A Primer in Positive Psychology (Oxford Positive Psychology Series) [Paperback]

Christopher Peterson (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: July 27, 2006 | ISBN-10: 0195188330 | ISBN-13: 978-0195188332 | Edition: 1

Positive psychology is the scientific study of what goes right in life, from birth to death and at all stops in between. It is a newly-christened approach within psychology that takes seriously the examination of that which makes life most worth living. Everyone's life has peaks and valleys, and positive psychology does not deny the valleys. Its signature premise is more nuanced, but nonetheless important: what is good about life is as genuine as what is bad and, therefore, deserves equal attention from psychologists. Positive psychology as an explicit perspective has existed only since 1998, but enough relevant theory and research now exist to fill a textbook suitable for a semester-long college course.

A Primer in Positive Psychology is thoroughly grounded in scientific research and covers major topics of concern to the field: positive experiences such as pleasure and flow; positive traits such as character strengths, values, and talents; and the social institutions that enable these subjects as well as what recent research might contribute to this knowledge. Every chapter contains exercises that illustrate positive psychology, a glossary, suggestions of articles and books for further reading, and lists of films, websites, and popular songs that embody chapter themes.

A comprehensive overview of positive psychology by one of the acknowledged leaders in the field, this textbook provides students with a thorough introduction to an important area of psychology.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"Chris Peterson, one of the founding fathers of Positive Psychology, has written a wonderfully engaging and deeply stimulating introduction to this swiftly growing field. Intellectual history is interwoven with data, research findings with backstage gossip, to produce a delightful classic." -- Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi, Director, Quality of Life Research Center and C.S. and D.J. Davidson Professor, Peter F. Drucker School of Management, Claremont Graduate University

"This excellent text gives readers a clear and interesting introduction to the field of positive psychology. Students will find the book easy to read, yet informative, and others can read the book because it covers fascinating material that is relevant to living a successful life." --Ed Diener, Alumni Distinguished Professor of Psychology, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and Editor, Perspectives on Psychological Science, and Journal of Happiness Studies

"This is the definitive textbook in Positive Psychology. But more than that, it may be the single best textbook on any subject that I have ever read. It's fun to read and it's authoritative-written as it is by one of the main investigators in the field. I can't remember reading a textbook before that both made me laugh out loud and brought tears to my eyes." --Martin E.P. Seligman, Fox Leadership Professor of Psychology, University of Pennsylvania, and Director, Positive Psychology Center

"Peterson offers his readers a marvelous blend of lucidity, originality, humor, kindness and scholarship. This is a book that should entice many thousands of readers into a lifetime of interest in psychology." --George Vaillant, Senior hysician at Brigham and Women's Hospital and Professor of Psychiatry, Harvard Medical School

"This is a splendid book that presents the principles of positive psychology in a very understandable way. The exercises are well done and bring the material to life. This is a wonderful volume in the Oxford publishing tradition. It challenges the reader to see clients in a new way which will enhance psychological growth. As clinicians, we tend to focus on pathology, but positive psychology helps us to look beyond the obvious difficulties and see potential. Psychologists and psychology students need to be inspired; this book will do that and more."--Doody's

"Peterson moves gracefully, with gravitas and humor, and provides an honest account on positive psychology. Peterson provides a good overview of research findings on important themes...he also does a fine job of critical evaluation in many subdomains of psychological science...an excellent introduction to the area of positive psychology."--PsycCRITIQUES

"No one teaching, studying or intending to teach or study positive psychology should walk past this book...A masterful storyteller, [Peterson] leads the reader through the history, discoveries, victories, pitfalls and unresolved issues in positive psychology. One of the greatest virtues of the book is that it is full of personal examples and sometimes even a bit of professional gossip, giving it almost a novelistic read. Yet, a serious scholarly rigor is fully preserved - hundreds of research findings are presented in a clear, logical and engaging fashion."--Psychology Teaching Review

About the Author

Christopher Peterson has been at the University of Michigan since 1986. He is Professor of Psychology, the former director of clinical training, and an Arthur F. Thurnau Professor, awarded in recognition of his accomplishments as an undergraduate instructor. Peterson is a member of the Positive Psychology Steering Committee, a consulting editor of the Journal of Positive Psychology, and a Templeton Senior Fellow at the University of Pennsylvania's Positive Psychology Center. He took the lead in creating the Values in Action (VIA) Classification of Strengths, the most ambitious research project to date explicitly undertaken from a positive psychology perspective. Co-author of Character Strengths and Virtues (OUP 2004), Peterson is among the world's 100 most-frequently cited psychologists during the past 20 years and has long-standing research interests in optimism, health, character, and well-being.

Product Details

• Paperback: 400 pages
• Publisher: Oxford University Press, USA; 1 edition (July 27, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0195188330
• ISBN-13: 978-0195188332
• Product Dimensions: 10.3 x 7.6 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.5 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (9 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #44,834 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

117 of 125 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Top Ten Reasons to Love Chris Peterson's "Primer in Positive Psychology", November 19, 2006

By 

Ben Dean PhD (Bethesda, Maryland) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: A Primer in Positive Psychology (Oxford Positive Psychology Series) (Paperback)

At Coaching Toward Happiness and at MentorCoach, we
write about the leading figures in positive psychology
and in coaching and talk to them in live
teleconference interviews. We interviewed
Chris three times. His new book is exceptional.

