Using Attitude Adjustment in the Workplace
I’m Not Talking about Lacing the Decaf
I’ll be honest. As a therapist, I’m not a huge fan of what some aspects of the “positive psychology” movement have become – more on that in a bit. Martin Seligman, a psychologist who teaches at the University of Pennsylvania, is considered to be positive psychology’s founder. A Web site, Authentic Happiness, describes it as “a new branch of psychology which focuses on the empirical study of such things as positive emotions, strengths-based character, and healthy institutions.”
I love his ideas and have used them with patients long before it had a name. It always seemed healthier to focus on people’s strengths and positive qualities than get stuck in pathology mode. My concern is that the idea is often distorted and very far removed from its original focus and intent. (I also believe it can be dangerous for clinicians to ignore patients’ serious, underlying issues while applying these theories.)
My corporate-life era was at the beginning of “team-building” workshops, often led by people with no (or questionable) credentials that made us do the most annoying, embarrassing things under the guise of improving morale, etc. So I’m really biased in this area. To be fair, now there are respected business leaders and coaches who present this material brilliantly. Continue reading …
This is a post by Nancy LaFever. You can read more from her at the Centre for Emotional Wellbeing blog.
Article courtesy of Andrew G.R. and jobacle.com – your cure for carbon copy career advice!
