handbook of positive psychology mar 2005

Handbook of Positive Psychology C. R. Snyder Shane J. Lopez, Editors OXFORD UNIVERSITY PRESS HANDBOOK OF POSITIVE PSYCHOLOGY This page intentionally left blank HANDBOOK OF POSITIVE PSYCHOLOGY Edited by C. R. Snyder Shane J. Lopez 1 2002 1 Oxford New York Athens Auckland Bangkok Bogota´ Buenos Aires Cape Town Chennai Dar es Salaam Delhi Florence Hong Kong Istanbul Karachi Kolkata Kuala Lumpur Madrid Melbourne Mexico City Mumbai Nairobi Paris Sa˜o Paulo Shanghai Singapore Taipei Tokyo Toronto Warsaw and associated companies in Berlin Ibadan Copyright ᭧ 2002 by Oxford University Press Published by Oxford University Press, Inc. 198 Madison Avenue, New York, New York 10016 Oxford is a registered trademark of Oxford University Press All rights reserved. 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, or otherwise, without the prior permission of Oxford University Press. Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Handbook of positive psychology / edited by C. R. Snyder and Shane J. Lopez. p. cm. Includes bibliographical references and indexes. ISBN 0–19–513533–4 1. Psychology. 2. Health. 3. Happiness. 4. Optimism. I. Snyder, C. R. II. Lopez, Shane J. BF121 6.H212 2002 150.19'8—dc21 2001021584 135798642 Printed in the United States of America on acid-free paper To the positive in all of us This page intentionally left blank Foreword It gives me great joy to know that so many sci- entists—many of whom have contributed to this landmark volume—are striving to inspire people to develop a more wholesome focus on the positive aspects of life. I am convinced that one day these scientists will be recognized as visionary leaders, whose research helped to identify, elevate, and celebrate the creative po- tential of the human spirit. Until recently, I had rarely heard about sci- entific research that examined the life- enhancing power of “spiritual principles”—pos- itive character traits and virtues such as love, hope, gratitude, forgiveness, joy, future- mindedness, humility, courage, and noble pur- pose. Perhaps my long-standing interest in these spiritual principles and character traits is best understood by sharing with you the fol- lowing perspective. My grandfather was a phy- sician during the Civil War, and several of my own children are physicians today. I think we would all agree that my children, because of the enormous number of dollars earmarked for medical research during this past century, know a hundred times—perhaps a thousand times— more about the human body than my grand- father ever did. But I have always wondered: Why is it that we know so little about the hu- man spirit? The research highlighted in this volume pro- vides overwhelming evidence that many tal- ented scholars and award-winning researchers are reclaiming what was once at the core of their discipline: the psyche, the study and under- standing of the power of the human spirit to benefit from life’s challenges. The men and women who have written chapters for this handbook, as well as countless more inspired by their research, are courageously gathering data and testing hypotheses to help us learn more about an essential question that perhaps serves as the North Star for a positive psychology: What enables us to override our biological in- clinations to be selfish and instead find meaning, purpose, and value in nurturing and upholding the positive qualities of our human nature? In fact, I am more optimistic than ever that one day soon a group of scientists will publish findings that will advance humankind’s under- standing of a spiritual principle that has been at the core of my own life’s purpose: agape love. One of my favorite sayings is, “Love hoarded dwindles, but love given grows.” Love is more powerful than money; unlike money, the more love we give away, the more we have left. Per- haps, dear reader, you will be the researcher who studies a spiritual principle such as agape love scientifically or empirically. Wouldn’t all of hu- mankind benefit from knowing more about this fundamental “law of life,” and many others? Finally, I am hopeful that as current and fu- ture researchers catch the vision of a positive psychology, and as foundations and govern- ments initiate programs to support this ground- breaking and beneficial work, we will all forge ahead in a spirit of humility. We know so little, my friends, about the many gifts that God has given to each and every human being. As the truly wise tell us, “How little we know, how eager to learn.” Radnor, Pennsylvania Sir John Templeton This page intentionally left blank Preface How often does one have the opportunity to edit the first handbook for a new approach to psychology? We had a “once-in-a-lifetime” scholarly adventure in preparing this Handbook of Positive Psychology. There was never a ques- tion in our minds about editing this volume. We were at the right place at the right time, and the book simply had to happen. Fortunately, our superb editors at Oxford University Press, Joan Bossert and Catharine Carlin, shared our enthusiasm about the neces- sity of this volume, and they made this huge editorial undertaking seamless in its unfolding. The authors we invited to write chapters readily agreed. Much to our delight, this handbook al- most took on a life of its own. We attribute this to the vitality of the authors, along with the power of their positive psychology ideas and science. We complemented each other as an editorial team. Snyder was a stickler for detail and yet sought ingenuity in thought and expression. Lopez saw linkages in ideas, would call upon the related literatures, and brought unbridled en- thusiasm to the editorial process. What this combination produced was a line-by-line anal- ysis and feedback in every chapter. In short, we were “hands-on” editors. Given the stature of the contributing scholars, with numerous awards, distinguished professorships, and honorary degrees, they certainly could have balked at such editorial scrutiny. But they did not. Instead, they used our feedback and revised their already superb first drafts into stellar subsequent chapters. We are indebted to this remarkable group of authors for their patience in this process. Their