Here you can learn about Positive Psychology through readings, videos, research, surveys, opportunities and more.
Positive Psychology is the scientific study of the strengths that enable individuals and communities to thrive.
New! Foundations of Positive Psychology
Dr. Martin E.P. Seligman
Dr. James Pawelski
Dr. Angela Duckworth
Dr. Claire Robertson-Kraft
Dr. Karen Reivich
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Grit: New Book by Dr. Angela Duckworth
Master of applied positive psychology (mapp) program.
at the University of Pennsylvania
Questionnaires
The questionnaires on Authentic Happiness measure character strengths and different aspects of happiness and well-being. It's free to take our questionnaires, but you'll first need to register.
Introducing LexHub
A hub for data, tools, publications, conferences, researchers, and almost any resource in the growing field of language analysis for social science.
What sort of world is this?
Tomorrowmind: new book by martin e.p. seligman, the hope circuit: new book by martin e.p. seligman, happy together: new book by dr. james pawelski, listen to npr radio forum on meeting the challenges of midlife, penn interactive map shows community traits built from more than 37 billion tweets.
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General Happiness Scale
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Study Opportunity
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Positive Psychology Books
Check out the huge variety of books on positive psychology.
MAPP Program
Learn to apply the principles and tools of positive psychology to any professional domain or as preparation for further study in a Ph.D., M.D., or J.D. program, in the Master of Applied Positive Psychology program at the University of Pennsylvania.
Enrollment is now open for the online specialization certificate taught by Dr. Martin E.P. Seligman and his colleagues at the University of Pennsylvania.
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Character Strengths
Before you begin learning about character strengths, we invite you to learn more about your personal strengths using The Positivity Project’s Character Strength Snapshot Survey . This concise assessment is designed to provide individuals with a quick understanding of their personal character strength profile. While it is important to note that this survey has not undergone academic validation, it will serve as a valuable starting point for individuals interested in exploring their character strengths.
* Please note that The Positivity Project does not collect any personally identifiable information, psychometrics, or student data through these surveys .
If you’re looking for an academically validated survey, you can take The VIA Character Strengths Survey .*
*NOTE : The Positivity Project is not affiliated with the VIA Institute. However, we encourage teachers to take the VIA Character Strengths Survey as part of their introduction to The Positivity Project. That’s because the survey, initially developed with Dr. Chris Peterson’s leadership, helps teachers know themselves better — and internalize the character strengths vocabulary and concepts. To learn more, please visit our VIA Survey FAQs . Please see the VIA Institute’s privacy policy for more information on their data collection.
Table of Contents
Character strengths overview.
What Is Character?
Difference Between Character Strengths and Values
What Is Positive Psychology?
Positive Psychology’s Six Virtues
Positive Psychology’s 24 Character Strengths
Definitions with Examples Of Character Strengths
Character Strength Cards
Why Focus on Character Strengths in School — and Why ALL 24?
Character strengths — as classified by positive psychology — are a family of positive traits expressed through a person’s thoughts, feelings, and behaviors that are universally recognized for the strength that they create in individuals and communities.
Making children aware that every one of them has all 24 character strengths , provides the foundation for genuine self-confidence grounded in self-awareness. At the same time, it helps children better understand why everyone is different and how to appreciate those differences.
Unlike our height, weight, or skin color, character strengths aren’t something that can be seen with the naked eye. Therefore, understanding and valuing them — especially in other people — requires a framework of consistent reflection and discussion.
By consistently teaching our youth about the character strengths that everyone possesses, they will see people based on the content of their character. This ability will enhance their self-awareness and self-confidence, understanding and appreciation of others, and interpersonal relationships — which will positively influence our youth (individually and collectively) across their lifespans.
Ranging from bravery and creativity to integrity and gratitude, positive psychology’s 24 character strengths are the foundation of The Positivity Project’s model.
Dr. Chris Peterson , one of the founders of positive psychology, led a research team over a three-year period to better understand character and its manifestations. Alongside Dr. Martin Seligman, Dr. Peterson then wrote Character Strengths and Virtues . The research in this book explains:
The 24 character strengths that are evident in the most widely influential traditions of thought in human history.
The robust evidence of all 24 strengths existing throughout time and in all cultures of the world.
All 24 character strengths exist within — and can be used by — every individual.
Character strengths aren’t about ignoring the negative . Instead, they help us overcome life’s inevitable adversities. For example, you can’t be brave without first feeling fear; you can’t show perseverance without first wanting to quit; you can’t show self-control without first being tempted to do something you know you shouldn’t.
What is Character?
Character is more than simply individual achievement. It’s the intersection of our thoughts, our feelings, and our behaviors. Character is the aggregate of who we are; it’s “what’s inside every one of us.”
Character is not fixed; it can be grown. This is very similar to D r. Carol Dweck’s growth mindset . Dweck’s theory explains that some people think their abilities are fixed and that any failure is a confirmation of their limits. While other people believe that they can grow their abilities and that failure is just a stepping stone to improvement.
Well, character works the same way. And, there is no endpoint to developing your character. It’s a lifelong endeavor for every single one of us.
And, as Dr. Peterson wrote , focusing on character strengths “would not only make young people happier, healthier, and more socially connected but also help them do better at school and to be more productive at their eventual work. Attention to young people’s character is not a luxury for our society but a necessity, and it requires no tradeoff with traditional academic goals.”
Difference Between Character Strengths and Values
Are character strengths the same as values? Not necessarily. Character strengths are positive personality traits that reflect our basic identity — and produce positive outcomes for ourselves and others. However, as Dr. Peterson explains in A Primer in Positive Psychology , “Values are beliefs held by individuals and shared by groups about desirable ends…they guide how we select actions and evaluate others and ourselves; and they are ordered by their relative importance.” Therefore, individuals use their character strengths to move toward their specific values.
For example, the core values of the United States Military Academy at West Point are Duty, Honor, Country. Cadets will use their individual character strengths — such as perseverance, teamwork, and self-control — to move towards those values. As General MacArthur explained to cadets in 1962, “Duty, honor, country: Those three hallowed words reverently dictate what you ought to be, what you can be, what you will be. They are your rallying point to build courage when courage seems to fail, to regain faith when there seems to be little cause for faith, to create hope when hope becomes forlorn.”
Positive psychology is a rigorous academic field that encompasses character strengths, positive relationships, positive experiences, and positive institutions. It is the scientific study of what makes life most worth living — and maintains that what is good in life is as genuine as what is bad.
Although positive psychology focuses on what goes right in life, it doesn’t ignore what goes wrong. As Drs. Peterson and Seligman wrote in Character Strengths and Virtues , “There is a temptation to regard positive psychology as focusing on the stress-free individual, but this is a mistake… In accentuating the positive, we cannot ignore the negative. Conditions of adversity, whether external or internal, must be part of what we address in discussing character strengths.”
Positive Psychology’s Six Virtues
Virtues are core aspects of human excellence that allow us to survive and thrive. Researchers found six core virtues to be ubiquitous across cultures. The 24 character strengths are organized under the six virtues of: wisdom and knowledge; humanity; justice; courage; temperance; and transcendence.
Wisdom and Knowledge – Strengths of wisdom and knowledge are cognitive strengths related to the acquisition and use of information. Strengths comprised in this virtue are creativity, curiosity, open-mindedness, love of learning, and perspective.
Humanity – Strengths of humanity involve caring interpersonal relationships with others, particularly in one-to-one relationships. Strengths comprised in this virtue are love, kindness, and social intelligence.
Justice – Strengths of justice refer to the optimal relationship between the individual and the group or community, rather than the more one-to-one relationships in the humanity virtue. Strengths comprised in this virtue are teamwork, fairness, and leadership.
Courage – Strengths of courage involve applying will and fortitude in overcoming internal or external resistance to accomplish goals. Strengths comprised in this virtue are bravery, perseverance, integrity, and enthusiasm.
Temperance – Strengths of temperance protect us from excess. Strengths comprised in this virtue are forgiveness, humility, prudence, and self-control.
Transcendence – Strengths of transcendence allow people to rise above their troubles and find meaning in the larger universe. Strengths of transcendence are appreciation of beauty and excellence, purpose, gratitude, optimism, and humor.
Positive Psychology’s 24 Character Strengths
Character Strength Definitions
Appreciation of Beauty & Excellence You notice and value the world’s beauty and people’s skills. You don’t take things for granted.
Bravery You act with mental, moral, or physical strength even when you know things are difficult or scary.
Creativity You come up with new and original ways to think about and do things.
Curiosity You like exploration and discovery. You ask lots of questions because you want to learn more about anything and everything.
Enthusiasm You approach life with excitement and energy. You energize people around you.
Fairness You believe that all people have value. You approach situations with an unbiased mindset and treat everyone with respect.
Forgiveness You forgive those who have done wrong. You accept that people make mistakes.
Gratitude You are aware of and thankful for good things that happen.
Humility You do not seek the spotlight. You let your actions speak for themselves.
Humor You like to laugh and bring smiles to other people.
Integrity You are honest and speak the truth. You present yourself genuinely and sincerely.
Kindness You are generous to others and you are never too busy to help out. You enjoy doing good deeds for other people.
Leadership You value each member of your group and inspire people to do their best.
Love You value close relationships with others and being close to people.
Love of Learning You master new skills and topics on your own or in school.
Open-Mindedness You like to consider new ideas and try new things. You examine things from all sides and don’t jump to conclusions.
Optimism You expect the best from the future and work to achieve it.
Perseverance You complete what you start despite obstacles. You never give up.
Perspective You appreciate that people see things in different ways. You have the ability to understand the world from multiple points of view.
Prudence You plan for the future and achieve your goals by making careful everyday choices.
Purpose You have beliefs about the meaning of life and your life’s purpose. You seek to be part of something greater than yourself.
Self-Control You have the ability to control your emotions and behaviors. You think before you act.
Social Intelligence You are aware of other people’s thoughts and feelings. You understand why they do things.
Teamwork You work well as a member of a group or team. You are loyal, reliable, and dedicated to helping your team achieve its goals.
P2 Character Cards (1-Page Overviews)
Our 9–12 grade P2 Character Cards are a completely open (public) resource. P2 Character Cards provide a 1-page, detailed look at each character strength. These cards are available as weblinks and as PDF downloads from our searchable/sortable Resource Library . You can directly link any of these cards right into Google Classroom or send home links directly. Differentiated versions (Pre-K–2, 3–5, 6–8) are also available to Partner Schools. Many teachers use our differentiated Character Cards (regularly in the classroom), and we can’t overstate the value that we see in Partner Schools sending these home with students and parents.
Perseverance Character Card
Why Focus on Character Strengths at School?
Dr. Peterson explained that focusing on character strengths “would not only make young people happier, healthier, and more socially connected but also help them do better at school and to be more productive at their eventual work. Attention to young people’s character is not a luxury for our society but a necessity, and it requires no tradeoff with traditional academic goals.”
P2 Partner Schools consistently teach students about the character strengths that everyone possesses. This helps students become more self-aware and empathetic – leading to more positive relationships and a more positive school culture. This positive culture allows teachers to focus on teaching and students to focus on learning.
As one educator explained , “I can honestly say I have never felt so good about a character education program in my teaching career. I can actually see this program working every day. Each week that we touch on new strengths, we are all reminded of our potential to be better human beings. We have truly seen a transformation in our program since we began using The Positivity Project…We have watched kids transform again and again, from disrespectful to respectful, from challenging to cooperative, and from ungrateful to grateful, just by modeling appropriate behavior, sharing learning experiences, and using character strengths to build relationships.”
Why ALL 24 Character Strengths?
Sometimes people ask, “Why are you focused on ALL 24 character strengths? Why not just 6 or 10?” That’s a good question. The answer is that The Positivity Project’s model is grounded in the research of positive psychology’s character strengths. And that research clearly shows that “All 24 Matter.” As Dr. Ryan Niemac explains , “the importance of any given strength will vary by the situation or the intended consequence…[and] how they matter will vary by person and situation.”
So, if we want students to be equipped to consciously leverage the strengths they’ll need throughout their lives in a variety of situations, they must learn about all 24. This also makes P2 more applicable to every student. Some students may identify more with optimism and enthusiasm, while others may identify more with humility and prudence. Every single one of the character strengths is important — and the 24 character strengths provide a broad common vocabulary for classrooms, schools, and districts.
