Positive Psychology Specialization Project: Design Your Life for Well-being

This course is part of Foundations of Positive Psychology Specialization

Instructor: Martin E.P. Seligman, Ph.D.

Sponsored by Louisiana Workforce Commission

32,705 already enrolled

4 modules

Gain insight into a topic and learn the fundamentals.

4.8

(820 reviews)

12 hours to complete

3 weeks at 4 hours a week

Flexible schedule

Learn at your own pace

97%

Most learners liked this course

4 modules

Gain insight into a topic and learn the fundamentals.

4.8

(820 reviews)

12 hours to complete

3 weeks at 4 hours a week

Flexible schedule

Learn at your own pace

97%

Most learners liked this course

What you'll learn

Identify your five signature strengths
Describe the character strengths that promote well-being
Craft a positive intervention using a signature strength
Share your work by writing a post-intervention assessment

Details to know

Shareable certificate

Add to your LinkedIn profile

Assessments

8 assignments

Taught in English

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This course is part of the Foundations of Positive Psychology Specialization

When you enroll in this course, you'll also be enrolled in this Specialization.

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Gain a foundational understanding of a subject or tool
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There are 4 modules in this course

You are encouraged to take the first four courses of the Foundations of Positive Psychology Specialization before starting this course and completing the Specialization Project. This course, taught by Dr. Martin E.P. Seligman brings all the key concepts from the first four courses to practice as you develop and test a new positive intervention for an audience of your choice. You identify opportunities in your daily life to increase the wellbeing by using knowledge you developed in the first four courses of the Specialization. In this final project, you evaluate the efficacy of a positive intervention based on subjective and objective measures. Then, you compare how empirical and non-empirically-based positive interventions can be applied to influence a person's wellbeing. Lastly, you reflect on how the fundamental elements of research methods are important in the everyday application of positive psychology.

Module 1 of the Positive Psychology Capstone reviews the VIA Character Strengths Classification and in particular asks the learner to identify his or her five signature strengths and assess if they are authentic.

What's included

9 videos1 reading2 assignments1 peer review

9 videosTotal 28 minutes

1.1 Course Overview1 minutePreview module
1.2 Module 1 Overview1 minute
1.3 Assignment: Taking the VIA or reviewing your results0 minutes
1.4 Interview: Paul Rozin on Character Strengths8 minutes
1.5 James Pawelski's Review of Via Character Strengths8 minutes
1.6 Signature Strengths2 minutes
1.7 Disappointment in your Signature Strength0 minutes
1.8 Does the strength seem to fit you?0 minutes
1.9 How can you tell if the strength is authentically you?4 minutes

1 readingTotal 10 minutes

Chris Peterson: What makes life worth living10 minutes

2 assignmentsTotal 60 minutes

Practice Quiz 130 minutes
Character Strengths30 minutes

1 peer reviewTotal 120 minutes

Character strengths. Who are you at your best? Do your signature strengths seem genuinely you?120 minutes

Module 2 presents Chris Peterson's unfinished theory on mental illness. Specifically his belief that the absence of strengths, the excess of strengths, and the opposite of strengths might define 72 conditions of character weakness, and that these shortcomings might be a better framework than the DSM which uses a checklist of symptoms.

What's included

5 videos2 readings2 assignments1 peer review1 discussion prompt

5 videosTotal 16 minutes

2.1 Module 2 Overview1 minutePreview module
2.2 Peterson’s Theory6 minutes
2.3 Assessment of Peterson’s 24 Absence and Opposite of Strengths4 minutes
2.5 Contrasting Strengths Versus DSM2 minutes
2.6 Using Character Strength in a Challenge2 minutes

2 readingsTotal 20 minutes

Chris Peterson’s Unfinished Masterwork: The Real Mental Illnesses10 minutes
Which Character Strengths are most Predictive of Well-Being?10 minutes

2 assignmentsTotal 60 minutes

Practice Quiz30 minutes
Excess, Absence, and Opposite in Character Strengths30 minutes

1 peer reviewTotal 60 minutes

72 deviations from strength. Can you spot your own deviance?60 minutes

1 discussion promptTotal 10 minutes

Definitions10 minutes

Module 3 has the learner target an area for remediation from among Peterson's inventory of 72 deviant strengths and craft a positive intervention using a signature strength.

What's included

5 videos2 readings2 assignments1 peer review

5 videosTotal 26 minutes

3.1 Module 3 Overview1 minutePreview module
3.2 Interview: Picking what works best for you from strengths banquet5 minutes
3.3 Deliberate Practice11 minutes
3.4 Laying the Foundation: Defining Measurement and Testing Happiness and Flourishing3 minutes
3.5 What is a Positive Intervention?4 minutes

2 readingsTotal 20 minutes

Articles on Research Methods10 minutes
PERMA overview Well-Being Theory10 minutes

2 assignmentsTotal 60 minutes

Practice quiz on research methods and picking from strengths30 minutes
PERMA, Positive Interventions, Research Methods30 minutes

1 peer reviewTotal 120 minutes

Designing your Positive Intervention120 minutes

Module 4 has the learner put the positive intervention into action, assess and the share the results, and finally reduce the positive intervention to writing so it can be shared.

What's included

8 videos2 assignments1 peer review1 discussion prompt

8 videosTotal 20 minutes

4.1 Module 4 Overview1 minutePreview module
4.2 Trying the Positive Intervention2 minutes
4.3 Aristotelian Balance2 minutes
4.4 Interview: Using Strengths7 minutes
4.5 Using Signature Strengths Instead of Weakness2 minutes
4.6 Using Signature Strengths over time to Increase Happiness0 minutes
4.7 Assignment: Retaking the PERMA and the PANAS assessment0 minutes
4.8 Closing Thoughts2 minutes

2 assignmentsTotal 60 minutes

Practice quiz on Positive Interventions30 minutes
Positive Interventions, Strengths30 minutes

1 peer reviewTotal 60 minutes

Assessing the Positive Intervention and the post intervention assessment.60 minutes

1 discussion promptTotal 10 minutes

Using the Peterson strength Excess, strength Absence, and strength Opposite categories10 minutes

Instructor

Instructor ratings

4.9 (115 ratings)

Martin E.P. Seligman, Ph.D.

University of Pennsylvania

2 Courses131,033 learners

Offered by

University of Pennsylvania

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4.8

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Reviewed on Jun 10, 2020

Very enlightening perspective on well being! learnt a lot of new concepts and interventions which are implementable in the real wordl.

Reviewed on Mar 10, 2018

A thought provoking workshop. How mental illness can be the lack, opposite or excess of our strengths. I enjoyed delving more into strengths and also having to come up with a positive intervention.

Reviewed on Jul 25, 2021

I loved this course because the core intention which is to get practical insights. I am forever grateful to Coursera and University of Pennsylvania.

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