A Life Worth Living Series in Positive Psychology Christopher Peterson Series Editor A Life Worth Living: Contributions to Positive Psychology Edited by Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi and Isabella Selega Csikszentmihalyi A Life Worth Living Contributions to Positive Psychology Edited by Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi and Isabella Selega Csikszentmihalyi 1 2006 3 Oxford University Press, Inc., publishes works that further Oxford University’s objective of excellence in research, scholarship, and education. Oxford New York Auckland Cape Town Dar es Salaam Hong Kong Karachi Kuala Lumpur Madrid Melbourne Mexico City Nairobi New Delhi Shanghai Taipei Toronto With offices in Argentina Austria Brazil Chile Czech Republic France Greece Guatemala Hungary Italy Japan Poland Portugal Singapore South Korea Switzerland Thailand Turkey Ukraine Vietnam Copyright © 2006 by Gallup, Inc., The Gallup Positive Psychology Center Published by Oxford University Press, Inc. 198 Madison Avenue, New York, New York 10016 www.oup.com Oxford is a registered trademark of Oxford University Press All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without the prior permission of Oxford University Press. Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data A life worth living : contributions to positive psychology / edited by Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi and Isabella Selega Csikszentmihalyi. p. cm. —(Series in positive psychology) Includes bibliographical references and index. ISBN-13 978-0-19-517679-7 ISBN 0-19-517679-0 1. Positive psychology. I. Csikszentmihalyi, Mihaly. II. Csikszentmihalyi, Isabella Selega. III. Series. BF204.6.L54 2006 15O.19'8—dc22 2005027911 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 Printed in the United States of America on acid-free paper This book is a product of The Gallup International Positive Psychology Summit (GIPPS) established in 1997 by The Gallup Organization to convene the world’s most highly committed, world-class researchers who study, measure, and report on “what is right with people, workplaces, schools, communities, policy, etc.” We are extremely grateful to Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi and Isabella Selega Csikszentmihalyi, editors of this volume; to each of the chapter authors; to Mike Morrison, Dean of the University of Toyota (an ongoing sponsor of GIPPS); to the GIPPI board; to Gallup clients and associates; and especially to Sheila M. Kearney, the Executive Director of the Gallup International Positive Psychology Institute. High regards, Jim Clifton. Chairman & CEO The Gallup Organization the gallup international postive psychology executive board Jim Clifton, Chairman & CEO, The Gallup Organization Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi, Professor, Claremont Graduate University Will Decker, Associate Dean, University of Toyota Ed Diener, Professor, University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign Paul Higham, President, hFactor Daniel Kahneman, Professor, Princeton University Sheila M. Kearney, Executive Director, The Gallup International Positive Psychology Institute Shane Lopez, Associate Professor, University of Kansas Robert Manchin, Managing Director, Gallup Europe Mike Morrison, Dean, University of Toyota Christopher Peterson, Professor, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor Martin E. P. Seligman, Professor, University of Pennsylvania This page intentionally left blank 1 Contents Contributors ix Introduction 3 Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi Part I Historical and Theoretical Perspectives 1. Positive Psychology Traditions in Classical European Psychology 19 Csaba Pléh 2. The Values in Action (VIA) Classification of Strengths 29 Christopher Peterson 3. Positive Personality Development: Approaching Personal Autonomy 49 Dmitry Leontiev 4. Spirituality: Recent Progress 62 Robert A. Emmons Part II Positive Experiences 5. The Broaden-and-Build Theory of Positive Emotions 85 Barbara L. Fredrickson 6. Benefits of Emotional Intelligence 104 Daisy D. Grewal and Peter Salovey 7. Strategies for Achieving Well-Being 120 Jane Henry Part III Lifelong Positive Development 8. Adaptive Resources in Later Life: Tenacious Goal Pursuit and Flexible Goal Adjustment 143 Jochen Brandtstädter vii 9. The Impact of Subjective Experience on the Quality of Life: A Central Issue for Health Professionals 165 Antonella Delle Fave 10. What Works Makes You Happy: The Role of Personal Goals in Life-Span Development 182 Jari-Erik Nurmi and Katariina Salmela-Aro 11. Materialism and Its Alternatives 200 Tim Kasser 12. Getting Older, Getting Better? Recent Psychological Evidence 215 Kennon Sheldon 13. Afterword: Breaking the 65 Percent Barrier 230 Martin E. P. Seligman Author Index 237 Subject Index 247 viii Contents 1 Contributors Jochen Brandstädter Dmitry Leontiev University of Trier Moscow State University 54286 Trier Moscow, Russia Germany Jari-Erik Nurmi Isabella Csikszentmihalyi University of Jyvaskyla Writer and Editor FIN-40014 Jyvaskyla Claremont, CA 91711 Finland Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi Christopher Peterson The Claremont Graduate University University of Michigan Claremont, CA 91711 Ann Arbor, MI 48109 Antonella Delle Fave Csaba Pléh Medical School of the University of Budapest University of Technology Milan and Economics Milan, Italy Budapest, Hungary Robert A. Emmons Katariina Salmela-Aro University of California University of Jyvaskyla Davis, CA 95616 FIN-40014 Jyvaskyla Finland Barbara L. Fredrickson University of Michigan Peter Salovey Ann Arbor, MI 48109–1109 Yale University New Haven, CT 06520 Daisy D. Grewal Yale University Martin E. P. Seligman New Haven, CT 06520 University of Pennsylvania Philadelphia, PA 19104 Jane Henry Open University Kennon Sheldon Milton Keynes MK76AA University of Missouri–Columbia United Kingdom Columbia, MO 65211 Tim Kasser Knox College Galesburg, IL 61401 ix