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Mindfulness, Acceptance, and Positive Psychology: The Seven Foundations of Well-Being
Many have wondered if there is a key ingredient to living a full and happy life. For decades now, scientists and psychologists alike have been studying the strengths and virtues that enable individuals and communities to thrive. The positive psychology movement was 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. At the same time, acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT)—a mindfulness-based, values-oriented behavioral therapy that has many parallels to Buddhism, yet is not religious in any way—has been focused on helping people achieve their greatest human potential.
Created only years apart, ACT and positive psychology both promote human flourishing, and they often share overlapping themes and applications, particularly when it comes to setting goals, psychological strengths, mindfulness, and the clarification of what matters most—our values and our search for meaning in life. Despite these similarities, however, the two different therapeutic models are rarely discussed in relation to one another. What if unifying these theories could lead to faster, more profound and enduring improvements to the human condition?
Edited by leading researchers in the field of positive psychology, Mindfulness, Acceptance, and Positive Psychology is the first professional book to successfully integrate key elements of ACT and positive psychology to promote healthy functioning in clients. By gaining an understanding of "the seven foundations of well-being," professionals will walk away with concrete, modernized strategies to use when working with clients. Throughout the book, the editors focus on how ACT, mindfulness therapies, and positive psychology can best be utilized by professionals in various settings, from prisons and Fortune 500 business organizations to parents and schools.
With contributions by Steven C. Hayes, the founder of ACT, as well as other well-known authorities on ACT and positive psychology such as Robyn Walser, Kristin Neff, Dennis Tirch, Ian Stewart, Louise McHugh, Lance M. McCracken, Acacia Parks, Robert Biswas-Diener, and more, this book provides state-of-the-art research, theory, and applications of relevance to mental health professionals, scientists, advanced students, and people in the general public interested in either ACT or positive psychology.
Created only years apart, ACT and positive psychology both promote human flourishing, and they often share overlapping themes and applications, particularly when it comes to setting goals, psychological strengths, mindfulness, and the clarification of what matters most—our values and our search for meaning in life. Despite these similarities, however, the two different therapeutic models are rarely discussed in relation to one another. What if unifying these theories could lead to faster, more profound and enduring improvements to the human condition?
Edited by leading researchers in the field of positive psychology, Mindfulness, Acceptance, and Positive Psychology is the first professional book to successfully integrate key elements of ACT and positive psychology to promote healthy functioning in clients. By gaining an understanding of "the seven foundations of well-being," professionals will walk away with concrete, modernized strategies to use when working with clients. Throughout the book, the editors focus on how ACT, mindfulness therapies, and positive psychology can best be utilized by professionals in various settings, from prisons and Fortune 500 business organizations to parents and schools.
With contributions by Steven C. Hayes, the founder of ACT, as well as other well-known authorities on ACT and positive psychology such as Robyn Walser, Kristin Neff, Dennis Tirch, Ian Stewart, Louise McHugh, Lance M. McCracken, Acacia Parks, Robert Biswas-Diener, and more, this book provides state-of-the-art research, theory, and applications of relevance to mental health professionals, scientists, advanced students, and people in the general public interested in either ACT or positive psychology.
352 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2013
39 people are currently reading
499 people want to read
About the author
Todd Kashdan
9 books151 followersDr. Todd B. Kashdan's broad mission is to increase the amount of well-being in this world as a professor, scientist, author, and consultant. He uses cutting-edge science to help people function optimally in life and business. He is the author of three books.
He is a Professor of Psychology at George Mason University. He received the Distinguished Scientific Early Career Award from the American Psychological Association and the Distinguished Faculty Member of the Year Award. He has been cited over 56,000 times with the publication of over 260 scholarly articles. He's a twin with twin 18-year-old daughters (plus one more), with plans to rapidly populate the world with great conversationalists.
He is a Professor of Psychology at George Mason University. He received the Distinguished Scientific Early Career Award from the American Psychological Association and the Distinguished Faculty Member of the Year Award. He has been cited over 56,000 times with the publication of over 260 scholarly articles. He's a twin with twin 18-year-old daughters (plus one more), with plans to rapidly populate the world with great conversationalists.
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Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
June 26, 2017
Are you an introvert? Find out why it might be a great trait in this book as well as our podcast Viewpoints Radio where we spoke to Todd Kashdan about the benefits of being an introvert. Check out the link here! https://viewpointsradio.wordpress.com...
January 13, 2020
This was an interesting book definitely for the therapist to use and think more about therapy techniques. However, I found it interesting to learn more about theories of mental health and what seems to be effective for treatment.
March 20, 2017
I went into this book grudgingly, as I knew it would be somewhat relevant to my work but I've had trouble wrapping my brain around positive psychology before. Of its many chapters by different authors, I found the one on self-compassion the most relevant, as I am not well-versed in Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT). As with other books that take from the knowledge and experience of many practitioners, I found some more readable than others, and I'm sure that was based on my personal level of comfort with the subject matter.
October 18, 2015
Ok. I haven’t actually finished this book; been sitting on my shelf for ages. It just didn’t do it for me. It is a collection of invited chapters and some were of less interest than others, but the introductory chapter put me off. They trotted out the most well known Jon Kabat-Zinn definition of mindfulness when they could well have, and should have in my view, provided a more useful and thoughtful ACT definition. I expected better from these guys. Both are do interesting research and generally have useful things to say. Not this time.
Overall pretty pedestrian.
Overall pretty pedestrian.
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May 9, 2017i want read this
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews