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Gaining College Success

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Why is it that some individuals are so high above the curve in terms happiness and optimism, even in the face of challenges and misfortunes? Whatever it is, there are individuals in psychology who wish to study and understand the science of happiness. These individuals specialize in the relatively new field of psychology, positive psychology. Such researchers wish to gain insight on acquiring happiness and building a resiliency to negative emotions. With an increasing emphasis on measuring college success, primarily through academic outcomes, it becomes understandable that school professionals shouldn’t neglect student’s well being. Furthermore, a college student’s level of happiness should be monitored and remain a priority for the university/colleges …show more content…
That is, there has been attention called to improving intervention methods for first generation students, and to resolve the college drop out rate in America. Remarkably, nearly Half of America’s college students drop out before receiving a degree and a Harvard study shows that Americans complete college at lower rates than other countries. This can be seen in the various motives common for students to drop out. Specifically, outside demands, too much too fast, and money concerns are among the top. Outside demands can arise in an individual’s personal life at any point and deter them from academic goals. Too much too fast can set in with the new freedom which is provided, and what is made of it. That is, without a bit of structure, good times can come with unpleasant side effects ranging from the dreaded ‘freshman 15’ to academic probation. Money concerns typically arise with the sticker shock of the price of pursuing a degree. Additionally, students may value making money working full time more than perusing their costly degree, or become discouraged with an increasing debt.
First, happiness must be defined. There are numerous definitions of happiness; most which include a relatively enduring cognitive component and relatively enduring emotional component. I will however focus my definition for one which is regarding to college students and …show more content…
Early positive psychology centered around three concerns: character strengths or virtues, positive experiences, and positive social institutions. Interestingly, only a few short years ago in 2006 the first dedicated journal, The Journal of Positive Psychology was published. Since then, various other positive psychology sources have developed. For example, colleges around the world offer courses, which are specifically designed towards the theory of positive psychology. Interestingly enough, The University of Wisconsin Milwaukee is offering their first positive psychology course for the Spring2015 semester. Although positive psychology is one of the newer psychology views, it is rapidly becoming popular in both the academic life and in the ‘everyday’ life of people around the

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