Creating Tomorrow Volume II

"Vanderheiden and Mayer have taken the concept of character strengths into a completely different and novel direction. Scholarship of the highest level." --Professor Jerome Carson, University of Greater Manchester, UK "That place that felt empty to me within the context of character strengths, where the evidence-based concepts of positive psychology are brought to bear on larger social issues, is beginning to fill. The two volumes of Creating Tomorrow go a long way towards that goal." --Professor Robert E. McGrath, Fairleigh Dickinson University, USA This book, the second volume of Creating Tomorrow: Character Strengths and Positive Psychology in the Anthropocene examines how the virtues of Humanity, Justice, Temperance and Transcendence can guide action and orientation in an era marked by environmental disruption, cultural fragmentation and ethical uncertainty. It builds on the foundation of the first volume by shifting the focus from understanding to transformation, showing how strengths support social engagement, ecological responsibility and meaningful responses to planetary change. This book integrates research from environmental psychology, cultural studies, education, ethics and community-based work. Its contributions draw on varied cultural settings to demonstrate how character strengths manifest across contexts and how they can support responsible, relational and future- oriented engagement with the Anthropocene. Addressing scholars, educators and practitioners in psychology, education, sustainability, cultural inquiry and applied ethics, the book combines conceptual clarity with practical relevance. It offers perspectives for reflection, learning and engaged action in conditions of global transformation. 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. Her research focuses on shame, conflict, love, and transformative andragogy. Claude-Hélène Mayer is Professor of Industrial and Organisational Psychology at the University of Johannesburg, South Africa. Her research focuses on transcultural mental health, emotions and culture, positive psychology, women leadership, the 4IR and psychobiography.