As Dr. Peterson summarizes , understanding all 24 “provides a useful vocabulary for people to talk about character strengths in an appropriately nuanced way. Simply saying that someone has good character (or not) does not lead to anywhere useful. In contrast, using the strengths concepts…people can describe the profile of strengths that characterize each individual.”
Why does P2 emphasize consistency?
Our model is holistic and rooted in consistency; it incorporates and impacts students, educators, and families through regular interaction with character strengths vocabulary and concepts. Our emphasis on consistency is grounded in research from child psychology and neuroscience.
To most effectively learn a new word, concept, or skill, students should be exposed to a combination of active learning (pair-sharing, building, discussing, drawing), passive learning (listening, watching, generalizing), and settling time (walking, reflecting, sleeping, eating). It’s important to spread out the learning to maximize consolidation – the physical process of turning electrical and chemical input into a memory (Jensen, Teaching with the Brain in Mind, Revised 2nd Edition, 39-43).
This consistency is why 8th grade students at J.M. McKenney Middle School say things like, “Perseverance and Perspective have been major strengths that helped me handle social and educational challenges. Being reminded that things will pass and that I have the ability to grow and learn from them have been incredibly helpful.”
Dr. Chris Peterson explained, “Theorists as far back as Aristotle argued that virtue is the product of habitual action. One-shot positive psychology interventions can probably jump-start the process, but only sustained practice will make changes permanent.”
Are These Words “Over Students’ Heads”?
Another question people ask is, “Aren’t some of these character strengths over students’ heads?” Simply stated, they’re not. P2’s grade-level differentiated resources provide scaffolded definitions, examples, and activities to help students understand and apply character strengths in their lives.
As one English Language Learning teacher explained , “Ms. Saleh asked her students, ‘What is another character strength this person is showing?’ and the responses were incredibly intuitive! Kindergarten students were raising their hands and using the words “Integrity,” “Perseverance,” and “Gratitude”…Ms. Saleh’s students use these words with such tenacity and it seems so natural to them…If these character strengths are in their vernacular as kindergartners… imagine how their knowledge will deepen and experiences building positive relationships will flourish.”
As another teacher highlights, her students were able to use their command of character strengths to teach a local baseball coach about the concept of prudence in athletics.
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Resources for Teachers of Psychology
The Society for the Teaching of Psychology (STP) curates and distributes teaching and advising materials to all teachers of psychology (e.g., 4-year instructors, 2-year instructors, and high-school teachers). The resources available below are documents that can pertain to any aspect of teaching. (NOTE: Syllabi have their own listings under Project Syllabus .)
Instructors have generously shared classroom activities, annotated bibliographies, film guides, lab manuals, advising aids, textbook compendiums, and much more. Notations indicate those that developed from Instructional Resource Awards .
Guidelines for Authors and Reviewers of Prospective Resources
All of These Resources are Peer-Reviewed
Did you know that all of the resources on this site are peer-reviewed before they are accepted for distribution? In this way, STP attempts to encourage teaching as scholarship and to provide an endorsement of such work to heighten its value at the local level. Our peer-review process requires all submissions to describe how the resource is based on evidence-based practices.
Please note: Because we require all resources on this page to undergo our peer-review process, we do not include links to any resources available from other websites that have not first undergone our peer-review process.
Do you have an idea for a teaching or advising resource that we could distribute? If you are interested in discussing an idea for a possible project, please contact Ashley Waggoner Denton, STP's Editor of Best Practices in Teaching and Learning, at [email protected] .
Request for Volunteers
Would you like to volunteer to review new teaching resource submissions? Reviewing resources is a great way to contribute to STP with a modest time commitment. If you would like to join the reviewer pool, please send the following information to Ashley Waggoner Denton, STP's Editor of Best Practices in Teaching and Learning, at [email protected] . 1) Complete contact information, especially e-mail address, phone number, and institution(s) where you teach 2) A list of courses you teach 3) Other areas that you feel competent to review (e.g., Advising, Careers, Ethics, Film, Practica/Internships, Technology)
Abnormal/Clinical/Counseling Return to Index
An experiential approach to teaching counseling skills: instructional modules for undergraduate and graduate students in psychology (2020).
Note: 2019 Instructional Resource Award
Educating Students about Professional Licensure in Health Service Psychology (2016)
Dsm-5: using key changes to highlight critical teaching points for undergraduate psychology instructors (2014), why does johnny tantrum (2014).
Introduction to narration (Word)
Why Does Johnny Trantrum (PowerPoint)
Author: Ennio Cipani Affiliation: National University Description: The PowerPoint file provides an introductory narrated presentation (under 8 min.) on a functional behavioral perspective on human behavior, especially explaining why challenging problem behaviors occur. Dr. Cipani contrasts this approach to understanding human behavior with a more traditional approach. The Word document suggests how to use the narration to stimulate class discussion.
Advising Return to Index
Developing and enhancing students’ job search skills and motivation: an online job search intervention training module (2018).
STP Best Practices Author: Christopher J. Budnick & Larissa K. Barber Affiliation: Southern Connecticut State University & Northern Illinois University Description: This 47-page online training program provides a flexible, low labor, and low cost approach to implementing undergraduate student job search skills and motivation training into psychology courses. Designed to be easily modifiable, this module can be presented via online survey software (e.g., Qualtrics, SurveyMonkey) and housed/deployed using learning management systems. Although this resource should be useful for any instructor wishing to embed job search training in their courses, it will likely especially benefit internship advisors, psychology instructors teaching career-focused courses, and industrial-organizational psychology instructors discussing application and selection processes.
Note: 2016 Instructional Resource Award
Interpersonal Helping Skills Instruction in Undergraduate Psychology Internship Courses (2017)
Part 1: Introduction to Resources and Background
Part 2: Student Handouts
Part 3: Instructor’s Guide
Author: Melissa J. Himelein Affiliation: University of North Carolina, Asheville Description: This 3-part resource advocates a curriculum focused on the instruction of interpersonal helping skills, defined as communication strategies that demonstrate a listener’s attention, interest, understanding, self-awareness, and ability to help. The resource provides instructors with the tools needed to integrate a helping skills curriculum into practicum-centered courses. Part 1 summarizes research establishing the theoretical and empirical basis of a helping skills curriculum. Part 2 provides a set of handouts, which can be distributed to students, summarizing each of 10 specific helping skills. Part 3 offers an instructor’s guide for faculty teaching internship courses containing background information, pedagogical strategies, and resource suggestions pertinent to the teaching of each skill.
Creating a Successful Career in Art Therapy: Advising Guide for Psychology Faculty and Students (2017)
An online career-exploration resource for psychology majors (2018).
For Faculty: A Formal Introduction to the Resource For Students: An Online Career-Exploration Resource for Psychology Majors For Departments: An Online Career-Exploration Resource for Psychology Majors (Poster) - 2016.pptx (Version for modifying to suit your needs) For Departments: A n Online Career-Exploration Resource for Psychology Majors Poster - PDF (Version for printing or viewing on a mobile device) For High School Teachers: An Online Vocational-Exploration Resource for High School Psychology Students
Author: Drew C. Appleby Affiliation: Indiana University Purdue University Indianapolis
Description: This resource is composed of the following four parts.
The first (for faculty) is a formal introduction containing ways to use the resource to promote student success and lists of printed and online sources to aid faculty in their career-advising activities.
The second (for students) consists of more than 2,400 hotlinks psychology majors can use to explore 300 careers they can prepare to enter that have been organized into 15 broad occupational categories to facilitate searching. Persons employed in 57 of these careers are psychologists who must hold the appropriate graduate degree. The remaining 243 psychology-related careers (i.e., those that require the demonstration of psychological knowledge and skills, but which do not carry the title of psychologist) are divided almost equally into two categories: those that can be entered with a bachelor’s degree and those that require a graduate degree.
The third is a poster departments can print and post. Faculty, advisors, and administrators can use this resource in classes, advising sessions, and departmental websites to help psychology majors begin the process of accomplishing Goal 5: Professional Development of APA’s Guidelines for the Undergraduate Psychology Major: Version 2.0 by acquiring an understanding of the “settings in which people with backgrounds in psychology typically work,” thus helping them to “develop meaningful professional directions.”
The fourth is a poster that high school teachers can use to help their students begin the process of accomplishing the Vocational Applications component of APA’s National Standards for High School Psychology Curricula by identifying “careers in psychological science and practice,” “careers related to psychology,” and “degree requirements for psychologists and psychology-related careers.”
Three New Ways to Bring Students’ Attention to the Kisses of Death in the Graduate School Application Process (2015)
Psychology career advice videos (2015), internship supervision resources for developing student employability (2015), educating prospective students of professional psychology about the supply-demand internship crisis (2013), a job list of one's own: creating customized career information for psychology majors (2009), doctor of psychology programs today: location, accreditation, administration, specialization (2007), undergraduate preparation for graduate training in forensic psychology (2006), so your students want to be sport psychologists (2003), a student's guide to careers in the helping professions (1999), position opening: professor--is college teaching a career you should consider (1992), writing letters of recommendation for students: how to protect yourself from liability (1991), what departments and faculty can do to assist their undergraduate students with their graduate school planning (1990), capstones return to index, work-integrated learning internships in psychology (2023), child development return to index, the benefits of incorporating a community project in a child development course (2021).
Authors: Jason McCartney and Rhyannon Bemis
Lev’s Research Legacy: A Developmental Psychology Research Methods Activity (2016)
Punishment on trial: a resource guide to child discipline (2009), curriculum guide for instruction in child maltreatment (2007), cognitive psychology return to index, cognitive psychology games day manual (2024), conference hosting return to index, how to host an undergraduate twitter poster conference (2021), how to host a student psychology conference at your college: a model from the national office of psi beta (1999), diversity return to index, social justice pedagogy in psychology: advocating for access to mental health care for youth (2019), increasing inclusiveness and awareness: disability in introductory psychology (2019), presidential taskforce on diversity education (ptde) (2012).
Author: Mary Kite, Ball State University, Chair, Rosemary Blieszner, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, James E. Freeman, University of Virginia, Ladonna Lewis, Glendale Community College, Jeffery Scott Mio, California State Polytechnic University Description: The APA Task Force on Diversity Education Resources was established by the 2006 APA President Gerry Koocher. The group’s mission was to provide support for instructors who want to address diversity issues in their classrooms. The Task Force compiled annotated bibliographies of teaching resources, including books, book chapters, journal articles, films, websites, and other media. Topics (noted on the navigational bar on the left of this page) included cross-cutting issues, such as assessment, institutional support for diversity education and, power and privilege and specific categories such as Race/Ethnicity, Religion, Gender/Sex, Sexual Orientation, and Age. The resources were developed for teachers of psychology at the high school, undergraduate, graduate, and post-graduate level. The Division 2 Diversity Committee will continue the PTDE's work by making yearly updates to these resources.
Diversity Related Bibliography and Resources (2008)
Understanding and expanding multicultural competence in teaching: a faculty guide (2005), psychology of peace and mass violence -- genocide, torture, and human rights: informational resources (2004), psychology of peace and mass violence -- war, ethnopolitical conflict, and terrorism: informational resources (2004), psychology of peace and mass violence: instructional resources (2004), simulation of a world congress of sexology symposium on aids (2001), informational resources for teaching cross-cultural issues in psychology (1998), activities and videos for teaching cross-cultural issues in psychology (1998), including gay, lesbian, and bisexual students on campus: a short annotated reading list (1994), environmental psychology return to index, teaching psychology for sustainability: a manual of resources (2006), ethical issues return to index, plagiarism prevention tutorial: how to avoid common forms of plagiarism (2020, revised).
