September 7 and 8, I attended the reunion of the World War II crew of the USS Bream, a submarine that made 6 patrols in the Pacific in 1944 and 1945. My father was on all 6 patrols as commissary officer and communications officer — partly because the galley where food was prepared was right […]

In their recent paper, Capitalizing on one’s advantages: Role of core self-evaluations, Judge and Hurst (2007) take a different perspective. The focus of their research is on what distinguishes those who seize upon and exploit advantages, rather than on those who succeed in the face of misfortune, tragedy or oppression. It seems a legitimate research topic, given that most of us in the developed world live in such “benign conditions”.

So what makes some of us take advantage of, and flourish, given favourable circumstances, and others not? […]

Hobbling down the stairs and across the street I realized too late that I had left my wallet in the office. This meant that I missed the bus, and later had to get the train which sensibly stopped at the train station some two miles from the bus station. So, that evening’s plan for Jess – a student driver – to drive us home from the bus station was abandoned, as was the car which was, of course, a vital player in the plans for the next morning travels. Jess had a party to enjoy. For recovering from my broken leg I had clear goals (well advised) which included starting to drive again ten days hence. But returning from the train station I recklessly then drove down with Shelagh to get the other car, and drove back. I have been driving since. Events and circumstance accelerated both the motivation and achievement of my goal. […]

This is not a book review; it is a book note. I began writing such notes for the website I set up when I ran for the School Board. This is part of my “person-plus” intelligence. I hope some readers find it helpful.
Educating People to be Emotionally Intelligent, Reuven Bar-On, J.G. Maree, and Maurice Jesse […]

There are more than 600 items on my to do list right now. Everything is there. A sea of two-word commands like “organize notes” or “buy Kashi” or “call Judd” occupy an endless hierarchy of spreadsheet cells. Such a document, at first glance, might seem daunting. Rather than inciting angst, however, this spreadsheet is […]

A new report has found that being super-thin is bad for models’ health. But what effect do size zeros have on the rest of us?

This is part two of coverage of the 2007 Appreciative Inquiry Conference (Sept 16-19, Orlando, FL). Today was Tuesday, September 18, 2007, and the main events were a panel on how to run an AI Summit, a keynote by Peter Coughlan of IDEO, and many companies presenting their results in using AI and strengths. […]

Given the deep sense of well-being many of us experience in natural surroundings, I want to encourage us to begin to connect the dots between our mental health and thriving natural environments, delving into ecopsychology and pro-environmental behaviors. I fully expect that within the next few years, ecopsychology and positive psychology will become intertwined. Right now, I’m just suggesting that we at least have a few dates and get to know each other better. […]

Senia Maymin, MAPP, MBA, is the Editor of Positive Psychology News Daily, and an assistant instructor to Martin Seligman for the master’s positive psychology course at UPenn. Senia is also an executive coach and presents workshops on productivity and engagement at work. Senia Maymin will be interviewed by Dr. Cynthia Barnett.
LINKS: Senia’s coaching website, […]

Cooperrider went broad, Buckingham went specific, and Seligman went cohesive: Cooperrider introduced the concept of strengths elevating an organization to beyond its four walls, Buckingham hit home the message that using strengths at work starts with you, the individual, and Seligman outlined some major findings of positive psychology that support Cooperrider and Buckingham’s work in strengths. […]