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Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons

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Law and Gender

Selected Works

Positive psychology

Articles 1 - 2 of 2

Full-Text Articles in Social and Behavioral Sciences

Super Women Lawyers: A Study Of Character Strenghs, Patricia Snyder Dec 2011

Super Women Lawyers: A Study Of Character Strenghs, Patricia Snyder

Pat Snyder

The legal profession has relatively high rates of depression and career dissatisfaction. It has been suggested that positive psychology, which correlates the greater use of individual character strengths with increased life satisfaction and success, may have the answers. In this study, 17 women lawyers named to a top lawyers list compiled by the Super Lawyers rating service, took the online Brief Strengths Test, a 24-question version of the 240-question online Values in Action – Inventory of Strengths (VIA-IS) and 16 participated in interviews probing the extent of their strengths use both personally and professionally. As predicted, the study found that …


Happy Law Students, Happy Lawyers, Nancy Levit, Douglas Linder Jan 2008

Happy Law Students, Happy Lawyers, Nancy Levit, Douglas Linder

Nancy Levit

This article draws on research into the science of happiness and asks a series of interrelated questions: Whether law schools can make law students happier? Whether making happier law students will translate into making them happier lawyers, and the accompanying question of whether making law students happier would create better lawyers? After covering the limitations of genetic determinants of happiness and happiness set-points, the article addresses those qualities that happiness research indicates are paramount in creating satisfaction: control, connections, creative challenge (or flow), and comparisons (preferably downward). Those qualities are then applied to legal education, while addressing the larger philosophical …