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Current Status. Recently, Several Reviews of The Field of Positive Psychology Have Attempted To

Positive psychology research has taken two approaches - one focused on developing constructs to build positive qualities and improve well-being, aligned with the field's origins. The other involves applying positive constructs to cope with adversity, not the original focus. A review found 46% use the first "positive" approach, 29% the second "deficit" approach, and 25% both. Measures of pathology are also commonly used. Overall the field has become more balanced in considering positives and difficulties. However, a separate review found the research pays little attention to issues of social justice, underrepresenting women as authors and largely ignoring topics at the intersections of gender, race and ethnicity.

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78 views2 pages

Current Status. Recently, Several Reviews of The Field of Positive Psychology Have Attempted To

Positive psychology research has taken two approaches - one focused on developing constructs to build positive qualities and improve well-being, aligned with the field's origins. The other involves applying positive constructs to cope with adversity, not the original focus. A review found 46% use the first "positive" approach, 29% the second "deficit" approach, and 25% both. Measures of pathology are also commonly used. Overall the field has become more balanced in considering positives and difficulties. However, a separate review found the research pays little attention to issues of social justice, underrepresenting women as authors and largely ignoring topics at the intersections of gender, race and ethnicity.

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suhail iqbal sipra
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© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Current status.

Recently, several reviews of the field of positive psychology have attempted to


examine the research linked with positive psychology, and empirically assess the extent to which
concerns about the field are accurate. The reviews of the current literature reveal a complex
story.
A systematic review of the extant literature published in positive psychology since the inception
of the movement to 2013 revealed certain interesting features of the literature (Donaldson,
Dollwet, & Rao, 2015). An in-depth review and thematic analysis revealed that positive
psychology research, as it stands today, is characterized by two distinct approaches. One is
focused on the development and testing of constructs that build positive qualities and improve
the quality of life (Rao, Donaldson, & Doiron, 2015). This approach is tightly aligned with the
way positive psychology has been defined by the founders of the field and the agenda they set
for the research that would constitute positive psychology. The second approach involves the
application of positive constructs to aid coping with adversity (Rao, Donaldson, & Doiron,
2015). Although this was not what the early scholars impressed upon, a sizeable portion of the
research that identifies itself with positive psychology today, adopts this approach. In an
examination of the international landscape of positive psychology research, it was found that
while 46% use the first approach (that we refer to as the “positive” approach), 29% adopt the
second approach (that we refer to as the “deficit” approach), and 25% use both within the same
study (Kim, Doiron, Rao, & Donaldson, 2015). A similar story begins to unfold in the review of
the measures used in empirical articles in positive psychology. Pathology-focused scales such as
those measuring depression, anxiety and stress are cited and used almost as often as “positive”
measures such as those measuring character strengths, gratitude, and resilience (Ackerman, Rao,
& Donaldson, 2015). The complexity of how well-being and coping with adversity concern and
inform each other among individuals, groups, communities, and organizations has been studied
increasingly. Taken together, the reviews suggest that the field has been responsive to the
critiques and research in positive psychology has become increasingly balanced in considering
the positive as well as harsh realities of human life.

On the other hand, the attention in the field to social justice is lackluster. A review assessed the
extent to which positive psychology research addressed issues relevant to disenfranchised
populations, with a focus on gender, race and ethnicity (Rao & Donaldson, 2015). The findings
of the self-reflective examination of positive psychology research published since 1998 to 2014
revealed that women are overrepresented as participants in empirical research, but
underrepresented as first authors, and critical discussion of concerns related to gender are scarce.
Empirical research studies conducted globally are based largely on White samples, and issues of
race and ethnicity and those of individuals at the intersections of gender, race, and ethnicity are
largely ignored.
REFERANCES
Ackerman, C., Rao, M. A., & Donaldson, S. I. (2015). Scaling the heights of positive
psychology: Trends and opportunities in measurements. Manuscript in preparation, Division of
Behavioral and Social Sciences, Claremont Graduate University, California.
Deci, E. L., & Vansteenkiste, M. (2004). Self-determination theory and basic need satisfaction:
Understanding human development in positive psychology. Ricerche Di Psicologia, 27(1), 23-
40.
Diener, E. (2013). The remarkable changes in the science of subjective well-being. Perspectives
on Psychological Science, 8(6), 663-666. doi:10.1177/1745691613507583
Donaldson, S. I., Csikszentmihalyi, M., & Nakamura, J. (Eds.). (2011). Applied positive
psychology: Improving everyday life, health, schools, work, and society. London: Routledge
Academic.
Donaldson, S. I., Dollwet, M. & Rao, M. A. (2015). Happiness, excellence, and optimal
functioning revisited: Examining the peer-reviewed literature linked to positive
psychology. Journal of Positive Psychology, 10 (3), 185-195.

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