or hobby, you have experienced, yourself, the suspension of time, the freedom of complete absorption in activity. This is "flow," an experience that is at once demanding and rewarding — an experience that Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi demonstrates is one of the most enjoyable and valuable experiences a person can have. The exhaustive case studies, controlled experiments and innumerable references to historical figures, philosophers and scientists through the ages prove Csikszentmihalyi’s point that flow is a singularly productive and desirable state. The implications for its application to society are what make the book revolutionary.

Learned Optimism: How to change your mind and your life
by Martin Seligman

Martin Seligman, a renowned psychologist and clinical researcher, has been studying optimists and pessimists for 25 years. Pessimists believe that bad events are their fault, will last a long time, and undermine everything. They feel helpless and may sink into depression, which is epidemic today, especially among youths. Optimists, on the other hand, believe that defeat is a temporary setback or a challenge — it doesn’t knock them down. "Pessimism is escapable," asserts Seligman, by learning a new set of cognitive skills that will enable you to take charge, resist depression, and make yourself feel better and accomplish more.

Positive Organizational Scholarship: Foundations of a new discipline
by Kim S. Cameron, Jane E. Dutton, Robert E. Quinn

This book examines a variety of positive dynamics in businesses and organizations that give rise to extraordinary outcomes. Positive Organizational Scholarship does not adopt one particular theory or framework, but encompasses any phenomenon that leads to positive, nurturing results. This collection of essays, written by established senior scholars, explains why and how these commonsense prescriptions work.