The UK Association of Transactional Analysts invited me to talk to the community about Positive Psychology. This presentation explores Eric Berne's concept of Reachback and Afterburn and relates it to Zimbardo's work around Time Perspectives. How can therapists encourage positivity and happiness in themselves and their clients as a way to thrive.

1. #Managing TATuesday
Stress
Where Transactional Analysis &
Suzanne Hazelton
Positive Psychology meet
© 2014 Suzanne Hazelton

2. Suzanne Hazelton
working with leaders and teams to
THRIVE!
© 2014 Suzanne Hazelton

3. Where are you located?
• I’ve moved around a bit 
– I’m now based on the Surrey /
Hampshire border
• One of my first jobs was
driving a fork lift truck in a
builders’ merchants.
• I worked for IBM for 15 years
… starting in a technical role.
I managed people & projects.
• I’ve trained or coached over
3500 people!
• I left school at 16 – although
some might say I’ve never
really left ….

4. My professional journey …
“Experience is not what happens to a
man, it’s what a man does with what has
happened to him.” ~ Aldous Huxley
Positive
Psycholog
y
Leadership
Training
(within IT)
Leadership
& Business
Coaching
Professional
Development
NLP
Psychotherapy
(TA)

5. Toolkit …
MSc. Applied Positive Psychology 2012
Business Coaching 2011
Transactional Analysis (2 years) 2008
Firo-B 2007
IBM Certified Learning Professional 2007
Transactional Analysis 101 2006
NLP Master Practitioner 2005
MBTI Practitioner 2005
Train the Trainer 2004
NLP Certified Practitioner 2003
IBM Senior IT Specialist Profession 2003
NLP Diploma 2002
Professional Cert in Management 2002
Microsoft Certified Systems Engineer 1998
Microsoft Certified Professional 1997
BSc (Hons) Industrial & Business Systems1994

8. Whistle stop tour of the next
60 mins ….
• Who is Suzanne
• Quick comparison of psychotherapy and
psychology
• Flourishing good for us individually & society
as a whole …
• 2 levers to increase personal flourishing
– Time Perspectives
– Emotions

9. Positive Psychology
Psychotherapy
is a general term referring to
therapeutic interaction or
treatment contracted
between a trained
professional and a client,
patient, family, couple, or
group.
Psychology
is an academic and applied
discipline that involves the
scientific study of mental
functions and behaviours.
Positive
psychology
seeks "to find and nurture
genius and talent", and "to
make normal life more
fulfilling", rather than
merely treating mental
illness.

11. Implications of society & organisations
thriving
The mental health spectrum, Huppert et al., 2005

12. Great Days at Work Framework
c c

13. Levers to thrive …
• Time perspectives
• Emotions

14. Happier people are more
successful
Feel good  be successful

15. Time
Perspectives

18. Afterburn Reachback

20. Where do you
think you spend
your time?

22. Memories ….

23. Use past ‘story-telling’ (positive
reminiscing) to support ‘past positive’

24. Savouring
Balanced
time
perspectives
Strengths
Acts of
Kindness
Gratitude
Positive Emotion
24

25. It takes sunshine and rain to make
a rainbow

26. The emotional quadrants
High
Survival Zone
• Impatient
• Irritable
• Frustrated
• Angry
Negative Positive
Low
Performance Zone
• Calm
• Optimistic
• Challenged
• Engaged
• Invigorated
Burnout Zone
• Exhausted
• Empty
• Depressed
• Sad
• Hopeless
Renewal Zone
• Carefree
• Peaceful
• Relieved
• Mellow
• Receptive
• Defensive
• Fearful
• Anxious
• Worried
Schwartz, T., Gomes, J., & McCarthy, C. (2010). The way we're working isn't
working : the four forgotten needs that energize great performance. London:
26
Simon & Schuster.

