Open Enrolment January Programmes
Positive Psychology What makes life worth living? People have always been driven by the pursuit of happiness and hope for the future. While this may seem to be an idealistic notion at first, it has found its place in positive psychology. For much of the 20th century, “What is wrong with people” has guided the thinking of many psychologists, dominating countless scientific studies and rooting the field in pathology. Founded over a decade ago by University of Pennsylvania professor Martin Seligman, positive psychology instead asks “what is right with people”. Human strengths, such as courage, future-mindedness, optimism, and interpersonal skills act as buffers against mental illness. Positive psychology, therefore, is devoted to understanding and learning how to build these positive qualities in order to improve people’s well-being and help to promote the “good life”. On an individual level, positive psychology embraces the capacity for love, courage, interpersonal skills, aesthetic sensibility, perseverance, forgiveness, originality, spirituality, high talent, and wisdom. In our times such virtues are often looked at with scepticism. But before dismissing positive psychology as “soft” one needs to know that it is firmly rooted in hard science, and an evidence-based approach underpins the entire programme. Upon completion students will be able to design and judge a positive psychological research project and will have gained first-hand experience with various positive psychology intervention techniques.
Experience Europe during your study Although the Positive Psychology programme focuses on academics first and foremost, experiencing Europe is about more than just studying. Therefore, the programme also includes a crystal sound bath provided by the professor and a Maastricht day, during which students will be shown around the city. They will also have the opportunity to wander through the quaint streets of Maastricht by themselves and to immerse themselves in European culture and tradition during their time off.
Academic excellence with an international approach The Positive Psychology programme is a unique experience, exploring one of the most contemporary branches of psychology today. As many universities do not yet offer positive psychology courses, this is a rare opportunity to broaden your academic knowledge and stand out to potential employers. Maastricht University is home to an internationally renowned Psychology and Neuroscience faculty and is a growing centre for psychology research.
Hands-on approach As part of the programme, students participate in a series of handson workshops including a mindfulness meditation and learning about the latest mindfulness research, positive emotions techniques and self-compassion sessions. Students attend interactive lectures, work on specific real-life cases and give presentations. The final project is a paper on a topic chosen by the students. On the last day of the course, a student symposium is held where each student presents a review or research proposal to the rest of the group with a poster or an oral presentation.
“ The programme delved into areas of psychology often unexplored, taking a journey into the world of positivity. The techniques I learnt empowered me to use my skills to help others, and myself, lead the best possible life.” Scout Wedding, Deakin University