Positive Psychology A Handbook

SANDEEP KULSHRESTHA
POSITIVE PSYCHOLOGY:
A HANDBOOK
2
Positive Psychology: A Handbook
1st edition
© 2019 Sandeep Kulshrestha & bookboon.com
ISBN 978-87-403-2892-9
3
POSITIVE PSYCHOLOGY Contents
CONTENTS
About the Author 6
1 Introducing Positive Psychology 8

1.1 What is Positive Psychology? 8
1.2 The Historical Perspective 8
1.3 Martin Seligman and the Beginnings of Positive Psychology Movement 9
1.4 The PERMA Model and its’ significance for a fulfilling life 11
1.5 FLOW and Positive Psychology 13
1.6 The Disease Model Vs Flourish Model 13
1.7 Branches of Positive Psychology 14
2 Decoding PERMA Model of Well-being 15

2.1 Positive Emotions: 15
2.2 Engagement 18
2.3 Positive Relationships: 18
2.4 Meaning 20
2.5 Accomplishment 22
2.6 Daily Rituals to Practice PERMA 23
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POSITIVE PSYCHOLOGY Contents
3 Character Strengths and Positive Psychology 24

3.1 Character Strengths Study: 24
3.2 Character Strengths Classification: 25
3.3 The VIA Survey: 28
3.4 Applicability of Character Strengths approach in schools and workplaces: 29
4 Resilience and Positive Psychology 30

4.1 Understanding and Defining Resilience 30
4.2 The Mindset of Resilience 31
4.3 Identifying and Leveraging Strengths 33
4.4 Focusing on Progress and not just Goals 35
4.5 Building Resilience at the workplaces 37
4.6 Developing Resilience through Transformative Leadership 37
4.7 Coaching for Resilience 37
4.8 Resilience and GRIT 38
5 Building Positive Organisations 39

5.1 Positive Organisational Behavior 39
5.2 Practices for Developing Positive Organisations 40
5.3 The Power of Gratitude 40
5.4 Building Engaged work teams 41
5.5 Change Management through Positive Psychology and Appreciative Inquiry 42
6 Positive Education 44
6.1 Introducing Positive Education: 44
6.2 History of Positive Education 45
6.3 Leveraging Character Strengths in Children: 46
6.4 Developing Positive Classrooms 46
6.5 Few examples of Positive Education in action 47
6.6 Positive Psychology in Higher Education 48
Bibliography 49
5
POSITIVE PSYCHOLOGY About the Author
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
This book is written by Sandeep Kulshrestha. Sandeep is a Positive Psychologist, Executive

Coach, Writer, Corporate Learning Facilitator and an Educator. He has worked with various
organizations as a Human Resources Leader, across business sectors including Information
Technology/Consulting/Hospitality and Non-profit in companies like Holiday Inn Hotels,
Sightsavers International, Dr Reddy’s Foundation etc. As a Consultant and a Coach, Sandeep
works with varied individuals and groups in facilitating their growth in work as well as life
situations. He carries an Executive Coaching experience of more than 700 hours.
As a speaker and learning facilitator, Sandeep conducts workshops on contemporary leadership

and communication challenges and his target audience is usually the senior and top layers
of management who dictate the future direction of an organisation.
Sandeep is the founder of Rectangle Consulting, a boutique Human Capital and Management
Consulting firm and of International Institute of Positive Psychology (www.iipp-edu.
org), a school created to promote courses, programs and workshops in the field of Positive
Psychology. He is also a poet and is working on a short stories collection. He is based at
Hyderabad, India
Sandeep can be connected on email sandeep@iipp-edu.org and on handphone at +91 99

59 000 967
6
POSITIVE PSYCHOLOGY About the Author
Social Media and Web Links
Facebook
LinkedIn
Twitter
Personal Website
Company Website
7
POSITIVE PSYCHOLOGY Introducing Positive Psychology
1 INTRODUCING POSITIVE
PSYCHOLOGY
1.1 WHAT IS POSITIVE PSYCHOLOGY?

Positive Psychology is one of the youngest behavioural sciences (conceptualized in the current
form in the late nineties) and has emerged as an Extension or a branch of Psychology.
Positive psychology, in simple terms, is defined as the science of flourishing, happiness and
well-being. Martin Seligman, the founder of Positive Psychology defines it as a, “scientific
study of optimal human functioning that aims to discover and promote the factors that allow
individuals and communities to thrive’
In Nutshell, Positive Psychology studies what goes right with people and what are the ways
in which they attain lasting happiness.
In this eBook, we will try to explore each element of Positive Psychology, its importance
and relevance and how it can be used in everyday life. Every Chapter would have some
activities related to Positive Psychology which you can try on yourself and others. In not
so many words, we will make sure that you understand the underlying concepts and ideas
of Positive Psychology.
1.2 THE HISTORICAL PERSPECTIVE

Positive Psychology gives a new dimension to existential psychology, as a science that looks
at making normal lives better and fulfilling and it argues that having a meaning attached to
overall existence makes lives worth living. It is surely a new science with its roots traceable
within the history of Psychology itself. Positive Psychology is evidence based and people and
Organisations are using many Positive Psychology interventions to make their individual
as well as group lives fulfilling.
Positive Psychology has evolved over the years and the movement got momentum approximately
two decades back. There was a school of thought that emerged in the second half of the
last century, called “Humanistic Psychology”. Humanistic Psychology emerged through the
works of Psychologist Carl Rogers and this was a branch of Psychology that challenged
Psychoanalysis, propagated by Sigmund Freud and Skinner’s Behaviourism. The basic premise
of Humanistic Psychology was to view goodness in people and it suggested that special
attention should be paid to traits like free will, creativity, human potential etc. To explain
8
simply, Humanistic Psychology spoke about self-awareness and mindfulness, as tools for
individuals to utilize for more optimistic and productive outcomes. However, Humanistic
Psychology was missing a strategy to create a life that has meaning and purpose, where the
positive emotions can lead to sustainable well-being and in nutshell create a flourishing life.
If we look at Positive Psychology today, the large credit on it goes to Dr Martin Seligman,
currently the Professor of Psychology at the University of Pennsylvania. While he was a
President of American Psychological Association, a premium body of American Psychologists,
in 1998, he was in a dilemma. The dilemma was whether to let Psychology focus only on
mental illness, frequently referred to as “disease” model (where many breakthroughs have
happened after IInd World War and Psychology has been successful in diagnosis and cure
of many mental disorders) or to look at possibilities of developing tools to make normal
lives more fulfilling and flourishing (or one may argue, the prevention bit). We shall study
in the next section about Seligman’s address to the American Psychological Association and
the subsequent birth of Positive Psychology as a new academic field.
1.3 MARTIN SELIGMAN AND THE BEGINNINGS OF

POSITIVE PSYCHOLOGY MOVEMENT
At the time of writing this book, Dr Martin Seligman was the Zellerbach Family Professor
of Psychology in the University of Pennsylvania’s Department of Psychology. An acclaimed
Psychologist, Dr. Seligman is credited as the founding father of Positive Psychology, along
with few others like the late Dr Christopher Peterson, Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi etc.
Seligman quotes his daughter Nikki for giving him an impetus to look at Psychological
models differently. One day, when Seligman was planting seeds in his garden, his daughter
was throwing weed all over. And then he shouted on her. To this, his daughter told him,
“Daddy, do you remember me before my fifth birthday? From when I was three until when I
was five, I was a whiner. I whined every day. On my fifth birthday, I decided I wasn’t going to
whine any more. That was the hardest thing I’ve ever done. And if I can stop whining, you can
stop being such a grouch” (Seligman Speech at Lincoln Summit, https://www.sas.upenn.edu/
psych/seligman/lincspeech.htm). From this innocent statement of his daughter, Seligman
became even more confident that he was to look at Parenting as well as Psychology from
a different angle. This led him to a couple of realizations.
The first realization for Seligman was more personal in nature, about raising children and
what could be referred as the first insight on “Positive Parenting”. He understood that one
need not fix the weaknesses in children, but it would do parents good if they focused on
identifying and nurturing their strengths in their kids. The other realization was about
the discipline of Psychology itself where Seligman realized there was a scope of looking at
nurturing strengths in individuals so that they would better lives.
9
Following is the excerpt from his speech as the President of American Psychological Association;
“Entering a new millennium, we face a historical choice.

