he Interest Group in Positive Psychology promotes the theoretical and applied elements of a new area of psychology that seeks to understand and implement the conditions that allow individuals, groups and organisations to flourish. We do this partly by understanding how joy, motivation and are generated.....

The Interest Group seeks to bring together and find a voice for both practitioners and researchers who share an interest in positive psychology constructs and processes. For example, how the constructs of wellbeing, happiness and optimal life engagement (thriving, flourishing) help our clients and the general public. We are also interested in  helping members learn to apply the processes of optimism, gratitude, and self actualisation in their clinical and coaching work.

The Interest Group would like to engage with individuals who:

• Seeks to embed or apply positive psychology constructs across organisational settings (schools, organisations, government departments).
• Integrates positive psychology contructs and processes into practice, including across clinical, counselling and coaching settings.
• Are interested in building a bridge between positive psychology research and practice.
• Has an interest in positive psychology, wellbeing and optimal life engagement.

Positive Psychology is an umbrella term that refers to the conditions and processes that strengthen happiness, wellbeing and thriving life engagement (e.g., to thrive, flourish). The approach brings a focus to wellbeing and resilience for “all” children, young people and adults, in contrast to traditional psychological or medical approaches that focus on individual’s at high risk (or currently expressing) psychological or medical problems.

Optimal wellbeing and functioning across the positive psychology movement brings a focus to the following five aspects (PERMA Model, see Seligman, 2012):

• Positive affect
• Engagement (optimal engagement)
• Relationships
• Meaning
• Accomplishment