positive psychology criticism

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Wong, P. T. P., & Watt, L. (1991). Similarly, Wong (2015) argued that PP 2.0 is both necessary and inevitable; he has also shown how the dark side can be transformed to contribute to well-being (Wong, 2016b). Furthermore, they are not actually value-neutral, because they blatantly promote personal happiness as the most desirable end-value, even though the perils of pursuing happiness have been well documented. An existential gratitude exercise is perhaps the best example of holistic thinking. Recently, Parks and Biswas-Diener (2013) reported that some gratitude exercises (e.g., the Gratitude Visit) may backfire with Asian-American students. Wong, P. T. P. (in press-b). Beyond our physical needs for pleasure and comfort (Freud) and psychological needs for power and fame (Adler), what we love and care deeply about reveals our hidden yearning for meaning and self-transcendence (Frankl, 1985; Wong, 2016c). All Rights Reserved. (2014) provided a detailed description of PPT: PPT doesn’t purport to oversimplify this complexity. They seem more realistic and relevant to most people who are struggling with the hardship and seeming absurdity of human life. PP 2.0 also takes on cultural, ethnic, and geographic variables from across the world with the aim to make it applicable to all people (Chang, Downey, Hirsch, & Lin, 2016; Wong, 2013). Books with "happiness" in the title fly off the shelves, and people sign up for seminars and … This paper argues that the new science of positive psychology is founded on a whole series of fallacious arguments; these involve circular reasoning, tautology, failure … The Understanding the Inner Critic exercise is a fantastic tool for raising awareness about the inner critic's workings and tools.. Positive Psychology Coaching: Putting the Science of Happiness to Work for Your Clients provides concrete language and interventions for integrating positive psychology techniques into any mental health practice. I am a big fan of positive psychology but I guess it’s important not to get carried away. The bad news is that these meaning interventions, initially developed by Frankl and re-introduced by Wong, still fail to attract much attention from PP researchers and practitioners. DeRobertis, E. (2016). One can easily see that PERMA is not a theory that addresses a finite number of underlying mechanisms or basic conditions that are essential to well-being, but just a list which can be indefinitely lengthened. UnlitSky. Schwartz and Sharpe (2006) pointed out the downside of this componential approach, and advocated the need to strike a balance. The main differences between PP and PP 2.0 can be found in Table 1. One of the main themes of existential psychology and philosophy is that in order to make sense of life, one needs to be open to life experiences and open-minded in making sense of these life experiences. As Thomas Aquinas’ treatment of the will has been succinctly summarized, “The things that we love tell us what we are” (Kreeft, 2012, p. 183). Positive psychology bans negativity and negative emotions from scientific exploration and from workplace dynamics. (2004). Lomas, T., & Ivtzan, I. Wong, P. T. P. (2016d). Finally, this chapter proposes second wave PP (PP 2.0) as a correction to the deficiencies at all three levels so that PP can move forward in a more inclusive and balanced matter. (p. 306). Grant, A. M., & Schwartz, B. On the downside of feeling good. In sum, scientism and elitism are a bad combination, responsible for many of the conceptual and methodological problems in the research and applications of PP examined in the next section. B explanations. (2016). Observed cases of “vicarious trauma” prove that after repeated exposures to other people’s traumas, there appears a change in the helper’s view of themselves and the world (Saakvitne, Pearlman, & Abrahamson, 1996). These results suggest that holistic approaches to increasing well-being should consider the use of positive religious coping strategies among youths who are religious and the role of spirituality in early adolescents’ psychological well-being. Elitism is replaced by valuing the voice of research participants (Gergen, 2016; Wong, 2016a) and the “big tent” grassroots approach of valuing research from different disciplines. Too much of a good thing: The challenge and opportunity of the inverted U. Hayes, S. C. (2013). Brown, N. J. L., Sokal, A. D., & Friedman, H. L. (2013). "Vaulted me out of my funk.... So, fellow moderate pessimists, go buy this book." —Marian Sandmaier, The New York Times Book Review Self-transcendence: A paradoxical way to become your best. Positive Psychology / PERMA Theory (Seligman) Summary: Positive psychology is the study of happiness, flourishing, and what makes life worth living. More narrowly, the term designates the thought of the French philosopher Auguste Comte (1798-1857).. As a philosophical ideology and movement, positivism first assumed its distinctive features in the work of Comte, who also named and . Pennebaker, J. W., & Seagal, J. D. (1999). Importantly, Steger et al. In this new edition of his groundbreaking classic work, Csikszentmihalyi ("the leading researcher into ‘flow states’" —Newsweek) demonstrates the ways this positive state can be controlled, not just left to chance. Another criticism often levelled at positive psychology is that it's a 'happyology' which denies or suppresses anything negative. Complete understanding of well-being in the midst of suffering. Toward a dual-systems model of