Standing alone on the pinnacle of economic and political
leadership, the United States can continue to increase its
material wealth while ignoring the human needs of our
people and of the people on the rest of the planet. Such
a course is likely to lead to increasing selfishness, alienation
between the more and the less fortunate, and eventually to
chaos and despair. At this juncture, psychology can play an
enormously important role. We can articulate a vision of the
good life that is empirically sound and, at the same time,
understandable and attractive. We can show the world what
actions lead to well-being, to positive individuals, to flourishing
communities, and to a just society. Ideally, psychology should
be able to help document what kind of families result in
the healthiest children, what work environments support
the greatest satisfaction among workers, and what policies
result in the strongest civic commitment. Yet we have scant
knowledge of what makes life worth living. For although
psychology has come to understand quite a bit about how
people survive and endure under conditions of adversity,
we know very little about how normal people flourish under
more benign conditions”
This iconic speech was the starting point of a great revolution and positive psychology as
we know today has clear and contextual relationship to the speech.
Seligman’s earlier work was in the area of depression and learned helplessness. Ironically,
he developed his own hypothesis on Learned Optimism once he got convinced that even
optimism can be learned. He subsequently collaborated with Late Christopher Peterson
(Professor of Psychology at the University of Michigan, Ann Harbor) to create a positive
version of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM) and as part of
the work, they developed the section on the Character Strengths and virtues. The following
chart gives an overview of Character Strengths
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Love of Learning
Perspective
Judgement
Zest Creativity
Curiosity Love
Bravery
Kindness
Honesty
Social Intelligence
Perseverance
Appreciation of
Teamwork
Beauty & Excellence
Leadership
Spirituality
Fairness
Gratitude
Humility
Humor
Prudence
Hope
Forgiveness
Self-Regulation
Character Strengths and Virtues are divided into 6 Virtues (Wisdom and Knowledge,
Courage, Transcendence, Temperance, Justice and Humanity) and 24 Character Strengths.
The top five strengths are usually the core strengths, while the bottom 5 or 10 are those
that can be worked upon. Any individual can take a character strengths survey at https://
www.viacharacter.org/
1.4 THE PERMA MODEL AND ITS’ SIGNIFICANCE

FOR A FULFILLING LIFE
PERMA is an acronym for Positive Emotions, Engagement, Positive Relationships or
Relationships, Meaning and Achievement/Accomplishment. Martin Seligman had developed
this model after researching the lives of people who were happy and had achieved a significant
level of well-being. He found through his research that the people who had sustained levels
of happiness and wellbeing had the five elements that form the acronym for PERMA. This
is depicted in pictorial form below;
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PERMA MODEL OF WELL-BEING
Positive Emotions - Feeling good, Joyful, Optimistic
Engagement - Immersed in work, Taking pleasure in work, In a moment of flow
Relationships - Strong Family ties, Long term associations, social connections
Meaning - Understand the purpose and meaning for the work done, Altruistic Thoughts
Accomplishment - Finding Happiness in the journey towards success, Self-appreciation etc.
The PERMA Model captures the essence of Positive Psychology in its nutshell. This is what
Positive Psychology is all about. The fulfilling or a flourishing life needs all the aforesaid
elements in balance and harmony. We will be discussing the PERMA model in its’ totality
in the second chapter. PERMA model is significant for a fulfilling life for the simple reason
that if we look at the characteristic of the model, it is talking about elements that are
important to live a life of purpose. This model is significant in the following ways;
1. Positive Emotions are important as they protect people from mental ailments
like Depression. Hence, if we have heightened levels of Positive Emotions (can
be cultivated through daily rituals), the chances of getting into depression or any
other ailment are lesser than others who have lesser repertoire of such emotions.
As an exercise, recall your last week where you had either helped somebody
or practiced meditation. What do you feel now that you recall it? Do you feel
pleasant or not so pleasant?
2. Engagement or flow is important for us to stay committed to our work
or our passion. If we are not engaged at work, there are chances that we
may feel boredom and eventually it may lead to productivity loss for our
organisation. So, it is surely important to find ways and means to stay engaged.
Intense Engagement is also known as FLOW (we will be discussing FLOW
in the next few chapters)
3. No one can argue about the importance of Relationships. People who appreciate
their friendships, social connections at work, with family relationships are likely
to be happier than those who do not have positive relationships
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1.5 FLOW AND POSITIVE PSYCHOLOGY

FLOW is a path breaking concept in Positive Psychology. Flow means complete absorption in
an act, be it playing a piano or playing with a child or developing a new software program.
Flow as a concept was brought to light by Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi, one of the founding
fathers of Positive Psychology as we know it today. Mihaly is a professor of Psychology at
the Claremont Graduate University.
One of the major contributions to Positive Psychology is Mihaly’s work, Flow: The Psychology
of Optimal Experience. In his book, Csikszentmihalyi’s narrative portrays that when people
go in the zone of Flow, they are the happiest. According to him, Flow is a state of complete
absorption or concentration with the activity at hand or the situation. I personally would
use the term intense concentration, something which athletes, innovators, scientists, musicians
etc. experience. It can also be associated with a deeper involvement with work at hand.
According to Mihaly, corporations can inculcate FLOW in their daily operations with a
higher probability of job satisfaction and increased productivity.
“The best moments in our lives are not the passive, receptive,
relaxing times… The best moments usually occur if a person’s
body or mind is stretched to its limits in a voluntary effort
to accomplish something difficult and worthwhile.”
– Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi
ACTIVITY FOR “FLOW”
Look at your favorite Musician’s Live performance on a Video

Program. Try to evaluate the moments of FLOW. What was
the body language? What was the performer doing? After
assessing this, recall such moments in your life where you
experienced FLOW. Where were you? What were you doing?
When you remember this now, what do you feel?
1.6 THE DISEASE MODEL VS FLOURISH MODEL

Psychology, after the world war II was focused on finding cure of various Mental Illnesses
and hence was working on what is known as the “Disease Model”. The Disease Model, as
Seligman frequently highlights was able to cure at least 14 Mental Health related diseases
that were incurable earlier. However, the disease model also stereotyped Psychologists as
‘victimologists’ and ‘pathologisers’ and they failed in areas like nurturing talent, channelizing
strengths or making normal lives better. While the Disease Model is primarily focused on
treatment, the Flourish Model considers holistic well-being as its main goal.
13
Following are the Four components of the Flourish Model:

Spiritual: The Spiritual Component includes Growth (Expansion and Enhanced Vitality) and
Contribution (Empathy, Co-operation, Co-Existence)
Mental: The Mental Component includes Fulfillment (Ability to express, achievement and
accomplishment) and Engagement (Finding Meaning, Getting into Flow)
Emotional: The Emotional Component includes Independence (Attaining Self-Mastery through
full expression of strengths) and Relationships (Fostering Positive Relationships at Family and
at work)
Physical: The Physical Component is linked to security (development of nurturing environments)
If you are reading this, you would know the stark difference between the Disease Model and
the Flourish Model. The following table can give some more information on the differences
between these two models;
DISEASE MODEL FLOURISH MODEL
CLINICAL INTERVENTION BASED
PRECRIPTIVE PREVENTIVE
TREATMENT ORIENTED SOLUTIONS ORIENTED
PATIENT FOCUSED STRENGTHS FOCUSED
1.7 BRANCHES OF POSITIVE PSYCHOLOGY

When Positive Psychology was created as a new science of happiness and well-being, it was
touted as a Branch of Psychology. However, in the last decade Positive Psychology has slowly
emerged as a Full Fledged academic as well as workplace solutions driven discipline. The
following new branches of Positive Psychology have emerged in the last decade;
a. Positive Psychotherapy: Positive Psychotherapy although is an older discipline

(from the late sixties), it has recently imbibed many facets of Positive Psychology.
Positive Psychotherapists use PERMA model along with their existing therapy
models/protocols in their practice
b. Positive Organisational Behavior: Positive Organisational Behavior is the next
stage of Organisational Behavior and the practitioners work as Organisational
Consultants. Such experts look at the ways and means in which Organisations
can develop positive work culture, Positive Performance Management systems
and so on.
c. Positive Clinical Psychology: Another stream of Psychology that is getting
increasingly influenced by Positive Psychology is Clinical Psychology.
14
POSITIVE PSYCHOLOGY Decoding PERMA Model of Well-being
2 DECODING PERMA MODEL

