Written by an international thought leader in the field, Alex Linley, Average to A+ presents the state of the art understanding of strengths, including their evolutionary origins and what this means for us in modern times; the golden mean for optimal strengths use; the royal roads to identifying strengths in ourselves and in other people; and how we can make the most of strengths in ourselves, in our children, and at work. Throughout the book, you will see how using strengths is the smallest thing that makes the biggest difference. Average to A+ introduces the three pillars of responsibility of the strengths approach, demonstrating how the collective use of our strengths enables positive social change to tackle the major social challenges we face today. It speaks to each and every one of us as human beings, and invites us to become the best that we are capable of becoming. Average to A+ represents the cutting edge of the strengths approach, and is the standard bearer for the realisation of human strengths and human possibility.

Questions about the meaning, purpose, and pursuit of happiness and well-being have been addressed by thinkers since ancient times but over the past decade or so there has been a tremendous upsurge of scholarly interest in the subject. This renewed interest has come from a variety of academic disciplines, including psychology, neuroscience, and economics. The field has, in particular, been galvanized by the advent of the positive psychology movement at the turn of the century. Especially in the United States, but also in the UK and on continental Europe, Australia, and parts of Asia, research and courses in positive psychology are thriving. Harvard University 's positive psychology course, for example, is currently the most popular offering in the college 's history.

Governments and international organizations are also increasingly engaged by notions of well-being and happiness. The World Health Organization has recently redefined health to include psychological well-being and many national policy-makers have begun to recognize that measuring a nation 's success by traditional economic values alone no longer suffices and that we need also urgently to understand how people experience the quality of their lives.

Beyond the academy and government, there is also immense interest in the promotion and examination of happiness and well-being in many professional disciplines such as coaching, education, clinical psychology, and community-building.

As work on happiness and well-being flourishes as never before, this new title in Psychology Press 's Major Works series, Critical Concepts in Psychology, meets the need for an authoritative reference work to make sense of the subject 's vast literature and the continuing explosion in research output. Co-edited by two leading scholars, Happiness and Well-being is a four-volume collection of classic and contemporary contributions. Together, the four volumes provide a one-stop resource for all interested researchers, students, and policy-makers to gain a thorough understanding of the field, the variety of approaches, and where thinking on happiness and well-being is today. With comprehensive introductions to each volume, newly written by the editors, which place the collected material in its historical, intellectual, and practical context, Happiness and Well-being is an essential work of reference and a vital research tool.

Oxford Handbooks offer authoritative and up-to-date reviews of original research in a particular subject area. Specially commissioned chapters from leading figures in the discipline give critical examinations of the progress and direction of debates, as well as a foundation for futureresearch. Oxford Handbooks provide scholars and graduate students with compelling new perspectives upon a wide range of subjects in the humanities, social sciences, and sciences.

Part of the Oxford Library of Psychology, the Oxford Handbook of Positive Psychology and Work examines what positive psychology offers to our understanding of key issues in working life today. Drawing on the disparate literatures from positive psychology, management, I/O psychology, and human resources, the volume begins with a consideration of the changing world of work that sets the context for the rest of the book and then moves into a specific consideration of work issues from the perspective of positive psychology. Chapters focus on such topics as strengths, leadership, human resource management, employee engagement, communications, well-being, and work-life balance. The volume will be a core resource for both researchers and practitioners interested in the application of positive psychology to work.

This book presents recent positive psychological research, applications and interventions being used among adolescents and children. Currently there is a wave of change occurring whereby educators, and others working with children and adolescents, are beginning to recognize the benefits of looking at well-being from a positive perspective, specifically the integration of positive psychological theory into the school curriculum in order to improve student well-being. Moreover, although the positive psychological field has grown tremendously since its inception, there remains an imbalance in the publication of research findings, applications, and interventions among children and adolescents in comparison to adults. This book fills the need for a reference to this valuable information and benefits a wide range of professionals, including educators, clinicians, psychologists, students, and many other working with children and adolescents.

This book presents recent positive psychological research, applications and interventions being used among adolescents and children. Currently there is a wave of change occurring whereby educators, and others working with children and adolescents, are beginning to recognize the benefits of looking at well-being from a positive perspective, specifically the integration of positive psychological theory into the school curriculum in order to improve student well-being. Moreover, although the positive psychological field has grown tremendously since its inception, there remains an imbalance in the publication of research findings, applications, and interventions among children and adolescents in comparison to adults. This book fills the need for a reference to this valuable information and benefits a wide range of professionals, including educators, clinicians, psychologists, students, and many other working with children and adolescents.

Written by an international thought leader in the field, Alex Linley, Average to A+ presents the state of the art understanding of strengths, including their evolutionary origins and what this means for us in modern times; the golden mean for optimal strengths use; the royal roads to identifying strengths in ourselves and in other people; and how we can make the most of strengths in ourselves, in our children, and at work. Throughout the book, you will see how using strengths is the smallest thing that makes the biggest difference. Average to A+ introduces the three pillars of responsibility of the strengths approach, demonstrating how the collective use of our strengths enables positive social change to tackle the major social challenges we face today. It speaks to each and every one of us as human beings, and invites us to become the best that we are capable of becoming. Average to A+ represents the cutting edge of the strengths approach, and is the standard bearer for the realisation of human strengths and human possibility.

The Oxford Handbook of Positive Psychology and Work examines what positive psychology offers to our understanding of key issues in working life today. Drawing on the disparate literatures from positive psychology, management, I/O psychology, and human resources, the volume begins with a consideration of the changing world of work that sets the context for the rest of the book and then moves into a specific consideration of work issues from the perspective of positive psychology. Chapters focus on such topics as strengths, leadership, human resource management, employee engagement, communications, well-being, and work-life balance. Now a portable paperback, this handbook is still a core resource for both researchers and practitioners interested in the application of positive psychology to work.