Introduction to Plagiarism Prevention Tutorial
Plagiarism Prevention Tutorial
Plagiarism Prevention Quiz Questions
Plagiarism Prevention Quiz Key (requires login)
Tutoriel sur la prévention du plagiat : comment éviter les formes communes de plagiat. [French translation] (2023, Revised)
Présentation du tutoriel
Tutoriel sur la prévention du plagiat
Questionnaire sur la prévention du plagiat
Corrigé du questionnaire
Auteure: Kosha Bramesfeld Affiliation: Humber College Description : Le tutoriel de 79 diapositives traite des erreurs fréquentes pouvant mener au plagiat, incluant (a) ne pas citer ses sources correctement; (b) copier les mots ou la structure du travail d’autres auteurs; (c) surutiliser le travail d’autres auteurs, aux dépens de sa propre contribution. Les étudiants apprennent comment corriger ces erreurs au fur et à mesure de leur progression à travers les cinq sections du tutoriel : (1) Qu’est-ce que le plagiat; (2) Citer ses sources selon les normes de l’APA; (3) Reformuler; (4) S’assurer que votre travail vous appartient; (5) Mettre en forme une liste de références. Les ressources disponibles comprennent une description du tutoriel et une banque de questions de type vrai ou faux et de questions à choix de réponses multiples. Le corrigé du questionnaire est accessible sur la section du site réservée aux membres ou en contactant l’auteure par courrier électronique. La traduction par: Marie-Claude Richard & Sophie Dubé (Université Laval) Note : La ressource suivante a été traduite du texte original en anglais vers le français avec la permission de la Division 2 de l’Association américaine de psychologie. La Division 2 ne garantit pas l’exactitude de la traduction qui n’est pas un produit officiel de la Division 2 de l’Association américaine de psychologie. Pour tout renseignement concernant cette ressource ou toute autre publication de la Division 2 de l’Association américaine de psychologie, veuillez envoyer un courriel à [email protected].
IRBs and Research on Teaching and Learning (2014)
Activities guide: teaching ethics in the introduction to psychology course (2013), beyond milgram: expanding research ethics education to participant responsibilities (2012), educating students about plagiarism (2012), scientific misconduct: an annotated bibliography of articles selected for their lecture development value (1994), sensitizing undergraduate students to the nature, causes, scope, and consequences of research fraud: preliminary report (1993), ethical issues in teaching and academic life: annotated bibliography (1993), faculty development return to index, video clips of elements of master teaching (2013), peer review of teaching: an overview (1998), film in psychology return to index, documentary films for teaching psychology (2011), films illustrating psychopathology (2009), films illustrating character strengths and virtues (2008), using film to teach psychology: a resource of film study guides (2006), history of psychology return to index, women in psychology (2003), human sexuality return to index, the development of sexual orientation: a teaching resource (2007 – module 8 added in 2009), industrial/organizational psychology return to index, materials for incorporating i/o into an introductory psychology course (2013), international psychology return to index, taking psychology abroad: resources for designing your study abroad course (2009), international psychology: a compendium of textbooks for selected courses evaluated for international content (2002), international psychology: annotated bibliography, relevant organizations, and course suggestions (2002), introductory psychology return to index, the psychological myth project: research and application (2024), introductory psychology scientific reasoning modules (for small classes) (2019).
Table of Contents
ZIP file with Resources
Accessible Modules for Improving Scientific Reasoning in Large Introductory Psychology Classes (2019)
Game-based experiential learning in introductory psychology (2016).
Instructor's Guide
Student's Guide
Author(s): Jaclyn Spivey Affiliation: York College Description: This resource introduces a game-based approach to out-of-class activities for Introductory Psychology students. The 16-page instructor’s guide provides background and implementation advice; the 4-page students’ guide lists 9 individual and 6 small-group activities. Because of the asynchronous nature of the activities and required social media documentation, these activities can be used in traditional as well as online settings. Note: 2015 Instructional Resource Award
Writing to Learn, Reciting to Remember: Applying Learning and Memory Principles to Flashcards (2015)
Author(s): Mark L. Mitchell and Janina M. Jolley Affiliation: Clarion University Description: This resource is a tutorial (using PowerPoint®) for students to help them understand, retain, and apply both effective concept learning strategies and effective memory strategies, primarily by creating and then studying from flashcards. Following the presentation of material, students can take a quiz and print out their results to turn in to their instructor. In addition, a 5-page document summarizes for instructors what students will be learning.
Statistical Literacy in the Introductory Psychology Course (2014)
Description: The Taskforce created two sets of statistical literacy standards: one for Introductory Psychology at both the high school and college levels and one for undergraduates majoring in basic and applied psychological science. In addition they created a 40-page annotated list of resources that provides examples of the kinds of resources that might be useful for instructors who want to implement the learning goals. Those resources are organized around the topics of general statistical literacy issues, general teaching resources, specific activities and assignments, technology, assessment, websites with more general resources, and ethics/research methods.
Scientific Literacy in a Psychology Curriculum Module (2013)
Instructional Materials
Student Materials
PowerPoint Slides (If using internet explorer, ignore the username/password box that appears when you click on "open")
Undercover.pptx
Flashcards-Plus: A Strategy to Help Students Prepare for Three Types of Multiple-Choice Questions Commonly Found on Introductory Psychology Tests (2013)
Introductory Article
PowerPoint Slides (If using internet explorer, ignore the username/password box that appears when you click on "open")
Author: Drew C. Appleby Affiliation: Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis (Retired) Description: The purpose of this resource is to provide students with a research-based study strategy (creating flashcards) designed to help them understand, prepare for, and take multiple-choice tests more successfully. The 32 slides that accompany the introductory article familiarize students with three types of cognitive processes their instructors will commonly ask them to use in their classes and then invite them to model the behavior of their instructors by creating flashcards. Their flashcards should contain verbatim definitions for retention questions, accurate paraphrases for comprehension questions, and realistic examples for application questions.
Integrating Mnemonics into Psychology Instruction (2011)
A compendium of introductory psychology texts (2003-2006) (2006), frequently cited concepts in current introduction to psychology textbooks (2006), principles of psychology: experimental foundations laboratory manual (2002), learning and memory return to index, writing to learn, reciting to remember: applying learning and memory principles to flashcards (2015), learning and memory strategy demonstrations for the psychology classroom (2014), cases in negative reinforcement (2010), media psychology return to index, teaching scientific literacy and public engagement with social media (2018), instructor resources for media psychology (2010), taking it to the streets: how to give psychology away and become a local media hero (2009), national standards return to index, national standards for the teaching of high school psychology (2011), principles for quality undergraduate education in psychology (2011), apa guidelines for the undergraduate psychology major (2007), open educational resources return to index, a primer on open educational resources (oer) for psychology instructors: background, resources, and materials (2017), outcomes return to index, psychology for the public: a project to foster good science communication (2024).
ZIP Folder Containing All Resources
Authors: T.M. Vanessa Chan and Jamie M. Trost Affiliation: University of Notre Dame Description: Over the past few years, the media frenzy around our evolving understanding of COVID-19 and its vaccines has highlighted the need for people being trained in the sciences to not only understand the research process, but also be able to explain research to others without the same background and education. While the fields of science journalism and science communication have grown, they are still not well known to students, nor do they preclude the imperative for all students to learn how to talk about what they have learned in an accessible manner. This instructional resource introduces a media project in cognitive psychology / neuroscience, in which students write a press release for a scholarly article and then present the article in a creative media format. Throughout the project, students are invited to think about how the media portrays science and practice communicating without jargon. In this way, the project will not only expose students to the media process, it will also make them more equipped to take scholarly research out of the ivory tower. This resource includes assignment instructions, suggestions for facilitating science communication in psychology, and rubrics for evaluating materials. Note: 2023 Instructional Resource Award
The Employable Skills Self-Efficacy Survey: An Assessment of and Resource for Fostering Skill Development (2017)
An electronic workbook for assessing the dunn et al. (2007) “quality benchmarks in undergraduate psychology programs" (2008), measuring the varied skills of psychology majors: a revision and update of the academic skills inventory (2013), a guide to writing learning objectives for teachers of psychology (2012), goals and objectives for the undergraduate psychology major: recommendations from a meeting of california state university psychology faculty (2000), physiological / biological psychology return to index, authentic assessments for biopsychology: encouraging learning and retention by applying biopsychological knowledge in real-world contexts (2019), enhancing the physiological psychology course through the development of neuroanatomy laboratory experiences and integrative exercises (2013), interactive teaching activities for introductory biopsychology (2012), positive psychology return to index, positive psychology teaching tools: supplemental readings to core texts (2012), psychology and law return to index, psychology and law: a teaching resource (2005), sensation and perception return to index, build-your-own sensation and perception lab kits: a compilation of inexpensive, accessible activities (2022), sensation and perception: activities to enhance learning (2017), using the drawing and animation tools in powerpoint® to build your own visual perception demonstrations (2010), problem-based group activities for a sensation & perception course [english version] (2009), actividades grupales basadas en problemas para un curso sobre sensación & percepción [spanish translation] (2009), social psychology return to index, “c’est la vie: the game of social life: a role-playing game for teaching about privilege, oppression, and intersectionality” (2015).
Author: Kosha D. Bramesfeld Institution: Ryerson University Description: This resource is an empathy-based privilege and oppression awareness intervention that can be used to help students engage in difficult dialogues surrounding the issues of privilege, oppression, and intersectionality. The materials include (a) 64 character profiles and game sheets that describe the demographic characteristics and resources assigned to each player’s character, (b) a strategy game that presents students with a variety of different decision scenarios that interact with their character’s resources (described in a 33-slide presentation), and (c) an instructor’s guide that covers the development of the game, its recommended uses, and a debriefing and discussion points that help students reflect on the outcomes of the game, its connections with real life inequality, and the role that privilege and oppression might play in the students’ own lives.
Activities for Teaching about Prejudice and Discrimination (2013)
Statistics and research methods return to index, writing testable research hypotheses: a guided student activity (2023).
Writing Testable Research Hypotheses: A Guided Student Activity (DOCX)
Author: Kate G. Anderson Affiliation: Presbyterian College Description: This three-part resource describes an activity for teaching students how to write testable research hypotheses. Through this scaffolded activity, students are introduced to the structure of a testable hypothesis and are given the opportunity to practice writing operational definitions and testable correlational and experimental hypothesis. Suitable for use in an introductory research methods class, this activity can be also used by instructors looking to review these fundamental skills in any course. The resource includes an instructor guide, ready-to-use instructional slides, and a student handout.
Making Research Reproducible (2022)
Making Research Reproducible: Teaching Guide
Making Research Reproducible: Powerpoint Slides
Music and Room Color Data
Authors: Jason McCarley & Raechel Soicher Affiliations: Oregon State University Description: This 32-page resource (plus supplementary materials) provides instructors with the resources they need to teach analytical reproducibility to undergraduate students. It includes an introduction to the concept of reproducibility and its importance, a discussion of the challenges researchers face when trying to reproduce others' work, and an activity that teaches students how to prepare their materials in a reproducible way (with step-by-step instructions for both JASP and R users). Instructors will also benefit from a set of ready-to-use PowerPoint slides. Note: 2021 Instructional Resource Award
Evaluating Research Summaries (2021)
Answers & Explanations (PDF)
Authors: Keith Millis 1 , Diane Halpern 2 , Katja Wiemer 1 , Patricia Wallace 1 Affiliations: 1 Northern Illinois University, 2 Claremont McKenna College Description: This two-part resource, geared toward undergraduate and high school students, provides students with opportunities to learn ways research may be flawed or limited. The first document includes 16 research summaries that contain one or more methodological flaws (e.g., no control group, small sample size). Students must identify which of the 12 possible flaws could be limiting the research presented. Answers and explanations are provided in the second document.
An Exercise to Assess Student Understanding of Bottleneck Concepts in Research Methods (2018)
Statistics that stick: embedding humor in statistics related teaching materials (2016), poker chip people: using manipulatives in a college level statistics course (2015).
Instructor Manual
Male Face Labels
Female Face Labels
Back labels: Page 1 - Page 2
Instructor Materials for Teaching Research Methods Using a Consulting Model (2015)
Increasing graphing literacy and graphing ability in undergraduate psychology majors through active learning based exercises (2014) .
