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We all think, but may not think well. Critical thinking, however, is a reflective process that is clear, precise and purposeful.

While critical thinking is often considered an allied asset of the VIA strength Open-mindedness, Socratic logic shows that open-minded thinkers are not necessarily critical thinkers. Consummate critical thinking is a rich and complex strength that is comprised of a constellation of many other strengths, including open-mindedness, curiosity, love of learning, persistence, integrity, and self-regulation. […]

Joe, a school custodian, was an Army Ranger during the first Gulf War. He rushed in to save a friend who was hit by a mortar and stepped on a concussive charge which resulted in several serious injuries that ended Joe’s Army career. His friend had been killed before Joe could even get to him. As a result of his head injury, Joe also lost his fiancée, his excellent social skills, and the life he assumed he would live. Now he works nights while his dog waits in the car. When asked if he wishes things were different, Joe says, “Yeah, I wish I could have saved Brian. I would have gladly died for him.” […]

Are you a victim of sleep debt? If changing just one of your daily habits was enough to make you more alert, efficient, energetic, productive and motivated, would you implement that change? Here’s what you can do about it….

If changing just one of your daily habits was enough to make you more alert, efficient, energetic, productive and motivated, would you implement that change? This month’s theme is about humor, play and fun – an appealing concept, but often far removed from our over-scheduled, chronically demanding, not-enough-hours-in-the-day lives. According to William Dement, illustrious discoverer of REM sleep, “Sleep deprivation is the most common brain impairment.” University of Pennsylvania fatigue expert David Dinges reinforces: chronic sleep loss degrades nearly every aspect of human performance, including the ability to receive, process and act on information, he warns.

Carl, 14, can text with his cellphone in his pocket, keep up with friends on Facebook and create a powerpoint with video for a homework assignment. however, he won’t look adults in the eye or acknowledge them even though he insists he’s ‘a man’. … As children have become healthier and our society has become more complex, the age of puberty has fallen while the age of psychosocial maturity has risen. As a result we have a “mismatch” between our bodies and our world. … Insights and findings from positive psychology provide a ‘road map’ to happiness and well-being. Maybe they also help us grow up. […]

Sweaty and uncomfortable I trudged on up the side of the mountain, calves like blocks of molten lead, lungs gasping for oxygen with each ragged breath. No, I wasn’t on the South Col of Everest. Just 20 minutes walk from the carpark on the Remarkables Mountains in New Zealand found me dispirited and not at all resilient, while my husband and 12 year old son strode ahead. My husband’s joking, “So how does it feel to be the slowest person in our party?” strangely failed to improve matters.

As a kid, did you love taking a bath everyday? I didn’t. Fast forward 25 years later, taking a shower is so ingrained in my habits that I couldn’t possibly fathom the idea of going to work without a prior healthy dose of body wash. …When at 18 years old, a man at least ten years older than my Dad raced by me effortlessly in a 3-mile run, I realized that physical activity is an important part of personal hygiene….I’d like to help you understand why you may be resistant to take on a practice you know is good for you, and then provide ideas for how you can break out of the resistance.

There is something incredibly powerful about the natural world and its ability to provide us with a sense of psychological well-being. Because today marks the 40th annual celebration of Earth Day in the United States, it is a good opportunity to tie together a few positive psychology themes with Mother Nature. …

I believe positive psychology can inform our connection to nature in two significant ways. First, it provides great interventions to increase our connection to nature and thereby increase our happiness. Second, … we must learn to be good stewards of the environment and take care of the natural world around us so future generations may reap the same benefits.[…]

When did we start calling kids “self-motivated” if they responded to someone or something outside themselves?

Doesn’t the word “self” mean that it comes from the individual himself? Is someone truly self-motivated if they are doing something to get a reward from someone else?

Teens who are not top students may appear to be unmotivated when we look only at their school performance. When I studied teens who were not top students, I found they could be highly motivated for activities that suited their gifts, interests and strengths even though the activities were not rewarded by anything except the joy of doing them.

Have you ever found that you react a certain defensive way when your back is against the wall? When pinned against the wall, could our strengths fire up in ways we may not want? … What is the strengths-trap or “flipped” version of a strength? For example, according to Christopher Peterson, if my strength is curiosity, then having none of this strength is disinterest, having the opposite is boredom, and having an exaggerated amount of curiosity can be nosiness.