Psychology for Lawyers
positive psychology
Preface
"Positive psychology was launched in Dr. Martin Seligman's 1998
presidential address to the American Psychological Association, when
he urged psychologists to 'turn toward understanding and building
the human strengths to complement our emphasis on healing damage.'"
--Craig Lambert, The Science of Happiness: Psychology Explores
Humans at Their Best
[Lambert traces the roots of positive
psychology to the publication of Abraham Maslow's Toward a Psychology
of Being, published in 1962.]
"Positive Psychology is the scientific study of the strengths and virtues that enable individuals and communities to thrive. The field is founded on the belief that people want to lead meaningful and fulfilling lives, to cultivate what is best within themselves, and to enhance their experiences of love, work, and play."
--Positive Psychology Center, University of Pennsylvania [Martin
E.P. Seligman, professor of psychology at the University of Pennsylvania,
is the Director of the Positive Psychology Center]
"What I have called Positive Psychology concerns the scientific
study of the three different happy lives that correspond to . . .
three desires: the Pleasant Life, the Good Life, and the Meaningful
Life."
--Martin E.P. Seligman, Can Happiness Be Taught?, Daedalus, 2004
"Positive psychology is the study of the conditions and processes
that contribute to the flourishing or optimal functioning of people,
groups, and institutions."
--Shelly L. Gable & JOnathan Haidt, What (and Why) Is Positive
Psychology?, 8 (2) Rev. Gen. Psychol. 103, 104 (2005)
"The unhappiness and discontent of lawyers is well documented
and much lamented.
* * * *
We believe that psychology has the explanatory power to assist lawyers at this critical juncture.
* * * *
Our belief is that the new field of 'positive psychology' (which seeks to cultivate human strengths, rather than focus on human weaknesses), offers coping strategies to reduce unhappiness, and can be adapted successfully to the legal setting, in particular the large law firm."
--Martin E.P. Seligman, Paul R. Verkuil & Terry H. Kang, Why
Lawyers Are Unhappy, 23 Cardozo L. Rev. 33, 34, 35 (2001)
Readings
Craig Lambert, The Science of Happiness: Psychology Explores Humans
at Their Best, Harvard Magazine (2007) [online
text]
Martin Seligman & Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi, Positive Psychology:
An Introduction, 55 (1) Amer. Psychologist 5 (2000) [online
text]
Shelly L. Gable & Jonathan Haidt, What (and Why) Is Positive
Psychology, 9 (2) Rev. General Psychology 103 (2005) [online
text]
Martin E.P. Seligman, Why Are Lawyers So Unhappy? Lawyers with Depression
Blog [online
text]
Barry Schwartz, Pitfalls on the Road to a Positive Psychology of Hope
[online
text]
Class Videos
Introduction: Abraham Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs: Diagram
Class Viewing 1: What
It Takes to be Happy [9:17 mins.] [Ronald
D. Siegel, clinical professor of psychology, Harvard Medical School;
discussion of "positive psychology"; brief reference to
"flow"; a brief introduction to "mindfulness"]
[end class presentation at 4:23 mins.]
Class Viewing 2: Martin
Seligman on Positive Psychology [3:51 mins.]
[reference to "flourishing," "positive emotion,"
"meaning"]
Class Viewing 3: Martin
Seligman: The New Era of Positive Psychology
[23:42 mins.] [TED Talk, 2004] [reviewing the contributions of psychology
and psychiatry, and what got left out of modern day psychology;
psychology's "disease model" and the "science of
mental illness" that resulted in a catalogue of mental illnesses;
the development of drug treatments for mental illness; in psychiatry
"we can claim that we make miserable people less miserable"]
[Martin Seligman is the author of Authentic Happiness]
[brief comments on "flow"] [end class presentation at
6:15 mins.] [for a longer in-class presentation end at 1552 mins.]
Class Viewing 4: Positive
Psychology and Why Lawyers are the Way We Are [9:49
mins.] [Dave Shearon, Executive Director of Continuing Legal Education
in Tennessee, talks about positive psychology and how it applies
to the practice of law; commenting on how lawyers dampen their emotions
and disconnect from their values; Shearon studied positive psychology
with Marty Seligman] [start the video at 0:40 mins.]
