What Is Positive Psychology?
The science of positive psychology provides most of the empirical base for what is termed the âpsychology of positivityâ in the title of this handbook. Positive psychology has emerged as the scientific study of positive human functioning and flourishing intrapersonally (e.g., biologically, emotionally, cognitively), interpersonally (e.g., relationally), and collectively (e.g., institutionally, culturally, and globally) (Seligman & Csikszentmihalyi, 2000).
It may be considered to include three levels of research: the subjective level, the individual level, and the group level. Research at the subjective level includes valued subjective experiences and is broken down into past, present, and future constructs: the past involving wellâbeing, contentment, and satisfaction; the present involving flow and happiness; and the future involving hope and optimism. The individual level involves research into individual traits that are positive, such as character strengths (including those that guide our interactions with others), talent, and the capacity for vocation. Finally, the group level involves research into âcivic virtues and the institutions that move individuals towards better citizenship: responsibility, nurturance, altruism, civility, moderation, tolerance and work ethicâ (Seligman & Csikszentmihalyi, 2000, p. 5). All three levels are relevant to the workplace, and we have attempted to represent each in the preparation of this handbook: Part I maps well onto the subjective and individual levels and Part II maps onto the group level. In particular, the established area of research in positive organizational scholarship has much relevance for research within Part II (Cameron & Dutton, 2003; Cameron & Spreitzer, 2012).
What Are StrengthsâBased Approaches?
Wellâbeing may be viewed as a key outcome of positive psychology endeavors. The use of strengths, and particularly character strengths, may be viewed as a key process of positive psychology. The concept of character strengths is based in a tradition that emphasizes virtues as inducements to behave well, in contrast with traditions that focus on rules to be followed. Peterson and Seligman (2004) developed a classification of strengths comprising 6 universal virtues and 24 character strengths. The Values in Action Inventory of Strengths Survey (VIA) identifies character traits expressed across all areas of life: home, family, social life, and work. For this title, work is the key area of focus.
In addition to exploration of specific character strengths and strengthsâuse, which is covered directly in Chapter 3, this guidebook is strengthsâbased more broadly. That is, the approaches taken across the chapters seek to approach individuals and organizations from a strengths perspective â looking for what is working well, how individuals are leveraging strengths, seeking optimal performance â compared to traditional approaches which may be diagnostic, problemâsolving, seeking root causes, and so on. A strengthâbased approach is often contrasted with a deficitâbased approach. It is an approach where one aims to approach the positive, rather than escape or avoid the negative. It is an approach where the presence of positive attributes is what is sought, not only the absence of negative attributes. It is one in which we guard against the negativity bias, one in which revenue is considered important and not only cost reduction, one in which human and environmental contribution becomes paramount. This is similar to the approach within positive organizational scholarship, as described by Professor Kim Cameron in the Foreword. Both the psychology of positivity and the related area of strengths provide a fertile theoretical and growing empirical base to understand the behavior of individuals and groups in an organizational context. The specific research developments are now introduced.
Research Developments in the Psychology of Positivity and StrengthsâBased Approaches at Work
Our hope is that this handbook will be a useful resource for postgraduate researchers, students, and academics, who are looking for a comprehensive and critical review of the literature as a platform for their own research. Also scholarâpractitioners can refer to this handbook to understand the depth and scope of the literature to enhance evidenceâbased practices and generate practiceâbased research. Importantly and more broadly, our hope is that the knowledge base described in this title will contribute to making workplaces more positive and meaningful places to work and developing organizations as contexts that can better leverage the strengths of their employees.
This book is structured using three parts focused on individual approaches to positive psychology at work, organizational approaches to positive psychology at work, and business or sectorâbased applications of positive psychology. Together these sections progress the reader through an ecological journey from the individual, to the organization, and then consider whole sectors on an international scale.
Part I comprises 12 chapters that describe classical positive psychological constructs and evidence in the workplace.
In Chapter 2 Green, McQuaid, Purtell and Dulagil set the foundation for this guide by reviewing the theories and evidence surrounding the psychology of positivity at work, including Fredricksonâs broadenâandâbuild theory (Fredrickson, 2001; Fredrickson & Joiner, 2002). These authors assert that positive organizational scholars have become intrigued by the potential benefits that positive emotions (e.g., joy, gratitude, and hope) and âpositivityâ more broadly (encompassing emotions, thoughts, and behaviors), have to offer employees and organizations.
BiswasâDiener, Kashdan, and Lyubchik â Chapter 3 â explore the important area of psychological strengths at work. In addition to critically reviewing important literature, this chapter provides a useful comparison between wellâknown strengths frameworks of VIA, StrengthsFinder, and Realise2, and important exploration of the malleability of strengths (Linley, Nielsen, Wood, Gillett, and BiswasâDiener, 2010; Peterson & Seligman, 2004; Peterson, Stephens, Park, Lee, & Seligman, 2009).
Chapter 4 takes the reader to the futureâoriented construct of hope. Wandeler, Marques, and Lopez provide a description of hope theory that addresses fundamental motivational, cognitive, and emotional components of human thinking, feeling, and action, and thus is well suited to be applied to the context of work. They assert that usually hope is considered as a characteristic of an individual, but organizations can also be considered hopeful (Wandeler, Baeriswyl, & Shavelson, 2011).
Steger â Chapter 5 â proposes that meaningful work holds the promise of being the ânext big thingâ among organizations seeking a lever for improving organizational performance (Dik, Byrne, & Steger, 2013). Steger explores how meaningful work represents an opportunity to go beyond the standard maximization of effort and outcome to the improved wellâbeing of the wider range of people associated with organizations. He suggests that not only is there meaning at work, but explores the idea of work itself as meaning (Steger & Dik, 2010). This chapter relates to the Good Work chapter â Chapter 14 â described below.
In Chapter 6, Niemiec and Spence introduce the archetypal workplace construct of motivation. Based particularly in selfâdetermination theory (SDT), this chapter explores optimal motivation at work. The authors explain that optimal motivation â marked by volition and selfâregulation â is likely to be facilitated by contextual support for satisfacti...
