The Routledge International Handbook of Critical Positive Psychology

Since the turn of the twenty-first century, the field of positive psychology has sought to implement a science of human flourishing so that we may lead happier, more fulfilling lives. It has found expression not only in academic papers but also popular books and, increasingly, in government policy. The Routledge International Handbook of Critical Positive Psychology is the first volume dedicated to a critical appraisal of this influential but controversial field of study. The book critically examines not only the scientific foundations of positive psychology, but also the sociocultural and political tenets on which the field rests. It evaluates the current field of knowledge and practice, and includes chapters analysing the methodological constructs of the field, as well as others that question what positive psychology actually means by ideas such as happiness or well-being. Taking the debate further, the book then discusses how positive psychology can be applied in a wider variety of settings than is presently the case, helping communities and individuals by acknowledging the reality of people's lives rather than adhering strictly to debateable theoretical constructs. Including contributions from disciplines ranging from psychoanalysis to existential therapy, theology to philosophy, and contributors from throughout the world, The Routledge International Handbook of Critical Positive Psychology will be enlightening reading for anyone interested in how psychology has sought to understand human well-being.

Nicholas J. L. Brown is a PhD candidate in Health Psychology at the University Medical Center, University of Groningen, the Netherlands. His research examines the claims made by positive psychology regarding the relation between well-being and physical health outcomes. Tim Lomas is a Lecturer in positive psychology at the University of East London, UK. He has published numerous books and papers on topics including positive psychology theory, language, meditation, Buddhism, and neuroscience. Francisco Jose Eiroa-Orosa holds a Marie Sklodowska-Curie fellowship coordinated between the universities of Barcelona and Yale. The aim of his project is to explore the role of context on mental health interventions with key stakeholders such as service users, professionals, and policy makers.

Foreword Interiorizing and Interrogating Well-Being Isaac Prilleltensky Chapter 1 Critical Positive Psychology: A Creative Convergence of Two Disciplines Piers Worth and Matthew Smith Section 1: Criticism of Positive Psychology Introduction Nicholas J. L. Brown Chapter 2 The Unavoidable Role of Values in Positive Psychology: Reflections in Light of Psychology's Replicability Crisis Brent Dean Robbins and Harris L. Friedman Chapter 3 Taking a Closer Look at Well-Being as a Scientific Construct: Delineating its Conceptual Nature and Boundaries in Relation to Spirituality and Existential Functioning Douglas A. MacDonald Chapter 4 The Meaning and Valence of Gratitude in Positive Psychology Liz Gulliford and Blaire Morgan Chapter 5 Positive Psychology, Mental Health, and the False Promise of the Medical Model Sam Thompson Chapter 6 Is Positive Psychology an Indigenous Psychology? Jeanne Marecek and John Chambers Christopher Chapter 7 Community Psychology's Contributions on Happiness and Well-being: Including the Role of Context, Social Justice, and Values in Our Understanding of the Good Life. Salvatore Di Martino, Francisco José Eiroa-Orosa, and Caterina Arcidiacono Chapter 8 Positive Psychology: Intellectual, Scientific, or Ideological Movement? Bernardo Moreno-Jiménez and Aldo Aguirre-Camacho Chapter 9 Is Positive Psychology Compatible With Freedom? Digby Tantam Chapter 10 Critique of Positive Psychology and Positive Interventions Paul T. P. Wong and Sandip Roy Chapter 11 Toward a Well-Spoken Explanatory Style Paul Kalkin Chapter 12 An Introduction to Criticality for Students of Positive Psychology Nicholas J. L. Brown Interlude 1 Chapter 13 Five Historic Philosophers Discuss Human Flourishing and Happiness in Positive Psychology: A Speculative Dialogue in Three Acts Liz Gulliford and Kristján Kristjánsson Section 2: Doing Positive Psychology Critically Introduction Tim Lomas Chapter 14 A Re-appraisal of Boredom: A Case Study in Second Wave Positive Psychology Tim Lomas Chapter 15 Affirming the Positive in Anomalous Experiences: A Challenge to Dominant Accounts of Reality, Life, and Death Edith Steffen, David J. Wilde, and Callum E. Cooper Chapter 16 Uncovering the Good in Positive Psychology: Toward a Worldview Conception That Can Help Positive Psychology Flourish Peter C. Hill and M. Elizabeth Lewis Hall Chapter 17 Toward a Culturally Competent Positive Psychology Adil Qureshi and Stella Evangelidou Chapter 18 Cultural and Racial Perspectives on Positive Psychologies of Humility David R. Paine, Sarah H. Moon, Daniel J. Hauge, and Steven J. Sandage Chapter 19 Positive Psychology's Religious Imperative Daniel K. Brown and David G. George Chapter 20 Character Strengths as Critique: The Power of Positive Psychology to Humanise the Workplace Roger Bretherton and Ryan M. Niemiec Chapter 21 Toward an Integrative Applied Positive Psychology Byron Lee Chapter 22 Positive Politics: Left-wing Versus Right-wing Policies, and Their Impact on the Determinants of Wellbeing Tim Lomas Chapter 23 A Proposed Enquiry Into the Effect of Sociocultural Changes on Well-Being Francisco Jose Eiroa-Orosa Chapter 24 Complexity: Towards a New Measure of Societal Well-being Daniel T. Gruner and Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi Interlude 2 Chapter 25 Pleasure as a Form of Liberatory Practice Tod Sloan and Marisol Garcia Section 3: Applied Perspectives Introduction Francisco Jose Eiroa-Orosa Chapter 26 Community Social Psychology and Positive Psychology: Learning From the Experience of Latin America Ramón Soto Martínez and Salvatore Di Martino Chapter 27 Positive, Necessary, and Possible Lives: Experience and Practice from the Struggle for a Dignified Life José Eduardo Viera and Lauren Languido Chapter 28 Exploring the Role of Engagement on Well-Being and Personal Development: A Review of Adolescent and Mental Health Activism Anne C. Montague and Francisco Jose Eiroa-Orosa Chapter 29 Citizenship, Mental Health, and Positive Psychology Jean-François Pelletier, Chyrell Bellamy, Maria O'Connell, Michaella Baker, and Michael Rowe Chapter 30 The Brutality of Reality Chris Beales Chapter 31 Philotimo: Vices and Virtues of a Moral Archetype Manos Rhodes Hatzimalonas Chapter 32 Evaluating Positive Education: A Framework and Case Study Dianne A. Vella-Brodrick, Nikki S. Rickard, and Tan-Chyuan Chin Chapter 33 Shaping Positive Education Research to Influence Public Policy Charlie Simson, Lauren Rosewarne, and Lea Waters Chapter 34 Positive Psychology at a City Scale Mike Zeidler, Liz Zeidler, and Byron Lee Chapter 35 Judging the Efficacy and Ethics of Positive Psychology for Government Policymaking Mark D. White Chapter 36 Feel Good or Be Happy. Distinctions Between Emotions and Development in the Environmental Psychology Research of Wellbeing Pablo Olivos and Ricardo Ernst