A Cautionary Stance: Rethinking Happiness as a Pursuit
in Life
Class Viewing 1: The
Pursuit of Happiness [4:07 mins.] [Andrew
Weil] [reference to evolutionary psychologists]
Class Viewing 2: Adam
Phillips on Happiness as a Misguided Pursuit [5:23
mins.]
Class Viewing 3: Happy
Daze [3:25 mins.] [Jordan Peterson] [a
2011 video short] [begin presentation at 1:10 mins.]
Class Viewing 4: Happiness:
Susie Orbach Speak at St Paul's [1:30:45
mins.] [St Paul's Cathedral, 2010] [Susan Orbach begins her presentation
at 1:50 mins. and ends at 13:16 mins.] [a response to positive psychology
and the idea that we should be in pursuit of happiness] [Susie
Orbach was born in 1946. She is is a British psychotherapist,
psychoanalyst, writer and social critic. She founded Women's Therapy
Centre of London.]
Positive Psychology (Optional In-Class Viewing)
Optional: Flow:
Secret to Happiness [18:56 mins.] [Mihalyi
Csikszentmihalyi teaches psychology and management at Claremont
Graduate University] [TED Talk, 2004] [class presentation can end
at 12:20 mins.] [alt.
site]
Optional: Animated
Book Review: Flow by Mihalyi Csikszentmihalyi [5:20
mins.]
Optional: Mihalyi
Csikszentmihalyi on Rules
of Engagement [19:13 mins.] [TED Talk]
[class presentation begins at 4:47 mins. and ends at 7:42 mins.]
[reference to positive psychology at 3:30 mins.]
Optional: A
Conversation with Ken Robinson [26:50 mins.]
[relevant part of the video begins at 5:00 mins.; end presentation
at 10:42 mins.] [Robinson discusses his book, The Element]
Critique of the Seligman|Csikszentmihalyi 2000 Introduction
to Positive Psychology
The
Negative Shadow Cast by Positive Psychology
Positive Psychology: History in the Remaking?
Dana Becker & Jeanne Marecek, 18 (5) Theory & Psychology 591 (2008)
A Cautionary Stance: Do We Really Want to be Happy?
Happiness
Is an Empty Promise
[12:27 mins.] [Steven Hayes] [a broad cultural perspective]
Full Interview [37:53 mins.]
Say No to
Happiness
[54:00 mins.] [audio] [Jordan Peterson's comments
begin at 26:48 mins.; reference to "tentative order" and
"impending chaos," a chaos that is infinite]
Adam Phillips:
On Pleasure & Frustration
[5:23 mins.]
Why Be Happy
When You Could Be Interesting?
[2:00 mins.] [Slavoj Žižek]
Positive Psychology: Relation to Humanistic Psychology
Contributions of Humanistic Psychology to Positive Psychology
Arthur Warmoth, Stella Resnick & Ilene Serlin,
Division 32, American Psychological Association
The
History of Positive Psychology: Truth Be Told
Jeffrey J. Froh, NYS Psychologist, 2004
The Humanistic Psychology and Positive Psychology Connection: Implications for Psychotherapy Stella Resnick & Arthur Warmoth, 46 (1) J. Humanistic Psychology 73 (2001)
Are Qualitative Methods Always Best for Humanistic Psychology Research? A Conversation on the Epistemological Divide Between Humanistic and Positive Psychology
Zeno Franco, Harris Friedman & Mike Arons, 36
The Humanistic Psychologist 159 (2008)
Humanistic Psychology: Course Resources
Reference (Martin Seligman)
Martin Seligman on Positive Psychology and Well Being
[24:58 mins.] [2010] [What is positive psychology? What is well-being?
Positive interventions. Reference to his work on "learned helplessness."]
[if this video is screened, it can end at 16:08 mins.]
Going into Flow
[2:45 mins.]
A New Understanding of Well Being
[30:08 mins.] [Martin Seligman]
Martin Seligman on Optimism
[2:00 mins.]
Flourish
[24:49 mins.]
Flourishing:
A New Understanding of Well-Being
[30:07 mins.]
Positive Psychology
Video
[3:23 mins.]
What Is the Measure of a Flourishing Life?
