Second Wave Positive Psychology: Exploring the Positive–Negative Dialectics of Wellbeing
By T. Lomas, Itai Ivtzan. 2016
309 citations recorded by the source corpus.
Positive psychology has tended to be defined in terms of a concern with ‘positive’ psychological qualities and states. However, critics of the field have highlighted various problems inherent in classifying phenomena as either ‘positive’ or ‘negative.’ For instance, ostensibly positive qualities (e.g., optimism) can sometimes be detrimental to wellbeing, whereas apparently negative processes (like anxiety) may at times be conducive to it. As such, over recent years, a more nuanced ‘second wave’ of positive psychology has been germinating, which explores the philosophical and conceptual complexities of the very idea of the ‘positive.’ The current paper introduces this emergent second wave by examining the ways in which the field is developing a more subtle understanding of the dialectical nature of flourishing (i.e., involving a complex and dynamic interplay of positive and negative experiences). The paper does so by problematizing the notions of positive and negative through seven case studies, including five salient dichotomies (such as optimism vs. pessimism) and two complex processes (posttraumatic growth and love). These case studies serve to highlight the type of critical, dialectical thinking that characterises this second wave, thereby outlining the contours of the evolving field.
Subfields: Applied Psychology, Experimental and Cognitive Psychology, Social Psychology
View Paper: https://www.semanticscholar.org/paper/6e205a8c175b55f2bba8fc24b5dee9e44a9e5569
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In Applied Psychology
In Experimental and Cognitive Psychology
In Social Psychology
Citations in the corpus
- Towards a positive cross-cultural lexicography: Enriching our emotional landscape through 216 ‘untranslatable’ words pertaining to well-being (2016, background): “Indeed, all capture the notion that flourishing is dialectical, a complex blend of light and dark elements (Lomas & Ivtzan, 2015), as reflected in the Chinese symbol yin-yang (陰陽).”