Topics

The course will address 3 main topics, starting with an introduction to Positive Psychology core concepts, such as theories of well-being, positive emotions, character strengths, relationships, hope, gratitude, mindfulness, flow.

The first day of the summer course will be dedicated to the promotion of well-being in everyday life, with an emphasis on positive emotions and leisure activities, outdoor activities, meditation practice, engagement in daily activities.

The second day of the summer school will be focused on understanding student’s well-being and on illustrating modern and effective positive interventions to promote wellbeing in different contexts, by different strategies (see program).

The third day will be dedicated to cross cultural approaches to well-being, with a special emphasis on the role of positive psychology in promoting peace. Finally, the summer school will conclude with a look at future directions in the field.

Teaching activities will be delivered in person and partially via on line webinar.

Learning outcomes 

By the end of the summer school participant will have:

• theoretical understanding  of  the core constructs of positive psychology and their implications for individual and collective well-being;
• experienced specific training on the most current research methodologies within positive psychology (e.g., epidemiological study on well-being; cross-cultural studies, qualitative studies, mixed methods, pre-post intervention design, etc.);
• acquired skills on the various applications of positive psychology, starting from their own personal experience;
• developed opportunities for building new international research and collaboration networks among students, participants and researchers.