[38:54 mins.] [panel discussion: Martin Seligman, Ellen Langer, Ross Gittins]
Seligman Lecture on the Science of Well Being
[1:07:24 mins.]
Seligman 2nd Lecture on the Science of Well Being
[1:19:15 mins.] [Adelaide, Australia]
Martin Seligman Explaining Positive Psychology
[7:07 mins.] [Seligman with a TV interviewer]
Martin Seligman with the Dalai Lama
[32:17 mins.]
Martin Seligman with James Fallows
[11:04 mins.]
Interview about Authentic Happiness
[13:52 mins.]
About Martin Seligman
Learned Optimism by Martinn Seligman: Animated Book Review
[4:44 mins.]
Authentic Happiness by Martin Seligman: Animated Book Review
[5:01 mins.]
By and About | Martin Seligman
Martin Seligman, Flourish: Positive Psychology and Positive Interventions [Tanner Lectures on Human Values, University of Michigan, 2010] [online text]
Seven F. Maier, Christopher Peterson & Barry Schwartz, "From Helplessness to Hope: The Seminal Career of Martin Seligman," in
Jane Gillham (ed.), The Science of Optimism and Hope 11-37 (Radnor, Pennsylvania: Templeton Foundation Press, 2000) [online text]
Reference (Mihalyi Csikszentmihaly)
Flow
[4:55 mins.]
Flow, Creativity & the Evolving Self
[6:59 mins.] [Thinking Allowed with Jeffrey Mishlove]
Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi & Positive Psychology
[7:10 mins.]
Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi on Flow
[2:41 mins.]
Living in Flow: The Secret of Happiness
[24:24 mins.]
Flow and the Quality of Life
[1:05:58 mins.]
The Creative Person and the Creative Context
[1:08:24 mins.] [poor quality video]
Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi
[19:00 mins.]
On Creativity, Innovation & Managing "Flow"
[19:07 mins.]
On Flow, Intrinsic Motivation, & Happiness
[33:42 mins.]
Appearance at
Socially, Environmentally, and Ethically Responsible (SEER) Symposium
[44:37 mins.]
[Csikszentmihaly interview begins at 4:41 mins.]
2011 University of Wisconsin-Madison Big Learning Event
[18:59 mins.]
On the Benefits of Consumption
[55:26 mins.]
[Csikszentmihaly presentation begins at 1:26 mins.]
What People Say They Love
[18:48 mins.]
[TED Talk, Milan, 2013]
Flow
On Flow
[6:47 mins.]
Reference (Ronald D. Siegal)
The Failure of Success and the Pain of "I Me, Me, Mine"
[4:51 mins.]
Mindfulness Practices
[7:44 mins.]
The Science of Mindfulness
[1:05:49 mins.]
Reference (Tal Ben-Shahar)
Big Think Interview with Tal Ben-Shahar
[29:23 mins.] [defining positive psychology & setting forth a a brief history] [when used for a class presentation, the presentation can end at 8:12 mins.]
Positive Psychology: Happier
[8:24 mins.]
Positive Leadership: Why Happiness is Good for Business
[8:32 mins.]
Happiness 101 with Tal Ben-Shahar
[1:08:21 mins.]
Choose the Life You Want
[42:50 mins.] [audio :: interview]
Reference (Positive Psychology & Lawyers)(Dave Shearon)
Dave Shearon, CLE Executive Director, Tennesse Bar, on Positive Psychology
[9:54 mins.] Pt2
[shown in class] Pt3
[9:20 mins.] Pt4
[7:58 mins.] Pt5
[9:50 mins.]
Reference (Larry Krieger)
Effective Lawyers
[6:24 mins.] [Larry Krieger is a law professor] [begin the video at 0:48 mins.]
The Humanizing Legal Education Movement
[10:00 mins.] [bio; commenting on "balance" in legal education; Maslow's hierarchy of needs] Pt2 [9:37 mins.] Pt3 [9:43 mins.] Pt4 [9:02 mins.] Pt5 [10:00] Pt6 [8:53 mins.] Pt7 [9:43 mins.] Pt8 [9:12 mins.] Pt9 [9:40 mins.] Pt10 [8:48 mins.]