OF WELL-BEING
PERMA stands for Positive Emotions, Engagement, Relationships or Positive Relationships,
Meaning and Accomplishment. This model was developed by Professor Martin Seligman,
the founder of the Positive Psychology Movement, as a recipe for a flourishing life or a life
which has a heightened level of well-being. In this chapter, we will try to decode PERMA
and how usage of this model can contribute towards a flourishing life
2.1 POSITIVE EMOTIONS:

“Positive emotions and mental states may make people
more resilient to stress, like sturdy tree branches that bend
but don’t break when battered by a storm”
– Melanie Greenberg
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We all experience varied emotions during our day to day lives and we hardly distinguish
between Positive and Negative emotions consciously. There are surely many individuals who
try to understand their emotions as well and try to change their negative emotions. From
a Positive Psychology perspective, experiencing Positive Emotions contributes to the overall
well-being. A majority of individuals and groups experience Positive Emotions like joy,
empathy, feeling of gratitude and compassion, optimism, appreciation of beauty etc. This
does not mean that the negative emotions of jealousy, victimhood etc. would not exist in
people who experience positive emotions. Negative emotions are like triggers. Individuals
who experience negative emotions can remain constantly negative or come out of their
negativity through going back to experiencing positive emotions.
There are ways through which negative emotions can be channelized into positive emotions.
Following are few suggestions;
a. Avoiding self-stereotyping: If we avoid making generalisations about ourselves

by stopping and contemplating the experiences of negative vs positive emotions,
it could lead us in being more receptive of the positive emotions we experience
b. Living in the moment: Practices like Mindfulness help us live in the moment
and helps us in appreciating the “here and now”. Living in the moment helps us
to calm ourselves down.
c. Practicing Self-Compassion: We can practice self-compassion by pampering
ourselves. Whenever any negative emotion starts affecting us, we can reflect on good
deeds we had done in the past that had touched people’s lives. Once a positive
emotion starts seeping in, we should just relax and let negative emotions pass
d. Recognizing the pattern of negative emotions: We should ask ourselves these
questions; Are there any patterns of negative emotions that are bothering me?
Do I get these emotional triggers when I undertake some work or when I
become something else? Once we understand the pattern, we can undertake
conscious actions to experience positive emotions.
16
The following self-reflection journal can make you self-reflect on different emotions you
experience in a week;
Moments when Moments when

Day you experienced you experienced
positive emotions negative emotions
- I phoned my Dad
today after a week
- I got a good feedback
on my last project from - I was hoping I would
Monday (example) my Manager get the job. Felt little
- At lunch break, I had dejected (example)
some interesting
breakthroughs
(Examples)
Similarly, one can fill up the sheet for other days as well. It is well researched now that
for three positive emotions or positive moments in a day, there is a likely chance that the
negative emotion will only be one (it can vary many a times based on circumstances that
are sometimes beyond control). If you do this exercise, by the end of a month, it would
look astonishing that you experienced so many positive emotions during the entire month!
One of the leading researchers in the area of Positive Emotions is Professor Barbara
Fredrickson, Professor of Psychology at The University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill.
She has developed a Theory commonly known as “Broaden and Build Theory”. In simple
terms, her theory suggest that positive emotions help us in broadening our perspective
and building better resources to sustain those positive emotions. For example, the Positive
emotion of Joy would make an individual connect with people who are optimistic, happy
and joyful and that in turn can help in enhancing social or participative skills.
17
EXERCISE
At the end of the day, recall 3 positive emotions you

experienced today and answer these questions;
1. W
hat was I feeling that time when I experienced that
emotion?
2. What did I do after experiencing that emotion?
3. Did it make me take some action?
2.2 ENGAGEMENT
In PERMA, next comes “ENGAGEMENT”. Engagement is one of the key ingredients in
the entire recipe of Well-being and Happiness. Engagement in terms of Positive Psychology
is the state of being completely focused on a particular task, activity or a process in a way
that the act is engrossing, enjoyable and an individual or a group relates to that action in
a holistic fashion. In Positive Psychology terminology, we also use the term “FLOW”. A
feeling of FLOW happens when individuals forget the time and day because of the way
they have been engaged at work.
EXERCISE
Recall in the last month or so when did you feel the moments
of FLOW? What were you doing? Who was with you? Now
when you think of it, what does it make you feel?
Engagement in a Positive Psychology concept is an idea of “intense alignment” with the

task and not merely performing the task with focus. Intense alignment may result from an
individual’s love towards her work and it would surely arise out of individual passion which
is fostered by a congenial environment.
2.3 POSITIVE RELATIONSHIPS:

Relationships form the mainstream of our well-being and we all seek warm, comforting and
nurturing relationships. Positive Relationships act as a cushion for wellbeing and happiness.
Positive Relationships are not about going out of the way in relating to people. It is more
about a non-judgmental approach in accepting people, fostering good relations and working
on making them better. Psychologists like Abraham Maslow and Michael Argyle spoke
about love and belonging as an important element of life in the early and mid-part of the
last century. Relationships become much secure through effective, positive communication.
Communication is the key to developing a sustainable, long term relationship with anyone,
be it a love partner or a relative or even a friend. Without effective communication, we
really can’t achieve a perfect relationship.
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Following are some key ingredients of a positive relationship
-- Developing trust: Trust gets developed through proper communication where

people understand what is being spoken. It takes much time to develop trust but
through persistent efforts, the feat is achievable
-- Showing appreciation: When we show appreciation to others, invariably it
makes us happy as well (The Many Benefits of Showing Appreciation, Ryan M.
Niemiec Psy.D, Psychology Today, September 10, 2014)
-- Expressing Gratitude: Gratitude is an overarching theme in Positive Psychology.
Gratitude is an act of thankfulness for something good that has happened either
in your personal life or work life. Expressing gratitude for a loved one also
enhances the possibilities of having positive relationships. One can also practice
“Loving Kindness Meditation” as a part of expressing Gratitude
“Love draws you out of your cocoon of self-absorption

to attune to others. Love allows you to really see another
person, holistically, with care, concern, and compassion.”
– Barbara L. Fredrickson
You can also try the following exercise in nurturing positive relationships:
Name of the A positive adjective

If you are
individual you are about the individual How can you make
expressing
related to (friend, (Examples: the relationship
gratitude, what
acquaintance, lover Exuberant, better?
will you write?
or a relative) Efficient etc)
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2.4 MEANING
Meaning in a Positive Psychology context relates to the higher level of values or goals that
you associate with your life. You must have heard many times that some of your friends or
acquaintance use a phrase like this, “I don’t find any meaning in what I do” or even “I do
not have any purposeful existence”. This is very common. Many of us do not have a goal
that is higher than what we think or imagine. But the whole idea is as to how we define
what is “Meaning”?
Before reading further on what is “meaning” and how you can develop a meaning for your
life, try the following exercise:
EXERCISE
My meaning in life is
_____________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________
Through meaning we seek answers to philosophical questions such as “Whether my life

has some importance” or more relevant daily questions like “Do I have a capability to
bring transformation at my workplace within next quarter”. People seek meaning through
spirituality and religion, philanthropy, adventure sports, music, writing books etc because
invariably the humankind wishes to undertake activities or tasks that has a higher purpose
than what they would be handling in the present moment.
Meaning helps in consolidating the foundations of life. In a way it can also be an incentive
to pursue passions and dreams. The research in Positive Psychology suggests that meaning
plays an important role in overall well-being. Meaning also provides a sense of purpose
and helps individuals in setting up their goals and objectives. Meaning and Purpose are
intertwined. Many self-help gurus speak about having a mission and purpose in life but
unfortunately a workable matrix has not yet emerged about how to develop purpose, along
with actionable steps.
There are many ways in which one can develop a meaning and purpose in life. The following
activity makes you revisit your childhood but is still a fun activity
20
EXERCISE
What do I want to do when I grow up? (Considering you

are an adult who is already working, what is something
different you wish to do in the future?)
(Picture Courtesy: pexels.com)
You can try writing the meaning and purpose at the start of a year and reframe it on a
monthly basis
You can also try the following activity to understand how you can frame your meaning
and purpose;
Imagine that you are at the end of your life and you are answering the following questions;
1. How, and for what, do I want to be remembered?

