Online course: Positive Psychology: Martin E. P. Seligman’s Visionary Science (this course is 1st module as part of Foundations of Positive Psychology Line)

Dates: any time

Duration: 16 hours

Rating: 4.9 / 5.0 out of 3685 ratings (see total ranking of online courses here)

Participating countries: any country

Apply here: Application form

Organizer: University of Pennsylvania at Coursera

Cost: FREE or $49 with sharable certificate

Positive Psychology: Martin E. P. Seligman’s Visionary Science

Dr. Martin E.P. Seligman—renowned worldwide as the “father of Positive Psychology”—has led visionary leaps in the scientific research, empirical data and personal understandings of human flourishing. This course explores the past, present and future of positive psychology as a journey through the key scientific leaps led by Dr. Seligman and his colleagues at the University of Pennsylvania’s Positive Psychology Center and Master of Applied Positive Psychology program.

Instructor

 

Programme

WEEK 1: 5 hours to complete

Positive Psychology Introduction by Dr. Martin Seligman

In this module, Dr. Martin Seligman introduces the scientific foundations of positive psychology and key research findings that led to a revolutionary understanding of what makes people flourish. Participants will learn about research-based skills and exercises to increase well-being and begin to practice these skills in their own lives.

Course Introduction
Module 1 Introduction
Positive Psychology: Toward a Balanced, Empirical Understanding of Well-being
What Do We Mean by the “Positive” in Positive Psychology?
Seeds of Flourishing: The Personal in Parallel with a Developing New Field
How Do People Explain Bad Events? Risk Factors and Protective Factors for Depression
Health is a Skill: Learned Optimism
Laying the Foundation: Defining, Measuring, and Testing Happiness and Flourishing
Building Blocks: PERMA: Defining Wellbeing
Try This At Home: Building the Skill of Gratitude. Suggested Exercise: What Went Well?

WEEK 2: 3 hours to complete

The Skills of Well-being Can Be Learned, Taught, and Transformative

In this module, Dr. Martin Seligman shares the great leaps in scientific understanding that created the foundation for a science of well-being at individual, communal, and global levels.

Module 2 Introduction
Building Skills to Flourish
Positive Interventions: Testing What Works
Stage 1: Teaching Skills for Wellbeing Proactively Can Prevent Anxiety and Depression in Children
Stage 2: The Leap from Research to Policy in the United Kingdom
Stage 3: The Science of Grit and a New Understanding: How to Foster Flourishing in Schools
Stage 4: Transcending Curriculum to Transform Culture in Schools
Stage 5: From Whole Schools to Whole Communities
Stage 6: Whole Force Resilience
Positive Education: Teaching Academic Success and Well-Being
Positive Education: Taking It to Scale
Positive Education: Replicating Success Worldwide
Try This At Home: Building Positive Relationships Through Active Constructive Responding

WEEK 3: 5 hours to complete

Being Whole: Mind/Body Flourishing Throughout Life

In this module, Dr. Martin Seligman shares key research questions from the field of Positive Psychology, and the answers turn some conventional assumptions on their head. Are we shaped by the future vs. the past? And what does science tell us about mind/body flourishing? What gets better as we age?

Module 3 Introduction
Drawn By the Future: A Revolution in Psychology
Drawn By the Future: A Revolution in Psychology Part 2
Drawn By the Future: The Science of Prospection
Positive Health: Mind and Body Flourish Together
New Directions in Mental and Physical Health
Positive Aging: Creativity and Strengths Throughout Life
Creativity and Imagination
Creativity and Imagination Part 2
Try This At Home: Know and Grow Your Strengths

WEEK 4: 4 hours to complete

Future Directions in Positive Psychology

In this module, Dr. Martin Seligman discusses some of the most inspiring recent and future developments in the field of Positive Psychology, in particular those that transcend individual experience and have the potential to transform our world.

Module 4 Introduction
The Future of Positive Psychology: Key Topics
Constructive Journalism
Constructive Journalism – some Q&A with Cathrine Gyldensted
Positive Psychology and Spiritual Experience
Positive Psychology and Spiritual Experience Part 2
World Well-Being and Big Data1
World Well-Being and Big Data Part 2
Try This at Home: Fun Vs. Philanthropy
Drawn by the Vision of a Flourishing Future

Full Line

This course is 1st module as part of Foundations of Positive Psychology Line:

  • Positive Psychology: Martin E.P. Seligman’s Visionary Science with Dr. Martin E.P. Seligman
  • Positive Psychology: Applications and Interventions with Dr. James Pawelski
  • Positive Psychology: Character, Grit and Research Methods with Dr. Angela Duckworth & Dr. Claire Robertson-Kraft
  • Positive Psychology: Resilience Skills with Dr. Karen Reivich
  • Positive Psychology Specialization Project with Dr. Martin E.P. Seligman