Studies in positive psychology, including happiness, well-being, and life satisfaction, are reviewed. The preponderance of the research literature on the promotion of positive psychology tends to focus on broad social competences. However, there is an emerging body of evidence that supports employing specific techniques that are more amenable to school-based practice, can also promote happiness and life satisfaction in children and adolescents. An exploratory study conducted by McCabe-Fitch (2009) is included that exemplified the use of the specific techniques of the Gratitude Letter and Three Good Things in Life.
ArgyleM.MartinM. (1991). The psychological causes of happiness. In StrackF.ArgyleM.SchwarzN. (Eds.), Subjective well-being: An interdisciplinary perspective (pp. 77-100). Oxford, UK: Pergamon.
2.
BakerJ. A.DillyL. J.AupperleeJ. L.PatilS. A. (2003). The developmental context of school satisfaction: Schools as psychologically healthy environments. School Psychology Quarterly, 18, 206-221.
3.
BakerJ. A.TerryT.BridgerR.WinsorA. (1997). Schools as caring communities: A relational approach to school reform. School Psychology Review, 26, 586-602.
4.
BearG. G.ManningM. A.IzardC. E. (2003). Responsible behavior: The importance of social cognition and emotion. School Psychology Quarterly, 18(2), 140-157.
5.
BuckleyM.StorinoM.SaarniC. (2003). Promoting emotional competence in children and adolescents: Implications for school psychologists. School Psychology Quarterly, 18, 177-191.
6.
ChafouleasS. M.BrayM. A. (2004). Introducing positive psychology: Finding a place within school psychology. Psychology in the Schools, 41(1), 1-5.
7.
ClonanS. M.ChafouleasS. M.McDougalJ. L.Riley-TillmanT. C. (2004). Positive psychology goes to school: Are we there yet?Psychology in the Schools, 41(1), 101-110.
8.
DienerE.LucasR. E.OishiS. (2005). Subjective well-being: The science of happiness and life satisfaction. In SnyderC. R.LopezS. J. (Eds.), Handbook of positive psychology (pp. 63-73). New York, NY: Oxford University Press.
9.
DuckworthA. L.SteenT. A.SeligmanM. E. P. (2005). Positive psychology in clinical practice. Annual Review of Clinical Psychology, 1, 629-651.
10.
EmmonsR. A.McCulloughM. E. (2003). Counting blessings versus burdens: An experimental investigation of gratitude and subjective well-being in daily life. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 84, 377-389.
11.
EmmonsR. A.McCulloughM. E.TsangJ. (2003). The assessment of gratitude. In LopezS. J.SnyderC. R. (Eds.), Positive psychological assessment: A handbook of models and measures (pp. 327-341). Washington, DC: American Psychological Association.
12.
EmmonsR. A.SheltonC. M. (2005). Gratitude and the science of positive psychology. In SnyderC. R.LopezS. J. (Eds.), Handbook of positive psychology (pp. 459-471). New York, NY: Oxford University Press.
13.
FordyceM. W. (1977). Development of a program to increase personal happiness. Journal of Counseling Psychology, 24, 511-521.
14.
FrohJ. J.SefickW. J.EmmonsR. A. (2008). Counting blessings in early adolescents: An experimental study of gratitude and subjective well-being. Journal of School Psychology, 46, 213-233.
15.
GableS. L.HaidtJ. (2005). What (and why) is positive psychology?Review of General Psychology, 9(2), 103-110.
16.
GilmanR.HuebnerE. S. (2003). A review of life satisfaction research with children and adolescents. School Psychology Quarterly, 18, 192-205.
17.
GilmanR.HuebnerE. S. (2006). Characteristics of adolescents who report very high life satisfaction. Journal of Youth and Adolescence, 35, 311-319.
18.
GriffinJ. (2007). What do happiness studies study?Journal of Happiness Studies, 8, 139-148.
19.
HuebnerE. S. (1997). Life satisfaction and happiness. In BearG. G.MinkeK. M.ThomasA. (Eds.), Children’s needs II: Development, problems and alternatives (pp. 271-278). Bethesda, MD: National Association of School Psychologists.
20.
HuebnerE. D. (2004). Research on assessment of life satisfaction of children and adolescents. Social Indicators Research, 66, 3-33.
21.
HuebnerE. S.SuldoS. M.SmithL. C.McKnightC. G. (2004). Life satisfaction in children and youth: Empirical foundations and implications for school psychologists. Psychology in the Schools, 41(1), 81-93.
22.
HuebnerE. S.SuldoS. M.ValoisR. F. (2005). Children’s life satisfaction. In MooreK. A.LippmanL. H. (Eds.), What do children need to flourish? Conceptualizing and measuring indicators of positive development (pp. 41-59). Washington, DC: Springer.
23.
KehleT. J.BrayM. A. (2004). Rich theory: The promotion of happiness. Psychology in the Schools, 41(1), 43-49.
24.