Author: Meridith Pease Selden Affiliation: Yuba College Description: This 63-page resource is designed to increase students’ ability to read graphs and to create a variety of types of graphs in Microsoft’s Excel program. In-class activities and detailed instructions (including screen shots) are appropriate primarily for the graphing unit in a statistics or research methods class, but other instructors who want to help students read primary sources can select particular stand-alone activities from the set provided. Note: 2010 OTRP Instructional Resource Award
Statistical Literacy Taskforce Learning Goals and Resources (2014)
Instructor's guide to using research methods and statistics concept maps (2013), research readings and statistical exercises using spss and excel (2012), statistics assignments using excel(r) (2010), factorial research design (2010), a template paper with comments for illustrating the 6th edition of apa style (2010), why and how to write apa-style citations in the body and reference section of your papers (2010), exemplar studies for teaching research methodology (2010), yes, you can write in a statistics class: an instructional tool to reduce anxiety and improve statistics performance (2010), statistics decision aids [english version] (2009), ayudas para la decisión estadística [spanish translation] (2009), assessing student learning: a collection of evaluation tools (2009), a self-scoring exercise on apa style and research language (2008), teaching statistics and research methods: a collection of hands-on activities and demonstrations (2008), a student-faculty research agreement (2007), guidelines for preparing posters using powerpoint presentation software (2001), an instructor's guide to electronic databases of indexed professional literature (2000), publication and award opportunities for undergraduate students (1998), teaching tools / programs return to index, transferable skills assessments (2024).
Authors: Michael B. Madson, Eric R. Dahlen, Kruti Surti, Mark J. Huff, Kelsey Bonfils, & Marisa Alawine
Affiliation: University of Southern Mississippi
Description: This 14-page resource includes instructions and materials for two skills-related assessments. The first assessment is designed to measure students' perceptions of which transferable skills (from the Skillful Psychology Student ) are emphasized within a course and their perceived value and benefit (e.g., "I understand how the skills emphasized in this course will be valuable to my career"). The second assessment is intended as a program or department level measure of how much students are exposed to skills throughout their degree (as described in Madson et al., 2023). The resource includes advice on how to best implement each assessment, and instructors are encouraged to adapt the items and measures to their own unique context. Note: 2023 Instructional Resource Award
Effective Study Strategies Exercises in Online or Blended Delivery (2023)
Powerpoint Slides (.pptx)
Authors: Sue Morris 1 , Jacquelyn Cranney 1 , and Carolyn Elizabeth Alchin 2
Affiliations: 1 School of Psychology, University of New South Wales, Sydney, 2 School of Psychology and Wellbeing, University of Southern Queensland, Toowoomba, Australia
Description: This 17-page resource provides instructors with resources and activities they can use to help students reflect on their own study strategies and understand which study strategies are supported by research and which are not. Task instructions, sample rubrics, PowerPoint slides, and links to additional instructional resources (e.g., videos) are provided. The resource also includes a helpful table for instructors wishing to connect the material to key learning and memory concepts.
Teaching Students to Synthesize Research Articles: An Online Interactive Tutorial (2023)
Powerpoint Lecture (.pptx)
Authors: Nikole D. Patson 1 , Emily S. Darowski 2 , and Elizabeth Helder 3
Affiliations: 1 Ohio State University at Marion, 2 Brigham Young University, 3 Augustana College
Holding Space for Reflection: Bringing Current Events into the Classroom (2022)
Authors: Amy Maslowski
Affiliation: University of North Dakota
Description: This 25-page resource provides guidance for instructors on how to incorporate the discussion of current events into their psychology classes. It outlines the potential benefits of addressing current events before the start of class and offers advice on how instructors can best structure and plan for these discussions. A sample syllabus statement is provided, as well as specific tips for facilitating these conversations and dealing with challenges that may arise. The resource concludes with a call for more research on the potential effects of including open spaces for discussion in the classroom.
Instructor Guide
Fillable PDF Form
Multiple Courses
Sample Final
Authors: Ashley Waggoner Denton
Affiliation: University of Toronto
Description: This 12 page resource and accompanying documents is a resource designed to help psychology students better identify and understand how what they have learned within their courses will transfer to their career and life after graduation. More specifically, this resource helps students be able to articulate the professional skills they have acquired in their psychology courses and understand the competencies that are the basis of these skills. A sample worksheet is provided along with the worksheets that can be utilized with psychology students as they examine either an individual course or when examining multiple courses.
Note: 2021 Instructional Resource Award
Sequential Assignments to Critically Evaluate Psychological Journal Articles (2020)
Authors: Suzanne Wood and Vanessa Chan Affiliations: University of Toronto Description: This 24-page resource contains a series of assignments to teach students the skills needed to interpret and critically evaluate original psychological research (APA Goal #2: Scientific Inquiry and Critical Thinking.) There are five separate activities varying in complexity according to Bloom’s taxonomy. Each assignment includes an overview, guidelines, and a suggested rubric for grading. The individual assignments are hyperlinked in the table of contents to assist in navigation. Note: 2019 Instructional Resource Award
Authors: Ashley Waggoner Denton and Thalia Vrantsidis Affiliations: University of Toronto Description: This 17-page resource describes the first workshop from a newly developed series of critical thinking workshops aimed at early undergraduate students. This initial workshop, Setting the Stage: An Introduction to Good Thinking , introduces students to the notion of actively open-minded thinking and emphasizes the idea that critical thinking involves habits, skills, and mindsets that can be developed and continually improved with practice. The purpose of this resource is to offer instructors a brief, effective, and freely available guide that will enable them to incorporate lessons on critical thinking into their existing courses or allow them to run their own critical thinking workshop. The resource includes a list of learning outcomes for the workshop, corresponding lessons and activities, as well as potential assessment strategies. Throughout the resource, the authors also offer insight into which strategies or activities have worked particular well for them, and offer suggestions for alternatives or variations that may work well for others. Note: 2016 Instructional Resource Award
A Guide to Incorporating Social-Emotional Learning in the College Classroom: Busting Anxiety, Boosting Ability (2018)
Authors: Kristel M. Gallagher and Shevaun L. Stocker Affiliation: Theil College and University of Wisconsin - Superior Description: This 69-page comprehensive teaching manual describes a novel application of social-emotional learning in the college classroom. It describes an easy-to-implement and scientifically-driven intervention targeting the stress and anxiety experienced by students both within and outside of the classroom. The program includes 15 short, weekly activities that promote key mindfulness and anxiety-reduction practices. Included in the manual are all program materials (including a detailed narrative describing the implementation of the program), as well as an empirical assessment of the efficacy of the program, ideas for possible variations of the program, and a summary of key background research with accompanying references and recommended readings. Note: Note: 2017 Instructional Resource Award
This Class is a Joke! Humor as a Pedagogical Tool in the Teaching of Psychology (2015)
Authors: Dan J. Segrist and Stephen D. A. Hupp Affiliation: Southern Illinois University Edwardsville Description: This 31-page annotated bibliography provides a representative and relatively comprehensive list of articles, book chapters, and books on the use of humor in teaching psychology, including using humor as a teaching tool, on exams, and in online teaching, and students' perceptions of instructor humor. Note: 2012 OTRP Instructional Resource Award
Instructor Resources for Psychology: Learning to Blog -- Blogging to Learn (2011)
Student Response Systems ("Clickers") in the Psychology Classroom: A Beginner's Guide" (2009)
Traveling psychology fair: learner-centered outreach activities to stimulate interest in psychology (2006), building community in the classroom through ice-breakers and parting ways [english version] (2004), construyendo un sentido de comunidad en clase a través de estrategias para “romper el hielo” y estrategias de cierre [spanish translation] (2004).
Positive Psychology
Course Status :
Completed
Course Type :
Elective
Duration :
8 weeks
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Category :
Credit Points :
2
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Undergraduate
Start Date :
29 Jul 2019
End Date :
20 Sep 2019
Exam Date :
29 Sep 2019 IST
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Note: This exam date is subject to change based on seat availability. You can check final exam date on your hall ticket.
Page Visits
Course layout, books and references, instructor bio.
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A primer on teaching positive psychology
It's easy to connect positive psychology to students' lives, whether you're teaching one unit or a whole course.
By BRIDGET MURRAY
Monitor Staff
October 2003, Vol 34, No. 9
Print version: page 52
Schools and Classrooms
The number of positive psychology courses taught at the undergraduate level nationally has rocketed from zero to 100 in five years, declared Martin E.P. Seligman, PhD, in a Teachers of Psychology in Secondary Schoolsinvited address at APA's 2003 Annual Convention.
Fueling that growth is the $30 million raised thus far by nonprofit organizations to research it. But another driving factor, Seligman speculated, is the subfield's focus on building personal strengths, instead of dwelling on weaknesses—something that can immediately affect students' lives.
"When you're teaching abnormal psychology, you can't tell someone to go out and be schizophrenic for a week," said Seligman, the Fox Leadership Professor of Psychology at the University of Pennsylvania and a former APA president. "But when you teach positive psychology, there are always meaningful assignments you can give students."
According to Seligman, the basic positive psychology pillars to convey to students--and examples of accompanying activities to help them experience each one—are:
The pleasant life , involving the pleasures of positive affect and personal well-being.
Student activity: Map out your ideal day, then live and savor it.
The good life, involving the identification and amplification of one's unique strengths and skills. The goal, said Seligman, is to "find flow" in work, love and play.
Student activity: Identify a task you find tedious and tap a personal strength to enliven it. A student of his who disliked bagging groceries, for instance, resolved to tap her social skills and chat more with customers while bagging.
The meaningful life, involving participation in activities outside of the self, for the good of society.
Student activity: Plan a "perfect" surprise for someone who needs it, or tutor a child in reading or math.
Positive psychology's aim, Seligman elaborated, is to scientifically study the successful blend of all three types of lives. Seligman calls that blend "the full life."
He noted the importance of explaining to students that, just as with the study of mental illness, positive psychology uses validated test batteries, placebo-controlled studies and solid interventions rooted in science. In fact, said Seligman, more than 127,000 people have signed up so far to participate in Web-based positive psychology research being conducted by him and collaborators at various institutions.
Seligman also hopes to extend positive psychology education to people with disabilities. His vision, he said, is to spread education about positive psychology to coincide with its growing science.
"As teachers we have a unique opportunity here," he concluded. "If we can at the high school level, at the college level, at the professional level, begin to teach people how to have more pleasure in life, how to have more flow in life, how to have more meaning in life, then positive psychology will have come of age."
Further Reading
Resources for teaching positive psychology.
Syllabi and unit plans are among the materials available on Seligman 's website .
Seligman's "Authentic Happiness: Using the New Positive Psychology to Realize Your Potential for Lasting Fulfillment" (Free Press, 2002) can serve as a teaching reference.
APA's Teachers of Psychology in Secondary Schools has published a positive psychology unit plan for high schools. It is available online for members at APA's High School Psychology and by request from Mayella Valero in APA's Education Directorate.
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Am J Lifestyle Med
v.18(5); Sep-Oct 2024
PMC11412374
The Role of Positive Psychology in Lifestyle Medicine
Lifestyle medicine leverages six pillars—a predominantly plant-based diet, physical activity, sleep, avoiding risky substance, stress management, and social connection. Facilitating behavior change represents the crux of success with each of these pillars. Positive emotions and positive psychology constructs are shown to drive behavior change in the upward spiral theory of lifestyle change. Moreover, positive psychology interventions serve as additional, independent protective health factors. This paper offers a brief review of the empirical evidence for these roles of positive psychology and makes the case for explicitly adding positive psychology to the foundational lifestyle medicine pillars.
“Positive interventions can be relatively low-cost with significant potential benefits for health outcomes and lowering health care costs.”
Positive psychology constructs and approaches present powerful opportunities for lifestyle medicine practices to improve health outcomes. Outcomes can be improved through both enhancements in health behavior change approaches and direct effects on health which play a key role in the six pillars of lifestyle medicine—a predominantly plant-based diet, physical activity, sleep, avoiding risky substance, stress management, and social connection. This paper highlights results from meta-analyses of positive psychology interventions, as well as prospective studies linking these six pillars and positive psychology. When the latter are limited, we refer to cross-sectional studies and make a call for further research. We also provide brief practical tips for clinical implementation.
