Strengths

In this issue of MAPP Magazine, we sought to explore where positive psychology sits beside suffering. We also sought to make space this holiday season for celebration as well as lament. We asked, “What does the best in us look like when we’re navigating the worst?”

When life delivers news that changes everything, perhaps a serious health diagnosis for yourself or someone you love, fear and uncertainty can feel overwhelming. Yet even in the hardest moments, it is possible to find strength, meaning, and hope. I know this because I’ve lived it. When a doctor told me I had breast cancer, …

Orin Davis, the first person to receive a PhD in positive psychology, honors his mentor, Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi, for not just being a great contributor to the field, but also being a powerful role model of how to be a good scientist. Csikszentmihaly was open to seeing his own ideas challenged, extended, or even contradicted.

Are you wondering what to do next, how to get unstuck, how to get out of a slump? Are you unsure how to take the next best step in a meaningful life? Perhaps Ruth Pearce’s new book, be hopeful, be strong, be brave, be curious, will help you find the way forward.

In this updated edition of a valuable book, Ryan Niemiec shows how merging the awareness of character strengths with intentional mindfulness can enhance both practices. Because the book offers both a conceptual framework and activities grounded in scientific research, readers will know what to do but also why it works.