Coaching and Positive Psychology, Part II

In the second part of this series on coaching and psychology, I continue to examine the connections between coaching and positive psychology.



(The material in this post is copyrighted material excerpted from my academic work, with all rights reserved by me and there is no permission to reprint it in any form)

Barrett

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Coaching and Positive Psychology, Part II
by L. Barrett Powell

Coaching is clearly a method through which human beings learn, thus it is educational. Through learning, human beings self-actualize. Coaching has ties to both learning and psychology in that1) the human psyche is engaged in the learning process and 2) the goal of coaching is to assist people in both goal-setting and goal attainment which subsequently results in increased life satisfaction.

Positive psychology with its roots in humanistic psychology, appears to have an advantage over all other schools of psychology in terms of a theoretical background for coaching. The coaching process involves educational psychology (situated learning, for example) because of the collaborative effort to empower the client to learn new things in the pursuit of goal attainment. Analytical psychology can inform the coach as to the nature of the coaching relationship, particularly on a transcendent level. Cognitive psychology (and narrative psychology, for that matter, although not included in this research project for reasons of delimitation) can provide guidance in terms of procedural ways of conducting sessions. Positive psychology, with its roots in humanistic psychology, however is a psychological theoretical approach which most closely matches coaching’s belief that the client is basically healthy and whole but simply needs assistance in overcoming obstacle to fulfillment and satisfaction. Coaching is above all about human growth and change. Rogerian principles are therefore central to the success of a coaching program. Where most therapy is focused on resolving deficits and weaknesses in the direction of restoring a person to functioning, coaching is a process focused on working with a person’s needs, wants, goals, or vision for where they want to go, and then designing steps for getting there. What humanistic therapies and coaching share is the idea that positive change is a driving force for clients in either modality. It can be summarized that in relation to coaching, positive psychology, with its roots in humanistic psychology has three primary relevant and defining characteristics:

1. 
   
   a relational emphasis as the fundamental source of change



2. a holistic view of the person as a unique being



3. a belief in the possibility of freedom choice with accompanying responsibility

There are valid connections between the practice of coaching and the field of psychology which lend a valid and relevant psychological theoretical framework to coaching as a method of human learning and self-actualization. Those connections are based in psychological processes which take place during learning, as learning is a byproduct which results when a person being coached seeks to attain the goals she/he has set in coaching. Those connections are also based on positive psychological processes which take place through the goal setting and attainment. Positive psychology as a subcategory of psychology has a clear applied and theoretical connection.

Coaching can be used as a psychological tool in manifesting human potential (self-actualization) through its process of goal-setting. When a person is happy, content and experiencing a high degree of life satisfaction, she or he is a stronger, healthier contributor to her or his relationships and to society at large.

© L. Barrett Powell, All Rights Reserved