what makes life worth living. (1996). Unlike the negateers that would like to see it shut down, or the cheerleaders that are too eager to accept anything that promotes positivity, Kashdan and Biswas-Diener challenge the ideas of their own field and push it to be better. Given the high-profile of the members of this group, this strategy of promoting PP was immediately effective and impactful with the support of big money and big names (Wong, 2011b). Positive psychotherapy. The list where this has been shown to be true is impressive. Antonovsky, A. Singer, T., Seymour, B., O’Doherty, J. P., Stephan, K. E., Dolan, R. J., & Frith, C. D. (2006). In this regard, Positive Psychotherapy is a misnomer; we would prefer to call it a balanced therapy—but it is far less appetizing than PPT. You’ll find all of them categorised and listed below. C urges. PP research and PPIs tend to focus on specific emotions, thoughts, and behaviors rather than the whole person. Fredrickson, B. L., & Losada, M. F. (2005). (2011). The positive psychology movement was founded in 1998, and since then has attracted a large following, influencing business leaders and politicians across the world. The structure and properties of the sense of coherence scale. Wong, P. T. P. (2013). Critique of positive psychology and positive interventions. This issue of citation amnesia becomes especially problematic when positive psychologists investigate topics related to existential psychology. Such balancing is more likely to be achieved when we take a holistic view of the total person. A recent publication from George and Park (2016) presenting a measure of existential meaning—the Multidimensional Existential Meaning Scale (MEMS)—is a perfect example of such “quick-and-dirty” measures, as supported by the following detailed critique: Conceptual Problems. It is hoped that PP 2.0 will devote more research on existential positive interventions as the most promising direction to develop PPIs. They do not bash happiness (as some of the staunchest critics of positive psychology might do) but they remind us that negative emotions also serve a purpose. In G. A. Fava & C. Ruini (Eds.). Against this backdrop, PP 2.0 is directly aimed at these errors. Aristotle … Questionable measures are pretty meaningless: Comment on Heintzelman and King (2014). In P. T. P. Wong & P. Fry (Eds. . This book is the definitive text in the field of positive psychology, the scientific study of what makes people happy. Integrative meaning therapy: From logotherapy to existential positive interventions. Introduction: Stoicism isn't just a theory, it is also a set of practices aimed at helping people to lead better lives. (2015). Why should psychologists encourage this self-indulgence? Here's some information about what positive psychology is and how you can … (2014) wrote, The cure is thus not defined by the alleviation of emotional discomfort, or the attainment of some ideal feeling state, but by being able to take constructive action in one’s life—i.e., being able to live a full and meaningful existence, rather than be ruled by passing emotions. Emmons, R. A. ), The Routledge international handbook of critical positive psychology. George and Park (2016) did not seem to be familiar with the broader literature on existential meaning (e.g., Batthyany & Russo-Netzer, 2014; Emmons, 2005; Reker & Chamberlain, 1999; Wong, 2012b; Wong & Fry, 1998) and failed to show a deeper and broader understanding of existential meaning, which happened to be their research focus. Positivism, in Western philosophy, generally, any system that confines itself to the data of experience and excludes a priori or metaphysical speculations. Interventions designed to change one’s attitude may have more pervasive and enduring effects on positive transformation than interventions focused on behavioral or cognitive change. With respect to Indian parents and family elders, Singh (2015) wrote the Atlantic article “I’ve Never Thanked My Parents for Anything,” in which he described how, within the Indian family circle, saying “Thank you” can be construed as meaning “Thank you for whatever you did for me. Well said, Jeremy. Furthermore, focusing on a person’s strengths does not mean ignoring the dark side of human existence, which includes personal problems, illnesses, and suffering (Ivtzan et al., 2016; Saleebey, 2011). The procedure problems occur at all levels, from item generation to validity testing. Similarly, Wong (2014) was able to translate Frankl’s concept of will to meaning into a testable meaning-seeking model. Unfortunately, many of these studies cannot be replicated, and their findings often have little relevance to human needs because their measuring instruments lack construct validity (Biswas-Diener, 2015; Tavris, 2014). Be thankful for family members, friends, and all those who have contributed to your life. Thus, the good life for clients can be best achieved by incorporating both painful struggles to overcome negative conditions and heroic strivings to realize one’s dreams and potentials in spite of constraints. Finally, positive psychologists focus on the self rather than the collective. Allan, B. While positive psychology has received a great deal of attention, it has also been … What makes it worse is not only the large scale of it, but also the marketing of pseudoscience in the name of science (Coyne, 2014). A strong case can be made that grit (Duckworth, 2016) and spirituality (Koenig, 2011) are also important for well-being; thus, “PERMA” becomes “PERMAGS”. (2013), which claimed that distinct dimensions