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The Positive Psychologists
Lance P. Hickey, Ph.D.
Psychology in the 20th Century
 “Much
will be gained if
we transform your
hysterical misery into
common unhappiness.”
– (Sigmund Freud,Studies in
Hysteria, 1895)
What about happiness?
 “The absence of
mental illness is not
a sufficient indicator
of mental health.”
(Marie Jahoda, Current
Concepts of Positive Mental
Health, 1958)
Abraham Maslow: the voice crying in the darkness
 The Hierarchy of Needs
Martin Seligman: The Pioneer
 “Authentic Happiness comes from
identifying and cultivating your
fundamental strengths, and using
them everyday in work, love, play,
and parenting.” (Authentic
Happiness, 2002)
Strengths and Virtues: The VIA test
 Wisdom (love of learning, curiosity, creativity, open-
mindedness, perspective
 Courage (authenticity, bravery, persistence, zest)
 Temperance (Humility, Self-moderation, prudence,
forgiveness)
 Humanity (Kindness, Love, social intelligence)
 Justice (Fairness, Leadership, Teamwork)
 Transcendence (Appreciation of beauty, gratitude,
hope, humor, meaning)
Mihalyi Csikszentmihaly
 “Flow is…that state in which
people are so involved in an
activity that nothing else
seems to matter; the
experience is so enjoyable
that people will continue to do
it even at great cost, for the
sheer sake of doing it.” (Flow:
the Psychology of Optimal
Experience, 1992)
The Flow Chart
Ed Diener: Dr. Happiness
 “…over the past 50 years, income has
climbed steadily in the United States, with
the gross domestic product (GDP) per
capita tripling, and yet life satisfaction has
been virtually flat. Since World War II
there has been a dramatic divergence
between real income (after taxes and
inflation) and life satisfaction in the United
States, and a similar pattern can be seen in
the data from other nations, such as
Japan.” (“Beyond Money” APA, 2004)
Ed Diener: Dr. Happiness
“The most salient
characteristics shared by the
10% of students with the
highest levels of happiness
and the fewest signs of
depression were their strong
ties to friends and family
and commitment to spending
time with them.” (‘Very Happy
People,” Psychological Science
2002)