2. By whom do I want to be remembered?
3. Which of my accomplishments and personal strengths would I want others to talk
about?
4. When I look back, am I satisfied with the life I have lived?
5. Am I living my life in such a way now that this will be achieved?
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2.5 ACCOMPLISHMENT
Accomplishment or Achievement is also considered to be an important ingredient of
the PERMA equation. Accomplishment is included as one of the facets of well-being
because it is intrinsic in humans and us humans are programmed to seek, pursue and
enjoy accomplishments. Although external influences like power, position and pay are few
determinants of achievement in the way the life functions in the contemporary world, Positive
Psychologists believe that nurturing accomplishment can lead to a better sense of well-being.
In his book, Flourish: A Visionary New Understanding of Happiness and Well-being, Martin
Seligman, one of the founders of the Positive Psychology movement puts forth a point that
individuals necessarily seek accomplishment even if they are not seeking other aspects of
well-being like positive emotions, engagement, and meaning.
Please practice some the activities below to understand accomplishment in much broader way;
Re-Living the moment of the Accomplishments

-- Make a List of your past accomplishments. For around 15 minutes, reflect on
your achievements, reliving the memory of these achievements and savouring
those moments again
-- For each achievement recall what happened, when it happened, and what you
did to make this success a reality. What skills and abilities did you use? What
setbacks or challenges did you have to overcome? Who else was involved? What
exactly makes you proud of this accomplishment? What positive feelings arise
now, looking back on it?
-- You can also do this exercise with a partner, friend or colleague, taking it in
turns to share your two chosen accomplishments. As your partner or a friend
enters into a dialogue, ask her the questions to help her savour the chosen
accomplishments even more. Look for ways in which, in the future, they might
use the abilities, interests and strengths revealed by their accomplishments.
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2.6 DAILY RITUALS TO PRACTICE PERMA

The PERMA framework will not work if it is not practiced by individuals or groups. To
make this work, we need daily practices. The daily practices may include the following;
-- Writing a wellness journal: You may start writing a wellness journal on a daily
basis, writing all of the positive experiences you had during the day. Wellness
journal can include writing notes of gratitude for your loved ones or about your
life in general. Following are few examples
“Kate understands me the most. I am so happy that I know her. She helped me in
extracting the weed from my garden today”
“I loved the way I lived my day today. I relaxed, had my favorite tea at the sun deck
on my rooftop. I am glowing”
“As a work from home mom, I didn’t complete any work. But I did spend a lot of time
with my daughter Kim, asking her about her school and promising her a gift after her
school tests. We ended up with some cuddling and watching a movie”
You can be really creative in all of this!
-- Practice some kind of meditation: Mindfulness is a good meditation practice
through which you acknowledge your breath and savour the present moment.
One simple exercise can be to take few deep breaths and observe the breathing
and how it is soothing you down! There are different variations to Mindfulness,
including Loving Kindness meditation and different types of breathing exercises.
-- Buy a neat/beautiful notebook and create different sections of PERMA. Start
scribbling in each category whenever you have some experience to savour.
-- Send notes of gratitude to friends/family and acquaintances.
-- Use the PERMA concept at your workplace. Use PERMA as a tool to engage
employees.
23
POSITIVE PSYCHOLOGY Character Strengths and Positive Psychology
3 CHARACTER STRENGTHS AND

POSITIVE PSYCHOLOGY
3.1 CHARACTER STRENGTHS STUDY:

Character Strengths and Virtues (CSV) is a book that emerged out of empirical research
by Late Christopher Peterson, Professor of Psychology at University of Michigan and
Professor Martin Seligman in the year 2004. This book and the research itself discusses
humanistic ideals of strengths and virtues in a holistic fashion, in alignment with the ideals
of the Positive Psychology Movement. The CSV is a tool that is used in developing practical
interventions and activities in Positive Psychology
In a sense, the Character Strengths and Virtues is a groundbreaking handbook that was
developed by extensive, empirical research, undertaken by both Peterson and Seligman
In this book, there are the following six classes of virtues that are made up of 24 character
strengths:
1. Wisdom and Knowledge

2. Courage
3. Humanity
4. Justice
5. Temperance
6. Transcendence
Researchers measured “good character” in co-relation with different types of strengths such
as Leadership, kindness, gratitude, honesty, humor, and likewise.
Martin Seligman, Christopher Peterson and other associated researchers studied all major
religions and philosophical traditions in the world and came to the conclusion that practically
all cultures and traditions in the world shared the same six virtues (i.e. courage, humanity,
temperance, etc.)
The main criteria for characters strengths as developed by the researchers were:
• The character strength should be a trait that is stable across time and situations
• Even when other strengths or virtues are absent, the strength is a value in its
own right.
24
• The strength is valued and recognized in almost every cultural or religious

practice and is not shrouded in controversies or political influences.
• Such Cultures have many role models who exemplify those traits so that the
individuals and communities can recognize the worth of such traits/strengths
• Such traits can be instilled in children by the Parents.
3.2 CHARACTER STRENGTHS CLASSIFICATION:

There are 24 Character strengths, and these are classified under the virtues (as discussed in
the early part of this chapter). The classification is as follows;
Virtue of Wisdom and Knowledge

Strengths that are classified under this virtue involve acquiring and using knowledge:
• Creativity (e.g. Steve Jobs’ creativity led him to acquire knowledge and wisdom
about launching pathbreaking products and in revolutionizing the Personal
Computing business)
• Curiosity
• Open-mindedness
• Love of Learning
• Perspective and Wisdom
ACTIVITY:
Does any of the above Character Strengths make any sense

to you? How do you rate yourself in Creativity or Love of
Learning?
25
Virtue of Courage
Strengths that are classified under this virtue involve accomplishing goals and objectives in
the face of challenges
• Bravery
• Persistence
• Integrity
• Vitality
If we are brave and persistent, our integrity will be at a higher realm. This results in more
courageous in character. For example, an Entrepreneur like Elon Musk could take more risks
because of his bravery and the ability to challenge the norms.
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Virtue of Humanity
Strengths that accompany this virtue include caring and befriending others:
• Love
• Kindness
• Social intelligence
Most of the nonprofit leaders showcase such strengths, of Love and Kindness. Politicians like
Barack Obama have this innate ability to connect with people (Social intelligence)
Virtue of Justice
Strengths that accompany this virtue include those that build a healthy and stable community:
• Being an active citizen, socially responsible, loyal, and a team member.

• Fairness
• Leadership
Mahatma Gandhi was the leader of the Indian independence movement in British-ruled India.
He led India to independence and helped created movements for civil rights and freedom by
being an active citizen in nonviolent disobedience. His work has been applied worldwide for
its universality.
Virtue of Temperance
Strengths that are included in this virtue are those that protect against excess:
• Forgiveness and mercy

• Humility and modesty
• Prudence
• Self-Regulation and Self-control
Being forgiving, merciful, humble, prudent, and under control of your behaviors and instincts
will prevent you from being arrogant, selfish, or any other trait that is excessive.
27
Virtue of Transcendence
Strengths that accompany this virtue includes those that forge connections to the larger
universe and provide meaning:
• Appreciation of beauty and excellence

• Gratitude
• Hope
• Humor and playfulness
• Spirituality, or a sense of purpose
The Dalai Lama is transcendent being, as he never loses hope in humanity’s potential, always
appreciates nature in its perfection, is frequently seen smiling, and is living out what he believes
to be his intended purpose.
3.3 THE VIA SURVEY:

VIA (Originally known as “Values in Action Inventory” and now is simply called VIA)
survey helps individuals in understanding their top Character Strengths. There are 120
questions in the survey that test individuals through different questions about display or
virtues and character. The Organisation that conducts this questionnaire is called the “VIA
Institute of Character” established by Psychologist and founder of the Mayerson Academy,
Dr Neal H. Mayerson. Once an individual takes the survey, he/she would get individualized
hierarchy of strengths.
ACTIVITY
Go to https://www.viacharacter.org/www/Character-Strengths-
Survey and take the free Character Strengths Survey. Once
you get the report after the Survey, look at your Top 5
character Strengths and try to recall how you have been
using those strengths in your work as well as in your daily
life. Also, write down in a notebook about ways in which
you would showcase your strengths in the future
Tip: The top 5 Character Strengths can also be termed as

your “Signature Strengths)
There are additional surveys offered by the VIA Institute that include a VIA Youth Survey
that decodes the top strengths of individuals in the age group of 10-17
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3.4 APPLICABILITY OF CHARACTER STRENGTHS

APPROACH IN SCHOOLS AND WORKPLACES:
Character Strengths is a great tool to develop Positive Interventions in schools as well as
workplaces. At workplaces, Character Strengths in employees can be leveraged in many
ways. Some of the action points can be the following;
-- The performance management system can have one ingredient related to

