Positive Psychology Coaching ppt

Positive Psychology Coaching Putting the Science of Happiness to Work for Your Clients Robert Biswas-Diener and Ben Dean John Wiley & Sons, Inc. bisw_a01ffirs.qxd 3/8/07 3:17 PM Page iii bisw_a01ffirs.qxd 3/8/07 3:17 PM Page ii Positive Psychology Coaching bisw_a01ffirs.qxd 3/8/07 3:17 PM Page i bisw_a01ffirs.qxd 3/8/07 3:17 PM Page ii Positive Psychology Coaching Putting the Science of Happiness to Work for Your Clients Robert Biswas-Diener and Ben Dean John Wiley & Sons, Inc. bisw_a01ffirs.qxd 3/8/07 3:17 PM Page iii This book is printed on acid-free paper. Copyright © 2007 by Robert Biswas-Diener and Ben Dean. All rights reserved. Published by John Wiley & Sons, Inc., Hoboken, New Jersey. Published simultaneously in Canada. Wiley Bicentennial Logo: Richard J. Pacifico No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, scanning, or otherwise, except as permitted under Section 107 or 108 of the 1976 United States Copyright Act, without either the prior written permission of the Publisher, or authorization through payment of the appropriate per-copy fee to the Copyright Clearance Center, Inc., 222 Rosewood Drive, Danvers, MA 01923, (978) 750-8400, fax (978) 646-8600, or on the web at www.copyright.com. Requests to the Publisher for permission should be addressed to the Permissions Department, John Wiley & Sons, Inc., 111 River Street, Hoboken, NJ 07030, (201) 748-6011, fax (201) 748-6008, or online at http://www.wiley.com/go/permissions. 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Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data: Biswas-Diener, Robert. Positive psychology coaching : putting the science of happiness to work for your clients / Robert Biswas-Diener and Ben Dean. p. cm. Includes bibliographical references. ISBN-13: 978-0-470-04246-5 (cloth) 1. Personal coaching. 2. Positive psychology. I. Dean, Ben. II. Title. BF637.P36B56 2007 158'.9—dc22 2006038754 Printed in the United States of America. 10987654321 ➇ bisw_a01ffirs.qxd 3/8/07 3:17 PM Page iv v Contents Introduction vii Acknowledgments xiii Chapter 1 The Coaching Paradox and the Positive Psychology Solution 1 Foundation I Happiness and Positivity Chapter 2 Happiness: The Goal We Rarely Talk About 25 Chapter 3 Choosing Happiness: Goals, Relationships, and Positive Thinking 59 Chapter 4 Solid Happiness Interventions 89 Foundation II Character Strengths Chapter 5 Strengths Coaching 117 Chapter 6 Coaching to Personal Strengths 143 Chapter 7 Coaching to Social Strengths 165 bisw_a02ftoc.qxd 3/8/07 3:17 PM Page v Special Topics in Positive Psychology Coaching Chapter 8 Helping Clients Craft the Perfect Job 189 Chapter 9 The Future of Positive Psychology Coaching 209 Appendix: Planning Positive Psychology Coaching Sessions 221 Notes 231 Index 251 C ONTENTS vi bisw_a02ftoc.qxd 3/8/07 3:17 PM Page vi vii Introduction A few years ago, as the world prepared for the change of the mil- lennium, I was living in Calcutta and researching happiness among people living in the slums. I have long had a soft spot in my heart for people living in poverty and have often been inspired by the ways they sometimes rise to the challenges facing them. For anyone who has ever been to Calcutta or traveled through other poor parts of the world, you know the sight of abject poverty can be heartbreaking as well as guilt producing. My time in Calcutta had me thinking about what kind of impact I could make on the lives of the people with whom I was conducting my research. I paid my participants and donated money to neighborhood associ- ations, local slum clinics, and doctors. In the end, though, I saw that I was taking information away from India—I was collecting data that would ultimately benefit a Western understanding of psychology—and not giving any education back. Through my in- terpreter, I began setting up a series of lectures, at local universi- ties and even in slum schools, in which I could teach the citizens of Calcutta about the latest findings from social and personality psychology. The lectures were well attended, well received, and it felt great to work outside my basic job description and give a little something back. bisw_a03flast.qxd 3/8/07 3:17 PM Page vii One of the aspects of positive psychology I have long been at- tracted to is the sense that it is for the public good. As such, it is—relative to other systems of change—being given away free. As yet, you will not find much in the way of proprietary assess- ments or expensive, formulaic trainings. No positive psychology researcher worth his or her salt is charging big money for “five ways to discover happiness” or “three things that are interfering with your fulfillment” or “My private tool for measuring positiv- ity.” At its heart, positive psychology is a science and, as such, is part of the public domain. The latest research findings are pub- lished in professional journals, many of which can be accessed online. Top scientists have web sites that, rather than trying to keep a lid on their proprietary findings, clearly spell out the de- tails of research for anyone who is curious enough to look. Uni- versity of Pennsylvania psychologist Martin Seligman, the founder of positive psychology, once said that this dynamic new field was, in part, about “increasing the total tonnage of happi- ness in the world.” That’s a hefty mission, and one very much in line with the philosophy that underlies all coaching. Of course, just as coaches