ABSTRACT
The field of positive psychology (PP) has incited a genuine belief that well-being can be enhanced through deliberate training. This is reflected via conceptual frameworks which identify areas of focus for promoting well-being. For example, the Architecture of Sustainable Change model asserts that there is scope to enhance happiness levels through volitional activities which focus on lifestyle behaviours (Lyubomirsky, Sheldon, & Schkade, 2005). Moreover, leading scholars within PP have seized the opportunity to develop and empirically investigate the effects of a number of positive psychology interventions (PPIs) designed to enhance well-being. A key study (Seligman, Steen, Park, & Peterson, 2005) examined the effects of five positive interventions on well-being and depression in comparison to a placebo control condition. The findings indicated that three of these interventions not only enhanced well-being post-intervention, but also decreased symptoms of depression. The authors concluded that “Positive interventions can supplement traditional interventions that relieve suffering and may someday be the practical legacy of positive psychology” (p. 410). From this point forward the development and dissemination of well-being programs incorporating positive interventions proliferated across a number of contexts.
