Authentic Happiness

Course overview

The course, Authentic Happiness, by Martin Seligman empowers clinicians with the tools to develop nurturing sets of strengths, competencies, and virtues in people; such as future-mindedness, hope, interpersonal skills, courage, the capacity for 'flow,' faith, and developing a work ethic. According to Seligman, Positive Psychology has three pillars. The first is the study of positive emotion. The second is the study of positive traits, foremost among them the virtues, but also 'abilities' such as intelligence and athleticism. Third is the study of positive institutions that support the virtues, such as democracy, strong families, and free inquiry. He argues that psychology has neglected the study and analysis of virtue over the past half-century, philosophy and religion have not. From religion and philosophy, Seligman identifies six core virtues and explores the means that they can be developed within the lives of adults and children. The book provides strategies for increasing the sense of gratification in work, love, and raising children. Seligman believes it is possible to increase optimism and hope into pervasive and permanent values for dealing with the world.