mastering positive psychology
I previously talked about the science of happiness and the related field of positive psychology – which focuses on studying and building human strengths. According to a recent article, the University of Pennsylvania is bringing this positive scholarship into the mainstream by offering the first-ever master’s degree program in applied positive psychology. At the school’s Positive Psychology Center, students from a cross-section of professions will learn the history of the field and develop “techniques for incorporating the principles of positive psychology into their lives and jobs.” At the end of the piece, the Center’s director of education, James Pawelski, shares his hope that the program will help filter the precepts of positive psychology to other academic arenas, encouraging a “more holistic education that centers on self-development in addition to mental development.” I think this would be a real boon to the standard law school curriculum.
