Positive Psychology: The Scientific and Practical Explorations of Human Strengths

The fully updated Third Edition of Positive Psychology: The Scientific and Practical Explorations of Human Strengths covers the science and application of positive psychology and presents new frameworks for understanding positive emotions and strengths through a culturally competent lens. Authors Shane J. Lopez, Jennifer Teramoto Pedrotti, and C.R. Snyder bring positive psychology to life by addressing important issues such as how positive psychology can improve schooling and the workplace, as well as how it can promote flourishing in day-to-day life. Throughout the book, well-crafted exercises allow readers to apply major principles to their own lives. The book also explores various positive conditions within multiple cultural contexts, such as happiness and well-being, and processes related to mindfulness, wisdom, courage, and spirituality. 

“The emphasis is not exclusively clinical; it includes applications and implications across a number of environments and draws from a number of perspectives, including neurobiology. This range makes it an excellent choice for anchoring major concepts so students can explore the application of positive psychology to their specific areas of interest.”  —Dr. Pamela Rutledge, Massachusetts School of Professional Psychology

Shane J. Lopez, PhD (deceased), was a Gallup Senior Scientist and Research Director of the Clifton Strengths Institute. Dr. Lopez published more than 100 articles and chapters and 10 books in addition to Positive Psychology: The Scientific and Practical Explorations of Human Strengths. These include Making Hope Happen, his first trade book; The Oxford Handbook of Positive Psychology (with C. R. Snyder); Positive Psychological Assessment: A Handbook of Models and Measures (with C. R. Snyder); Positive Psychology: Exploring the Best in People; The Encyclopedia of Positive Psychology; and The Psychology of Courage: Modern Research on an Ancient Virtue (with Cynthia Pury). Dr. Lopez was a fellow of the American Psychological Association and of the International Positive Psychology Association. A professor at the University of Kansas in both the Schools of Education and Business for more than a decade, he passed away on July 23, 2016.

Jennifer Teramoto Pedrotti, PhD, is associate dean for diversity and curriculum in the College of Liberal Arts and professor in the Department of Psychology and Child Development at California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo, where she has been teaching positive psychology with a multicultural focus for over 10 years. She is also serving in an interim role as the associate vice president for Academic Initiatives for the Office of University Diversity and Inclusion, also at Cal Poly. She is the lead editor on a volume entitled Perspectives on the Intersection of Multiculturalism and Positive Psychology (with Lisa M. Edwards) and often speaks on the topic of including cultural context in positive psychological discussions, including as a keynote speaker at the Asian Pacific Conference on Applied Positive Psychology in Hong Kong, and in presentations at conferences, including those of the American Psychological Association, and the International Positive Psychology Association. Additionally, Dr. Teramoto Pedrotti is the lead author on a second textbook for undergraduate students, Multicultural Psychology: Self, Society, and Social Change (with Denise A. Isom). She has contributed to many different volumes throughout her career such as The Oxford Handbook of Positive Psychology, Positive Psychological Interventions, Activities for Teaching Positive Psychology, and the Handbook of Multicultural Counseling. In addition, her work has appeared in multiple journals, including the Journal of Counseling Psychology, Journal of Positive Psychology, and Professional Psychology: Research and Practice. Recently, she was part of the prestigious Emerging Leaders Program 2022 Cohort via the American Association of State Colleges and Universities. In her current role, she encourages students, staff, and faculty daily to use their strengths to make change toward a more equitable and inclusive campus.

C. R. Snyder, PhD (deceased), was the Wright Distinguished Professor of Clinical Psychology at the University of Kansas, Lawrence. Internationally known for his work at the interface of clinical, social, personality, and health psychology, his theories pertained to how people react to personal feedback, the human need for uniqueness, the ubiquitous drive to excuse transgressions, and, most recently, the hope motive. He received 31 research awards and 27 teaching awards at the university, state, and national levels. In 2005, he received an honorary doctorate from Indiana Wesleyan University. Snyder appeared many times on national American television shows, and he was a regular contributor to National Public Radio. His scholarly work on the human need for uniqueness received the rare recognition of being the subject matter of an entire Sunday cartoon sequence by Garry Trudeau. All of these accomplishments were packaged in a graying and self-effacing absent-minded professor who said of himself, “If you don’t laugh at yourself, you have missed the biggest joke of all!”