Summary
Check
out the Top Ten Books in Positive Psychology. Join us
on Monday for a teleworkshop on positive psychology coaching.
And come for a conversation with acclaimed positive psychologist,
Barbara Fredrickson, Ph.D., on her new book, Positivity.
In
this Issue
1.
Positive Psychology Coaching TeleWorkshops with Ben Monday,
3/16/09
2.
Main Article: Ben's Top Ten Books in
Positive Psychology
3.
Interview with Barbara Fredrickson, Ph.D. on her new book, Positivity
4.
Upcoming Classes
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1.
The Positive Psychology Coaching TeleWorkshop
Join
me for a live TeleWorkshop on Monday. I'll talk about
our approach to positive psychology coaching, respond to all
questions, do a live coaching session with a participant.
We'll end with a drawing for a full fellowship in an upcoming
31-week MentorCoach Training Program.
COACHING
TELEWORKSHOP CALL
WITH:
Ben Dean, Ph.D., MCC
WHEN:
Monday, March 16, 2009
TIME:
7:00 - 8:59 PM Eastern
Click
here to register
TUITION:
No Charge for CTH Subscribers
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2. Ben's Top Ten Books in
Positive Psychology
Dear Colleagues,
A few years ago, CTH published its Top Ten List of Positive
Psychology Books. You can see it here.
Much has happened since then. Here's our second Top Ten
List. Please do not attach any meaning to this list other
than they are either my personal favorites or strongly recommended
to me by friends in the field.
Warmly,
Ben
Ben's
Top Ten Books in Positive Psychology
By
Ben Dean, Ph.D., MCC
1.
A
Primer in Positive Psychology by Christopher
Peterson, Ph.D.
By
far the best introduction to positive psychology ever written.
Written by one of the legendary figures in the field, it provides
understanding, depth, rich resources, and it's fun to read.
It's a best-selling text book and a perfect introduction to
the field for bright professionals. Marty Seligman calls
it "the definitive textbook in positive psychology." To read
the Top Ten Reasons to Love Chris Peterson's Primer, read
part two of this CTH
newsletter here.
To follow Chris' beautifully written Psychology Today blog,
The Good Life, click
here.
Ed
Diener is the world's leading expert on happiness and subjective
well being. And his son, Robert, was accurately christened
by Chris Peterson as the "Indiana Jones of positive psychology"
for his research across the world. Truly a wealth of information,
the book is divided into four parts, detailing the components
of psychological wealth, defined as, “your true net
worth…which includes your attitudes toward life, social
support, spiritual development, material resources, health,
and the activities in which you engage.” Readers are
equipped with surveys and questionnaires to measure and improve
their own psychological wealth.
“The
genius of the positive psychology movement,” says Marty
Seligman, of Barbara Frederickson, whose groundbreaking research
has provided much of the fuel for the field’s progress.
She's widely known for her "broaden-and-build" theory
of positive emotion. Positivity,
her highly anticipated new book delivers a feast of empirical
evidence, insight and incentive to continually study the effects
of positive emotions and practice the applications that are
proven to increase them. A must have for those who like to
back up their suggestions with evidence. And if you'd
like to talk to Barbara, join us for her 80-minute Q&A
interview on March 27, 2009 by clicking
here.
4.
The
How of Happiness: A Scientific Approach to Getting the Life
You Want by Sonja Lyubomirsky, Ph.D.
Sonja
is Professor of Psychology at the University of California
at Riverside. Our keynote speaker at this year’s
MentorCoach Conference, Sonja gets constant, daily requests
for interviews, lecture invitations in the US and overseas
and has appeared on many national television shows.
HOH's very big agenda is to help us understand what happiness
is and to offer specific strategies for increasing it.
And it does not provide a one-size-fits-all approach.
Instead, it provides tests so readers can tailor the exercises
specifically to themselves. To see Sonja's How of Happiness
site, click
here. To see her Psychology Today blog,
click
here.
5.
Thanks!:
How the New Science of Gratitude Can Make You Happier by
Robert A. Emmons, Ph.D.
Dr. Robert Emmons, Editor-in-Chief of the Journal of Positive
Psychology, has written one of the coolest books around –
based entirely on the powerful strength of gratitude. Thank
goodness Bob persevered in his desire to study gratitude,
in spite of being discouraged early on in his career, for
his research has revealed stunning statistics on gratitude’s
role in goal attainment, relationship building, improved health,
and much more. Thanks!
is a must read, and is accessible to everyone from teens on
up. (Be sure to memorize the 10 Ways to Cultivate Gratitude.)
6.
The
Happiness Hypothesis: Finding Modern Truth in Ancient Wisdom--Why
the Meaningful Life Is Closer Than You Think by
Jonathan Haidt, Ph.D.
