Development of Positive Psychology Among Freshmen at Universities

This chapter presents a conceptual review on the development of positive psychology among students at universities. The chapter begins by a presentation of definition of positive psychology. Thereafter, the chapter presents the history of positive psychology at universities. The PERMA model (Seligman, Flourish: A visionary new understanding of happiness and well-being. Simon and Schuster, 2011) is then discussed as the theoretical framework. The chapter proceeds to discuss the areas of developing positive psychology among freshmen. The first aspect discussed is positive emotions. Secondly, fostering engagements (academic, emotional, psychological). Then, fostering relationships and enhancing the sense of meaning are presented. Finally, the chapter presents cultivating accomplishments and recommendations for practice.