Creating Tomorrow

Character Strengths and Positive Psychology in the Anthropocene

Elisabeth Vanderheiden, Claude-Helene Mayer (Herausgeber)

Buch | Hardcover

2026
Springer International Publishing (Verlag)
978-3-032-15910-6 (ISBN)

Infos

This book, the first volume of Creating Tomorrow: Character Strengths and Positive Psychology in the Anthropocene, examines how human strengths can support reflection, connection, and responsible action in times of profound ecological and social disruption. Focusing on the virtues of wisdom, knowledge, and courage, it brings together international perspectives that reinterpret the 24 character strengths of positive psychology for the conditions of the Anthropocene/. The chapters explore how creativity, curiosity, open-mindedness, love of learning, and perspective help individuals and communities navigate the complexity of today s global polycrisis. The discussion of courage highlights bravery, perseverance, honesty, and zest as capacities that underpin ethical resilience and constructive engagement with environmental and societal challenges.

Combining conceptual reflection with applied insight, the contributions show how strengths evolve within educational, cultural, and ecological contexts. Character strengths are presented not as fixed traits but as dynamic, context-sensitive orientations that shape human agency and collective responses to interconnected crises. As such, this book addresses scholars, educators, and practitioners in psychology, education, sustainability studies, ethics, and cultural research. It offers conceptual clarity, practical relevance, and an interdisciplinary lens on character, virtue, and transformation in the Anthropocene.

Autor

Elisabeth Vanderheiden is an adult educator, mediator, and researcher. She serves as CEO of the Global Institute for Transcultural Research and of the NeuroTech Centre for Advanced Research. She is President of Catholic Adult Education and Managing Director of a Catholic adult education organisation in Rhineland-Palatinate in Germany. Her research focuses on shame, conflict, love, and transformative andragogy. Her publications have received several international awards, including the William B. Gudykunst Award and the 2024 Nautilus Award.

Claude-Hélène Mayer is Professor of Industrial and Organisational Psychology at the University of Johannesburg, South Africa. She is Senior Editor for Europe s Journal of Psychology and Associate Editor for Frontiers in Psychology and IJCCM. Her research focuses on transcultural mental health, conflict management, salutogenesis, leadership, and psychobiography. She is the recipient of multiple international book awards, including the William B. Gudykunst Award and two Nautilus Awards. She also works as a licensed systemic therapist, mediator, coach, and consultant.

Inhalt

PART 1 Unfolding Character Strengths: An Introduction to Possibilities and Potential.- 1.Beyond Individual Virtue: Character Strengths as Resources for Anthropocene Challenges
Editorial.- 2.The Development of Character Strengths Use Status among Clinical Population.- 3.Indian Women and the Path to Sustainability: A Character Strengths Approach Across Generations.- PART 2 Virtue of Wisdom.- 4.Wisdom in the Anthropocene.- 5.Creativity as a Character Strength in Leaders in the Anthropocene.- 6.The Role of Curiosity in Promoting Technology Acceptance in Organisations.- 7.Unpacking Teachers Open-Mindedness through the Lens of the Nested Ecosystem Model in the Anthropocene: A Multi-Layered Exploration of Its Predictors in L2 Instructional Settings.- 8.Open-Mindedness in an Algorithmic Age.- 9.The Love of Learning, Employees` Skills and Mental Health in The Fourth Industrial Revolution in South Africa.- 10.Love of Learning in the Anthropocene.- PART 3 Virtue of Courage.- 11.Bravery in the Anthropocene: Leading with Moral Purpose for Tomorrow.- 12. Being My Most Authentic Self : An Autoethnographic Exploration of Perseverance and Its Impact on the Anthropocene.- 13.Honesty, Caste, and Integrity in Indian Academia.- 14.Zestfully Clean and Committed: Activating Zest in Adverse Times to Maintain and Enhance Pro-Environmental Behaviors.- 15.Vitality in the Anthropocene.

Produkt-Details

• Erscheint lt. Verlag: 20.6.2026
• Zusatzinfo: Approx. 420 p. 30 illus.
• Verlagsort: Cham
• Sprache: englisch
• Maße: 155 x 235 mm
• Themenwelt: Geisteswissenschaften ► Psychologie ► Humanistische Psychotherapien
• Schlagworte: Anthropocene • Character Strengths • environmental psychology • positive psychology • Resilience • sustainability
• ISBN-10: 3-032-15910-5 / 3032159105
• ISBN-13: 978-3-032-15910-6 / 9783032159106
• Zustand: Neuware