Master of Applied Positive Psychology (MAPP) Capstones
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Publication Family Character Strengths Curriculum: A Positive Psychology Intervention To Set Well-Being Habits In(2024-08-09) Kezya CastellanoPositive psychology's foundation goal was to teach well-being skills to young people so they could enjoy a flourishing life. Successful advances have been made to reach children in academic settings but have neglected the natural teaching role of families. This paper emphasizes the importance of practicing and nurturing well-being through the practice of character strengths, rather than simply seeking or achieving it. It emphasizes the importance of increasing diverse opportunities to practice character strengths and set tendencies and habits early on in life. This paper proposes a practical and simplified solution for families: creating a curriculum rich in evidence-inspired strengths-based positive psychology interventions for every member to perform individually and collectively throughout the child’s development.Publication Flourishing Online: Social Media for Well-Being(2024) Joshua W. HowardFrom works like Jonathan Haidt's (2024) The Anxious Generation to anecdotal (and often unsolicited) commentary, the discourse around social media is predominantly negative. While we cannot ignore the significant research correlating aspects of social media over-usage with adverse mental health outcomes, examining the positive implications social media can offer is equally imperative. Consider your positive experiences online, such as reconnecting with a childhood friend or learning a new hobby. Social media platforms, from Quora to TikTok, have had a positive impact on all of us. As it continues to become the primary way the world connects, it behooves us to examine how we can maximize its potential for greater well-being. This paper and teaching tool employ Seligman's (2011) PERMA model as an applicable framework to explore how individuals can leverage social media to foster well-being online. Furthermore, it will investigate how the PERMA elements of positive emotions and engagement result from the actions of positive relationships, meaning, and accomplishment, which will inevitably lead to social media well-being (SMWB). By examining the positive potential of social media through the lens of PERMA, this paper and four-part curriculum seek to shift the narrative surrounding social media's impact on well-being. Keywords: positive psychology, social media, PERMA, well-being, social media well-beingPublication Positive Dance Workshop: Enhancing Emotional Well-being for Midlifers Through Contemporary Dance(2024-05-19) Praveen Powun AnbazhaganThis paper explores the potential of a contemporary dance-based workshop to enhance midlifers' emotional well-being. It challenges the traditional view of midlife as a time of crisis, and instead, highlights it as a period of potential growth and development. The paper introduces essential concepts from positive psychology and somaesthetics, emphasizing the mind-body connection and the role of self-awareness in emotional regulation and resilience. Furthermore, emotional well-being is defined and discussed, emphasizing the importance of authentic self-expression. The paper also presents contemporary dance as a promising medium for enhancing emotional well-being. It concludes by proposing a twelve-week workshop design customized to tackle the specific challenges and enhance the opportunities of midlife. While acknowledging limitations and the need for further research, this paper argues that contemporary dance offers a unique, holistic, embodied approach to enhancing emotional well-being in midlife and calls for empirical testing of the proposed workshop model, along with further exploration of the intersection between dance, positive psychology, and emotional well-being.Publication Toward a Culture of Connection: Sharing a Love Letter to Nature(2024) Molly M PetersonThe relationship between human well-being and environmental well-being is deeply intertwined. This paper explores the constructs of gratitude, nature connectedness, and social relationships to establish the scientific foundation for a positive psychology intervention titled Toward a Culture of Connection: Sharing a Love Letter to Nature. The randomized controlled study will use research on the pathways to nature connectedness by targeting emotional and cognitive leverage points for greater systemic change, addressing calls for more comprehensive, system-informed approaches in positive psychology. As we confront unprecedented environmental challenges and a surge in loneliness and mental health issues, this intervention for couples seeks to enhance both human connection and nature connectedness. Social connection is one of the leading contributors to happiness, and by fostering stronger emotional bonds and a greater cognitive understanding of our interdependence with nature, the intervention aspires to promote happiness and drive positive behavioral changes that support human and environmental well-being.Publication Exploring Masculine Strengths Through Character Strengths: A Pilot Study of Positive Masculinity in Boys(2023) Ann C. VanichkachornMedia driven debates arguing the fate of boys and men are commonplace, but little has been done to bring consensus in finding solutions. This study aims to explore how character strengths may be leveraged to enhance the healthy embodiment of masculinity. A sample of 107 preadolescent and adolescent males participated in this exploratory study of correlations between masculinity measured by the Children’s Personal Attributes Scale and character strengths identified through the VIA Inventory. Secondarily, the subject's self-reported willingness to express emotions was assessed by questions based on the Emotion Expression Scale for Children. Fifteen character strengths were found to be significantly positively correlated with masculinity scale scores and one character strength (humility) negatively correlated with masculinity. Leadership was found to be negatively correlated with emotional expression. Collectively, top strengths were less masculine than expected for students attending an all-boy school. When broken down by grade levels, significant differences were found that support prior studies assessing the differences in character strengths in boys from late childhood to late adolescence. While these findings are specific to the population studied, it may inform continued