Larry Krieger | Articles
Lawrence S. Krieger, The Inseparability of Professionalism and Personal Satisfaction, Clinical L. Rev. [online text]
Lawrence S. Krieger (with Kennon M. Sheldon), What Makes Lawyers Happy?: A Data-
Driven Prescription to Redefine Professional Success, 83 Geo. Wash. L. Rev. 554 (2015) [online text]
Reference (Positive Psychology & Lawyers)
A Day in the Life of a Lawyer
[6:15 mins.]
Attorney Wellbeing: John 'Sean' Doyle
[2:39 mins.]
Sean Doyle's TED Talk [12:09 mins.]
Reference (Positive Psychology)
Happiness and
the Work of Psychologists
[47:35 mins.] [Paul Bloom, Yale University professor;
semester long introductory lectures on psychology] [The lecture on positive
psychology begins at 11:16 mins.] [survey of the research on happiness]
What Is Positive
Psychology
[4:59 mins.] [animation]
Positive Psychotherapy
and Positive Psychology
[17:28 mins.]
Midlife Crisis Coaching: The Role of Positive Psychology in Midlife Transition
[6:08 mins.] [discussion of the relation of positive psychology to Jungian thinking]
Practicing Positive
Psychotherapy
[8:17 mins.] [Carol Kauffman] [presentation, if
used, can begin at 3:15 mins.] Pt2
[7:30 mins.]
Happiness & Well-Being
Pursuing Happiness: What Works and Why
[1:07:47 mins.] [Ken Sheldon] [lecture begins at 1:00 min.]
The Human Mind and the Cultivation of Well-Being
[1:39:00 mins.]
[Dan Siegel] [Siegel's presentation begins at 8:30 mins.]
The Science of Happiness
[48:57 mins.] [Fred Luskin] [Luskin received his
doctorate in counseling and health psychology from Stanford University]
Forgiveness, Stress Management, and Happiness
[29:18 mins.] [Fred Luskin, Director, Stanford
Forgiveness Project]
Happiness and the Brain
[39:20 mins.]
Applied Happiness
[18:16 mins.] [Jenn Lim, TED Talk]
Delivering Happiness
[21:09 mins.]
[TED Talk]
What Is Happiness?
[30:38 mins.] [Professor June Gruber, Yale University] The Dark Side of Happiness
[11:20 mins.] [TED Talk]
Don't Worry, Be Happy Now: The Science and Philosophy of the Happiness Movement
[49:01 mins.] [James Fallows & Gretchen Rubin (trained as a lawyer); Rubin is the author of The Happiness Project] [University of California Television]
A Guide to Happiness: The Problem of Anger
[24:14 mins.]
[Alain de Botton, a philosophical approach to happiness]
Well-Being
[59:10 mins.] [Daniel
Kahneman is psychologist whose work spans cognitive psychology, behavioral economics, and the science of well-being.]
Combining Mindfulness & Positive Psychology
[1:10:36 mins.]
Educating for Happiness and Resilience
[17: 58 mins.] [Ilona Boniwell]
Positive Psychology
for a Happier World
[1:15:39 mins.] [Ilona Boniwell]
Happiness: Dan Gilbert
Dan Gilbert: The Surprising Science of Happiness
[21:20 mins.] [Harvard psychologist, Dan Gilbert, author of Stumbling on Happiness, challenging the idea that we'll be miserable if we don't get what we want]
The Science of Happiness: What Your Mother Didn't Tell You
[30:06 mins.] [Dan Gilbert] [Dr. Gilbert is a Professor of Psychology at Harvard University and author of Stumbling on Happiness (2007)]
Why We Make Bad Decisions
[34:10 mins.] [Dan Gilbert]
Daniel Gilbert on Happiness
[27:50 mins.]
Dan Gilbert: The Psychology of Your Future Self
[6:49 mins.] [TED Talk]
Happiness (a Negative Path): Oliver Burkeman
The Negative Path to Happiness and Success
[22:11 mins.]
Open to Failure, Open to Success
[2:16 mins.]
Happiness for People Who Can't Stand Positive Thinking
[59:10 mins.] [Oliver Burkeman is author of The Antidote: Happiness for People Who Can't Stand Positive Thinking] [Burkeman's presentation begins at 2:44 mins.]
How to Become Slightly Happier
[29:23 mins.]
