Psychology - Positive Developmental Psychology and Evaluation

Overview

Positive psychology is understood as an approach to human functioning that addresses human flourishing and well-being and the factors that contribute to them. At Claremont Graduate University (CGU), Psychology - Positive Developmental Psychology and Evaluation is understood as individual growth through the lifespan. You’ll examine the positive developmental trajectories and processes that contribute to positive outcomes at both individual and sociocultural levels, integrating that knowledge with a background in evaluation and applied research methods. 

Led by expert faculty-scholars from both fields, you’ll gain experience applying social science concepts and methods to important social issues through research and practice, preparing you to succeed in an array of organizations and institutions and to make a lasting impact on the lives within them.

Program Highlights

Our programming in Positive Developmental Psychology is built upon the following core principles:

• The importance of understanding positive developmental processes and primary prevention, promotion, and optimization, rather than remediation.
• The need to take into account inter-individual differences and intra-individual changes across the lifespan.
• The centrality of context, especially institutions, settings, and programs that promote positive experiences and characteristics.
• An appreciation of the bidirectional relationship between knowledge generation and knowledge application.
• Promotion of applied research and evaluation so that our work has direct implications for the decisions of individuals, families, schools, practitioners, and policymakers.