LewinsohnP. M.RednerJ. E.SeeleyJ. R. (1991). The relationship between life satisfaction and psychosocial variables: New perspectives. In StrackF.ArgyleM.SchwarzN. (Eds.), Subjective well-being: An interdisciplinary perspective (pp. 141-169). Oxford, UK: Pergamon.
25.
LinleyP. A.JosephS.HarringtonS.WoodA. M. (2006). Positive psychology: Past, present and (possible) future. Journal of Positive Psychology, 1(1), 3-16.
26.
LucasR. E.DienerE.SuhE. (1996). Discriminant validity of well-being measures. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 71, 616-628.
27.
LyubomirskyS.KingL.DienerE. (2005). The benefits of frequent positive affect: Does happiness lead to success?Psychological Bulletin, 131, 803-855.
28.
LyubomirskyS.SheldonK. M.SchkadeD. (2005). Pursuing happiness: The architecture of sustainable change. Review of General Psychology, 9(2), 111-131.
29.
MahonN. E.YarcheskiA. (2002). Alternative theories of happiness in early adolescence. Clinical Nursing Research, 11, 306-323.
30.
MartinM. W. (2007). Happiness and virtue in positive psychology. Journal for the Theory of Social Behaviour, 37(1), 89-103.
31.
McCabe-FitchK. A. (2009). Examination of the impact of an intervention in positive-psychology on the happiness and life satisfaction of children (Doctoral dissertation). University of Connecticut, Storrs, CT. Retrieved from http://search.proquest.com/docview/304871470
32.
MeyersJ.MeyersB. (2003). Bi-directional influences between positive psychology and primary prevention. School Psychology Quarterly, 18, 222-229.
33.
NatvigG. K.AlbrektsenG.QvarnstromU. (2003). Associations between psychosocial factors and happiness among school adolescents. International Journal of Nursing Practice, 9, 166-175.
34.
ParkN. (2003). Building wellness to prevent depression. Prevention and Treatment, 6, Article 16, No Pagination Specified.
35.
ParkN.PetersonC. (2003). Early intervention from the perspective of positive psychology. Prevention and Treatment, 6, Article 35, No Pagination Specified.
36.
ParkN.PetersonC.SeligmanM. E. P. (2004). Strengths of character and well-being. Journal of Social and Clinical Psychology, 23, 603-619.
37.
PetersonC.SeligmanM. E. P. (2004). Character strengths and virtues: A handbook and classification. New York, NY: Oxford University Press.
38.
RobertsM. C.BrownK. J.JohnsonR. J.ReinkeJ. (2005). Positive psychology for children: Development, prevention and promotion. In SnyderC. R.LopezS. J. (Eds.), Handbook of positive psychology (pp. 663-675). New York, NY: Oxford University Press.
39.
SeligmanM. E. P. (2005). Positive psychology, positive prevention and positive therapy. In SnyderC. R.LopezS. J. (Eds.), Handbook of positive psychology (pp. 3-9). New York, NY: Oxford University Press.
40.
SeligmanM. E. P.SteenT. A.ParkN.PetersonC. (2005). Positive psychology progress: Empirical validation of interventions. American Psychologist, 60, 410-421.
41.
SheldonK. M.LyubomirskyS. (2006a). Achieving sustainable gains in happiness: Change your actions, not your circumstances. Journal of Happiness Studies, 7, 55-86.
42.
SheldonK. M.LyubomirskyS. (2006b). How to increase and sustain positive emotion: The effects of expressing gratitude and visualizing best possible selves. Journal of Positive Psychology, 1(2), 73-82.
43.
SuldoS. M.RileyK. N.ShafferE. J. (2006). Academic correlates of children and adolescents’ life satisfaction. School Psychology International, 27, 567-582.
44.
TerjesenM. D.JacofskyM.FrohJ.DiGiuseppeR. (2004). Integrating positive psychology into schools: Implications for practice. Psychology in the Schools, 41, 163-172.
45.
WatkinsP. C. (2004). Gratitude and subjective well-being. In EmmonsR. A.McCulloughM. E. (Eds.), The psychology of gratitude (pp. 145-166). New York, NY: Oxford University Press.
46.
WatkinsP. C.GrimmD. L.KoltsR. (2004). Counting your blessings: Memories among grateful persons. Current Psychology: Developmental•Learning•Personality•Social, 23(1), 52-67.
47.
WatkinsP. C.WoodwardK.StoneT.KoltsR.L. (2003). Gratitude and happiness: Development of a measure of gratitude, and relationships with subjective well-being. Social Behavior and Personality, 31, 431-452.
48.
WeissbergR. P.KumpferK. L.SeligmanM. E. P. (2003). Prevention that works for children and youth: An introduction. American Psychologist, 58, 425-432.
49.
WoodA. M.JosephS.LinleyP. A. (2007). Coping style as a psychological resource of grateful people. Journal of Social and Clinical Psychology, 26, 1076-1093.