27. Racket vs Authentic
Emotions
• Emotions which last an appropriate
duration
• Emotions which are appropriate to
the situation

28. Seven benefits of Positive
Emotions
• Health
• Broaden thinking – noticing
opportunities
• Opportunity magnet
• Builds resilience
• Create positive memories
• Moods go viral
• Build high performing teams

29. Balance of
negative and
positive
3 positive
for every
negative

30. Negative has more impact than positive

31. “I used to envy the friends who
always seemed to have such a
good time. They might be doing
much the same things as I did, …,
but where I found the things I did
always ordinary and mainly dull,
these friends were always involved
in events which were interesting
and exciting. It took me years to
realise that the differences
between these friends and me was
not in what we did, or what we felt
about what we did, but how we
talked about what we did.”
~ Dorothy Rowe (1988)

32. What do you see?

33. Take a moment

34. References
Positivity Ratio: http://positivityratio.com/
Time Perspectives: http://www.thetimeparadox.com/
Berne, E. (1971). A layman's guide to psychiatry and psychoanalysis (Extensively revised and
enlarged ed. ed.). Harmondsworth: Penguin.
Boniwell, I., Osin, E., Linley, P. A., & Ivanchenko, G. V. (2010). A question of balance: Time
perspective and well-being in British and Russian samples. The Journal of Positive
Psychology, 5(1), 24-40. doi: 10.1080/17439760903271181
Bono, J. E., & Ilies, R. (2006). Charisma, positive emotions and mood contagion. The Leadership
Quarterly, 17(4), 317-334. doi: 10.1016/j.leaqua.2006.04.008
Ekman, P. (1992). An argument for basic emotions. Cognition and Emotion, 6(3-4), 169-200. doi:
10.1080/02699939208411068
Fredrickson, B. (2009a). Positivity : groundbreaking research reveals how to embrace the hidden
strength of positive emotions, overcome negativity, and thrive (1st ed.). New York: Crown
Publishers.
Fredrickson, B. (2009b). The Positivity Ratio. Retrieved 12th March, 2011, from
https://www.positivityratio.com/
Fredrickson, B. L. (2001). The role of positive emotions in positive psychology: The broaden-and-build
theory of positive emotions. American Psychologist, 56(3), 218-226. doi:
10.1037/0003-066x.56.3.218

35. References (continued)
Fredrickson, B. L., & Losada, M. F. (2005). Positive Affect and the Complex Dynamics of Human
Flourishing. American Psychologist, 60(7), 678-686. doi: 10.1037/0003-066x.60.7.678
Losada, M. (1999). The complex dynamics of high performance teams. Mathematical and
Computer Modelling, 30(9-10), 179-192. doi: 10.1016/s0895-7177(99)00189-2
Lyubomirsky, S. (2010). The how of happiness : a practical approach to getting the life you want.
London: Piatkus.
Lyubomirsky, S., King, L., & Diener, E. (2005). The Benefits of Frequent Positive Affect: Does
Happiness Lead to Success? Psychological Bulletin, 131(6), 803-855. doi: 10.1037/0033-
2909.131.6.803
Moiso, C. (1984). TA: The State of the Art: Dordrecht: Foris Publications.
Rowe, D. (1988). The successful self. London: Fontana.
Schwartz, T., Gomes, J., & McCarthy, C. (2010). The way we're working isn't working : the four
forgotten needs that energize great performance. London: Simon & Schuster.
Sheldon Cohen, P., Cuneyt M. Alper, M., William J. Doyle, P., John J. Treanor, M. a., & Ronald B.
Turner, M. (2006). Positive Emotional Style Predicts Resistance to Illness After Experimental
Exposure to Rhinovirus or Influenza A Virus. Psychosomatic Medicine, 68(6). doi: doi:
10.1097/ 01.psy.0000245867.92364.3c
Zimbardo, P. G., & Boyd, J. (2008). The time paradox : the new psychology of time. London: Rider.

36. 36
© 2014 Suzanne Hazelton
Contact Details
• Email: suzanne@johnsonfellowes.co.uk
• Blog: www.suzannehazelton/wordpress.com
• Business: www.johnsonfellowes.co.uk
• Twitter: @SuzanneHazelton
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/SuzanneHazelton1

37. Backup

38. Where to get more
info.
www.actionforhappiness.org/
10-keys-to-happier-living
http://positivityratio.com/
The How of Happiness