Positive Psychology
Dr. Paul Wong
Logotherapy: Encyclopedia of Psychotherapy Entry
Glossary dereflection A logotherapeutic technique to redirect clients’ attention away from their problems to more positive aspects of their lives. It is built on the human capacity forself-distancing and self-transcendence.existential analysis Developed by Viktor...
The Positive Psychology of Persistence and Flexibility
What are the most valuable life strategies essential for survival and resilience? What are the most common traits shared by successful athletes and CEOs? More importantly, what are the virtues most important in living the good life? My answer to all the above...
A Clinical Case of Depression and Anxiety Based On Meaning Therapy And PP 2.0
A tall and dignified woman walked into my office today. She was a recent retiree after a successful professional career. She was intelligent and articulate about her prolonged depression brought on by the death of her first son in his prime, and her present anxiety...
Coda: My Swan Song
Dr. Paul T. P. Wong’s autobiography, A Lifelong Search for Meaning: Lessons on Virtue, Grit, and Faith, is published in weekly installments. Stay updated here.Writing my autobiography has been a long journey–it started in 2012 and completed in 2019. It was also a very...
Why and How I Developed the Positive Psychology of Suffering (Autobiography, Ch. 28)
Dr. Paul T. P. Wong’s autobiography, A Lifelong Search for Meaning: Lessons on Virtue, Grit, and Faith, is published in weekly installments. Stay updated here.The above collage of influential positive psychologists is from the Positive Psychology Program. My initial...
A Two-Factor Model of Search For Meaning
When life goes on smoothly and everything is simple, there seems to be no need to wrestle with existential concerns. Most people are happy to live their simple but shallow lives, revolving around “eat, drink, work, and be happy.” Unfortunately, even when living in one...
Second Wave Positive Psychology’s (PP 2.0) Contribution to Counselling Psychology
Abstract Second wave positive psychology (PP 2.0), consisting of two pillars—existential positive psychology and indigenous psychology—emerges as a complement to the limitations of positive psychology as championed by Martin Seligman. This special issue illustrates...
You need CasMac to get through the Covid-19 crisis stronger and happier.
“What are the one or two things you want most for your children and for yourself?” “Happiness and success!” That’s what all people want. Unfortunately, most people do not know how to achieve these objectives, and some even ruin their lives by using unethical means to...
Why I Choose to Develop the Positive Psychology of Suffering (PP 2.0)
"Why do you choose to develop the positive psychology of suffering (PP 2.0)?" Here is my brief answer to all my friends who are puzzled as to why I make my life harder by developing the positive psychology of suffering rather than joining the hit parade of the...
Learned Helplessness or Learned Resourcefulness?
Learned helplessness or learned resourcefulness? It primarily depends on one's upbringing or prior training. When Marty Seligman and Steve Maier were doing research on learned helplessness, Abram Amsel and I did a number of important studies on generalized persistence...
The Positive Psychology of Humility
The benefit and significance of humility as a virtue has been emphasized in positive psychology for a long time (Wright et al., 2016; Wong, 2003). Humility is a virtue worth having for everyone. Yet, positive psychologists are known to score low in humility. This...
Let Your Vulnerability be Your Strength
President's Column for the Positive Living Newsletter (March 2019). Read the rest of the newsletter here.Are you worried about being vulnerable? “Vulnerability” is derived from the Latin word vulnerare (to be wounded); it describes the potential to be injured...