Lessons From the Lake: Positive Psychology and Wilderness Experience

Positive psychology seeks to understand and enhance well-being in its many forms through empirical research. Wilderness experiences seek to develop the skills and character of participants through controlled adversity and integration with nature. An understanding of the tenets and findings of positive psychology could enhance the influence of wilderness experience for individuals, groups, and society at large. This paper will explore the connections between positive psychology and wilderness experience, using experiences with canoe tripping and adolescents as impetus and illustration. The theoretical constructs of positive emotion, character strengths, and positive institutions are applied to a wilderness experience, and directions for future study and application are put forth