Finding Authentic Happiness

TCA Coach Lynne Alexander recently pointed out an online resource that may be of interest to our blog readers.  It is the Positive Psychology Authentic Happiness Center located at the University of Pennsylvania and directed by Dr. Martin Seligman.

I had read Dr. Seligman’s book, Learned Optimism at the recommendation of Dr. David P. Campbell in the early 1990s when we both were working for the Center for Creative Leadership.  I was at the Greensboro headquarters and David was based at the Colorado Springs campus, but traveling all over the globe speaking and training based on his illustrious career as a psychological instrument developer and world class leadership expert.  David, in my mind someone you always listened to for good ideas, had said that he thought it was some revolutionary new thinking in psychology focusing on positive emotions instead of negative ones.  He thought I would be particularly interested in some of the things Seligman was talking about related to children and parenting.  My boys were just toddlers at the time, but already showing their unique and almost opposite approaches to life – one more pessimistic, the other more optimistic.  David was increasingly fascinated with Seligman’s work and that was enough to get me interested too.

The website for the Authentic Happiness work includes a treasure trove of free resources.  There are four main areas on the site:

• Test Center – includes 5 Emotion Questionnaires; 8 Engagement Questionnaires; 3 Meaning Questionnaires and 2 Life Satisfaction Questionnaires.

• Questionnaires – this is the same list as the Test Center, but in the Test Center the items are in a grid overview format and in this section there is slightly more information about the origin of the questionnaire and what it measures.

• Resources – this section provides a list of other websites that are related to positive psychology. Opportunities to participate in research studies are also offered in this section.

• Newsletters – this is the archive of articles about positive psychology topics including The Authentic Happiness Coaching Newsletters that provide important insights into character strengths and virtues.

I thought that the following paragraph from the site captured the essence of Seligman’s work at this Center:

Understanding positive emotions entails the study of contentment with the past, happiness in the present, and hope for the future. Understanding positive individual traits consists of the study of strengths and virtues: the capacity for love and work, courage, compassion, resilience, creativity, curiosity, integrity, self-knowledge, moderation, self-control, and wisdom. Understanding positive institutions entails the study of the strengths that foster better communities, such as justice, responsibility, civility, parenting, nurturance, work ethic, leadership, teamwork, purpose, and tolerance.

So thanks Lynne for pointing this out to us.  I’m enjoying all the very interesting information on this site and I appreciate the chance to luxuriate in the positive psychology space whose goal is to make the world a happier place.

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Yes! You can use this article in your ezine, blog or website as long as you add the following bio box:

Barbara Demarest (www.barbarademarest.com) received her MBA from the Babcock School of Management at Wake Forest University and her BA from Duke University. After 20 years at the Center for Creative Leadership, Barbara launched a coaching practice to help executives and entrepreneurs position themselves, their products, and their organizations.  You can find Barbara’s profile on www.thecoachingassociation.com.