Health Behavior Change and Positive Psychology
The upward spiral theory of lifestyle change explains that positive affect can promote long-term achievement and maintenance of healthy behaviors by triggering nonconscious motivation for those behaviors. Individuals tend to make decisions to repeatedly engage in behaviors associated with positive emotions. Positive emotions also build additional social and other resources which reinforce the positive experience, further boosting motivation for behavior change. 1
Health Outcomes and Positive Psychology
Health outcomes can be improved through the application of positive psychology in health care. Mediating mechanisms may include biological, behavioral, and psychosocial pathways. For example, empirical studies robustly show the link with cardiovascular disease (CVD), one of the most commonly treated conditions in lifestyle medicine practices. CVD may serve as a model for other conditions on how positive psychology constructs are linked with these diseases. One review of ten prospective studies with 136,265 participants found a 17% decrease in all-cause mortality and a 17% decrease in cardiovascular events for those with a higher purpose in life. 2 Additional studies corroborated this significant association for CVD, 3 as well as for stroke. 4 Optimism is one specific construct shown to be prospectively associated with cardiovascular health. 5
The National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey I (6025 US men and women aged 25 to 74 years without CHD at baseline who were followed for a mean 15 years) reported that those with high baseline levels of emotional vitality had adjusted relative risk 19% lower for CHD than those with low emotional vitality. A dose-response relationship was demonstrated and remained significant after controlling for health behaviors and other potential confounders, including depressive symptoms. 6 More importantly for health care is that intentional positive psychology interventions demonstrate an impact on CVD. 7
Studies also indicate an impact of subjective well-being on health more broadly. After controlling for demographic and baseline health variables, subjective wellbeing, positive feelings, global life satisfaction and domain life satisfaction significantly predicted lowered risks of all-cause and natural-cause mortality in one general population study. Additionally, the first three significantly predicted lowered risk of unnatural-cause mortality. 8 Leading positive psychology researcher, Ed Diener, and colleagues reviewed seven types of evidence and concluded that high subjective well-being, such as life satisfaction, optimism, and positive emotions causes better health and longevity, controlling for health and socioeconomic status. 9
One meta-analysis that has particular relevance to medical community is a meta-analysis of 30 randomized, controlled trials of positive psychology interventions (PPIs) of 1864 adult participants with psychiatric (primarily depressive and anxiety disorders) or somatic disorders (primarily cancer, cardiac disease). The results showed a small, but significant effect of PPIs, including gratitude, kindness, and meaning-making interventions, on well-being and depression and a moderate effect on anxiety. The researchers concluded that PPIs are not just for patients with diseases that are primarily psychological in nature; they also can improve well-being for patients with somatic disorders. 10
Lastly, lifestyle medicine focuses on disease remission by addressing underlying inflammatory and pathologic processes caused by unhealthy lifestyle factors, including unhealthy eating and sedentary lifestyle. These detrimental inflammatory processes may be countered by positive psychology constructs independently of increasing healthy behaviors. For example, the experience of awe has been observed as a strong predictor of lower levels of proinflammatory cytokines, even when controlling for different personality and health variables. 11
The Six Pillars of Lifestyle Medicine and Positive Psychology
The six pillars of lifestyle medicine have a reciprocal relationship with positive emotions. Positive psychology constructs can also be harnessed to address and coach for these healthy behaviors.
Healthy Eating
Eating healthy food, such as vegetables and fruits, is associated with positive affect and happiness. 12 , 13 At least 7-8 servings of fruit or vegetables per day are needed to see meaningful changes. 12 Inversely, studies also reveal that feeling more positively can help individuals eat more healthfully. 14 - 18 One explanation is that positive emotions may increase the perceived importance of long-term goals such as health and also healthy eating can lead to more immediate feelings of wellbeing, reinforcing the desire to eat healthy foods. 12 , 19
Physical Activity
The empirical literature strongly supports the impact of physical activity on mood and mental health for both populations with and without mental illness. In fact, physical activity is as effective in treating depression as traditional treatments. 20 - 26 Physical activity increases positive moods; improvements in healthy adults can be seen with as little as 10 minutes of exercise. 27 Both exercise and daily movement can contribute to mood improvement. 28 As with healthy eating, physical activity has a reciprocal link with positive affect. 29 Interventions that lead to positive emotions, especially those experienced during physical activity, and address factors that lead to negative affect, have the potential to effectively increase physical activity. 30
The average healthy adult requires between seven and seven and a half hours with a range of 7 to 9 hours to gain sleep’s physiologic and emotional benefits of sleep. 31 , 32
Sleep and emotions interact, as observed in empirical studies. Feelings of anxiety and sadness can interrupt sleep, and in turn, poor quality and inadequate sleep are associated with sadness, anger, and lower positive affect and psychological wellbeing. 33 - 36 Sleeping one and a half to two hours less than usual can lead to experiencing less positive affect. 37 Inversely, both positive affect and eudaimonic well-being are shown to be associated with good sleep. 34 However, empirical data is limited and more high-quality research is needed. 38
Reducing Harm from and Avoiding Risky Substance Use
A healthy lifestyle includes avoidance of risky substance use to prevent and reverse physical and mental sequalae. Substance use, such as alcohol, has been linked with physical and mental health consequences. 39 Lifestyle medicine practitioners can offer brief evidence-based interventions for risky substance use and mild to moderate substance use disorders, including motivational interviewing. Such interventions can leverage positive psychology. Having the capacity to envision a positive future with life purpose, pleasant experiences, and good relationships can support an individual in lowering substance use. Small steps of change may include reframing to see what is going well in one’s life and practicing gratitude. Leveraging character strengths has also been successfully implemented in managing substance use and in recovery for alcohol use, smoking and other addictions. 40
Stress Management
Stress plays a role in unhealthy behaviors which underlie the conditions treated by lifestyle medicine. Positive psychology interventions have been shown to be effective in countering stress. 41 , 42 Savoring, planning positive activities, and pursuing meaningful goals are examples of positive psychology approaches that can help improve coping with life stressors, including major illnesses and caregiving. 43 However, more research is needed to sort out which PPIs are effective in diverse populations and circumstances.
Social Connection
Social isolation has been associated with greater morbidity and mortality. 44 Inversely, social connection is associated with improved health outcomes, including control of blood sugars, better cancer survival, decrease cardiovascular mortality, improved overall mental health and physical health, and greater happiness and longevity. 45 , 46 The Harvard Adult Development Study of more than eight decades of follow-up, after controlling for a wide range of cofounders, demonstrates that the single most important factor in health, wellbeing, happiness, and longevity is social connection. 47 A key mechanism of action by which social connection promotes wellbeing is increases in vagal tone. Moreover, those with initially higher vagal tone levels increased their connectedness more rapidly than those with lower initial levels. These results suggest that social connection and well-being have a reciprocal relationship. 48 , 49 Weak social ties with acquaintances can also contribute to wellbeing. In one study, on the days students interacted with more classmates than usual, greater happiness and feelings of belonging were reported. 50 High quality social connections can be developed through application of positive psychology-based activities, such as acts of kindness, shared laughter, expression of gratitude for the other, shared celebration of success, and more. 51 - 56
This brief review supports the significant role that positive psychology can play in lifestyle medicine. 57 , 58 Positive interventions can be relatively low-cost with significant potential benefits for health outcomes and lowering health care costs. To increase effective applications, more research is needed on the utilization of these positive psychology approaches in lifestyle medicine and traditional health care settings. For example, research is needed to identify which interventions are more beneficial for specific subpopulations.
While such studies are being conducted, lifestyle medicine practitioners can make simple and practical changes to harness lessons from the field of positive psychology. They can conduct brief assessments of positive emotions and life satisfaction, help patients notice and savor positive experiences during desired health behaviors, conduct health coaching that leverages positive future visioning and character strengths, inquire about patient interest in PPIs, and prescribe PPIs. Review of detailed clinical applications is beyond the scope of this paper and can be found in dedicated resources. 59
Changes in clinical practice to harness positive psychology may help patients achieve positive health by promoting additional protective factors, as well as addressing traditional risk factors, to boost emotional, mental, and physical health outcomes and increase the capacity to fully thrive. In recognition of the important role that positive psychology can play in behavior change and health outcomes, lifestyle medicine leaders may consider including positive emotion-inducing activities to nudge behavior changes in all of the healthy lifestyle pillars and expanding the social connection pillar—or adding a new pillar—to emphasize positive psychology interventions as important elements of wellbeing.
The author(s) declared no potential conflicts of interest with respect to the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article.
Funding: The author(s) received no financial support for the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article.
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Assignment title: What is positive psychology? Critically consider its application drawing on relevant examples from the literature Instructor's name: Student's name
Related papers
Journal of Community Psychology, 2002
Encyclopedia of Critical Psychology, 2014
Positive psychology refers to a broad subset of disciplinary interests, research programs, and areas of application, all of which share a common focus on the “positive” aspects of psychology. Seligman and Csikszentmihalyi (2000) – who are the field’s founders and main proponents – have argued as grounds for its inception that it is an important and necessary foil to what they characterize as the disproportionate focus on mental illness, dysfunction, and pathology in the history of the discipline of psychology. As remedy to this “negative” bias in the discipline, positive psychologists maintain that what is needed is a shift in research efforts towards understanding what kinds of factors contribute to well-being, happiness, and success. Some of its proponents go as far as claiming that this shift in focus – and the resulting success of positive psychology – will ultimately redefine the coordinates of the entire discipline of psychology (Seligman & Fowler, 2011).
The Journal of Positive Psychology, 2006
Muaddib : Studi Kependidikan dan Keislaman
Since the beginning of the emergence of Psychology flow (the flow of behaviourism), seen as a man filled with mechanical problems. This flow then sees the problem that exists in humans, not to mention with the view of psychoanalysis who viewed the memories of the past as the cause of suffering that exists today. That's why psychology that deals with the problem often referred to as negative psychology, because in its more to the negative side of human pathological. Psychology meant only limited offer of therapy over psychiatric problems. In fact, humans do not just want to be free of the problem, but also crave happiness. Martin Seligman, a psychologist expert study of optimism, pioneered a revolution in psychology through the positive psychology movement. Positive psychology positive emotions associated with the excavation, such as happy, kindness, humour, love, optimistic, kind, and so on. Positive psychology is not intended to replace or eliminate suffering, disadvantage or d...
Positive psychology has made a remarkable impact on psychological research and practice in recent years. Significant further work is needed, however, to clarify its core concepts. In a two-part project, the author presents the first systematic analysis of the most basic concept in positive psychology: the ‘positive’. Part I, presented here, consists of a descriptive analysis. Based on a close reading of founding documents in positive psychology, this analysis reveals six discrete meanings of the positive in these texts, then probes the considerable tensions that arise within and among them and lead to unfortunate confusions in theory, research, and practice. In Part II, the author draws various distinctions to help relieve these tensions and offers a normative definition of the positive, with the goals of providing dire
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15 Best Self-Esteem Worksheets and Activities (Incl. PDF)
It’s a part of being human. However, if you find yourself having these kinds of negative thoughts frequently or letting these feelings get in the way of living a healthy and happy life, it may be time to do something about it.
Luckily, there are many ways to increase your sense of self-worth. It probably won’t be easy, but it can certainly be done.
Building self-esteem can be a difficult, though rewarding, journey in adulthood. It’s much easier to develop this characteristic at a young age and to foster it while growing up. If you are a parent, child therapist , teacher, or any other valued adult in the life of a child, you can use these tools to begin cultivating a healthy sense of self-esteem in the children in your life.
We’ll provide several methods and activities for building self-esteem, starting with self-esteem worksheets for young children and ending with self-esteem worksheets for adults.
Before you read on, we thought you might like to download our three Self-Compassion Exercises for free . These detailed, science-based exercises will not only help you show more compassion and kindness towards yourself but will also give you the tools to help your children, young clients or students learn how to practice self-compassion and develop healthy self-esteem.
This Article Contains:
Self-esteem worksheets for kids in primary school, 5 self-esteem activities for teens in middle or high school, exercises for building self-esteem in college students and adults, tips for overcoming low self-esteem and low self-worth, ten days to self-esteem improvement: an action plan, a take-home message.
Primary or elementary school is a fantastic time to start helping a child develop self-esteem. A child’s mind is generally much more flexible and open than an adult’s, so it’s ideal to begin planting the seeds of healthy self-esteem at an early age.
The worksheet and activities listed below are some of the ways you can help a child develop the self-esteem that will act as a buffer against some of life’s most difficult obstacles and challenges.
Something About Me: Self-Esteem Sentence Completion
This is an activity that both children and adults can get engaged with, although this worksheet is geared toward children. A similar worksheet for adults is included later in this article.