research in positive masculinity in boys and identify specific ways that character strengths-based interventions can help address the “plight” of boys and men.Publication Ch2ROMA: A Positive Psychology Approach to Transitioning Optimally(2024) Patricia Adelfa CantuResearchers have found that enhancing strengths and using the humanities to explore and express one's emotions increases well-being. These findings are particularly important for third culture kids (TCKs). Third culture kids are children who spend their developmental years constantly relocating and estranged from their passport or their parent ́s culture. Because of their high mobility lifestyle, TCKs face two major challenges: unresolved grief and unestablished identity. In this capstone, the author proposes the implementation of a positive intervention that teaches TCKs to harness their strengths and interact with the humanities to achieve well-being. In this intervention, TCKs will complete self-reflection activities that will help them harness the power of their strengths and develop an optimistic mindset to become more resilient while relocating.Publication Measuring the weight of love: Have relationships deteriorated over time?(2019-08-09) Cheuk, Chung H; Cheuk, Chung H; Cheuk, Chung HWe are healthier, richer, safer, and better educated than ever before. Yet paradoxically, depression is on the rise in the United States. Given the strong emphasis that positive psychology places on the importance of social relationships, I review direct and proxy evidence that relationships are deteriorating in the United States. Additionally, I outline next steps to strengthen this hypothesis. The implications of this work point toward a need to complement the joys of modernity with interventions and policies that support strengthening our weakened relationships.Publication So She May Thrive: Psychological Flexibility As A Pathway To Flourishing For Teenage Girls(2019-08-01) Christy Curtis PetersonAdolescence is a heightened period of storm and stress due to the many developmental changes taking place during the teen years. For teenage girls, these challenges are often exacerbated by environmental stressors including impossible cultural standards of success, media overuse, and daily harassment by peers that threaten overall well-being. This capstone reviews research in positive psychology that promises to improve teenage girls’ ability to navigate life stressors, and to embrace adolescence as a time of wonder—of curiosity and exploration, passion, novelty-seeking and building new relationships. Psychological flexibility is proposed as a cornerstone of adolescent health and well-being, and its presence may help girls navigate the challenges posed by the adolescent years with greater resilience, connection and courage. Psychological flexibility refers to the ability to connect to the present moment and to change or persist in behaviors that align with deeply held personal values (Hayes, Strosahl, & Wilson, 2012). Although a fluid construct, research suggests that emotion regulation flexibility, mindfulness, self-compassion, positivity, and valued action increase psychological flexibility and its many benefits. Targeted interventions including Mindful Self-Compassion and a modified Acceptance and Commitment Therapy training are discussed as promising strategies to help teenage girls cultivate psychological flexibility as they transition from girls into thriving adults.Publication Between the Tides of East and West: Using Character Strengths to Navigate the Iranian-American ‘Hyphenated’ Identity and Address Intercultural Conflict(2024) Ava ShahiA hyphen is used to bridge two words that do not normally belong: well-being, problem-solving, long-term. Much like the way a hyphen occupies a unique space between two words, hyphenated Americans navigate a unique space between two cultures, caught in the metaphorical tides of clashing 'Eastern' and 'Western' values. This paper seeks to broaden the understanding of well-being and the application of positive psychology interventions in these diverse and often invisible communities, focusing on the second-generation Iranian-American community. Drawing on interdisciplinary research from anthropology, sociology, and peace and conflict studies, it identifies and examines identity negotiation, discrimination, and intergenerational conflict as unique challenges to this group. The paper explores how the use of character strengths can enhance well-being and positive youth development by bridging Iranian collectivist and American individualist cultural differences. Practical applications of character strengths for Iranian-American youth in educational and familial settings are also discussed. Additionally, a novel approach integrating character strengths with intercultural conflict styles is introduced to address communication challenges. This strengths-based approach aims to reduce conflict and promote understanding between differing cultural orientations. The paper calls for further empirical research on character strengths among Iranian-Americans and other Middle Eastern American populations to advance toward a more inclusive and comprehensive understanding of well-being in positive psychology.Publication The Well-Being Revolution: An Integrative, Scientific, and Practical Guide for a Happier Life(2024-07-15) Diego Burger Araujo SantosThis thesis introduces the HRG Model, a novel approach to understanding and enhancing happiness through a comprehensive framework. The HRG Model bridges the fields of well-being, offering a digestible way for well-educated laypeople to understand and apply this knowledge. It is structured around three pillars—Health (physiological), Relationships (social), and Growth (psychological)—each comprising five facets, providing a detailed prescription for enhancing well-being. The facets include exercise, meditation, time in nature, sleep, and nutrition (Health); family, romantic life, friends, work colleagues, and strangers (Relationships); and meaning, work & money, self-actualization, savoring joy, and spirituality (Growth). The model synthesizes existing literature and connects diverse theories, addressing the gap in current research which often emphasizes new theories over improving existing ones. This work critiques the deficit-based approach prevalent in academia and proposes a strength-based framework. By conducting a thorough literature review, this thesis aims to empower individuals to take actionable steps toward improving their well-being.