In memory of Chris Peterson: Introduction to special issue

Special Editors: Jane Gillham, Steven Brunwasser, Acacia Parks, and Robert Emmons When Chris Peterson died on 9 October 2012, Positive Psychology lost a leading visionary, researcher and spokesperson; the field of Psychology lost one of its most influential scholars; the University of Michigan lost one of its most beloved educators; and those of us who had the great fortune to know him well lost a dear friend. Chris’ contributions to the field of Positive Psychology, particularly in the classification and study of character strengths, have inspired a wealth of scholarship. Although character strengths have been discussed and explored for millennia, Chris revolutionized this field by examining a wide variety of strengths that have been valued across culture and time, by developing methods for measuring character strengths, and by scientifically documenting the link between strengths and well-being. Chris believed an important path to well-being lies in identifying and using our strengths. He helped to develop positive psychology interventions to cultivate strengths in young people. In addition to his many journal articles, his books, Character Strengths and Virtues: A Handbook and Classification and A Primer in Positive Psychology, are essential resources for anyone interested in Positive Psychology. He leaves behind an enduring and growing legacy to which the articles in this special issue are a testament. There are several prominent themes among the articles, all of which were of great importance to Chris. The first three articles highlight (some of) Chris’ contributions to the study of both psychopathology and wellbeing. In the opening article, Seligman shares Chris’ compelling but uncompleted theory of psychopathology which extends from their groundbreaking work into the classification of character strengths and virtues (Peterson & Seligman, 2003). Seligman highlights the theory’s potential to provide an understanding of psychopathology that is richer and more useful than current symptombased (e.g. DSM) approaches. Lester and colleagues describe Chris’ role in the development of the Global Assessment Tool, a multi-dimensional questionnaire that is the centerpiece of the US Army’s efforts to monitor and improve social and emotional fitness among its soldiers. Young and colleagues question the common practice of focusing exclusively on the value of ‘signature strengths’; they examine whether a balanced strength profile (i.e. use of both signature and lower strengths) is related to well-being independently of the frequency of signature strength use. The next two articles explore the degree to which strengths might be universal (vs. contextual) and stable (vs. influenced by life circumstances and events). Both articles attempt to replicate and extend studies conducted by Chris and his colleagues. Using the method of Park, Peterson, and Seligman (2006), McGrath demonstrates a remarkable degree of concordance across 75 nations in the rank ordering of character strength endorsement. Similarly, Schueller and colleagues adapted an existing method (Peterson & Seligman, 2003), to examine differences in character strength endorsement before and after tragic events. The last four articles explore the potential role of Positive Psychology interventions (especially those based on Chris’ work) to alleviate psychological distress and to promote well-being in individuals and in communities. Rashid describes how Chris’ work helped lay the foundation for Positive Psychotherapy. He provides illustrations of Positive Psychotherapy in practice and reviews the growing evidence for this therapeutic approach. Three articles examine the potential of using Chris’ model of character strengths to enhance youth education. Linkins and colleagues make the case for an approach to character education focused on identifying and fostering children’s existing character strengths, as opposed to more traditional approaches that attempt to mold behavior to be consistent with institutionally valued behaviors. White and colleagues describe an initiative to transform a private school into a positive institution by incorporating character strength development into all aspects of education. Finally, Quinlan and colleagues evaluate a classroom-based strengths intervention on student perceptions of the quality of classroom relationships and functioning. Though often lost on outsiders, Chris’ scholarship was a reflection of his personality. People would commonly point out the apparent incompatibility between the content of his work and his outward appearance: ‘For a positive psychologist, you don’t look very happy. ’ To which Chris would quip in his gruff baritone: ‘But I’m happy on the inside! ’ In truth, Chris embodied his work more than anyone we have known. Like all great scholars, he loved the process of scientific discovery in its own right. But Chris’ research was not esoteric. He