Character Strengths on which the employees can rate themselves and have a
performance discussion centered around signature strengths. Job Rotation can
also be linked to Signature Strengths. There is also a need to train Managers in
Positive Psychology interventions.
-- Employee Engagement Processes can be linked to Character Strengths. People
can get better involved and aligned to an Organisational thinking if their
character strengths are harnessed holistically.
At Schools, the VIA survey can be used in understanding the strengths of students. It also
helps in assigning projects to kids with similar strengths or developing a strength-based
curriculum.
3.4 Using Character Strengths for Goal Setting: Character Strengths can help you set your
goals. While your top signature strengths can help you set the direction of your goals, the
bottom strengths can give you triggers to improvise on the low ranking strengths.
Following matrix can be one way of doing it
My Top 5 Character My Bottom Five Goals related Goals Related

Strengths Strengths to Top 5 to Bottom 5
29
POSITIVE PSYCHOLOGY Resilience and Positive Psychology
4 RESILIENCE AND POSITIVE

PSYCHOLOGY
“Life doesn’t get easier or more forgiving, we get stronger
and more resilient.”
– Steve Maraboli, Life, the Truth, and Being Free
4.1 UNDERSTANDING AND DEFINING RESILIENCE

Resilience is an important area of work for Positive Psychologists. Resilience in positive
psychology is the ability to re-activate positive emotions and bounce back whenever life
throws bigger or small challenges at you. Some people have the ability to come back stronger
even after facing challenges like starvation, rape, serious illnesses etc. These people are called
resilient. The examples of resilient people include Nelson Mandela, Oprah Winfrey, Nadia
Murad, Malala Yousufzai, Elon Musk and many others. These people became stronger in
the face of adversity, and with their zeal, enthusiasm and a high sense of self-efficacy made
them happy as well as successful
A resilient person adapts to the challenges through activation of personal resources, character
strengths like Hope, optimism, Love of learning etc. Resilience is also associated with positive
psychology as being resilient is directly linked to happiness and well-being. Resilience may
not be a precursor for a life well lived but it is surely a strength which when used can make
people more adaptable to change and may well find a newer path to success and well-being.
Someone has said, “If you cannot change it, change the way you think about it”
ACTIVITY FOR SELF-LEARNING
Recall your work life (If you are a student, go back to your
childhood days) and remember instances where the life’s
challenges made you resilient or non-resilient. When you
were resilient, what kind of results could you create for your
life. Also, when you were non-resilient, what kind of agony
or pains did you go through? When you were resilient, what
kind of strengths did you activate/use
I would like to Define “Resilience” as the ability to bounce back to a positive life state and
to be stronger in facing challenges and adapting to life’s situations with more perseverance.
There are many authors who have wonderfully defined resilience and one can learn from
them as well. Resilience is also present and future focused as resilient people build resources
to deal with the present as well as the future.
30
4.2 THE MINDSET OF RESILIENCE

Relationships have an important role in developing “the resilience capital” in an individual.
By “resilience capital” we mean the characteristics of resilience that people display in different
situations. We humans start building the resilience capital from a very young age as we are
surely deeply influenced by our parents. In the later part of our lives, we have many other
influences, both positive or negative that can add to our resilient capital. As far as parenting
styles are concerned, for the sake of understanding resilience, let us consider two types of
parenting styles. The first one can be the authoritative and compassionate parenting style
and the second is the authoritarian or passive parenting styles.
In the parenting style that is authoritative, the parents usually display the characteristics of
warmth, affection as well as inculcating respect for experience, age and authority. Kids are
usually chided for disrespecting an elder and parents lead by example. The theory of Parenting
styles by Baumrinds (1971) has shown that the authoritative parenting is the ideal style
of raising an independent and self-reliant (and perhaps resilient) child. As a counterview,
there is another parenting style that is referred to as an “authoritarian parenting style” where
values like discipline, morals, giving instructions etc. is given more importance and this can
often result in rebellious, dependent and not too confident children.
Besides the different parenting styles and their role in building the resilience capital, there
are various other factors that include the education levels of parents, their socio-economic
status and the environment at home (broken marriages of parents, abusive parent, dominating
siblings etc.). This was also concluded by the Psychologists C.R. Snyder and S.J. Lopez in
2009. Snyder and Lopez have also presented the protective factors for psychological resilience
Lopez and Snyder have prescribed the following key protective individual factors that help
in building resilience:
• Positive self-image: When individuals have a positive self-image, they tend to be

more resilient then others.
• Problem-solving skills: People with problem solving skills can be more resilient
because they know how to face difficulties and are attuned to solving simple as
well as complex problems
• Self-regulation: Self-regulation or self-control helps in developing conscious
choices be it in matters of well-being/health or buying material goods. Self-
regulation also helps in developing a positive self-image of ourselves.
• Adaptability: If we are adaptable in diverse situations in life, it helps us in
building the psychological capital of resilience.
• Faith / understanding the meaning and one’s purpose: We attach a big
significance to thinking beyond ourselves and finding the individual meaning
and purpose. We have discussed this earlier in this eBook about meaning and
how finding meaning is a key ingredient to lasting happiness and well-being
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• Positive outlook: A positive outlook towards the happenings in life also assists
in developing resilience. For example, if we look at a cloudy day in a gloomy
fashion, we may feel slightly dejected or depressed. On the other hand, a
positive outlook would make us think that the weather was good to have a get
together or a theme party.
• Skills and talents that are valued by self and community: Your skills/strengths
and talents are uniquely yours and when you use them effectively, you would be
in a positive frame of mind. This also helps you in being resilient
• General acceptance by others: If you as an individual are generally accepted by
others for what you are, it is a great opportunity to be at a good level of well-
being. Also, you can build your resilience capital
What is your mindset of resilience? When were those

occasions when you were at your best as far as resilience
is concerned? What resources do you need to feel more
resilient?
There would be many more ways in which you can become resilient but in Positive Psychology
context, it is about building your psychological resources and using your inherent strengths
to be more resilient than you already are. The Mindset of Resilience, therefore can be
developed keeping the aforesaid points in mind.
32
We can also look at the following table to rate ourselves on resilience capital based on the
points discussed above;
My Self-assessment (Rate yourself on a

Protective Individual Factors scale of 1-5 where five being the best and
write down your own reason for the rating)
1. Positive Self Image
2. Problem Solving Skills
3. Self-Regulation
4. Adaptability
5. Understanding Meaning and Purpose
6. Positive Outlook
7. Valued Skills and Talents
8. Acceptance by Others
The above table will make you review your own resilience capability
4.3 IDENTIFYING AND LEVERAGING STRENGTHS

Through identification of Strengths and then using them, we can enhance our capabilities
to be resilient. We also need supportive Environments for growth. Environments for growth
are the external environments that foster resilience. Resilience is also related to the kind of
support system that helps individuals in being resilient. From a micro external environment
like the support of spouse/partner to a macro environment of effective institutions and
social structures, individuals seek environments for Growth. When we are provided with
the requisite environments for growth, we as humans can become better equipped in facing
day to day challenges. Environments for Growth may include supportive peer relationships,
engaged and open workplaces that are inclusive and diverse, positive governments and
institutions that foster creativity and innovation and so on.
33
Through tools like Character Strengths, you can look at your signature strengths and see
if you can leverage your strengths to become more resilient. With each strength you can
recall the moments where you were resilient and could bounce back with a positive energy.
The following table can help
Character Strengths My resilience connection
Strength1
Strength2
Strength3
Strength4
Strength5
In the above chart, you can use the top 5 character strengths which get displayed after you
complete the character strengths survey.
Recognizing your strength is the first step in understanding how you can leverage that
strength.
34
A visualization technique that can be used for this is to imagine

the place you are in at the moment and slowly zoom out of
yourself. Slowly zoom out of the building you’re in, of the
place, of the state, country and even continent. Then you
zoom out further all the way through the ozone layer until
you reach the moon and are looking at the whole earth.
Now think about your problem again, how big is it really?
4.4 FOCUSING ON PROGRESS AND NOT JUST GOALS