dedication to excel- lence can be seen in the chapters of this hand- book. In order to help readers in gaining a sense of the topics contained in each chapter, we have asked our expert authors to identify sources that provide excellent overviews of their areas. Therefore, in the reference section of each chap- ter, the authors have placed an asterisk in front of such key readings. We encourage our readers to use these background sources when more de- tailed descriptions of a topic are desired. Now, before you peruse the contributions of the outstanding scholars, consider the following . . . Imagine a planet where the inhabitants are self-absorbed, hopeless, and filled with psycho- logical problems and weaknesses. Confusion, anxiety, fear, and hostility race through their minds. These creatures “communicate” with each other by lying, faking, torturing, fighting, and killing. They hurt each other, and they hurt themselves. Of course, this imaginary planet is not far away—we call it Earth. Although these problems do exist, they are made to loom even larger because of the propensities of psychology and its sister disciplines to focus on the weak- nesses in humankind. Now let us imagine an- other planet where the inhabitants are caring, hopeful, and boundless in their psychological strengths. Their thoughts and feelings are clear, focused, and tranquil. These creatures commu- nicate by spending time talking and listening to each other. They are kind to each other and to themselves. Again, this imaginary, not-so-far- [...]... Distinguished Professor of Clinical Psychology, Department of Psychology, University of Kansas Professor, Clinical Psychology Program, Department of Psychology, University of Kansas TRACY A STEEN , Doctoral Student, Clinical Psychology Program, Department of Psychology, University of Michigan WILLIAM B SWANN , William Howard Beasley Professor, Department of Psychology, University of Texas Associate Professor,... University of Virginia, Charlottesville MITCHELL M HANDELSMAN , Professor of Psychology and Colorado University President’s Teaching Scholar, Department of Psychology, University of Colorado SUSAN HARTER , Professor, Department of Psychology, University of Denver JOHN H HARVEY , Professor, Department of Psychology, University of Iowa CLYDE HENDRICK , Paul Whitfield Horn Professor of Psychology, Department of. .. of Psychology, Neurology, Psychiatry, and Medicine, Director, Human Energy Systems Lab, Department of Psychology, University of Arizona MARTIN E P SELIGMAN , Fox Leadership Professor of Psychology, Department of Psychology, University of Pennsylvania SHAUNA L SHAPIRO , Doctoral Student, Clinical Psychology Program, Department of Psychology, University of Arizona CHARLES M SHELTON , Professor of Psychology, ... Department of Psychology, University of Kansas BRIAN G PAUWELS , Doctoral Student, Personality and Social Psychology, Department of Psychology, University of Iowa BRETT W PELHAM , Associate Professor, Department of Psychology, State University of New York at Buffalo xvii JAMES W PENNEBAKER , Professor, Department of Psychology, University of Texas CHRISTOPHER PETERSON , Professor of Psychology and... Department of Psychology, Regis University DAVID R SIGMON , Doctoral Student, Clinical Psychology Program, Department of Psychology, University of Kansas DEAN KEITH SIMONTON , Professor, Department of Psychology, University of California, Davis BURTON SINGER , Professor of Demography and Public Affairs and the Charles and Marie Robertson Professor of Public and International Affairs, Of ce of Population... ROBERTS , Professor and Director, Clinical Child Psychology Program, University of Kansas CHRISTINE ROBITSCHEK , Associate Professor, Counseling Psychology Program, Department of Psychology, Texas Tech University CAROL D RYFF , Director, Institute on Aging and Professor of Psychology, Department of Psychology, University of Wisconsin, Madison PETER SALOVEY , Professor of Psychology and of Epidemiology... Student, Social Psychology Program, Department of Psychology, University of Texas SUSAN NOLEN - HOEKSEMA , Professor, Department of Psychology, University of Michigan SHIGEHIRO OISHI , Assistant Professor, Department of Psychology, University of Minnesota KENNETH I PARGAMENT , Professor, Department of Psychology, Bowling Green State University ANITA PARSA , Doctoral Student, Clinical Psychology Program,... Clinical Psychology Program, Department of Psychology, University of Kansas ALICE M ISEN , Samuel Curtis Johnson Professor of Marketing and Professor of Behavioral Science, Johnson Graduate School of Management and Department of Psychology, Cornell University REBECCA J JOHNSON , Doctoral Student, Clinical Child Psychology, Departments of Psychology and Human Development and Family Life, University of Kansas... University Professor, Department of Psychology, University of California, Los Angeles Assistant Professor, Department of Internal Medicine, University of Iowa College of Medicine Doctoral Student, Clinical Psychology Program, Department of Psychology, University of Nebraska I Introductory and Historical Overview This page intentionally left blank 1 Positive Psychology, Positive Prevention, and Positive. .. University of Waterloo DAVID A LISHNER , Doctoral Student, Social Psychology Program, Department of Psychology, University of Kansas EDWIN A LOCKE , Dean’s Professor Emeritus of Leadership and Motivation, R H Smith School of Business, University of Maryland, College Park SHANE J LOPEZ , Assistant Professor, Counseling Psychology Program, Department of Psychology and Research in Education, University of . Handbook of Positive Psychology C. R. Snyder Shane J. Lopez, Editors OXFORD UNIVERSITY PRESS HANDBOOK OF POSITIVE PSYCHOLOGY This page intentionally left blank HANDBOOK OF POSITIVE PSYCHOLOGY Edited. Department of Psychology, University of Colorado SUSAN HARTER , Professor, Department of Psychology, University of Denver JOHN H . HARVEY , Professor, Department of Psychology, University of Iowa CLYDE. Leadership Professor of Psychology, Department of Psychology, University of Pennsylvania SHAUNA L . SHAPIRO , Doctoral Student, Clinical Psychology Program, Department of Psychology, University of Arizona CHARLES