Motivation and emotion/Lectures/Growth psychology
Lecture 11: Growth motivation and positive psychology
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Resource type: this resource contains a lecture or lecture notes. |
This is the eleventh lecture for the Motivation and emotion unit of study.
The 2022 lecture is complete. The 2023 lecture is in development. |

OverviewEdit
This lecture:
- considers the psychological motivation for personal growth and self-actualisation
Take-home message:
- Encouraging growth is more productive than trying to cure weakness
MultimediaEdit
- Maslow on peak experiences (YouTube) (4:02 mins): an interview with Maslow about his research on peak experiences.
- The new era of positive psychology (Martin Seligman, TED/YouTube) (23:29 mins): explains the origins, purpose, and promise of positive psychology.
- Viktor Frankl: Search for meaning (YouTube) (4:22 mins): on the importance of meaning in people's lives.
ReadingsEdit
- Chapter 15: Growth motivation and positive psychology (Reeve, 2018)
SlidesEdit
- Lecture slides
- Growth psychology (Google Slides, 2021)
- Handouts
See alsoEdit
- Lectures
- Unconscious motivation (Previous lecture)
- Interventions and review (Next lecture)
- Tutorial
- Positive psychology (Tutorial)
- Wikipedia
- Wikiversity
- Broaden-and-build theory of positive emotions (Book chapter, 2016)
- Eudaimonic well-being (Book chapter, 2011)
- Growth through adversity (Book chapter, 2011)
- Maslow's hierarchy of needs (Book chapter, 2011)
- Mystical experiences and emotion (Book chapter, 2018)
- National and cultural happiness (Book chapter, 2015)
- Peak experiences and emotion (Book chapter, 2019)
- Spiritual motivation (Book chapter, 2010)
- Spiritual and religious motivation (Book chapter, 2011)
- The broaden-and-build theory of positive emotions (Book chapter, 2016)
- Trauma recovery and growth (Book chapter, 2011)
RecordingEdit
- Lecture 11 recording (2022)
ReferencesEdit
Maslow, A. H. (1954). Motivation and personality. Harper & Brothers.
Maslow, A. H. (1971/1976). Farther reaches of human nature. Penguin.
Seligman, M. E. P., & Csikszentmihalyi, M. (2000). Positive psychology: An introduction. American Psychologist, 55, 5–14. https://doi.org/10.1037//0003-066X.55.1.5
Seligman, M. E. P., Rashid, T., & Parks, A. C. (2006). Positive psychotherapy. American Psychologist, 61(8), 774–788. https://doi.org/10.1037/0003-066X.61.8.774
Sutich, A. J. (1968). Transpersonal psychology: An emerging force. Journal of Humanistic Psychology, 8(1), 77–79. https://doi.org/10.1177/002216786800800108
External linksEdit
- Authentic happiness (University of Pennsylvania)
- Happiness and why we want it (Nancy Etcoff, TED, 14:22 mins)
- Shiny happy people (Brad Lemley, Discover Magazine, 2006)
- What does it mean to be self-actualized in the 21st century? (Scott Barry Kaufmann, Scientific American, 2018)