Where
does happiness come from? This is one of the powerful questions
Haidt dives into in this deeply compelling book, drawing from
the wisdom of the world’s greatest civilizations to
explore “10 Great Ideas” and find their relevance
today. Travel through the workings of the mind, as well as
“the meaning of life” through the eyes of such
luminaries as Buddha, Plato, Freud and others. A great philosophical
exploration and, yes, you’ll even find some tips for
finding your own happiness.
7.
Stumbling
on Happiness by Daniel Gilbert, Ph.D.
Consider
this book the ‘challenging older brother’ book
of the batch, one with wit, irony, and a few zingers aimed
at all of us. According to Harvard's Dan Gilbert, we aren’t
that good at predicting what will make us happy, in fact we
often are way off base. When we do find ourselves truly happy,
often it is surprising to us – thus, the title. Through
great storytelling, beautiful use of humor, and plenty of
compelling research, Gilbert takes us through the fascinating
workings of our minds and a little closer to understanding
our desire for happiness. For more about the book, click
here.
8.
Happier:
Learn the Secrets to Daily Joy and Lasting Fulfillment by
Tal Ben-Shahar
Mention
Tal Ben-Shahar and you’ll likely hear, “teacher
of the most popular class at Harvard….” (More
information here).
Tal’s renowned positive psychology course serves as
the basis for Happier,
which results in a book filled with clear and lively writing,
specific research examples for each “lesson” being
taught, and relevant “home work” assignments to
help readers build happiness. I've now heard Tal speak three
times and can verify he's an extraordinary lecturer.
His work is also appealing to me because he "lives" it as
much as he can. I'm sure this is part of his appeal
to students. Definitely another great book for both
those who are new to the science of positive psychology, and
those who are more familiar.
9.
Happiness:
A History by Darrin M. McMahon,
Ph.D.
The
only non-psychologist on our list, McMahon is Ben Weider Professor
of History at Florida State University. This is another
great book for those seeking a historical look at happiness,
and how our current “obsession” with happiness
took shape. Spanning 2,000 years, the book touches on everything
from ancient Greek tragedies to the Declaration of Independence
to Martin Luther’s, “breakthrough struggle with
God.” A challenging, highly accessible and entertaining
read.
Frisch
offers valuable lessons that can be put to immediate use. What
more can coaches ask for? Frisch beautifully describes ways
that coaches, clinicians, and other change agents can expand
and transform their practices into strong examples of positive
psychology in practice. With 44 positive psychology growth exercises
and 148 happiness prescriptions based on the latest research
in several areas (goals, health, relationships, work, learning,
etc.,) this book is like having a full time support staff sitting
on your bookshelf.
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3.
Interview with Barbara Fredrickson, Ph.D.
Join
Professor Barbara Fredrickson, author of Positivity for
an 80-minute Q&A call. Bring all your questions.
Go
to her Amazon
Page and read the reviews of her new book.
Then order your own copy so you'll be ready at the interview!
Date:
Friday, March 27, 2009
Time: 1:00 PM to 2:20 PM Eastern (New York Time)
12:00 PM to 1:20 PM Central (Chicago)
11:00 am to 12:20 PM Mountain (Denver)
10:00 am to 11:20 am Pacific (Los Angeles)
International Time:
5:00 PM to 6:20 PM GMT/UTC
To
Register, click here.
Barbara
Fredrickson, Ph.D. is the Kenan Distinguished Professor
of Psychology and
Principal Investigator of the Positive Emotions and Psychophysiology
Lab at the University of North Carolina. She is a leading scholar
within social psychology, affective science, and positive psychology.
Her research centers on positive emotions and human flourishing.
Her research and her teaching have been recognized with numerous
honors, including, the 2000 American Psychological Association's
Templeton Prize in Positive Psychology. Her work is cited widely
and she is regularly invited to give keynotes nationally and
internationally. She lives in Chapel Hill with her husband and
two sons. Her latest book is Positivity: Groundbreaking Research
Reveals How to Embrace the Hidden Strength of Positive Emotions,
Overcome Negativity, and Thrive.
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4.
MentorCoach Upcoming Foundations Programs
MCP
131 Tuesdays
31
Tuesdays
12 noon - 12:59 PM Eastern (New York Time)
Starts Tuesday, March 17, 2009
Faculty: Kim
Kirmmse Toth, LCSW, ACC
For
more information, click
here.
MCP
132 Thursdays
31 Thursdays
8:00 PM - 8:59 PM Eastern (New York Time)
Starts Thursday, April 2, 2009
Faculty: Margaret
Wilkinson, Ph.D.
For
more information, click
here.
Both
MCP 131 and MCP 132 are identical in content.
MentorCoach
MasterClasses
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