Positive Psychology: Looking Back and Looking Forward

TL;DR

The paper reviews the history and current state of positive psychology, highlighting persistent issues and suggesting future directions to address societal challenges.

Contribution

The paper offers a critical reflection on the evolution of positive psychology and proposes a forward-looking agenda addressing inequality and societal well-being.

Findings

Persistent issues in positive psychology include poorly constructed well-being measures and biased research samples.

Commercialization of PP raises concerns about quality control in profit-driven applications.

Future research should focus on societal challenges like inequality and the pandemic, as well as neglected emotional and social factors.

Abstract

Envisioning the future of positive psychology (PP) requires looking at its past. To that end, I first review prior critiques of PP to underscore that certain early problems have persisted over time. I then selectively examine recent research to illustrate progress in certain areas as well as draw attention to recurrent problems. Key among them is promulgation of poorly constructed measures of well-being and reliance on homogeneous, privileged research samples. Another concern is the commercialization of PP, which points to the need for greater oversight and quality control in profit-seeking endeavors. Looking ahead, I advocate for future science tied to contemporary challenges, particularly ever-widening inequality and the pandemic. These constitute intersecting catastrophes that need scientific attention. Such problems bring into focus “neglected negatives” that may be fueling current difficulties, including greed, indifference, and stupidity. Anger, which defies easy characterization as positive or negative, also warrants greater scientific study. Going forward I advocate for greater study of domains that likely nurture good lives and just societies – namely, participation in the arts and encounters with nature, both currently under study. Overall, my entreaty to PP is to reckon with persistent problems from its past, while striving toward a future that is societally relevant and virtuous.