Gallery Presentation International Positive Psychology Association 7th IPPA World Congress 2021

FLOURISH! Positive Psychology Institute (FPPI): Introducing a Train-the-Trainer Positive Psychology Program Applying Mutual Value Theory: What, Why and How (#133)

Dengting Boyanton 1 , Meifen Duan 1 , Zhenting Wu 1 , Wenfeng Luo 1 , Zhiwen Xu 1
  1. Positive Psychology Institute, Sino-American Educational Research Association, Stone Mountain, GA, United States

COVID-19 has created a tremendous challenge worldwide. In addition to the damage caused by the virus itself, the pandemic has caused psychological problems such as stress, anxiety, depression, and other mental health issues. This symposium will introduce an international positive psychology train-the-trainer program called “FLOURISH! Positive Psychology Institute (FPPI)”. FPPI was initially launched by a New York NGO in February, 2020 as a response to the pandemic. The main purpose of the FPPI program is to train positive psychology trainers with the intention that these trainers will be able to help more people impacted by the pandemic. The theoretical framework of the program is based on mutual value theory (Boyanton, 2014). Mutual value theory states that “value” is an essential determining factor behind people’s behavior. In order to motivate action, four types of values need to be created: 1) self-value (the individual highly values themselves), 2) perceived self-value (the individual believes they are highly valued by others, 3) other value (the individual highly values the other people involved), and 4) course-value (the individual highly values the course or program of action). The curriculum design of the program is mainly based on PERMA theory (Seligman, 2018). The content of the curriculum includes subjects specified by Seligman’s PERMA theory such as positive emotions, positive engagement, positive relationships, meaning, achievement and other topics. The structure of the program is adapted from higher education institutes. Each department will provide various foci. For example, the department of “positive psychology for trainers” will include foci such as positive psychology in family education, medicine, or business. Since its launch in February, 2020, the institute has successfully trained 80 trainers—75 from China, 3 from the U.S. 1 from the UK, and 1 from Canada. This program provided an alternative solution to the challenges raised by COVID-19.

  • Keywords: Business and Organizations, Career and Work