In the rebalancing of the field of psychology, a call for an increase in positive psychological science was made. Positive psychological science’s aim is to increase the understanding of how to build the factors for the prevention of pathologies that result from purposelessness. Stewart I. Donaldson, Saida Heshmati, and Scott I. Donaldson’s chapter starts with a brief history of the impact and development within positive psychology. Positive psychology has seen a tremendous increase in peer‐reviewed positive psychological scientific studies and research and many of the critiques of positive psychology as nonscientific result from reviewing of some literature that has not passed the examination of scientific peer review. Fundamental to the global development of a scientific psychology is the establishment of reliable and valid measures. The several meta‐analyses strongly reaffirm the empirical validity of positive psychological interventions. The chapter deliberates on potential new directions and includes areas of cultural context and relationships and their related issues. The purpose of positive psychology as a new science is to develop and utilize knowledge to address pathologies that arise when life is barren and meaningless. The authors conclude by asserting that “the global perspective on positive psychological science will inspire much more sound peer‐reviewed research, and facilitate the design and evaluation of many more evidence‐based positive psychology interventions across the world.”
Shari Young Kuchenbecker expands on Albert Bandura’s social cognitive theory (SCT) utilizing self‐efficacy at the center of human agency. Her chapter provides a brief history of Albert Bandura’s concept contextualizing them within a positive psychological perspective. The widespread usefulness of his theories and experiments are emphasized, this includes the concept of self‐efficacy. Of import is the ability to connect with others and the role of self‐efficacy in interpersonal and intrapersonal relationships. The essentiality of the interaction between an infant and the caregiver to the social development of the child is emphasized. The link between the care of a child and the healthy development of self‐efficacy and other social competencies such as emotional regulation, communication skills, and the ability to form positive functioning social relationships are contextualized in the development of a psychologically healthy person. Self‐efficacy and collective efficacy are core to our holistic development and the chapter differentiates these concepts. The relationship between self‐efficacy and well‐being is considered with an emphasis on the concept of moral disengagement, first introduced by Bandura. Moral disengagement is designed to justify an individual’s actions. If moral disengagement exists then so too does moral engagement, which, the author postulates, is the key to the success of the collective efficacy. The chapter acknowledges the contribution of Albert Bandura in creating a map to understand the relationship between community and positive psychology.
As the name suggests, REACH Forgiveness is an intervention with the purpose of assisting persons in the forgiveness of others and becoming more forgiving generally. Everett L. Worthington Jr. begins his chapters by giving a brief history of the development of the intervention as well as some research conducted in efforts to inspire the audience with potential ideas for possible future positive psychological interventions. Taking the REACH Forgiveness intervention as a case study, the author describes the use of scientific principles to create quality psychological interventions, to conduct research on their efficacy, effectiveness, and dissemination. Some origins of ideas for new interventions are discussed, identifying some sources including clients, teachers, and real‐life experiences. Interestingly, the author also focuses on how to create an intervention from an idea. Populations in need of assistance that can potentially be provided through intervention are proposed as a key sample for ethically testing of ideas. Intervention go through multiple testing before the results are published and the intervention is used. An example of the development of an intervention is provided through a case study of the REACH Forgiveness intervention. Methods of disseminating an intervention are outlined, these include dissemination through speeches, scientific publications, and presentations and books. An important take home is that interventions must have relevance and utility.
Vesna Petrović, Dragan Žuljević, and Gian Vittorio Caprara present a series of studies in their chapter that demonstrate the relationships among positive evaluations about oneself, life, and future and these relationships can be traced to a common latent dimension of “positive orientation” and positivity. Their review of findings validates the relationship between positivity and being well adjusted. Positive orientation is a stable evaluative disposition that assists in coping with adversities and has been identified as a latent factor in self‐esteem, life satisfaction, and dispositional optimism with evidence of positivity having a genetic influence. The first two studies demonstrated the universality of the positivity scale by testing variance levels across age, gender, and different languages. Positivity should be considered a superordinate variable to self‐esteem, life satisfaction, and dispositional optimism. The fourth study highlighted the moderate relation between positivity and the Big Five personality traits which has direct implications for techniques used to improve positivity and general well‐being. The fifth study investigated the potential mediating role of positivity in the relation between unresolved family traumatization and variables of subjective well‐being. Unresolved family traumatization significantly affects well‐being as it predicted higher scores of general distress and negative affect, as well as lower scores of satisfaction with life and positive affect. The same can also be said for positivity, but in the opposite direction.
Based on the arguments made within this article, several areas of future research were noted which include the impact of positivity on different spheres of life and domains of functioning, such as physical health, family, job, coping, and other domains. The authors advocate for research which provides an understanding of the biological correlates of positivity and the ways positivity may moderate stress, illness, and pain to promote overall health and well‐being. Research of this nature is essential for designing interventions based on practices that promote and sustain individuals’ positivity.
Lopez and Snyder (2009; also quoted in Almaier, 2019, p. 21), succinctly expressed the essence and emphasis of positive psychology as:
Positive psychology is the “scientific study” of what makes life most worth living. It is a call for psychological science and practice to be as concerned with strength as with weakness; as interested in building the best things in life as in repairing the worst; and as concerned with making the lives of normal people fulfilling as with healing pathology.
(Lopez & Snyder, 2009, p. xxiii)
The engagements in this volume provide multidimensional perspectives consistent with the emphasis of positive psychology.
References
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