Positive Psychology and Positive Education

Martin E.P. Seligman

Zellerbach Family Professor of Psychology Director of the Positive Psychology Center, University of Pennsylvania
What Works in Urban Schools
January 21, 2012 NYU Kimmel Center www.whatworksined.org

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New York What Works in Urban Schools

Martin E.P. Seligman

marty@apa.org
21 January 2012

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Highest Goals in Life Schopenhauer and Freud PERMA

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psychology should: Be as concerned with strength as with weakness Be as interested in building the best things in life as in repairing the worst Be as concerned with making the lives of normal people fulfilling as with healing pathology Develop Interventions to increase well being, not just to decrease misery

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Individuals

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Losada Ratio (Fredrickson & Losada) 2.9:1 Business 5:1 Marriage Teenage? 3 Blessings
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Constructive

Destructive

Active

Passive

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21 replications worldwide (3000 children) Whitehall Controlled Experiments Diverse Samples Led by Teachers Children learn to handle day to day stressors realistic optimism assertiveness decision-making
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Social Skills (Teacher SSRS)

47.00

45.00

43.00

41.00

Positive Psychology Control

39.00

37.00

35.00 Pre Post 6 months 18 months

Social Skills Rating Scale Measures: Teachers report of students behaviors related to social skills, including cooperation, assertiveness, and self-control. Sample items: Volunteers to help peers on classroom tasks. Politely refuses unreasonable requests from others.
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Learning Strengths (OSS)

25.00

24.00
23.00 22.00 21.00

Positive Psychology Control

20.00
19.00 18.00 17.00

16.00 Pre Post 6 months 18 months

Teacher Observation of Strengths Scale : Learning strengths factor Measures: Teachers report of students behaviors related to engagement in learning (e.g., curiosity, love of learning, creativity, zest) Sample items: Think of actual situations in which this young person experienced failure or a setback. How frequently did he/she show CURIOSITY?
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Language Arts (English) Grades by 9th grade Language Arts Level

CP: English GPA

Positive Psychology Control

Honors: English GPA

Positive Psychology Control

4.00

4.00

3.50

3.50

3.00

3.00

2.50

2.50

2.00 9th grade 10th grade 11th grade

2.00
9th grade 10th grade 11th grade

Non-Honors
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Honors

Comprehensive Soldier Fitness

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90 80 70 60 50 40 30 20 10 0

Number GAIs
% GAI's in Resiliency Trained Soldiers % Force Resilience Trained

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Findings: Catastrophic Thinking (Scoring Higher is Better)

2010
3.84

2011 BCTs in Study

Deployment Deployment 1/4 IN 3/4 IN 1/25 IN
Deployme nt

1 x MRT Per Company

3.82 3.80 3.78 3.76 3.74

2/1 IN

3.72
3.84

0 x MRT Per Company

3.82 3.80 3.78 3.76 3.74 3.72 Deployment

Deployment Deployme nt

3/1 IN
170 HBCT

2/4 IN 11 ACR

Mean Score on GAT for Catastrophic Thinking

Published MRT Training Guidance

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Findings: Positive Forms of Coping (Scoring Higher is Better)

2010
3.70

2011 BCTs in Study

Deployment Deployment 1/4 IN 3/4 IN 1/25 IN
Deployme nt

1 x MRT Per Company

3.65 3.60

3.55

2/1 IN

3.50
3.70

0 x MRT Per Company

Deployment

3/1 IN
170 HBCT

3.65 3.60 Deployment 3.55

Deployme nt

2/4 IN 11 ACR

3.50

Mean Score on GAT for Positive Coping

Published MRT Training Guidance

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Findings: Adaptability (Scoring Higher is Better)

2010 3.86 2011

1 x MRT Per Company

3.84 3.82 3.80 3.78 3.76 3.74 3.72 3.86

Deployme nt

BCTs in Study
Deployment Deployment 1/4 IN 3/4 IN 1/25 IN 2/1 IN

0 x MRT Per Company

3.84 3.82 3.80 3.78 3.76 3.74 3.72 Deployment

Deployment Deployme nt

3/1 IN
170 HBCT

2/4 IN 11 ACR

Mean Score on GAT for Adaptability

Published MRT Training Guidance

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Military & Economic Centuries What is Wealth For? GDP vs GWB The Safety Net and Florence The Camel, The Rebel, & The Child Reborn What can every human being say Yes to? More Positive Emotion More Engagement More Noble Purpose More Positive Relationships More Positive Accomplishment

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www.positivepsychology.org (Literature) www.psych.upenn.edu/seligman (Literature & Manuals) www.authentichappiness.org (Questionnaires) seligman@psych.upenn.edu Flourish, 2011: N.Y.: Free Press (My New Book)
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