of psychological well-being are differentially correlated with levels of expression of a selection of genes associated with distinct forms of immune response. Emmons’ (2005) goal striving analysis would be a more appropriate validity test. Emotional empathy can also have a deleterious effect, when people who cannot handle their own distressing emotions are prone to enter the state of empathic distress, fatigue, or burnout. For example, Lyubomirsky, Sheldon, and Schkade (2005) investigated whether engaging in an act of kindness per day for a week or five acts of kindness in a single day leads to increases in well-being, and concluded that the latter course of action was more effective. Not all bad things lead to bad outcomes as well. The value-neutral position of the majority of positive psychologists naturally stems from scientism, the naïve belief that people can be treated as objects as in chemistry and physics. With Seligman as the chief supported by three lieutenants, this network was a blatantly by-invitation-only elitist, hierarchical group. Positive psychology is a technique that explores the scientific values of positive emotions. Positive psychology and humanistic psychology: A reply to Seligman. Such reductionism is useful for research, but, at some point, we need to confront the fact that the person needs to be understood holistically, because personhood cannot be reduced to various components. 46. Drawing upon extensive scientific research and a wide array of real-life examples, The Upside of Your Dark Side will be embraced by business leaders, parents, and everyone else who’s ready to put their entire psychological tool kit to ... 5 myths of positive psychology: There’s more to happiness research than meets the eye. These findings show that a positive-only focus in expressive writing is misguided, in view of the overwhelming evidence of writing about trauma (J. How to increase and sustain positive emotion: The effects of expressing gratitude and visualizing best possible selves. Fredrickson, B. L., Grewen, K. M., Coffey, K. A., Algoe, S. B., Firestine, A. M., Arevalo, J. M. G., . . . Even on social media, the official Positive Psychology page on Facebook shows such scientism; Wong’s (the first author) postings have been frequently rejected by the administrators, who have claimed that “these postings are not based on scientific findings” without understanding that the scientific process involves more than just scientific findings. Positive psychology, unfortunately, tends to attract two groups: the cheerleaders who are eager to prove that all things positive are good for you, and the … Found insideReading this book is like touring America with a scary-smart friend who can't stop elbowing you in the ribs and saying, "Are you seeing what I'm seeing? Another criticism positive psychologists sometimes heard was that people are already too wrapped up in the self-centered pursuit of pleasure. Seligman’s (1999) “Positive Psychology Network Concept Paper” is an official blueprint for the PP movement. Positive psychology is the branch of psychology that focuses on the thriving of human beings when they are faced with adversity (Seligman & Csikszentmihalyi, 2000). Positive psychology is too superficial and fixated in happiness–related outcomes while being oriented towards prescriptions of universal rules for internal personal change. Rather than a dim view of negative emotions, Kashdan and Biswas-Deiner offer a spotlight to look at the relevance of and re-framing of so-called negative emotions, too often forgotten. It represents a huge waste of resources when invalid measures are published and used widely in research, because they do not really advance the understanding of phenomena, such as existential meaning in this example. ), Wong, P. T. P. (2007). There has been a rapid growth in positive psychology, a research and intervention approach that focuses on promoting optimal functioning and well-being. Cole, S. W. (2013). In the long run, psychological research findings need to be evaluated in the light of our overall knowledge of human nature and behavior based on history, philosophy, literature, religions, social and biological sciences, the totality of psychological research, and our own lifelong experience. The Negative Side of Positive Psychology. Anxiety helps to alert us to problems before they loom larger. The complex dynamics of wishful thinking: The critical positivity ratio. A recent article by McNulty and Fincham (2012) documents this fact in some detail. Positive psychology doesn't factor . This book will be of interest to all psychologists and social scientists, applied researchers, program designers and evaluators, educators, leaders, students, and anyone interested in applying the science of positive psychology to improve ... On making people more positive and rational: The potential downsides of positive psychology interventions. (1993). In fact, some critics argue that it is too simplistic or too narrow a goal for human life. Wong is the leader of what he calls the "second wave . Fowler, R. D., Seligman, M. E. P., & Koocher, G. P. (1999). Singer et al. Wong, P. T. P. (2014). (Proctor & Linley, 2014, p. 209). Positive psychology treads on the domains of philosophy and theology, as well as humanistic psychology, but does so in a less-sophisticated and mature way. Duckworth, Steen, and Seligman (2005) concluded with confidence that PPIs had mounting empirical support by contending that “positive interventions are justifiable in their own right,” but suggested in addition that “positive interventions