The Antidote
[15:26 mins.]
Awe, "Opensure" and Happiness: Five Questions
[9:33 mins.]
An Alternative Path to Happiness
[1:18:29 mins.] [Burkeman's presentation begins at 5:20 mins.]
The Power of Negative Thinking
[55:33 mins.]
Oliver Burkeman Interview
[53:40 mins.] [podcast]
Happiness
[20:10 mins.] [podcast]
Wholeheartedness
A Brené Brown Lecture
[20:45 mins.][How do we engage our lives from a place of authenticity and worthiness? How do we cultivate the courage, compassion, and connection that we need to embrace our imperfections? Brené is the author of I Thought It Was Just Me (but it isn't): Telling the Truth About Perfectionism, Inadequacy, and Power (2007), The Gifts of Imperfection (2010), and Wholehearted: Spiritual Adventures in Falling Apart, Growing Up, and Finding Joy (2011)]
Robert Biswas-Diener: Positive Psychologist
Your Happiest Days are Behind You
[13:18 mins.]
The Upside of Your Dark Side
[23:07 mins.] [Happiness & Its Causes, 2015]
Comfort Addiction
[14:09 mins.]
Positive Emotions (Barbara Fredrickson)
Positive Emotions
[6:36 mins.] [Barbara Fredrickson, professor of psychology, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, is the author of a book titled, Positivity]
2-Minute Tips: How to Be More Positive
[2:05 mins.]
On Positive Emotions
[2:43 mins.]
The Positivity Ratio
[8:43 mins.]
Positive Emotions Transform Us
[7:36 mins.]
Positive Emotions Open Our Mind
[8:37 mins.]
Remaking Love
[11:38 mins.]
Using Positivity to Bounce Back from Inevitable Setbacks
[1:25:49 mins.]
Escape Self-Absorption through Positive Emotions
[1:30:06 mins.]
The Dynamics of Positive Opposites
[1:15:52 mins.]
Foundations of Well-Being Interview
[11:20 mins.] [with Rick Hanson]
UNC People Interview
[9:26 mins.] Pt2 [9:36 mins.] Pt3 [7:48 mins.]
Interview with Hans Henrik Knoop
[1:21:50 mins.]
Writing & Psychological Well-Being
James Pennebaker Commentary on Writing and Psychology
[3:16 mins.]
The Secret Life of Pronouns
[17:59 mins.]
Reference (Life Balance with Andy Clark)
Life Balance Blueprint
[6:20 mins.]
Wellness Lawyer: The 3 Types of Stress
[21:38 mins.]
The Sacrifice Myth
[6:59 mins.]
Pt2 [8:14 mins.]
How to Find Time for Everything
[7:41 mins.]
Wellness and Leadership for Lawyers
[6:04 mins.]
The 4 "L"s Framework
[8:05 mins.]
Reference (Positive Psychology & Law Students)
Corie Lynn Rosen, The Accidental Optimist, Vir. J. Social Pol'y &
L. (2013) [online
text]
______________, The Method and the Message, 12 Nev. L. J. 160 (2010)
[online
text]
Todd David Peterson & Elizabeth Waters Peterson, Stemming the Tide
of Law Student Depression: What Law Schools Need to Learn from the Science
of Positive Psychology, 9 Yale Journal of Health Policy, Law, and Ethics
357 (2009) [online
text]
Nancy L. Schultz, Lessons from Positive Psychology for Developing Advocacy
Skills, 6 John Marshall L. J. 103 (2012) [online
text]
Dara E. Purvis, Female Law Students, Gendered Self-Evaluation, and
the Promise of Positive Psychology, 2012 Mich. St. L. Rev. 1693 [online
text]
Tatiana I. Pavlova-Coleman, Law Students in Balance: A Proposal for
a Well-Being Course for Law School Students Founded on the Constructs
and Findings of Positive Psychology, Master of Applied Positive Psychol
(MAPP) Capstone Project (2012 [online
text]
Reference (Law Review Articles & a Thesis)
Martin E.P. Seligman, Paul R. Verkuil & Terry H. Kang, Why Lawyers Are Unhappy, 23 Cardozo L. Rev. 33 (2001)
David T. Zaring & William D. Henderson, Young Associates in Trouble
(Review Essay), 105 Mich. L. Rev. 1087 (2007) [online
text]
