Positive Psychology: The Science of Happiness and Human Strengths - Softcover

"This succinct compilation of some of the important ideas and findings in Positive Psychology provides a handy reference for those new to the field and a useful taster for those who wish to delve more deeply." - Professor Felicia A Huppert, University of Cambridge, UK

"This book offers an empirically based, rigorously scientific approach to a rapidly changing and expanding field. Undergraduates and graduate students will much appreciate the accessible presentation, ample graphics, and personal development questions, while professionals will be pleased with the up-to-date, sensible coverage of this thoroughly revised edition. The next generation of positive psychology textbooks has arrived!" - Grant Rich, University of Alaska, USA

Praise for the first edition:

"Carr's Positive Psychology is a magisterial text, an enormously informative and inclusive synthesis of this new branch of science. It is a model of a contemporary textbook, with references to websites, useful copies of test forms, and provocative questions at the end of chapters. The positive psychology movement is fortunate to rate such an excellent textbook so soon after its inception." - Mihaly Csikszentmihaly, Claremont Graduate University, California, USA

"This book does more than provide a thorough review of the extant research in positive psychology - it outlines available resources, methods of measurement, offers a critique of available research and makes recommendations for further reading and research. Alan Carr's background in systemic psychotherapy and critical psychology enables him to add theoretical richness to the field of positive psychology by integrating contextual and relational perspectives with this inherently individualistic approach." - Arlene Vetere, University of East London, UK

Remediating deficits and managing disabilities has been a central preoccupation for clinical psychologists. Positive Psychology, in contrast, is concerned with the enhancement of happiness and well-being, involving the scientific study of the role of personal strengths and positive social systems in the promotion of optimal wellbeing.

Alan Carr's Positive Psychology has become essential reading for anyone requiring a thorough and accessible introduction to the field. This new edition retains all the features that made the first edition so popular, including:

• accounts of major theories and relevant research
• learning objectives
• chapter summaries
• research and personal development questions
• suggestions for further reading
• measures for use in research
• glossaries of new terms.

The book has also been completely updated to take account of recent research and major advances, and includes a new chapter on Positive Psychotherapy, an extended account of research on character strengths and virtues, and a discussion of recent ground-breaking research on emotional intelligence.

This new edition of Positive Psychology will prove a valuable resource for psychology students and lecturers, as well as those involved in postgraduate training in related areas such as clinical psychology, social work, counselling and psychotherapy.