Prospective Psychology is the scientific study of mental representations and evaluations of possible futures. Seligman, et.al. (2013) concluded that most human behavior is not determined by our past experiences but our views and evaluations of possible future scenarios. Prospections are defined as ability to evaluate possible futures, which includes cognitive processes such as planning, prediction, and daydreaming.
The theory of Pragmatic Prospection (Baumeister et al., 2016) states that goal-oriented future thinking needs a pragmatic focus which involves a specific guidance of actions. Pragmatic Prospections have the potential to fundamentally shape human cognitions, emotions, and motivation, which makes them especially relevant for all approaches that address the promotion of subjective wellbeing (i.e. coaching or therapy) (Roepke & Seligman, 2014).
In the light of these findings Philip Streit developed in connection with Martin Seligman, the Prospective Coaching and Therapy approach, which combines the well-established Positive Interventions with the concept of Pragmatic Prospection. In the process of Prospective Coaching the client finds support in changing negative prospections towards the development of an attractive and pragmatic view of his desired future outcomes.
In this workshop Dr. Streit will present the theoretical framework of Positive Prospective Coaching and the RET-model (Resonance-Everest-Tools) for successful prospection. The first stage involves strategies for building up positive resonance with your client. The second stage focuses on the development of an Everest goal. The third stage includes empirically validated coaching tools which support the client during the prospective coaching process.