Bachelor of Arts (B.A.) Positive Psychology Syllabus - Mumbai University 2026

Module 1: Foundations of Positive Psychology

• 1 Introduction to Positive Psychology History and development of Positive Psychology
• 2 Levels of Positive Psychology: subjective, individual and group
• 3 Understanding emotion
• 4 Positive and negative emotions
• 5 Basic emotion theories relevant to Positive Psychology

Module 2: Happiness and Wellbeing

• 1 Happiness and Subjective Wellbeing
• 2 Components of Subjective Wellbeing
• 3 Cross-national perspectives on wellbeing
• 4 Eudaimonic wellbeing
• 5 Psychological wellbeing and meaning
• 6 Models of wellbeing

Module 3: Positive Traits and Adaptive Strengths

• 1 Optimism and explanatory style
• 2 Hope theory
• 3 Resilience
• 4 Post-traumatic growth
• 5 Positive ageing
• 6 Individual differences in coping and adaptation

Module 4: Applications of Positive Psychology

• 1 Positive psychological interventions
• 2 Gratitude and strengths-based interventions
• 3 The body in positive psychology
• 4 Health, exercise and wellbeing
• 5 Applications of positive psychology
• 6 Future directions of positive psychology

Text Books

• 1 Hefferon, K., & Boniwell, I. (2011). Positive Psychology: Theory, Research and Applications. McGraw-Hill / Open University Press
• 2 Lopez, S. J., Pedrotti, J. T., & Snyder, C. R. (2021). Positive psychology: The scientific and practical explorations of human strengths (5th ed.). Wiley.

Reference Books

• 1 Snyder, C. R., & Lopez, S. J. (Eds.). (2009). The Oxford handbook of positive psychology (2nd ed.). Oxford University Press.
• 2 Peterson, C., & Seligman, M. E. P. (2004). Character strengths and virtues: A handbook and classification. Oxford University Press.
• 3 Seligman, M. E. P. (2011). Flourish: A new understanding of happiness and well- being. Free Press. Linley, P. A., & Joseph, S. (Eds.). (2004). Positive psychology in practice. Wiley.
• 4 Hefferon, K., & Boniwell, I. (2011). Positive psychology: Theory, research and applications. Open University Press.
• 5 Carr, A. (2020). Positive psychology: The science of well-being and human strengths (3rd ed.). Routledge.
• 6 Huppert, F. A., Baylis, N., & Keverne, B. (Eds.). (2005). The science of well-being. Oxford University Press.
• 7 Peterson, C. (2006). A primer in positive psychology. Oxford University Press. Lyubomirsky, S. (2008). The how of happiness: A scientific approach to getting the life you want. Penguin Press.
• 8 Duckworth, A. (2016). Grit: The power of passion and perseverance. Scribner.
• 9 Warren, M. A., & Donaldson, S. I. (Eds.). (2017). Scientific advances in positive psychology. Praeger.