“Progress lies not in enhancing what is, but in advancing
toward what will be”.
– Khalil Gibran
Most people usually focus more on achievement of goals rather than the progress they achieve
in the journey towards achieving their goals. This is not the correct measure of achieving the
goals if we do not incorporate small accomplishments during the process. Accomplishments
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or the “A” of PERMA model also means savoring the moment when you achieve a level of
progress in your goals. For example, you are creating a new employee engagement process
in your company and you really want to be a game-changer and develop such practices that
no Organisation had ever followed. In that process, you set some objectives and goals and a
time-frame to achieve those goals. In between you will get some brilliant ideas from diverse
teams and maybe test some of those in between. That in-between period is something where
you can celebrate your progress. That makes goal-achievement a fun-filled activity as well
and you tend to be resilient in the entire process. According to research undertaken by the
American Psychological Association (2015), monitoring goal progress is crucial in ensuring
that your goals are translated into action.
Also, by acknowledging the progress and celebrating the accomplishments (howsoever small
they may be), we send doses of dopamine to our brains and that makes us feel really good
about the entire process. If we face setbacks in the future, we would be better equipped to
handle them. You become resilient when you remind yourself of the successes you had on
the journey of achieving your goals.
36
“There are no constraints on the human mind, no walls

around the human spirit, no barriers to our progress except
those we ourselves erect”
– Ronald Reagan
4.5 BUILDING RESILIENCE AT THE WORKPLACES

While we understand the value of parenting, peer group influence and celebrating successes
on the journey of goal setting, it is important that the workplaces also provide empowering
spaces, where employee are empowered in a true sense. With empowerment, people become
much more involved and engaged. If you are a Manager, you would expect your team mates
to produce great results. In this context, employees should be allowed to celebrate small
successes and should be given incentives to be innovative and creative. A small appreciation
goes a long way. Besides, sometimes an assistance can be taken from a Positive Psychology
practitioner in developing tools and processes for a resilient workplace
4.6 DEVELOPING RESILIENCE THROUGH

TRANSFORMATIVE LEADERSHIP
A transformative leader has a vision – to change things for the better while making an
Organisation agile, productive, happy and on a journey of constant improvement. A
transformative leader prepares for tomorrow and foresees the hiccups on the journey of
developing a world class organisation. If we hire such transformational leaders in our
organisations or groom leaders to become transformational, it would go a long way in
developing resilient employees. By throwing new challenges while empowering the teams,
a transformational leader can channelize resources towards a productive usage. Companies
should focus on creating new paradigms in leadership
4.7 COACHING FOR RESILIENCE

If you feel that you don’t have enough strengths to leverage or you are clueless about the
ways to become more resilient then you are in the current phase, you can hire a trained
Positive Psychology Coach. A life coach, who is also trained in Positive Psychology (and
specially on Resilience) can help you understand your strengths from a positive perspective,
work with you to develop your resilience skills and make your life enriched and flourishing.
A coaching session typically happens once in a week or once a fortnight when the coach and
37
the coachee (someone who takes coaching services) sit down on a one-on-one discussion.
The Coach asks questions relevant to a Coachee’s life situations or goals and the Coachee
responds to the questions and through these conversations they both work together to find
solutions. In the case of resilience coaching, the conversations are about how the challenges
could be better coped. The typical questions are, “How has been your last week? Tell me three
good things that happened” or “How do you think this session which we are having now will
make you more resilient” or even “You said that you are quite resilient. Please share any moments
in your life, if you are comfortable, when you displayed these strengths”.
These sessions may happen over a period of six months or even one year. There is an
increasing trend of individuals working as freelancing Resilience Coaches.
4.8 RESILIENCE AND GRIT

GRIT is in the news for all the right reasons and this word is used often in the case of
achieving a goal through passion and perseverance. Grit and Resilience both work hand
in hand to help individuals fight the odds and create the life the way they want to live it.
One of the prominent experts in contemporary positive psychology, Angela Duckworth
defines Grit as, “Grit is passion and perseverance for long-term and meaningful goals”. While
Resilience is about gearing up and bouncing back to action, Grit is something like smart
determination that comes through sustained hard work, with hardcore passion. Resilience can
also be linked to the strength of perseverance. Resilient people necessarily display strength of
perseverance as Resilience as a quality, by nature, includes persistence and resolve to achieve
something. Merely goal setting is not enough. It needs Grit as well as Resilience. Most of
the Entrepreneurs exhibit Grit and their passion encourages them to follow through, be
resilient and walk that extra mile to be successful.
While for being Resilient you need not be passionate about anything but when it comes to
Realizing your goals or in finding your meaning and purpose, you need a much gritty bent
of mind. People with Grit have a better possibility of chasing their goals, leveraging their
strengths like perseverance and to also find an alternative path to achieve their objectives
Resilience, as an intervention in Positive Psychology can transform any individual’s life.
Mindset of Resilience is necessary, and individuals should leverage their strengths to face
life’s challenges.
ACTIVITY FOR PRACTICE
What is that you are passionate about today? Do you have

perseverance and a strong determination to achieve your
current goals and objectives? How would you make sure
that your passion is always driving you towards the end
results you are expecting?
38
POSITIVE PSYCHOLOGY Building Positive Organisations
5 BUILDING POSITIVE
ORGANISATIONS
Positive Psychology also has specificity in the Organisations as well and the interventions
can be applied in diverse Organisations including large corporations, small entrepreneurs,
non-profits, Government Institutions and so on.
5.1 POSITIVE ORGANISATIONAL BEHAVIOR

Fred Luthans defined Positive Organisational Behavior (2002) as “the study and application of
positively-oriented human resource strengths and psychological capacities that can be measured,
developed, and effectively managed for performance improvement in today’s workplace”.
Luthans and Youssef (2007) had defined four key psychological resource capacities
namely Self-efficacy, Hope, Optimism, and Resiliency to be added to the existing field
of Organisational behavior. These resource capacities enhance Organisational performance,
excellence and productivity.
The four psychological resource capacities:
Self-efficacy: Inculcating the understanding of self-efficacy would make employees and

teams realize where they are good at
Hope: Hope is a character strength that is related to developing life determinizations and
motivation or the willpower to accomplish goals. Similarly, through positive psychology
interventions, employees through ownership as well as internalized control would be able
to accomplish team as well as Organisational goals. The employees would also be able to
develop alternative pathways to achieve the goals they have sought their eyes upon
Optimism: Optimism and Hope are inter-linked. When we talk of hope, we are looking
at the determinations and motivations (willpower, if you may!) and in optimism we are
expecting a positive outcome based on work that was a result of self-efficacy, ownership
and leveraging on individual character strengths.
Resiliency: Positive Psychologists believe that Resiliency can be learnt at an individual as
well as at an Organisational level. Resiliency at workplace can embrace proactiveness and
urgency with a humane angle of reward and should also be able to project discrepancies
even when there is no tangible external threat.
39
Positive Organisational Behavior is developing into a full-fledged behavioral science and its
applications are changing the way Organisations are looking at leveraging the strengths of
human resources.
5.2 PRACTICES FOR DEVELOPING POSITIVE ORGANISATIONS

Positive Organisations can be developed through Positive Psychology interventions that
could include the following;
-- Accepting diverse viewpoints and creating an Organisation that learns on its own
on a regular basis is a primary focal point from where the action would start.
This also includes a much more broad-based process of employee engagement
(not just the much-hyped jargon!)
-- Better hiring that can attract individuals to new ideas and creativy. A strength-
based interview can work well (Any positive psychology consultant can help
with this). For Leadership hires, their previous experience in engaging the teams
should be given higher value
-- Organisations are dynamic. They should be allowed to evolve, change and
flourish. In this scenario, having a vision on a company’s legacy, what it stands
for, what is its growth trajectory, how does it help defining individual and
group’s meaning are some of the important discussion points.
-- The performance management systems in the Organisations can be aligned to
more strength-based systems
5.3 THE POWER OF GRATITUDE

As Positive Psychology also refers to understanding our own repertoire of positive resources,
savouring the moment and appreciating others plays an important role in creating caring
and inclusive Organisations. Gratitude in nutshell means heartfelt appreciation to people or
the environment. In a Positive Psychology framework, gratitude is considered as appreciation
of all the positive aspects of one’s life. When we express Gratitude, we invariably feel good
within ourselves as well. Gratitude can be used whenever a team or a group of people
achieve milestones on a success journey. A positive leader would usually show gratitude to
his/her teammates. It can be manifested in some of the following ways;
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-- The culture of appreciating people should be the part of the employee

engagement initiatives. The leaders should be trained in these engaging
behaviors. Not only a public appreciation in front of the larger teams,
but it may also happen on individual levels as well. There are some
managers/leaders who are used to sending handwritten appreciation or
gratitude notes to employees
-- Gratitude has been positively associated with the Organisational citizenship
behaviors (McCollough, 2001). In nutshell, if employees are treated fairly
and are appreciated, they are likely to give back to the Organisation
with renewed determination
-- On an individual level, you may maintain a gratitude journal where you can
write three good things that happened with you. It can be your own personal
growth, or appreciation of someone who helped you at work. It may well be
about appreciating nature or surroundings. An example is provided here;
My Gratitude Diary
May 01
- B rian was really friendly today. He helped me with the

new presentation and I appreciate his help
- It rained a bit and It cooled down the temperature. I went
out to feel the breeze at least three times today
- Teamwork pays. I am enjoying this journey of developing
some of the best products.
5.4 BUILDING ENGAGED WORK TEAMS