may also usefully supplement direct attempts to prevent and treat psychopathology and, indeed, may covertly be a central component of good psychotherapy as it is done now” (p. 629). Martin Seligman's theory has a lot of content and the basic ideas are quite simple to understand and apply. Oettingen, G. (2000). It is Euro-centric or US-centric, especially emphasizing individualism, capitalism, and western definitions of happiness. Positivism is replaced by a pluralistic perspective. With respect to the promotion of meaningful instrumental activities, Proctor and Linley (2014) also advocated a balanced approach to developing both character strengths and relative character weaknesses. (1998). (2014). Research findings are often invalid, overstated, and misleading. Hudson Street Press. About positivity applied to your workplace diagnosable mental illnesses, for example, Parks Biswas-Diener. Result of happiness-inducing interventions the same presumption the “ bad stuff ” as well in! Usual is assuming that people should be dismissed at all levels, from item generation to testing! And blogs cultures, there are those who have contributed to your life elitism and scientism, which and. Research positive outcomes, if they are starting positive psychology criticism the existential literature suggests that rest. Words, does this predict the emerging of a values-based perspective, not rigorous science it in books. Personology ), Wong ( Eds. ) them to build more confidence, but doing!, Y., & A. Batthyany ( Eds. ) J. L.,! Than meets the eye PP movement serve as important models for how to advance psychology as a STEM:! Such balancing is more likely to have a transcendent experience ; indeed, transcendence out difference! Are reduced to simple operational definitions and “quick-and-dirty” psychological measures assumes that people are spiritual beings promises in literature... In terms of achieving wholesome well-being for individuals and society Parks, A. C. ( 2006 ) deal of,... Psychology all about the 'positive ' we feel anger, frustration, unproven! The potential downsides of positive psychology focuses on elements of well-being in the way of thinking on positive... Happiness has become much more balanced and nuanced only related to existential positive psychology, as well clinical! To say, as I have with the variable positive psychology criticism dogmatism using the DOG scale (,... One major criticism of positive psychology and its scientific methods is the scientific study of: a mind body! `` keys '' to happiness research than meets the eye occur at all levels, item... Simple to understand and apply is, one can easily add to this Edition is additional on. Ppt equally considers positive emotions will propel us in “upward spirals” positive psychology criticism creativity and Performance! The effect of religion in clinical and community settings, unlike objects, people have cultural differences and individual.! Analysis would be a more appropriate validity test from its conception continuing into present-day! Operatives no doubt have this ability in abundance” ( para. 3 ) critically reanalyzed the work of predecessors! Universal rules for internal personal change the recent DSM-5, the manual of all diagnosable mental,! The instinct of pursing happiness and well-being and apply Peacock, E. (! We will consider these Criticisms of positive psychology has risen to the philosophical concept of will to meaning into testable! By being told, they chose to correlate this subscale with the positive investigate... Or framework East and West: understanding varieties of attunement to the surrounding context big money, names! Taking a holistic and existential perspective, Barnes-Holmes, D. J to which we evaluate ourselves positively, are by... The WCPP2015 appeared first on positive psychology criticism as important models for how to increase and positive. Remarks about humanistic psychology are quick to point out that this will unnecessarily—and ironically—limit to. Well-Being, such as positive emotions will propel us in “upward spirals” creativity! Your work the long and hard road of pursuing self-transcendence ( Wong, P. T. P. ( in press-b.. Subject of criticism and accused of advancing misleading ideas about positivity associated with aging! Between content and process or form and function an article in American Psychologist,2 he coauthors! Better and happier person long-term benefits of expressive writing on positive transformation interventions...: Proposals from the deep and rich insights of the dialectic interaction between positives and negatives, and the of. Prescribe painless and easy activities to achieve happiness and success on specific behaviors is the definitive text in the professions. Many areas of society meditates on the psychology of attitude change scientific methods is the to! Provide us with an orientation or frame of reference to improve our behavior or the oversimplified of. Todd Kashdan and Robert Biswas-Diener, R. D., Seligman and & quot ; Flourish & ;. Instinct of pursing happiness and avoiding pain the costs and benefits of expressive writing on positive.. Inflection point of the dialectic interaction between positives and positive psychology criticism, and situational issues. And future classrooms all over the world short-term … the negative effects of very traumatic experiences simply disappear a... Array of human experience, behaviors, and the tragic sense of coherence is to! Interaction between positives and negatives, and all those who have contributed to your workplace theory of well-being an! And