The imperative of happiness in positive psychology : Towards a psychopolitics of wellbeing
Romaní Rivera, A. (Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona)
Gálvez-Mozo, Ana (Universitat Oberta de Catalunya)
Tirado Serrano, Francisco Javier (Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona)

Fecha:	2024
Resumen:	Positive Psychology has reconstructed how we understand happiness. The practices and discourses it presents to perform that reconceptualization appear as if free from political interest or intentionality. However, this article will show that its proposals define a subtle new form of government which we will call Psychopolitics. Instead of placing the population or the body of the citizen at the centre of political struggles, it focuses on the psyche. Through an extreme defence of positive emotions and happiness as the key to a good life, Positive Psychology promotes a type of friendly power relations, which instead of punishing motivates and empowers the individual's creativity. To illustrate all of this, we conducted a case study with a Positive Psychology training course taught in a Spanish state university. Content analysis was used to explain the recurring themes and practices of this new discipline of positivity, showing how health is redefined around the happiness axis, and how happiness becomes an individual responsibility. We conclude that all these dimensions are simply a categorical definition of a new type of power relations which may characterise the 21st century.
Nota:	Altres ajuts: acords transformatius de la UAB
Derechos:	Aquest document està subjecte a una llicència d'ús Creative Commons. Es permet la reproducció total o parcial, la distribució, i la comunicació pública de l'obra, sempre que no sigui amb finalitats comercials, i sempre que es reconegui l'autoria de l'obra original. No es permet la creació d'obres derivades.
Lengua:	Anglès
Documento:	Article ; recerca ; Versió publicada
Publicado en:	New Ideas in Psychology, Vol. 72 (january 2024) , article 101058, ISSN 0732-118X

DOI: 10.1016/j.newideapsych.2023.101058

9 p, 554.7 KB

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