Using the PERMA Matrix of well-being, an Organisation can look at developing, nurturing
and building engaged work teams. Building engaged work teams also means that the
Organisation is willing to empower people in the truest sense possible. The following graphic
would make it clear;
Create a Deliver and

Empower Visualize
FLOW Celebrate
41
The first part of engaging any work team is to empower them. Empowering includes
incubation support (when a team is still unclear of the expectations), continuous learning,
sharing of resources, providing all the necessary tools and a consistent support without too
much of distractions. Once the teams are empowered, let them visualize how a particular
task or a bigger project needs to be accomplished. At the next stage, once the context is
clear, there would be a possibility that the individuals, as part of the teams, would be in a
state of FLOW (Csikszentmihalyi, 1990).
Flow, as per the research by Psychologist Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi is the moment when we
are totally absorbed by the task we are undertaking (like a musician playing his/her best
note, a football player focused on the game, a designer creating the best design etc)
Csikszentmihalyi describes 8 characteristics of flow:
1. Complete concentration on the task

2. Clarity of goals and reward in mind and immediate feedback
3. Transformation of time (speeding up/slowing down of time)
4. The experience is intrinsically rewarding
5. Effortlessness and ease
6. There is a balance between challenge and skills
7. Actions and awareness are merged, losing self-conscious rumination
8. There is a feeling of control over the task
The work teams then can deliver the product or the project they had been working on. If
they can achieve a Flow in their work, they can bring an optimal level of creativity to the
fore. Engagement is just not about empowerment, it is about creating an experience for
the employees that is unparallel and unique. Enabling the employees to be so creative that
they can experience Flow is a best practice that the Organisations can develop, for better
performance as well as social equity.
5.5 CHANGE MANAGEMENT THROUGH POSITIVE

PSYCHOLOGY AND APPRECIATIVE INQUIRY
Positive Psychology as a tool has various applications for the business Organisations.
Organisations usually grapple with new disruptions in the external environments. Many a
times, they have to change their product lines, introduce new products or even close few
divisions. As Organisations are dynamic and so are the market conditions, change becomes
a core focus area. Change Management in the contemporary times is an established field
with many specialized courses and trainings available on this theme. There are Organisational
42
Development practitioners who specialize in this field. Positive Psychology, along with
Appreciative Inquiry can help the change management process. Appreciative Inquiry is a
group driven futuristic pathway. Through Appreciative Inquiry, the work teams focus on
“what is working?” and “why is it working?” and “can we do more of it?”. In a way, this
process eliminates things that are not working and hence we can develop a “future shock
proof ” companies. In alignment with Positive Psychology, while using the Positive Psychology
narrative of Positive Emotions and Engagement, Organisations can have a holistic approach
to change management
Through this process, Organisations and the teams can self-reflect and answer some of the
following questions;
-- What do we do best?
-- What structures are working?
-- What are our collective strengths?
-- Can we minimize things that are not working? Can they work with a different
ideology?
-- What is the ideal future we aspire for, as individuals and as groups?
Once these questions are answered, an Organisation can lead itself to a new and a better
pathway.
43
POSITIVE PSYCHOLOGY Positive Education
6 POSITIVE EDUCATION
“Positive education is defined as education for both traditional
skills and for happiness. The high prevalence worldwide
of depression among young people, the small rise in life
satisfaction, and the synergy between learning and positive
emotion all argue that the skills for happiness should be
taught in school.”
– (Seligman, Ernst, Gillham, Reivich, & Linkins)
6.1 INTRODUCING POSITIVE EDUCATION:

Positive Education is application of Positive Psychology in the education sector and it focuses
on complimenting existing education systems with the models of well-being and character
strengths. The idea of Positive Education comes from a viewpoint that the education as
it exists in the contemporary times is more “test-centric” than “strength-centric”. Positive
Education, hence focuses on a strengths-based approach where the child’s whole person
development is the desired outcome and not merely the improvement in the academic
performance. Academic performance eventually improves when the child displays his/her
strengths in diverse activities including studies, leveraging character strengths and achieving
the state of well-being.
Traditionally academic excellence had been a yardstick to measure a school’s success but in
recent times many schools have started admitting that there was a need to develop students
44
in a holistic fashion, with a push towards happiness and wellbeing. This is also pertinent
because the increasing statistics show psychological challenges including stress, bullying and
other mental illnesses being inflicted upon children and adolescents.
6.2 HISTORY OF POSITIVE EDUCATION

One of the key founders of the Positive Psychology movement Martin Seligman has been one of
the leading lights on the idea of Positive Education. According to Seligman, Education teaches
people things like numeracy, science etc., but not life skills and character building. Whilst
the positive education sounds like a new concept, it has its own unique history of evolution.
In the first symposium in Australia on “Australian Positive Psychology in Education”, Helen
McGrath (2009) had in her keynote presentation had outlined a brief history of wellbeing in
education and schooling. According to McGrath, positive education gained some prominence
from the self-esteem movement of the 1970s and gradually moved towards the social skills
programs in the early 1990s. This was further followed up towards the programs on resilience
in the early 2000s. From the early 2000s, it started focusing on student well-being initiatives,
anti-bullying awareness, emotional management programs and so on.
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45
6.3 LEVERAGING CHARACTER STRENGTHS IN CHILDREN:

Positive Education concepts focus largely on character building of children so that they can
grow up as discerning, confident adults who understand the value of well-being in work
and life. The children especially when they reach the age of 7+ can take up the character
strengths survey and understand their signature strengths. Once they realize what their
signature strengths are, there can be mechanisms for them to showcase those. To leverage
the character strengths the children can be given platforms to talk about them or apply
them through experiential learning.
6.4 DEVELOPING POSITIVE CLASSROOMS

To implement Positive Psychology in Education, the foremost step is to develop positive
classrooms. The idea behind this is that we need to make learning important for all
stakeholders in the school. The children, as the primary stakeholders have to be taken in
confidence first. A positive classroom, hence by definition is a space where the participants
can learn, have fun, share their learning, showcase their strengths, learn from peers and make
learning relevant. Following are few things that can be done to develop positive classrooms
-- Making Learning Relevant

Children would be better engaged in learning when they see the relevance of it
and that such learning is important for their happiness as well as success. Teachers
and learning facilitators can adjust their teaching methods and pedagogy to the
learning styles and interests of the students. In this scenario, there is an increased
ownership of learning within the students.
-- Create a Student-driven Classroom Code of Conduct
It is essential for a positive classroom to have a clarity on positive and negative
behaviors. To make this non-ambiguous, teachers can give the tasks to students to
identify the ways they like to be treated. This discussion would enable the students
to list out behaviors that are respectful, fair, kind, and empathetic. As a cohesive
group, students and teachers would co-create an inclusive code of conduct.
-- Teaching Positive Actions
There is a need to teach students positive behaviors in a consistent, systematic and
thorough way. It surely cannot be assumed that the students would know them
beforehand. We can create a curriculum called, “The Positive Action curriculum”
which would cover among many things, the importance of positive actions for
healthy body, intellect, for emotional management or for getting along well with
others. The positive can also include inculcating things like taking ownership,
admitting mistakes and goal-setting for the future.
-- Instill Intrinsic Motivation
46
Individuals has the basic desire to feel good about themselves. In the Positive Action
program, teachers facilitate an understanding in the students that people are likely
to feel good about themselves when they engage in positive actions. The program
can provide a three-step process for choosing positive actions: First, people have
thoughts; second, people act consistently with the thought; third, people experience
feelings about themselves based on their actions. That feeling leads to another
thought, and the cycle starts again. With practice, students learn that if they have
a negative thought, they can change it to a positive one that will lead to a positive
action and a positive feeling about themselves—a powerful intrinsic motivator.
Students would understand and improve their behavior in any situation through a
repeated reinforcement by the teacher/facilitator
-- Reinforce Positive Behaviors
Teachers, who teach in Positive Classrooms have a responsibility to reinforce positive
behaviors in order to strengthen intrinsic motivation. Teachers should be able to
recognize the positive behavior, ask how it made the student feel, and tell the student
that the extrinsic reward is a reminder of that good feeling. When the students
make the connection between feeling good about themselves v/s their performance,
intrinsic motivation gets enhanced, and positive behaviors are sustained during a
longer duration.
-- Engage Positive Role Models
Through a positive education approach, schools should involve and engage with
Positive Role Models, who would be part of the community, family, group of elders
or the religious institutions. This can help in developing relevant and inclusive
curriculums as well.
6.5 FEW EXAMPLES OF POSITIVE EDUCATION IN ACTION

