Evidence Based Coaching Handbook

CHAPTER 8

Positive Psychology: The Science at the Heart of Coaching

CAROL KAUFFMAN

 

 

WHAT YOU WILL understand by the end of this chapter is how the new field of positive psychology provides a robust theoretical and empirical base for the artful practice of life and executive coaching. But first, what exactly is positive psychology, and how is it different from business as usual? Through the years, traditional psychology has focused on ways to help make ill people better by finding clinically valid and empirically supported methods to help fix things that are wrong with them. The mission of positive psychology is to develop sound theories of optimal functioning and to find empirically supported ways to improve the lives of ordinary and extraordinary people.

In this chapter the author will present a number of emerging trends in positive psychology theory and research and explore their applications to coaching. I’ll walk you through studies of positive emotion, flow (accessing the zone), hope therapy, and classification of strengths. Each set of studies offers a rich resource of knowledge that can be mined for potential coaching interventions. The chapter is not an overarching perspective on the coaching process, as this is described in other chapters

Author note: The author wants to express her gratitude to James Pawelski and Martin Seligman for their profound contribution to this paper. Particular thanks to Dr. Pawelski for many lively discussions and active participation in an ...