04 Nov Applications of positive psychology – what we can learn from the US Military
The US Military has recently begun to assess psychological “fitness” along with physical fitness. I can’t help but wonder if there’s a lesson there for other organisations…!
Check out this excerpt from a very interesting article…
…the Army is also making a truly groundbreaking addition to its testing protocol. As of Oct. 1, active-duty reserve and National Guard soldiers are required to take a test that seeks to assess their spiritual, emotional and physical well-being. The so-called “resiliency testing” was a direct result of an uptick in suicides among soldiers, from 115 in 2007 to 128 in 2008 to 88 in the first half of 2009. “It was developed because we recognized that we really did not have a good preventive and strengthening model for psychological health,” Brigadier General Rhonda Cornum, who is overseeing the program, said in an August press conference announcing the Comprehensive Soldier Fitness program.
Read the full article – here
Again, I can’t help but wonder whether many businesses and organisations might benefit from assessing, as part of their recruitment, not just technical skills but other variables proven by the positive psychology research to be associated with success and performance, such as happiness, optimism, and social & emotional intelligence.
Food for thought?