Mirko Bagaric & James McConvill, Goodbye Justice, Hello Happiness:
Welcoming Positive Psychology to the Law, 10 Deakin L. Rev. 27 (2005)
[online
text]
Patricia Snyder, Super Women Lawyers: A Study of Character Strengths,
Master of Applied Positive Psychology Thesis, 2012 [online
text]
Peter H. Huang & Corie Rosen Felder, The Zombie Lawyer Apocalypse 42 Pepperdine L. Rev. 727 (2015) [online text] Peter H. Huang & Rick Swedloff, Authentic Happiness and Meaning at Law Firms, 58 Syracuse L. Rev. 335 (2008) [online text]
Daniel S. Bowling, III, Lawyers and Their Elusive Pursuit of Happiness: Does It Matter?, 7 Duke F. L. & Soc. Change 37 (2015) [online text]
Paula Davis-Laack, The Science of Well-Being and the Legal Profession, 83 (4) Wis. Lawyer (April, 2010) [online text]
Christine Parker, The 'Moral Panic' Over Psychological Well Being in the Legal Profession: A Personal or Political Ethical Response? 37 (3) UNSW L. J. 1103 2014) [online text]
M. Mark Heekin, Implementing Psychological Resilience Training in Law Incubators, 1 J. Experiential Learning 86 (2015) [online text]
Christine Parker, The 'Moral Panic' Over Psychological Wellbeing in
the Legal Profession: A Personal or Political Ethical Response, 37 U.
New South Wales L. J. 1103 (2014) [online
text]
Martha Knudson, Building Attorney Resources: Helping New Lawyers Succeed Through Psychological Capital, Master of Applied Positive Psychology Capstone Project (2015) [online text]
Reference (Postive Psychology & Therapy|Counseling)
Positive
Psychological Interventions in Counseling: What Every Counseling Psychologist
Should Know Jeana L. Magyar-Moe, Rhea L. Owens
& Collie W. Conoley, 43 (4) The Counseling Psychologists 508 (2015)
Review of the Application of Positive Psychology to Substance Use, Addiction, and Recovery Research Amy Krentzman, 27 (1) Psychol. Addict. Behav. 151 (2013)
Delivering Happiness: Translating Positive Psychology Intervention Research for Treating Major and Minor Depressive Disorders Kristin Layous, et.al. 17 (8) J Alternative & Complementary Medicine 675 (2011)
Professionalising Positive Psychology: Developing Guidelines for Training and Regulation
Tim Lomas & Itai Ivtzan, 6 (3) Int. J. Wellbeing 96 (2016)
Positive Psychology in Clinical Practice
Angela Lee Duckworth, Tracy A. Steen & Martin E.P. Seligman, 1 Annual Rev. Clin. Psychol 629 (2005) Reference (Articles & Thesis)
Building Attorney Resources: Helping New
Lawyers Succeed Through Psychological Capital
Martha Knudson, Master of Applied Positive Psychology Capstone Project, University of Pennsylvania
A Critical Review of the History and Current Status of Positive Psychology
Annual of Clinical & Health Psychology, 2009
Positive Psychotherapy
Martin E.P. Seligman, Tayyab Rashid & Acacia Parks, American Psychologist (November, 2006)
Positive Psychology Interventions: A Review for Counselling Practitioners
48 (4) Canadian J. Counselling & Psychotherapy 383 (2014)
Positive Psychologists on Positive Psychology: Acacia Parks
Interview by Aaron Jarden, 2 (2) Int. J. Wellbeing 98 (2012)
What Is Existential Positive Psychology?
Paul T.P. Wong, 3 (1) Int. J. Existential Psychology & Psychotherapy (2010)
Positive Psychology as a Scientific Movement
Jonathan Simmons, 4 Int. J. Science in Society 43 (2013)
Web Resources
Positive Psychology
Wikipedia
Positive Psychotherapy
Tayyab Rashid
Pitfalls on the Road to a Psychology of Hope
Barry Schwartz, book chapter in Jane Gillham (ed.), The Science of Optimism and Hope (RadnorTempleton Press, 2000)
Contact Professor Elkins
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