Here's why:

===================
1. It's The Best.
===================

Okay. This is arguably the best introduction to positive
psychology ever written. It ties all the key issues
together in a compelling way. It provides understanding,
depth, rich resources, and it's fun to read.

=========================
2. It's Reader-Friendly.
=========================

It's a large trade paperback, 314 pages. Rich with fascinating
detail, web sites, movies, overarching explanations of research.
Bad writing makes the reader feel dumb. Good writing makes the
reader feel smart. Chris makes you feel smart.

===================
3. If You Teach.
===================

If you teach positive psychology, you have to use this book. Listen
to the founder of the field: "This is the definitive textbook in
positive psychology. But more than that, it may be the single best
textbook on any subject that I have ever read... (It) both made me
laugh out loud and brought tears to my eyes." -- Martin E. P. Seligman

======================================
4. For the Bright Professional
======================================

It's perfect for the curious, bright professional who's new to
positive psychology and wants to quickly get up to speed. If
you understand The Primer, you'll be ahead of 99% of the people
in your field.

==========================
5. It Sounds Like Chris.
==========================

Conversational and accessible. It reads like he talks. And it
reads like a conversation with someone who's twice won the
honor of best teacher at the University of Michigan.

======================================
6. It Has Tiny Throw-Away Nuggets.
======================================

The words "positive psychology" were first used, not by Seligman
in 1998, but Maslow in 1954. "...The smiley-face icon was created
for a life insurance company in 1964 by a Massachusetts graphic
artist, who was paid $45 for his creation. Neither the insurance
company nor artist Harvey Bell copyrighted the symbol which
has--perhaps as a result--become extremely popular."

===================
7. The Songs.
===================

Each chapter ends with films and dozens of Chris' favorite, relevant
songs: "Be True to Your School" (Beach Boys); "Get Up, Stand Up"
(Bob Marley & the Wailers), "To Sir, With Love" (LuLu); "I Feel
Good" (James Brown); "My Sweet Lord" (George Harrison). Walking
on Sunshine" (Katrina & the Waves). He admits to being a baby
boomer and knows it shows in his song choice. He also believes
a relevant song is a great way to signal the beginning of a class.

=========================
8. Personal Usefulness.
=========================

You might even find it personally useful. Of the thousands of
suggestions for increasing happiness that have been proffered
in the last fifty years, indeed over the centuries, which have
so far been empirically examined? It goes beyond the headlines
and looks in detail at what the research might really mean for what
you do.

=======================
9. It's Unpretentious.
=======================

In 2003, I sometimes taught a teleclass from Chris' office at Penn.
His entire office consisted of a computer, a bare floor, one table
and chair, and a bookshelf with 15 scattered books. Nothing to
indicate, for example, that he was among the world's 100 most
frequently cited psychologists during the past 20 years.

The Primer is similarly down to earth. Name one other famous academic
who would write this paragraph:

"...some skeptics still believe that positive psychologists miss
the "obvious" point that life is tragic... I disagree but will
not belabor the point except to note that tragedy admits to
gradations. Even if everything sucks, some things suck more
than others, an irrefutable fact given how people actually behave
if not what they say....Whether we label ...preferred circumstances
"positive" or "less sucky" then becomes a matter of semantics (P. 13)."

======================================
10. Find the Tenth Reason Yourself.
======================================

Chris was the lead creator of the VIA Survey of Signature Strengths,
a central positive psychology assessment. More than 300,000 people
from throughout the world have taken it. Who better to write about the
importance of individual strengths and values than the world's leading
expert? This is just one part of this book. You'll be able to find
many more than the "tenth" reason when you read him.

And, even better, if you'd also like to *listen* to him talk about
his work, you can. There are three free online interviews--two also
available by telephone--in the archive of the Coaching Toward
Happiness eNewsletter. Amazon's ground rules preclude my telling
you the url but if you google ["Coaching Toward Happiness" + Chris Peterson], you'll find them.

22 of 25 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Dr. Peterson's Delivery of Positive Psychology to the Masses, January 9, 2007

By 

Alvin Sewell (Pensacola, FL) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: A Primer in Positive Psychology (Oxford Positive Psychology Series) (Paperback)

A Primer in Positive Psychology delivers a text full of the details from what has been concept for a decade. With the field of Positive Psychology coming to the point of being a deliverable product to the public, Dr. Peterson frames up a concise text of understandable background on what we are and how positive strategies of behavior throughout the lifetime can benefit all people. This establishes the goal of making Positive Psychology a core life training for students at all levels of education, beginning with primary stages. This textbook format gives parents the tools for themselves and their young adult children to teach themselves the principles of excelling at life, not just surviving it.

16 of 19 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great Guide to a Different Perspective, December 30, 2007

By 

J. Barr (Westerville, OH USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: A Primer in Positive Psychology (Oxford Positive Psychology Series) (Paperback)

When I first heard of "positive psychology" I thought..."so what is negative psychology supposed to be?" The terminology shouldn't hang you up. Positive psychology is a look a what psychology can be sans the illness orientation. What this means is that you are really studying how people can use their minds without concentrating on how that thing they do with their hair is an obvious sign of their insecurity, their masturbatory tendencies, or their love affair with their anal stage of development. The book has great information but is not written in a stuffy or pretentious way. Without a doubt it is one of the most readable psychology books I've ever had the pleasure of recommending. Even though the author supplies the reader with tons of references to help him in his continued study, for the casual reader this book can easily stand by itself. If you are lucky enough to get this as a text book in college enjoy the course and the professor wise enough to chose this book.