Positive Psychology in Practice: Simple Tools to Pursue Happiness and Live Authentically PDF
Preview Positive Psychology in Practice: Simple Tools to Pursue Happiness and Live Authentically
POSITIVE PSYCHOLOGY IN PRACTICE Positive Psychology in Practice SIMPLE TOOLS TO PURSUE HAPPINESS AND LIVE AUTHENTICALLY Gina Delucca, PsyD Jamie Goldstein, PsyD Copyright © 2020 by Rockridge Press, Emeryville, California No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, scanning, or otherwise, except as permitted under Sections 107 or 108 of the 1976 United States Copyright Act, without the prior written per- mission of the Publisher. Requests to the Publisher for permission should be addressed to the Permissions Department, Rockridge Press, 6005 Shellmound Street, Suite 175, Emeryville, CA 94608. 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ISBN: 978-1-64611-337-8 | eBook: 978-1-64611-338-5 R0 To my husband. Thank you for loving, sup- porting, encouraging, and making me smile throughout this entire process. —Gina For my Core 4 and my husband. Your unwavering belief in me propels my unwavering belief in others. —Jamie Contents Getting Started viii PART ONE A New Approach to Happiness 1 PART TWO Cultivating Positive Feelings 37 PART THREE Who You Are and Where You’re Going 75 PART FOUR Talk, Listen, Love 115 Resources 153 References 155 Index 163 Getting Started Over the last two decades, research in the field of psychology has made great strides in better understanding happiness and how people can live meaningful and fulfilling lives. What we know is that true, authentic hap- piness does not simply come from money, attractiveness, luck, good health, career success, or a lack of hardship. Instead, it’s more likely to come from creating a life of engagement and meaning by living in accordance with your own strengths and virtues (which we all have). Whether you’re looking to find a little more positivity in your life or you’re searching for a deeper sense of fulfillment, this book is full of strategies you can enjoy to bring you closer to living your best, most authentic life. When people find out that we’re psychologists, one of three things usually happens: (1) They make a nervous joke about us trying to analyze them, (2) they divulge all the latest happenings in their life, or (3) they are fascinated and want to know if we have any specialties. Our typical responses are to smile, remind folks that we’re off duty, and talk about the work we do to help people discover, honor, and make space for their voices. As strengths-based psychologists, we encourage folks to identify and build on the skills they already possess. As strengths-based humans out in the world, we work to share this message to honor ourselves and those in our lives. Therapists are humans, too, and we both pride ourselves on being therapists who practice what we preach. Gina became a practitioner of the principles of positive psychology when she saw them come to life in her practice and experienced the benefits her- self. As she began seeing clients, it became clear that many of them were seeking more than relief from their symptoms and suffering. They needed new ways to reach their goals and aspirations. For Jamie, positive psychology presented itself as a natural theory to incorporate into her personal and professional practice. From conversa- tions with her 89-year-old Bubbie (a.k.a. her grandma) to working with 15-year-olds, she has seen the incredible power (and even a bit of magic) that comes from tapping into the strengths, values, relationships, and capacity for happiness we all naturally possess. Life can be difficult at times, and pain and hurt are a non-negotiable part of the human experience. It can be easy to get caught up in the negativity, and during extreme lows, we might even ask, “What’s the point of trying?” viii At the same time, life can offer the wonderful gifts of amazing experiences, pleasure, excitement, humor, joy, and love. Our hope is that by using the strategies in this book, you will learn how to look at the world and your life through a more positive lens, cultivate more positive emotions and experi- ences, better cope with negative emotions and thoughts, identify and use your strengths and values to help you achieve your goals and create mean- ing, and further develop communication and interpersonal skills to build deeper, more meaningful relationships. What Is Positive Psychology? For clinical psychologists, education and training have historically been centered on the treatment of mental disorders, with the goal of helping people achieve symptom relief and return to “normal” functioning. While this is valuable and necessary work, it started to feel overly focused on the negative aspects of a client’s life. Wouldn’t it be great to flourish rather than simply feel normal? What’s normal anyway? Rather than only repair what’s broken, can we also build on what’s working? In response to the need for a broader focus, a new field, referred to as positive psychology, was developed. So, what is it exactly? Positive psychology is a subfield of psychology that studies and pro- motes the positive aspects of human life, such as the strengths and virtues that enable individuals and communities to thrive. More specifically, it focuses on what makes life meaningful and worth living, paying special attention to topics like happiness, well-being, life satisfaction, gratitude, optimism, character strengths, flourishing, and human potential. The field of positive psychology was founded in 1998 by American psychologist Martin Seligman (now known as the “father of positive psychology”) during his term as president of the American Psychological Association. At the time, Seligman was frustrated with psychology’s pri- mary emphasis on understanding and treating the negative aspects of the human experience, such as mental illness, suffering, dysfunctional behavior, trauma, and pain. For this reason, he decided to make positive psychology the theme of his presidential term. Other psychologists have emerged as leaders of the movement with their own unique contributions, including Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi, Christopher Peterson, and Barbara Fredrickson. From these co-initiators, Getting Started ix
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