charge for services positive psychologists charge speaking fees, workshop tuition, and write for-profit books. But in each of these cases, the men and women behind the science are being paid for their expertise, rather than some secret happiness system they have devised, trademarked, and sold to the public. Within the confines of positive psychology, you will see exem- plars of generosity such as the Values in Action Institute, funded by the Mayerson Foundation, which provides a free, online as- sessment of strengths that could be generating millions of dollars in income. Or, the Center for Applied Positive Psychology, in England, a nonprofit center running educational programs in positive psychology. Or, the Hero Within Charter School, a fledgling positive psychology school serving low income kids in inner city Philadelphia. The list goes on. Not only do people rec- ognize the value of positive psychology, they recognize the value of giving it away. I NTRODUCTION viii bisw_a03flast.qxd 3/8/07 3:17 PM Page viii [...]... of the most important topics in positive psychology and tied them together with specific applications to coaching In Part I of Positive Psychology Coaching, we present a core foundation of positive psychology coaching: the definition, cultivation, maintenance, and benefits of happiness In Part II of Positive Psychology Coaching, we cover an additional pillar of positive psychology, the development and... current coaching tools Among the most elegant aspects of a marriage of coaching and this new science is the fact that positive psychology is not dogmatic, proprietary, or incompatible with existing approaches to coaching Positive psychology is a body of theory, research, and 5 bisw_c01.qxd 3/8/07 3:05 PM Page 6 COACHING PARADOX AND POSITIVE PSYCHOLOGY SOLUTION practical tools that can be added to any coaching. .. bisw_c01.qxd 3/8/07 3:05 PM Page 20 COACHING PARADOX AND POSITIVE PSYCHOLOGY SOLUTION therefore, chosen to include only a handful of positive psychology topics beyond happiness and character strengths Because so much of coaching whether it is executive, career, or life coaching revolves around issues at work, we devote a full chapter to using positive psychology coaching in the workplace Businesses... the measure of coaching success? An explicitly defined theoretical orientation can be a map that guides us through this uncertain territory Positive psychology is just such a map In this book, we suggest that the interface of positive psychology with coaching is a natural step toward answering the call to address the coaching paradox and develop the profession in new and dynamic ways Positive 10 bisw_c01.qxd... attracting new scholars to the discipline.15 Positive psychology is psychology s answer to the other crucial question: “What is going right with people?” We propose that positive psychology is a natural fit with coaching because both rest on the assumption that people are basically healthy, resourceful, and motivated to grow What’s more, because positive psychology is a theoretical orientation built... organizational culture that effective positive psychology interventions tend to produce is often welcomed by employees who are overjoyed by bona fide efforts to improve their welfare while on the job Not only is a positive approach a win-win in the workplace, it is good news for positive psychology coaches 12 bisw_c01.qxd 3/8/07 3:05 PM Page 13 Coaching Paradox and Positive Psychology Solution Even better... dynamic new field of positive psychology described in detail next—is a branch of science that shows tremendous potential as a natural interface with the profession of coaching Because it is grounded in sophisticated scientific methodology, positive psychology offers an answer to the call for an increased role of research in coaching What’s more, as an applied science, positive psychology offers theories,... psychology, the development and use of character strengths and virtues Finally, in Part III, we apply positive psychology coaching to the workplace, as well as discuss ways to use positive psychology to build your practice FOUNDATION I: HAPPINESS AND POSITIVITY The first foundation of Positive Psychology Coaching is happiness Lasting personal fulfillment is a concern that touches us all Happiness is the... the world to specifically focus on positive psychology and coaching As if that were not enough, Ben also writes a free electronic newsletter on positive psychology with 131 thousand readers worldwide and presents on coaching and positive psychology throughout North America Ben impressed me with his value-laden attitude toward bringing positive psychology to the world In fact, his orientation toward service... The field of psychology, our professional cousin, is a wonderful resource for sophisticated assessments, clever interventions, and research validation that can—and will—advance our work by leading to better service and “proof” that coaching works This book describes one such breakthrough—the new field of positive psychology and explains the many ways in which positive psychology can inform coaching practices . Page ii Positive Psychology Coaching bisw_a01ffirs.qxd 3/8/07 3:17 PM Page i bisw_a01ffirs.qxd 3/8/07 3:17 PM Page ii Positive Psychology Coaching Putting. Perfect Job 189 Chapter 9 The Future of Positive Psychology Coaching 209 Appendix: Planning Positive Psychology Coaching Sessions 221 Notes 231 Index 251 C ONTENTS vi bisw_a02ftoc.qxd