This “Something About Me” worksheet is intended to help children identify their own positive traits and characteristics and to recognize their accomplishments.
It’s a simple worksheet with six sentence prompts and space for a child to fill in the blanks.
My friends think I’m awesome because…
My classmates say I’m great at…
I feel very happy when I…
Something that I’m really proud of is…
I make my family happy when I…
One unique thing about me is…
These sentences are constructed with clear and uncomplicated language that most elementary school students should understand, but it may help to go over this worksheet with your child. Encourage your child to think about each sentence and not to rush.
Completing this activity can help children build the foundations of an authentic and healthy self-esteem that they can carry with them for the rest of their lives.
Click to see the Something About Me Worksheet .
Things I Like About Me Worksheet
This worksheet was created to help young children learn how uniqueness makes a person beautiful. This worksheet should be completed with a parent or other trusted adult to help explain the distinction between inner beauty and outer beauty.
The worksheet includes the following instructions:
“You are beautiful because you are unique, both on the inside and on the outside. Look inside and outside at your personality, what you can do, how you treat others, and who you are, then write down some things that you like about you on this mirror.”
Also included is the prompt “Things that make me beautiful” and space to write five things. It’s okay to write something external, like “my hair” or “my eyes,” but make sure your child writes at least one or two inner traits or qualities in addition to the external qualities.
It’s never too early to start combatting the extreme focus society places on external beauty, and this worksheet is a great start. Of course, it can also be used with boys to help them learn the same lesson.
Click to download the Things I Like About Me Worksheet and give it a try.
“I’m Great Because…” Worksheet
This worksheet can be an excellent way for young children to explore what makes them good and likable people, and to help them build a foundation of healthy self-esteem. The instructions are to print it out and complete the statements—without worrying too much if the user can’t complete them all—and keeping the worksheet handy for the next time the user experiences feelings of low self-esteem.
The worksheet lists 20 sentence-completion prompts that children fill out with something positive about themselves. A reason, in other words, that they are great. These prompts include the following:
I like who I am because…
I’m super at…
I feel good about my…
My friends think I have an awesome…
Somewhere I feel happy is…
I mean a lot to…
Others reckon I’m a great…
I think I’m a pretty good…
Something I really enjoy is…
I really admire myself for…
My future goals are…
I know I can achieve them because I’m…
I’m naturally gifted at…
Others often praise my…
Completing this worksheet will give your child an opportunity to list all of the good things about himself or herself without fear of being overly proud or self-absorbed.
It’s good to be both realistic and positive about yourself, and this is a good way to begin a habit of positive realism. Children may need an adult’s help in completing this worksheet, but try to let them come up with their own ideas about the traits and characteristics they like about themselves.
Try this I’m Great Because… Worksheet for yourself.
Friendship Ingredients
This is a great worksheet for helping children learn about what makes them good friends and what they should look for in a friend. Completing this worksheet will likely take some guidance from an adult, but it can be a positive way for children to start thinking about what kind of people they want to be.
It’s a simple activity with only one short set of instructions:
“Making friends is like making a cake. List the traits that are important for making friends”
Next, it provides spaces for the child to write down five traits—or friendship “ingredients”—and explain why they are important in a friend. The simple nature of this worksheet allows children to put their imagination to good use.
They might need some help from an adult, but they should be able to come up with several traits that they find important in a friend.
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Self-Esteem Journal For Kids
This activity is great for any age, but this template is meant specifically for young children. We’ll explore an adult version later in the article.
Keeping a self-esteem journal is a great way for children to begin thinking about the good things that they do and experience, setting them up for a positive outlook on life. This worksheet lists three-sentence completion prompts for each day of the week, starting with Monday.
The prompts include “ One thing I did great at today… ,” “ Today it was interesting when…, ” and “ I made someone smile when… ”
Completing these prompts every night for a week should help your child feel more optimistic and begin focusing on the good things that happen instead of the bad. Follow this link to download and use this Self-Esteem Journal Worksheet with your child.
While it’s best to start self-esteem building young, there is still tons of room for growth and development in this area for middle- and high-schoolers.
The activities and worksheets below can help your teenager start or continue to build a healthy sense of self-esteem.
Designing Affirmations Worksheet
Affirmations are a popular way to help combat low self-esteem in both adults and adolescents (Bloch & Merritt, 1993; Lynch & Graham-Bermann, 2000).
This worksheet will guide adolescents through one of the most popular, tactical approaches to designing affirmations. You’ll find instructions on how to create effective affirmations, as well as example goals, affirmations, and tips to help you.
In a nutshell:
Affirmations start with the words “I am…”;
Affirmations are positive. Never use the word “not” in an affirmation. For example, instead of writing “I am not afraid to express myself,” you could write, “I am confidently sharing my opinion”;
Affirmations are short;
Affirmations are specific. For example, instead of writing, “I am driving a new car,” you would write, “I am driving a new black Range Rover”;
Affirmations are in the present tense and include a word that ends in “-ing”;
Affirmations have a “feeling” word in them. Examples include “confidently,” “successfully,” or “gracefully”;
Affirmations are about yourself. They should be about your own behavior, never someone else’s.
When you have a set of affirmations ready to put to use, you can try these tips for using them:
Use positive self-talk;
Set big goals and stay mindful of your goals (write them down and place them somewhere you can see them every day);
Say and visualize your affirmations every day;
Take time to see yourself accomplishing the goals you’ve set;
Think about how good it will feel once you have accomplished your goals.
To get into the habit, try to start by sticking with a schedule—for example, you might try repeating your affirmations:
When you wake up
On your break at school or work
Before going to sleep
Visualizing and planning for success makes it much more likely that you will achieve your goals. If needed, give your child guidance and support when coming up with affirmations, but allow them to take ownership of this activity and see the amazing results of their commitment.
You can access the Designing Affirmations Worksheet here.
Understanding Self-Confidence Worksheet
This worksheet can be completed by adolescents who wish to build up their self-esteem and self-confidence. The completed worksheet can be kept handy for the next time you’re feeling low in self-esteem and need a boost.
You can always your worksheet and be reminded of your personal power, and use it to transform situations in which you feel less confident.
The worksheet is divided into three parts:
Part A involves thinking of a situation in which you felt confident and experienced a sense of self-worth, and answering the following questions:
What is the situation?
What do you say to yourself about the situation (self-talk)? How do you feel physically?
What sensations and feelings do you have in your body?
What do you do as a result of this?
Part B involves thinking of a recent situation in which you felt lacking in self-confidence and answering the same four questions listed above.
In Part C, you are instructed to look at your answers to Parts A and B, then use that information to answer these questions:
What positive statement could I say to myself to be reminded of my power?
What could I do that would help me feel differently? (For example, create a visualization in which you remember how you felt in Part One.)
What could I do differently next time I am in this situation? What actions would empower me?
Completing this worksheet will help adolescents explore their feelings in two very different situations, analyze their responses to these situations, and come up with an action plan for the next time they experience low self-esteem. This exercise will help them take control of their development and give them a sense of ownership in their own wellbeing, a trait that will serve them well in the future.
Click this link to see the Understanding Self-Confidence Worksheet .
You, At Your Best Worksheet
This worksheet is a great way to help clients reflect on the personal character strengths that define them at their best. The exercise aims to use narrative and storytelling; clients are asked to identify their unique strengths by writing a story about a past experience where they were “at their best”.
It takes them through four stages:
Start by asking your client to recall a specific occasion during which they were at their very best. It could be a problem or difficult time that they overcame successfully, or where they accomplished something they were proud of. It should be a situation in which they felt energized, positive, and proud, and they will create a (true) story about it.
They then write the story, emphasizing their own character strengths and personal values in the narrative. Using descriptive language, this second step is about recounting what happened, what they brought to the situation, the emotions they felt, and/or the ways they helped others.
Your client’s story should be structured with a start, middle, and a powerful ending. Writing the narrative might be easier if they try to vividly reconstruct the experience in their minds while doing so.
This handout/homework worksheet then instructs the client to go back over their story, circling or highlighting keywords and phrases that they feel relate to their personal strengths.
This subjective, feelings-based exercise is a useful way for you or your client to reflect on their unique character strengths and qualities, helping to enhance their self-esteem.
This activity is especially great for kids and younger teens who are crafty and creative, although people of all ages and talents can take part.
The My Wins Worksheet is an artistic prompt for you or your child to draw, paint, or otherwise represent the things—their achievements and qualities—about themselves that are important to them. You may wish to use a theme for this activity or for each ‘win’, like “family,” but it’s okay to engage in this activity with no specific theme in mind as well.
This is a simple worksheet that has only the outline of different certificates. In each, your child can represent the personal qualities, achievements, and traits that they value.
For example, if your child is dealing with self-esteem issues, he or she can use the theme “What Makes Me Great” and focus on filling the frames with reasons why he or she is a good friend, a good child, a good student, and a good person in general.
Before You Die
This activity uses a very basic technique that you can build upon as needed. The point of this activity is to help your client identify meaningful goals that are connected with their personal values.
Striving toward and achieving one’s goals is an important way to build self-esteem. You build the most solid foundation of self-esteem and self-confidence with the building blocks of positive experience and success. The more individuals recognize their ability to meet the goals they set for themselves, the more likely they are to feel confident and worthy.
This ‘ Before You Die’ Bucketlist Worksheet provides more information on the theory behind goal-setting, motivation, and positive behavior change, as well as an applied framework that will guide your client through the process.
The first column of the table provided is for specifying the goal that your client would like to accomplish ‘before they die’. Try to make these as specific as possible, regardless of whether or not they are practical. A useful question to ask when filling out this column is, what would I like to accomplish if I had only one year to live?
In the second column, the client is encouraged to dig a bit deeper into the personal motivations for this particular goal. Why is it important to them? How might it enhance the meaning in their life?
Use the final column to rate the meaningfulness of these items on a scale of zero to ten, where 0 = not at all meaningful, and 10 is extremely meaningful.
Again, while building self-esteem is a practice best started young, it’s never too late to begin investing in your own self-worth.
Self-Esteem Sentence Stems Worksheet
This worksheet leads the reader through a sentence completion exercise for adults. This exercise is exactly what it sounds like: It includes prompts with space for you to complete the sentence in the way that feels right to you.
Completing this exercise can help you explore your thoughts and feelings, and to open up and share them with others. For users of this worksheet, this exercise will help them become more comfortable sharing their thoughts and feelings with others, making it easier to work through their self-esteem issues.
Next, it instructs users to set aside 5-10 minutes several times a week to complete the worksheet. After two weeks of completing the worksheet, users can review their responses to get an idea of their general outlooks on life and see how things have changed since they began.
The intended result is for the answers to become more positive over time.
After the instructions, the sentence prompts are listed, including:
I have always wanted to…
I’m secretly afraid of…
This week I would enjoy doing…
I often look forward to…
I feel something that the future holds for me is…
I get my strength from…
One person couldn’t live without is…
I would never…
It made me feel great when…
I love when…
I find it hard to…
My dream is to one day that…
It makes me angry when…
I sometimes fear that…
This week is going to be…
Something I deeply desire is…
I flourish when…
This week I hope to…
Something I do secretly…
I find it hard to admit…
Answering these questions can give you helpful insight into yourself, what makes you happy, and what you struggle with. If you’re a therapist, you can introduce this exercise to clients by filling out a few prompts together.
This allows you to communicate important messages to your client and to help them feel comfortable with the exercise. For example, you can finish the prompt “Right now, I’m happy that…” with “my favorite hockey team won last night.” This can be a good way to defuse tension and start off with an easy and relatively harmless example.
Download and work through this Self-Esteem Sentence Stems Worksheet .
“The best positive psychology resource out there!” — Emiliya Zhivotovskaya , Flourishing Center CEO
Self-Esteem Journal Template
For those of you who have heard of or kept a gratitude journal, this exercise might feel familiar. Not only can journaling help you find more things in your life to be grateful for, but it can also give you the opportunity to reflect on your own thoughts and feelings, leading to discovery and understanding of the self (Kaczmarek et al., 2015).
The worksheet begins with a short paragraph about the potential benefits of journaling , including improved self-esteem and wellbeing. Users are encouraged to use this template to reflect on the meaningful moments of their days and review the changes in their emotions and general outlooks over time.
