The Pursuit of Happiness
The Concept of Happiness
The pursuit of happiness and concept of happiness is unique to each individual student. It is a personal and subjective concept. It can be difficult to tease out what makes an individual happy.
Finding out what induces or reduces happiness for the student is recommended. There are a range of ways that may help:
- Consider what a student prefers (likes / has an interest in)
- The 5 Point Scale can be a useful tool in identifying and understanding what makes the student happy
- Patsy Daly: ‘What’s important to the individual’
- Professor Barbara Friedrichson Principal Investigator of the Positive Emotions and Psychophysiology Lab at the University of North Carolina suggests that ‘happiness’ is the combination emotions such as joy, gratitude, calmness, interest, hope, enjoyment, pride, inspiration, appreciation and love. By considering a student’s needs and strengths, likes and dislikes, educational professionals can support a students happiness. Middletown Centre for Autism have developed a ‘Strengths and Needs Gas Thermometer’.
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