In this article, I argue that modern psychology can make a valuable contribution to citizenship education. I present some key themes from research on human thriving and argue that they should be central to developing self-directed, resilient, altruistic citizens. The article includes language and analogies that educators can use to make the key concepts memorable. I also draw on recent research on engaging employees in the business world and suggest that we can use the same ideas to develop engaged citizens. The accumulated evidence has implications for parents, teachers and leaders.