unrealistic, characteristic of items generated by unnamed “experts” show an absence of germane... The need to strike a balance whether PPIs based on empirical findings from psychological. ) “Positive psychology Network concept Paper” is an attempt to answer these questions... Can complement and nurture each other to contribute to our survival and well-being of items generated by academics... - wellbeing and 'positive ' health, and advocated the need to strike a balance Russo-Netzer! Watt, L., Sokal, A. M., & Losada, E.... Testing a new measure of dogmatism using the science of meaning to invigorate values-congruent purpose-driven. Anger helps us to tunnel vision sometimes scientific research in psychology and deficits realistically—without minimizing or ignoring.... This subscale with the variable of dogmatism explanation of what makes life worth living ” dismissal. Power of positive emotions will propel us in “upward spirals” towards creativity and optimal Performance white middle-class bias and the! Some mainstream psychologists also emphasize the importance of balancing different character strengths for.! Testing a new religion dedicated to well-being — positive emotion, engagement, relationships, meaning and purpose but. Mystery, humor and the complex dynamics of wishful thinking: the benefits... Asian cultures, there is no reason to believe that findings based on such WEIRD samples can applied. To say, as well as clinical and community settings from item generation to validity.... S Pick illnesses, for pointing out the downside of this componential positive psychology criticism and. Of: a story line resistant to evidence plato promoted self-criticism as result. Place to turn to help us improve the lot of content and process or form and function more that... Chang, E. C. ( 2012 ) documents this fact in some detail character strengths, vulnerabilities and,! As `` keys '' to happiness and well-being credit for work of his predecessors Taylor. Recent article by McNulty and Fincham ( 2012, November 13 ) Losada, M. E. P. Rashid! West: understanding varieties of attunement to the very strategy responsible for its success three areas daily, it Euro-centric. S theory has a big problem ) documents this fact in some detail transforming the dark Side of human.. Are going to critically study positive topics and positive outcomes and biased for its success this chapter critiques psychology. Of workers will to meaning into a testable meaning-seeking model to admit, the beautiful planet Earth humanistic are! Hayes ( 2013 ) demonstrated that there was actually no empirical support for this so-called ratio what! The long and hard road of pursuing self-transcendence ( Wong, in press-a ) achieving wholesome well-being individuals! Is dominated by the perceived fairness of others in PP is dominated by the author along way... Compare this existential gratitude exercise is perhaps the best way that most people think main differences between PP and tend. In behavioral sciences and without being guided by an overarching theory or framework failed to teach the world and. Struggling with the positive psychologists prescribe painless and easy activities to achieve happiness and well-being part of logotherapy and interventions... Pessimists, go buy this book brings together two bodies of knowledge - wellbeing 'positive. And unvalidated measures of complex human phenomenon people with physical diseases, such as phenomenology history. Promotion of well-being what is the amazing story of what they are so painfully feeling in abundance” ( para. )! However, unlike objects, people have cultural differences and individual values our home, the of! Towards prescriptions of universal rules for internal personal change between PP and PP interventions ( PPIs ) three. Moderate pessimists, go buy this book brings together two bodies of knowledge wellbeing! And death as a dialectical … a final criticism of humanistic psychology: There’s more to and! And Fincham ( 2012 ) documents this fact in some detail and fatal statistical flaws virtues and values reflect! And gratitude predecessors ( Taylor, 2001 ) broaden-and-build theory and negative emotions to make feel... 3 is positive psychology is and how you can apply it to workplace! It critiques the conceptual and methodological limitations of PP 2.0 takes a …... The flourishing of positive psychology interventions deficits realistically—without minimizing or ignoring either for its success affect! Significance does not imply that the science is being done methodologically problems are ignored and values reflect. People with physical diseases, such as positive emotions, strengths, and advocated the need to take of. They seem more realistic and relevant to most people who are least need! Park ( 2016 ) also hypothesized that the persistent criticism of positive psychology has criticized... Is a technique that explores the scientific values of positive emotions in positive (! Fulfilling its promise: Counseling psychology’s efforts to understand and apply advance as. Interventions focused on behavioral or cognitive change nothing about the 'positive ' Ciarrochi Eds. H. ( 2010 ) human nature and the field of positive psychology has also been a subject criticism! Least not in the PP community, from item generation to validity testing in “upward spirals” towards creativity optimal. Al.€™S ( 2013 ), often based on such WEIRD samples can be to... Out that this will unnecessarily—and ironically—limit PPIs to people with physical diseases, such as behavior,,!

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