Geelong Grammar School: Geelong Grammar School (GGS), at Geelong, Australia is a
shining example of Positive Psychology in Practice. Geelong Grammar School uses Character
strengths-based approach to understand and leverage character strengths in children. The
school also uses the Flourish model of wellbeing (based on the research of Psychologist Martin
Seligman). GGS also inculcates having a sense of meaning and purpose in the students.
The Shipley School: The Shipley School is a private, co-educational day school for pre-
kindergarten till 12th grade students, located in Bryn Mawr, Pennsylvania, United States.
The School has incorporated Positive Education as part of an overall strategy and has also
appointed a full-time Director of Positive Education with a purpose to create well-being and
to facilitate character building of the students. Positive Education, at The Shipley School
focuses on specific skills that assist students to build positive emotions and engagement, good
relationships, meaning and purpose and accomplishment. The Shipley School frequently
collaborates with the Positive Psychology Center at the University of Pennsylvania.
47
6.6 POSITIVE PSYCHOLOGY IN HIGHER EDUCATION

Positive Psychology in Higher Education is comparatively at a nascent stage. At the level
of Higher Education, the dynamics of education itself changes and individuals take up
higher studies with a purpose of taking up new occupations/career options, whether it’s a
job or an entrepreneurship venture. Through Positive Education, the Institutes of Higher
Education including Universities and Colleges can blend a strengths-based approach with
the traditional pedagogy of University education. For a Universal knowledge facilitation,
the higher education institutions should be able to empower students to study courses that
match their strengths. In the UK, University of Buckingham, in collaboration with Dr.
Martin Seligman has been trying to embed Positive Psychology across departments and
courses. Besides that, the University has also mandated to Promote positive relationships
and positive engagement besides other mechanisms to make sure that the students as well
as the staff are happy.
48
POSITIVE PSYCHOLOGY Bibliography
BIBLIOGRAPHY
1. https://ppc.sas.upenn.edu/
2. https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/basics/positive-psychology
3. http://www.positivepsychologyinstitute.com.au/what_is_positive_psychology.html
4. http://www.positivepsychologyinstitute.com.au/what_is_positive_psychology.html
5. https://positivepsychologyprogram.com/broaden-build-theory/
6. https://corporatefinanceinstitute.com/resources/careers/soft-skills/perma-model/
7. https://curiosity.com/topics/the-perma-model-is-a-5-step-approach-to-finding-
happiness-curiosity/
8. https://theskillcollective.com/blog/perma-resilience-wellbeing
9. https://ppc.sas.upenn.edu/resilience-programs/resilience-skill-set
10. https://www.authentichappiness.sas.upenn.edu/learn/educatorresilience
11. http://www.centreforconfidence.co.uk/pp/overview.php?p=c2lkPTU=
12. http://www.meaning.ca/archives/presidents_columns/pdfs/pres_col_feb_2006.pdf
13. https://blog.nus.edu.sg/audreyc/2014/03/28/positive-Organisational-behaviour/
14. https://www.forbes.com/sites/nazbeheshti/2018/11/20/benefits-of-a-year-round-
attitude-of-gratitude-in-the-workplace/
15. https://greatergood.berkeley.edu/article/item/how_gratitude_can_transform_your_
workplace
16. https://trulyblazey.com/home/the-power-of-positive-education-for-schools-in-the-
united-states
17. https://www.shipleyschool.org/page/about/positive-education
18. https://positivepsychologyprogram.com/what-is-positive-education/
19. http://www.buckleyparkco.vic.edu.au/page/260/Positive-Education
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1 Introducing Positive Psychology 8

2 Decoding PERMA Model of Well-being 15

3 Character Strengths and Positive Psychology 24

4 Resilience and Positive Psychology 30

5 Building Positive Organisations 39

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

This book is written by Sandeep Kulshrestha. Sandeep is a Positive Psychologist, Executive

As a speaker and learning facilitator, Sandeep conducts workshops on contemporary leadership

Sandeep can be connected on email sandeep@iipp-edu.org and on handphone at +91 99

Social Media and Web Links

1.1 WHAT IS POSITIVE PSYCHOLOGY?

1.2 THE HISTORICAL PERSPECTIVE

1.3 MARTIN SELIGMAN AND THE BEGINNINGS OF

“Entering a new millennium, we face a historical choice.

1.4 THE PERMA MODEL AND ITS’ SIGNIFICANCE

PERMA MODEL OF WELL-BEING

Positive Emotions - Feeling good, Joyful, Optimistic

Engagement - Immersed in work, Taking pleasure in work, In a moment of flow

Relationships - Strong Family ties, Long term associations, social connections

Accomplishment - Finding Happiness in the journey towards success, Self-appreciation etc.

1.5 FLOW AND POSITIVE PSYCHOLOGY

ACTIVITY FOR “FLOW”

Look at your favorite Musician’s Live performance on a Video

1.6 THE DISEASE MODEL VS FLOURISH MODEL

Following are the Four components of the Flourish Model:

DISEASE MODEL FLOURISH MODEL

CLINICAL INTERVENTION BASED

TREATMENT ORIENTED SOLUTIONS ORIENTED

PATIENT FOCUSED STRENGTHS FOCUSED

1.7 BRANCHES OF POSITIVE PSYCHOLOGY

a. Positive Psychotherapy: Positive Psychotherapy although is an older discipline

2 DECODING PERMA MODEL

2.1 POSITIVE EMOTIONS:

a. Avoiding self-stereotyping: If we avoid making generalisations about ourselves

Moments when Moments when

At the end of the day, recall 3 positive emotions you

Engagement in a Positive Psychology concept is an idea of “intense alignment” with the

2.3 POSITIVE RELATIONSHIPS:

Following are some key ingredients of a positive relationship

-- Developing trust: Trust gets developed through proper communication where

“Love draws you out of your cocoon of self-absorption

Name of the A positive adjective

Through meaning we seek answers to philosophical questions such as “Whether my life

What do I want to do when I grow up? (Considering you

(Picture Courtesy: pexels.com)

1. How, and for what, do I want to be remembered?

Re-Living the moment of the Accomplishments

2.6 DAILY RITUALS TO PRACTICE PERMA

3 CHARACTER STRENGTHS AND

3.1 CHARACTER STRENGTHS STUDY:

1. Wisdom and Knowledge

• The strength is valued and recognized in almost every cultural or religious

3.2 CHARACTER STRENGTHS CLASSIFICATION:

Virtue of Wisdom and Knowledge

Does any of the above Character Strengths make any sense

• Being an active citizen, socially responsible, loyal, and a team member.

• Forgiveness and mercy

• Appreciation of beauty and excellence

3.3 THE VIA SURVEY:

Tip: The top 5 Character Strengths can also be termed as

3.4 APPLICABILITY OF CHARACTER STRENGTHS

-- The performance management system can have one ingredient related to

1 Introducing Positive Psychology 8

2 Decoding PERMA Model of Well-being 15

3 Character Strengths and Positive Psychology 24

4 Resilience and Positive Psychology 30

5 Building Positive Organisations 39

1.3 MARTIN SELIGMAN AND THE BEGINNINGS OF

1.4 THE PERMA MODEL AND ITS’ SIGNIFICANCE

2 DECODING PERMA MODEL

3 CHARACTER STRENGTHS AND

3.4 APPLICABILITY OF CHARACTER STRENGTHS

4 RESILIENCE AND POSITIVE

4.6 DEVELOPING RESILIENCE THROUGH

- B rian was really friendly today. He helped me with the

5.5 CHANGE MANAGEMENT THROUGH POSITIVE