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Flourishing after 50: Positive Psychology, Adult Development and the Search for Meaning

Tue, 03 May

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Zoom

A mini-course in partnership with JVN and CCJ

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Flourishing after 50: Positive Psychology, Adult Development and the Search  for Meaning
Flourishing after 50: Positive Psychology, Adult Development and the Search  for Meaning

Time & Location

03 May 2022, 20:00 – 24 May 2022, 21:00

Zoom

About the event

“Whatever our life has been thus far, there is another chapter to be written, focused on being a blessing to others, sharing whatever gifts we have with those who have less, handing on our values across the generations, using our experience to help others come through difficult times of their own, doing something that has little to do with personal ambition and much to do with wanting to leave some legacy of kindness that made life better for at least someone on earth.”  R. Jonathan Sacks zt'l

The Harvard Study of Adult Development has been running for over 80 years, with the goal of identifying predictors of healthy aging. In the first two sessions of this course, taught by Dr Tamra Wright, we will look at how the findings of the Harvard Study align with other research in Positive Psychology, particularly Martin Seligman's PERMA framework for 'flourishing' (Positive emotions, Engagement, Relationships, Meaning, and Accomplishment).

Using George Vaillant’s wonderful book Aging Well as our guide, we will explore what the researchers have discovered about the keys to finding ourselves amongst the 'happy well' rather than the 'sad sick' in our later years. Two recent books will add further depth to our discussion of the psychological aspects of flourishing after 50: David Brooks’ The Second Mountain: The Quest for a Moral Life, and Arthur C. Brooks’ From Strength to Strength: Finding Success, Happiness and Deep Purpose in the Second Half of Life. Spoiler alert: all three books emphasize the importance of pursuing greater meaning through service to those around us.

In the third session, we will consider how to put this guidance into practice. Nicky Goldman, CEO of the Jewish Volunteering Network, will facilitate our discussion. Volunteering is a triple win, Nicky explains: it benefits the person volunteering as much as the charity and its beneficiaries. People say that they get as much out of it as they give. Nicky will help you think about how best to put your time, energy, and skills to work, whether in an ongoing role or as a one-off response to a crisis.  

The final session,  led by The Revd Patrick Moriarty, will provide a Christian perspective on our discussion of Positive Psychology, spirituality, and adult development.   

This course is offered in partnership with the Jewish Volunteering Network and the Council of Christians and Jews.

Image by Gerd Altmann from Pixabay

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