Reality Psychology A New Perspective on Wellbeing, Mindfulness, Resilience and Connection

This book provides an introduction to and a dynamic description of a new psychological paradigm that balances the excesses and distortions of the positive psychology paradigm. It offers valuable theoretical and practical content to its readers on the vital need for, nature of and potential for the reality psychology paradigm. It includes concrete steps for this new paradigm to restore the real power of vital psychological knowledge and techniques, which need to be brought back from their association with artificial positivity. This will provide real human benefits, including real mindfulness, real resilience, real behaviour change, and real communication. The book features a presentation of the underlying principles of reality psychology – including the value of a full connection with reality as it really is - rather than as we would like it to be. This will help people thrive in response to as well as survive our great real-life challenges, by developing a deeply practical understanding of reality psychology knowledge and related practice techniques.

The book provides considerable theoretical and practical benefits to students of a variety of psychological courses, including positive psychology related courses, and also of many other wellbeing related courses. The book also provides valuable benefits to non-student readers – expert and non-expert.

Stephen McKenzie, PhD, is a senior lecturer in psychology at the University of Melbourne. He is contributing to its online education expansion, including by planning, developing and teaching online courses that help give their students personal and professional success as well as academic success – via improved wellbeing, mindfulness and connection. Stephen is an expert on key components of what he sees as a valuable new psychological paradigm - reality psychology - including mindfulness, wellbeing and connection, and has conducted research, written books and produced courses in these and other reality psychology relevant areas. Stephen has been a pioneer in many new areas of valuable human knowledge including by co-writing an early mindfulness manual, writing an early mindfulness at work book, an introduction to statistical literacy and its value in an increasingly information overcrowded age, a possible next generation of mindfulness – heartfulness, and lead-editing books on online education. Stephen co-developed a large new fully online fourth year psychology course at Monash University and an international online education research program with King’s College, London, developed an online research portal, and received a Dean’s Award for Education Innovation from Monash University in 2019.