Positive Signs: United Theories

a five-part venn diagram drawn with colored gel pens on gridded vellum. the five parts represent PERMA: positive emotions, engagement, positive relationships, meaning, achievement. In the middle where they all overlap is subjective wellbeing. off to one side is a smaller diagram of character strengths.

detail. zooms in on Positive Emotions section, including Barbara Fredrickson's Broaden and Build theory, and Martin Seligman's Explanatory Style theory of Optimism

detail. zooms in on central overlap section, Subjective Well being

detail. zooms in on values in action: signature strengths and virtues: by Chris Peterson and Martin Seligman

A five-part Venn diagram of the interconnections between theories of subjective wellbeing.

The Positive Signs series of diagrams culminates with this large drawing. Numerous positive psychologists’ research and writings are mapped in relation to each other.

Caption: Christine Wong Yap, Positive Signs: United Theories, 2012, gel pen on vellum, 32 x 40 inches unframed / 35.5 x 43.5 x 1.5 inches framed / 81.2 x 101.6 cm unframed / 90 x 110.5 x 3.8 cm framed. Supported by Lucas Artists Program at the Montalvo Arts Center.

Sources:

BF: Barbara Fredrickson (International Positive Psychology Association [IPPA] World Congress, 2010)
CP: Christopher Peterson, with MS, Character Strengths and Virtues (2004)
DK: Dacher Keltner, Born to Be Good (2009)
D/R: Edward Deci & Richard Ryan
ED: Ed Diener (IPPA World Congress, 2010)
JH: Jonathan Haidt, The Happiness Hypothesis (2006)
JN: Jeanne Nakamura, see JH
L/S/S: Sonja Lyubomirsky, Kennon M. Sheldon, David Schkade, see JH
MC: Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi, Creativity (1996), Flow (1990)
MS: Martin Seligman, Learned Optimism (1991), Flourish (2011)
NB: Nathaniel Branden, see TBS
PM: Paul Martin, Sex, Drugs, and Chocolate (2008)
RV: Robert Vallerand (IPPA World Congress, 2010)
RW: Robert White, see JH
TBS: Tal Ben-Shahar, Happier (2007)
Z/B: Philip Zimbardo & John Boyd, The Time Paradox (2008)