Next, there are five tables set up with prompts and space to write. The first table includes the following prompts:
5 things that made me feel peaceful today:
I felt proud of myself when:
The prompts in the second table are:
My family admire me for my:
5 small successes I had today were:
The highlight of my day was:
The third table includes:
My best attribute is:
3 unique things about me are:
I feel most proud of myself when:
In the fourth table, the prompts are:
I’m excited for:
5 things or people I feel thankful for are:
I am in my element when:
The final table lists these three prompts:
5 ways my life is awesome:
My biggest success this week was:
I feel best about myself when:
You have probably noticed that these prompts are intended to provoke positive responses. The positive focus of this exercise is what sets it apart from ordinary journaling or writing in a diary. Even when you’ve had a rough day, these prompts can help you find the good things in your life and remind you that no matter how hard things have been, you’ve survived them.
If you are a therapist providing this worksheet to your client(s), encourage them to think critically about what their answers reveal. This exercise can be a quick and short-term mood boost, or, with commitment and effort, it can facilitate positive growth and development.
Click the link for this Self-Esteem Journal For Adults Worksheet .
Meet yourself: a user’s guide to building self-esteem – Niko Everett
Gratitude Worksheet and Journal Template
If you are not familiar with the gratitude journal technique, this worksheet is an excellent way to give it a try. Research has linked gratitude to a multitude of positive outcomes, like increasing wellbeing (Wood, Froh, & Geraghty, 2010), improving relationships (Algoe, Haidt, & Gable, 2008), increasing optimism (Dickens, 2019), and helping people find meaning in their work (Waters, 2012).
Gratitude journaling is one of the best ways to inject more gratitude into your daily life, and it can be done in just a few minutes a day. The gratitude journal worksheet opens with some tips to help you journal effectively, including recording at least five things you are grateful for each day, aiming for one new thing to be grateful for each day, and reading through old entries to see how far you have come since you began.
The template is simple, with space for the date, and two prompts below.
Alongside Blessings in the second row, list things that you feel thankfulness for. Examples might be an encouraging friend, particular capabilities or qualities that you possess, or even just being alive.
The second prompt, Reflections , encourage you to elaborate on them. Research suggests that this reflection builds on the positive impacts of simply listing things that you’re grateful for, by focusing your thoughts on them in detail. For instance, you might use this last row to consider what things might look like if you didn’t have that supportive partner or that ability to be patient.
It’s a good idea to fill in the journal once or twice a week, thinking of something that you have not yet expressed gratitude for. More examples include a teacher who profoundly affected your development whom you never thanked or something you may take for granted, like good general health. There are many ways to set up and complete a gratitude journal, but this is a great way to begin.
This exercise is a great way to address negative automatic thoughts and self-talk, challenges that people with low self-esteem and/or mental health issues often face. It’s not surprising that talking down to yourself will lead to and exacerbate self-esteem problems, but the good news is that it is not an unsolvable problem.
Challenging negative self-talk is a core technique in cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), a type of therapy that has proven effective in helping a wide range of conditions, diagnoses, and problems. CBT helps clients discover some of their most deeply held, often unconscious, beliefs, allowing them to evaluate these beliefs and challenge those that are not useful.
This reframing worksheet opens with an explanation of negative self-talk and how you can identify and confront it.
Next, the tool is described. It includes two main steps intended to help you understand where your critical thoughts are coming from and what they feel or sound like.
Increasing your awareness of self-critical talk: To begin tapping into your self-awareness, take some deep breaths. When you realize that your inner critic is doing the talking inside your head—perhaps when you are unsuccessful at something—pay attention to what that self-talk sounds like. Are there specific core phrases that you tend to say to yourself? How does that negative voice sound?
Taking action to soften your self-critical voice: Once you’ve become aware of when you’re criticizing yourself, it’s time to try self-compassion instead. In these instances, the worksheet suggests, consider what you might say to someone you care about if they were in the same scenario.Try changing the mental tone you’re using and take on a more positive one you might use when you’re feeling good about who you are. Finally, try to come to terms with what exactly it is that you’re being self-critical about. Is there something you might learn from this criticism if it were presented more constructively instead?
This tried-and-true technique will help you or your client recognize self-directed criticism and challenge it on the spot, leading to greater self-esteem and peace with oneself.
If one of your clients is having trouble coming up with positive responses to their self-critical thoughts, encourage them to consider what they would say to a dear friend or loved one who was struggling with these thoughts, as the sheet suggests. Sometimes it’s easier to be kind to others than to ourselves, but that is something that can be remedied with time and practice.
Unconditional self-acceptance and self-esteem are often confused or even considered identical. Let’s address this misconception by considering some fundamental differences in their nature and consequences.
Self-esteem is based on evaluating the self, rating one’s behaviors and qualities as positive or negative, which results in defining the self as worthy or non-worthy (Ellis, 1994). Self-acceptance , however, is how the individual relates to the self, in a way that allows the self to be as it is. Acceptance is neither positive nor negative; it embraces all aspects and experiences of the self (Ellis, 1976).
Self-esteem relies on comparisons to evaluate the self and ‘decide’ its worth. Self-acceptance , however, stems from the realization that there is no objective basis for determining the worth of a human being. So with self-acceptance, the individual affirms who she or he is without any need for comparisons.
Self-esteem is contingent on external factors, such as performance, appearance, or social approval, that form the basis on which the self is evaluated. On the other hand, with self-acceptance , a person feels satisfied with themselves despite external factors, as this sense of worthiness is not derived from meeting certain standards.
It follows that self-esteem is fragile, whereas self-acceptance provides a secure and enduring positive relationship with the self (Kernis & Lakey, 2010).
When it comes to the consequences on wellbeing, while self-esteem appears to be associated with some markers of wellbeing, such as high life-satisfaction (Myers & Diener, 1995) and less anxiety (Brockner, 1984), there is also a “dark side” of self-esteem, characterized by egotism and narcissism (Crocker & Park, 2003). Self-acceptance is strongly associated with numerous positive markers of general psychological well-being (MaccInes, 2006).
Identifying and Challenging Core Beliefs
Similar to challenging negative thoughts, it can be an extremely effective therapeutic technique to discover, identify, and challenge your core beliefs. We often carry negative or false unconscious or semiconscious beliefs, never stopping to recognize the values and norms that we buy into on a daily basis.
This exercise will help you or your client explore and define deeply held beliefs that guide thoughts and behavior.
The worksheet begins with an explanation of what core beliefs are:
“Core beliefs can be defined as the very essence of how people see themselves, others, the world, and the future.”
Next, it explains how core beliefs can influence one’s thinking and emotions through an example interaction.
“Interaction: You are attending an interview for a job that you really want.”
In this situation, you must choose between three briefcases to bring along to work, each representing a different core belief:
Purple briefcase—“I’m talented”
Internal thought associated: “I am naturally adept with lots of experience in this field. I deserve this role.”
Your reaction: You feel confident as you enter the interview, and subsequently land the job.
Internal thought associated: “I have lots of experience and I think I’m good, but someone else will probably get the job over me.”
Your reaction: You don’t feel great heading into the interview. You relatively positive feedback but don’t land the role.
Green briefcase—“I’m not talented.”
Internal thought associated: “There’s no way I’m getting this job. Other candidates are much more capable than me.”
Your reaction: You don’t get the job.
These examples show that the thoughts we carry with us, everywhere we go, can have a profound impact on our feelings, our behavior, and the associated outcomes.
Finally, the worksheet presents an opportunity to apply what you have learned from these examples to your own life. You are prompted to identify three negative core beliefs and three reasons why each belief is not true.
It can be difficult to identify the first core belief, especially if you have several very deeply held negative beliefs that you have never even considered challenging before. However, once you get the ball rolling with the first belief, it should get easier as you go.
To give this Core Beliefs Suitcases worksheet a try, follow the link.
Assertive Communication Worksheet
Low self-esteem and poor or underdeveloped communication skills often go hand-in-hand (Blood & Blood, 2004). It can be difficult to share feelings with others if you don’t feel your feelings have value, an all-too-common symptom of low self-esteem.
Learning to communicate assertively will not only help you form better relationships and find new opportunities, but it can also facilitate a shift in the way you think about yourself (Law & Sivyer, 2003).
The word “assertive” may make people with low self-esteem hesitant. Being assertive might sound overly aggressive, pushy, or just too out of character.
The worksheet addresses this right away with an explanation about how three common communication styles differ:
Aggressive Communication Defined by speaking in a mean, harsh, or sarcastic manner, taking instead of compromising, maintaining glaring eye contact and speaking in loud or threatening tones, putting others down, being inappropriately honest, and bullying or trampling others.
Assertive Communication Defined by being firm but polite, compromising, maintaining warm and friendly eye contact and a conversational tone, building up others and oneself, being appropriately honest, and standing up for oneself.
Passive Communication Defined by being too nice or weak, being overly compliant, avoiding eye contact, speaking softly, putting oneself down, being emotionally dishonest, and allowing others to trample you in conversation.
When laid out in this way, it is clear that being an assertive communicator is nothing like being an aggressive communicator. Assertive communication is simply expressing yourself honestly and directly, while being polite and open.
The worksheet provides space and instructions to record three scenarios in which you communicated assertively and list the emotions you felt afterward. If you can’t think of an instance where you have communicated assertively, don’t worry! You can make that a goal for yourself in the next week.
You can see this Assertive Communication Worksheet for yourself and begin building up your communication skills.
Apart from these worksheets and activities, there are tons of tips out there for building self-esteem and self-worth.
Dr. John M. Grohol (2011) offers these six tips:
Take a self-esteem inventory to give yourself a baseline. This can be as simple as writing down 10 of your strengths and 10 of your weaknesses. This will help you to begin developing an honest and realistic conception of your self.
Set realistic expectations. It’s important to set small, attainable goals that are within your power. For example, setting an extremely high expectation or an expectation that someone else will change their behavior is virtually guaranteed to make you feel like a failure.
Stop being a perfectionist and acknowledge both your accomplishments and mistakes. Nobody is perfect, and trying to be will only lead to disappointment. Acknowledging your accomplishments and recognizing your mistakes is the way to keep a positive outlook while learning and growing from your mistakes.
Explore yourself. The importance of knowing yourself and being at peace with who you are cannot be overstated. This can take some trial and error, but it’s a lifelong journey that should be undertaken with purpose and zeal.
Be willing to adjust your self-image. We all change as we age and grow, and we must keep up with our ever-changing selves if we want to set and achieve meaningful goals.
Stop comparing yourself to others. Comparing ourselves to others is a trap that is extremely easy to fall into, especially with social media and the ability to project a polished and perfected (and false) appearance. The only person you should compare yourself to is you.
Henrik Edberg (2017) offers a similar set of tips for improving your self-esteem:
Say “stop” to your inner critic;
Use healthier motivation habits;
Take a two-minute self-appreciation break;
Each evening, write down three things that you can appreciate about yourself;
Do the right thing;
Fight against perfectionism;
Handle mistakes and failures in a more positive way;
Be kinder toward other people;
Try something new;
Stop falling into the comparison trap;
Spend more time with supportive people (and less time with destructive people);
Remember the “whys” of high self-esteem.
To read these tips in more detail, you can visit Edberg’s blog post on improving self-esteem here and read more about positive body image here.
While it can take time to build up a solid sense of self-esteem, it’s possible to kickstart the process.
This book helps the reader identify the causes of low self-esteem and provides activities and exercises to start increasing self-esteem. It’s written in plain English, not psychiatric jargon, and has earned an impressive four-star rating on Amazon.
If you don’t have the patience to go through an entire book, there are some simple things you can do now to jumpstart your self-esteem journey:
Think hard about the root cause(s) of your insecurities. The first step to defeating formidable foes is to learn about them, and this situation is no different. Identifying the events that led to a low sense of self-worth can provide valuable information for challenging these negative beliefs.
Use the “Negative Self-Talk” and “Identifying and Challenging Core Beliefs” worksheets (available in the adult worksheets section of this article) to help you identify negative thoughts and begin to replace them with alternative thoughts.
Be kind to yourself. If you find yourself being excessively negative to yourself, stop and consider how you would feel if someone said those things about a close friend or family member. Extend the same compassion you’d give a friend or family member to yourself.
