Shane J. Lopez - Positive Psychology: The Scientific and Practical Explorations of Human Strengths (3rd Edition)

The Scientific and Practical Explorations of Human Strengths

Third Edition

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Copyright 2015 by SAGE Publications, Inc.

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or utilized in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publisher.

Printed in the United States of America

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ISBN 978-1-4522-7643-4

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For many of you, this is your first educational foray into the field of positive psychology. We are privileged to introduce you to this work. If your life is in some small way improved by reading the following pages, it will have made our efforts more than worthwhile.

In these pages, we introduce you to the growing field of positive psychology. We have borrowed from the therapy and research efforts of many outstanding psychologists, and we thank them for their pioneering contributions. So, too, do we thank our clients, our students, and our colleagues (Brian Cole, Lisa Edwards, Lindsey Hammond, Zachary Kasow, Molly Lowe, Jeana Magyar-Moe, Phil McKnight, Kristin Rasmussen, Ryan Reed, Melinda Roberts, and Brian Werter) who assisted on this project. Over the years, they have taught us as much about positive psychology as we have taught them. Much gratitude also goes to those folks who believed that college students needed a real positive psychology textbook. Our marvelous editor, Reid Hester at Sage, and our supportive agents, Neil Salkind and Stacey Czarnowski, all thought the world would be a better place if students continued to learn about positive psychology.

We have (Classifications and Measures of Strengths and Positive Outcomes), we explain the attempts to categorize various topics in the field.

In (Living Well at Every Stage of Life), we trace the development of human strengths.

, Making the Most of Emotional Experiences: Emotion-Focused Coping, Emotional Intelligence, Socioemotional Selectivity, and Emotional Storytelling, we reveal recent findings on how emotions can contribute positively to effective coping in life.

latest findings on the power of mental processes in relation to self and higher forces.

(Attachment, Love, and Flourishing Relationships), we show how human ties improve the quality of life.

(Preventing the Bad and Promoting the Good).

In the Education That Gets Us There) work together to contribute to a more productive, happier life.

Finally, in Authors).

This edition of Positive Psychology is dedicated to C. R. Rick Snyder, who died on January 17, 2006. As I write this dedication, I am reminded of his memorial, held on the beautiful campus of the University of Kansas, Ricks professional home for 34 years. In fact, the hall where we gathered stood only a few thousand feet from both Ricks academic home, Fraser Hall, and his beloved family home, a beautiful white colonial where he and his wife, Becky, welcomed friends, students, and colleagues. Stories about Ricks professional and personal exploitsoften downright hilariousflowed between family, friends, students, and colleagues. We were a crowd sharing funny memories, giggling through sobs, and honoring Rick for his public and private contributions to psychology, society, and our lives.

The memorial service was moving and appropriately understated, as Rick was no fan of pomp or piety. Perhaps this is why he continually tried to teach the importance of having fun and the quiet dignity of maintaining our humility. Rick loved to say, If you cant laugh at yourself, you have missed the biggest joke of all. He practiced what he preached; he laughed at his own gaffes just about daily. Through his own quirky behavior, Rick made it safe to say, I dont know and I messed up, and, of course, he never let me take myself too seriously. Most importantly, he made me laugh, all the time. Whether Rick was dive-bombing me during a research meeting with one of the model planes in his office or breaking campus rules and a few laws by driving my wifes scooter across hallowed ground and squealing Wheeee! as he did it, that lovely man cracked me up.