Authentically happy school psychologists: Applications of positive psychology for enhancing professional satisfaction and fulfillment

Abstract

There has recently been a growing movement within psychology toward placing a greater emphasis on building strengths and competencies rather than merely treating deficits and disorders. This movement, known as positive psychology, focuses on the scientific study of optimal human functioning and the variables that promote positive human emotions, traits, and institutions. The purpose of this article is to discuss selected topics of research in positive psychology and how they might contribute to the development of "authentically happy" school psychologists. Implications for how school psychologists may use findings from research to enhance their level of professional satisfaction and fulfillment are provided. C 2008 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Explorations of subjective wellbeing and character strengths among a Greek University student sample

“…In their editorial to the millennium issue of the American Psychologist, Seligman and Csikszentmihalyi proposed that a science of ‚positive subjective experience, positive individual traits and positive institutions‛ had much to offer in terms of improving the quality of life and in helping prevent certain types of mental illness (Seligman & Csikszentmihalyi, 2000). Since then the field has expanded considerably and 'positive psychology' research has made a number of valuable contributions to a diverse range of individual disciplines encompassed by mainstream psychology, such as Organizational, School and Counselling Psychology (Luthans, Avey, Avolio, Norman, & Combs, 2006;Lopez & Edwards, 2008;Miller, Nickerson, Chafouleas, & Osborne, 2008).…”