Make a plan. Set achievable and realistic short-term goals for yourself to complete in the next week or so. Achieving something, no matter how small, can be an excellent boost to your motivation.
Celebrate your success. When you accomplish a goal, successfully challenge a negative thought, or catch yourself extending kindness toward yourself, mark the achievement with a celebration! Taking the time to revel in your success and enjoy the moment can give you the inspiration you need to continue your journey to self-improvement.
17 Exercises To Foster Self-Acceptance and Compassion
Help your clients develop a kinder, more accepting relationship with themselves using these 17 Self-Compassion Exercises [PDF] that promote self-care and self-compassion.
Created by Experts. 100% Science-based.
We hope this piece helped you find useful ways to begin or continue improving on your self-esteem, but if you only leave with one lesson learned, we hope it is this:
You can improve. You can get better. You can reach your goals.
It may not feel like it at the moment, but know that no matter how down you might be feeling, there is always room for growth and improvement.
Which techniques have you used to improve your self-esteem? Were they effective? Please share your experience with us in the comments section.
We hope you enjoyed reading this article. Don’t forget to download our three Self Compassion Exercises for free .
Algoe, S. B., Haidt, J., & Gable, S. L. (2008). Beyond reciprocity: Gratitude and relationships in everyday life. Emotion , 8 (3), 425-429. https://doi.org/10.1037/1528-3542.8.3.425
Bloch, D., & Merritt, J. (1993). Positive self-talk for children: Teaching self-esteem through affirmations: A guide for parents, teachers, and counselors. New York, NY: Bantam Books.
Blood, G. W., & Blood, I. M. (2004). Bullying in adolescents who stutter: Communicative competence and self-esteem. Contemporary Issues in Communication Science and Disorders , 31 (Spring), 69-79. https://doi.org/10.1044/cicsd_31_S_69
Brockner, J. 1984. Low self-esteem and behavioral plasticity: Some implications for personality and social psychology. In L. Wheeler (Ed.), Review of Personality and Social Psychology, 37 : 1732–1741.
Child Safety and Abuse Prevention Programs. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.keepyourchildsafe.org/
Crocker, J., & Park, L. E. (2003). Seeking self-esteem: Construction, maintenance, and protection of self-worth .
Dickens, L. R. (2019). Gratitude interventions: Meta-analytic support for numerous personal benefits, with caveats. In L. E. Van Zyl & S. Rothmann, Sr. (Eds.). Positive Psychological Intervention Design and Protocols for Multi-Cultural Contexts (pp. 127-147). Switzerland, AG: Springer. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-20020-6_6
Edberg, H. (2017). How to improve your self-esteem: 12 Powerful tips. Retrieved from http://www.positivityblog.com/improve-self-esteem/
Ellis, A. (1994). Reason and emotion in psychotherapy . Birch Lane Press.
Ellis, A. (1976). RET abolishes most of the human ego. Psychotherapy: Theory, research & practice, 13(4) , 343. https://doi.org/10.1037/h0086502
Grohol, J. (2011). 6 tips to improve your self-esteem . Retrieved from https://psychcentral.com/blog/archives/2011/10/30/6-tips-to-improve-your-self-esteem/
Kaczmarek, L. D., Kashdan, T. B., Drążkowski, D., Enko, J., Kosakowski, M., Szäefer, A., & Bujacz, A. (2015). Why do people prefer gratitude journaling over gratitude letters? The influence of individual differences in motivation and personality on web-based interventions. Personality and Individual Differences , 75 , 1-6. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.paid.2014.11.004
Kernis, M. H., & Lakey, C. E. (2010). Fragile versus secure high self-esteem: Implications for defensiveness and insecurity. Psychology Press.
Law, J., & Sivyer, S. (2003). Promoting the communication skills of primary school children excluded from school or at risk of exclusion: An intervention study. Child Language Teaching and Therapy , 19 (1), 1-25. https://doi.org/10.1191/0265659003ct241oa
Lynch, S. M., & Graham-Bermann, S. A. (2000). Woman abuse and self-affirmation: Influences on women’s self-esteem. Violence Against Women , 6 (2), 178-197. https://doi.org/10.1177/10778010022181787
MacInnes, D. L. (2006). Self‐esteem and self-acceptance: an examination into their relationship and their effect on psychological health. Journal of Psychiatric and Mental Health Nursing, 13(5) , 483-489. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1365-2850.2006.00959.x
Myers, D. G., & Diener, E. (1995). Who is happy? Psychological Science, 6(1), 10-19. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1467-9280.1995.tb00298.x
Practical Tools and Advice to Overcome Low Self Esteem (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.self-esteem-school.com/
Self-Esteem Experts: Nurturing Vibrant Self-Esteem (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.self-esteem-experts.com/
Waters, L. (2012). Predicting job satisfaction: Contributions of individual gratitude and institutionalized gratitude. Psychology , 3 (12A special issue), 1174-1176. http://dx.doi.org/10.4236/psych.2012.312A173
Wood, A. M., Froh, J. J., & Geraghty, A. W. (2010). Gratitude and well-being: A review and theoretical integration. Clinical Psychology Review , 30 (7), 890-905. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cpr.2010.03.005
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I’ve believe that your resources would be very helpful for esteem training for primary education students. I would like to use your worksheets to start a Value You- Self Esteem program for students?
Thank you for your wonderful feedback! You are more than welcome to do so. And keep us informed on how it is going 🙂
Warm regards, Julia | Community Manager
Hi! I am a sophomore student of Psychology at Bataan Peninsula State University, Bataan, Philippines 2100. As a requirement for our course: Experimental Psychology, my group and I are interested in boosting self-esteem among female students using Positive Psychology.
Upon searching for materials we can use, I stumbled upon this article and I found it suitable to use for our study.
Now, I am writing to ask permission if we can use the worksheets above for our study. Rest assured that we will cite the author and your site as our references if you grant us our request. But if not, we humbly accept it and find another material.
Thank you for your kind consideration.
Hi Kristine,
Glad you found the questions helpful! Yes, feel free to use these worksheets for your research.
Good luck with your research!
Thanks for sharing, these resources are useful. i have been looking for some material on self esteem to take a session for the children from difficult circumstances, and i appreciate so many ideas you have shared to build self esteem. thank you once again.
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IMAGES
VIDEO
COMMENTS
In his book, Practicing Positive Psychology Coaching: Assessment, Activities, & Strategies for Success, Biswas-Diener (2010) outlines a variety of tools for each axis. For instance, he suggests the Satisfaction with Life Scale for assessing wellbeing. For the future orientation axis, Biswas-Diener recommends using the Adult Hope Scale.
These science-based exercises will explore fundamental aspects of positive psychology including strengths, values and self-compassion and will give you the tools to enhance the wellbeing of your clients, students or employees. Exercise 1: Self-Care Vision Board. Exercise 2: The Guest House Poem.
Add up your scores for items 1, 2, 4, and 5. Reverse your scores for items 3 and 6. That is, if you scored a "7," give yourself a "1," if you scored a "6," give yourself a "2," etc. Add the reversed scores for items 3 and 6 to the total from Step 1. This is your total GQ-6 score. This number should be between 6 and 42.
An Introduction to Positive Psychology. "Psychologists have scant knowledge of what makes life worth living," wrote Martin Seligman and Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi (2000, p. 5), two of the founders of positive psychology. Positive psychology's goal was (and still is) to provide individuals and society with the tools to flourish rather than ...
Research in positive psychology has shown that people who know their strengths and use them daily tend to be happier, have better self-esteem, and are more likely to complete their goals. Strengths-spotting exercises are used to help people identify their strengths and the ways they use them. Three Good People is a strengths-spotting exercise ...
Jeffrey J. Froh, PsyD, is an associate professor of psychology at Hofstra University and a leading scholar in positive youth psychology. His research, which has been featured in mainstream media such as The Wall Street Journal and The Washington Post, focuses on the wellsprings, assessment, outcomes, and enhancement of gratitude in children and adolescents.
The Silver Linings: Positive Psychology Exercise is designed to help clients look on the bright side of tough situations. This exercise is based on a study by Sergeant and Mongrain (2014). To begin, clients list five things that make life enjoyable or worthwhile. Next, they describe their most recent difficult situation, or a recent time ...
Master of Applied Positive Psychology (MAPP) Program. The questionnaires on Authentic Happiness measure character strengths and different aspects of happiness and well-being. It's free to take our questionnaires, but you'll first need to register. A hub for data, tools, publications, conferences, researchers, and.
PDF Introduction to Positive Psychology & Martin Seligman. Starting with animal studies and then moving on to humans, Seligman recognized that when things go wrong and appear outside our control, we can adopt a state of hopelessness.It led to a revelation in 1999 that re-shaped his personal view of psychology and, as head of the American Psychological Association (APA), changed the direction ...
Positive Psychology research indicates that your capacity for happiness is set by: Genetics (biology and heredity) - 50%. Circumstances (sex, ethnicity, income, education, geography, etc.) - 10%. Intentional activity (behavioral choices, thinking patterns, etc.) - 40%. Intentional Activity is where you can exert the most control if you ...
Ranging from bravery and creativity to integrity and gratitude, positive psychology's 24 character strengths are the foundation of The Positivity Project's model. Dr. Chris Peterson, one of the founders of positive psychology, led a research team over a three-year period to better understand character and its manifestations.
Description: This 17-page resource lists a large number of films that are relevant to classes in positive psychology and related subjects. The films are classified according to the positive psychology typology developed by Peterson and Seligman (2004). ... Assignments include a wide variety of social media and digital activities including ...
Quickly search over 100 activities from our popular Teachers of Psychology in Secondary School (TOPSS) unit lesson plans. Choose from popular topics like biological basis of behavior, memory, research methods and more. Be sure to check back regularly as activities will be added as they become available.
Positive Psychology. This course focuses on 'Positive Psychology' (PP) which is a relatively new branch of Psychology that aims to understand, test, discover and promote the factors that allow individuals and communities to thrive. PP is based upon 3 primary concerns: positive emotions, positive individual traits, and positive institutions.
The recent introduction of positive psychology (PP) to second language acquisition (SLA) has led to increased interest in researching the relationship between language learning and various positive emotions. Despite this, the concept of learner altruistic teaching has been relatively understudied, compared to other PP aspects. ...
3. Self-Esteem Journal. The self-esteem journal is another straightforward but effective exercise for clients suffering from feelings of low self-worth. This Self-Esteem Journal For Adults provides a template for each day of the week and three prompts per day for your client to respond to, including prompts like:
POSITIVE PSYCHOLOGY APPLIED TO INSTITUTIONS - POSITIVE SCHOOLING 4 A study by Lewis, Huebner, Malone, & Valois (2011) consisted of 779 middle school students in Southeastern United States found that there was a bidirectional link between cognitive engagement and life satisfaction. Involvement in school, namely with positive schooling methods, proved to cause adolescents to have an increased ...
Positive psychology's aim, Seligman elaborated, is to scientifically study the successful blend of all three types of lives. Seligman calls that blend "the full life." He noted the importance of explaining to students that, just as with the study of mental illness, positive psychology uses validated test batteries, placebo-controlled studies ...
Positive psychology interventions have been shown to be effective in countering stress. 41,42 Savoring, planning positive activities, and pursuing meaningful goals are examples of positive psychology approaches that can help improve coping with life stressors, including major illnesses and caregiving. 43 However, more research is needed to sort ...
If you like circling, underlining, and filling in the blanks to work on improving your emotional intelligence, you might find these 6 EQ worksheets helpful. 1. Giving Feedback: Improving Your Self-Awareness. With this worksheet, you'll boost your self-awareness and, in turn, your emotional intelligence.
ASSIGNMENT COVER Course code: PSY 6018 Course name: CONTEMPORARY ISSUES II Assignment title: What is positive psychology? Critically consider its application drawing on relevant examples from the literature Instructor's name: DR SOTIRIS DEDELOUDIS Student's name: CHRISTOS KARAMITROS Date: 18 November 2017 Word count 1897 words DECLARATION This work is the result of my own investigations ...
Self-esteem is based on evaluating the self, rating one's behaviors and qualities as positive or negative, which results in defining the self as worthy or non-worthy (Ellis, 1994). Self-acceptance, however, is how the individual relates to the self, in a way that allows the self to be as it is.