E-Book Overview
A Life Worth Living brings together the latest thought on Positive Psychology from an international cast of scholars. It includes historical, philosophical, and empirical reviews of what psychologists have found to matter for personal happiness and well-being. The contributions to this volume agree on priciples of optimal development that start from purely material and selfish concerns, but then lead to ever broader circles of responsibility embracing the goals of others and the well-being of the environment; on the importance of spirituality; on the development of strengths specific to the individual. Rather than material success, popularity, or power, the investigations reported in this volume suggest that personally constructed goals, intrinsic motivation, and a sense of autonomy are much more important. The chapters indicate that hardship and suffering do not necessarily make us unhappy, and they suggest therapeutical implications for improving the quality of life. Specific topics covered include the formation of optimal childhood values and habits as well as a new perspective on aging. This volume provides a powerful counterpoint to a mistakenly reductionist psychology. They show that subjective experience can be studied scientifically and measured accurately. They highlight the potentiality for autonomy and freedom that is among the most precious elements of the human condition. MOreover, they make a convincing case for the importance of subjective phenomena, which often affect happiness more than external, material conditions. After long decades during which psychologists seemed to have forgotten that misery is not the only option, the blossoming of Positive Psychology promises a better understanding of what a vigorous, meaningful life may consist of.
E-Book Content
A Life Worth Living
Series in Positive Psychology Christopher Peterson Series Editor
A Life Worth Living: Contributions to Positive Psychology Edited by Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi and Isabella Selega Csikszentmihalyi
A Life Worth Living Contributions to Positive Psychology
Edited by Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi and Isabella Selega Csikszentmihalyi
1 2006
3 Oxford University Press, Inc., publishes works that further Oxford University’s objective of excellence in research, scholarship, and education. Oxford New York Auckland Cape Town Dar es Salaam Hong Kong Karachi Kuala Lumpur Madrid Melbourne Mexico City Nairobi New Delhi Shanghai Taipei Toronto With offices in Argentina Austria Brazil Chile Czech Republic France Greece Guatemala Hungary Italy Japan Poland Portugal Singapore South Korea Switzerland Thailand Turkey Ukraine Vietnam
Copyright © 2006 by Gallup, Inc., The Gallup Positive Psychology Center Published by Oxford University Press, Inc. 198 Madison Avenue, New York, New York 10016 www.oup.com 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 A life worth living : contributions to positive psychology / edited by Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi and Isabella Selega Csikszentmihalyi. p. cm. —(Series in positive psychology) Includes bibliographical references and index. ISBN-13 978-0-19-517679-7 ISBN 0-19-517679-0 1. Positive psychology. I. Csikszentmihalyi, Mihaly. II. Csikszentmihalyi, Isabella Selega. III. Series. BF204.6.L54 2006 15O.19'8—dc22 2005027911
9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 Printed in the United States of America on acid-free paper
This book is a product of The Gallup International Positive Psychology Summit (GIPPS) established in 1997 by The Gallup Organization to convene the