Since its inception in the 1990s, positive psychology has evolved at speed. The field initially came into being through an avowed scientific focus on phenomena deemed ‘positive’ in some way. Then, as the field became established, this created the space and freedom for scholars to look critically at the foundational notion of the positive itself (e.g., positively-valenced emotions may sometimes negatively affect wellbeing, and vice versa). Such developments marked the influx of a new ‘second wave’ of scholarship, which built upon and added to the ongoing accomplishments of the field’s initial first wave. These dynamics in turn helped to amplify or generate new energies which continue to drive positive psychology forwards. In that respect, a new third wave appears to be crystallising, characterised above all by an expansion ‘beyond the individual,’ with a surge of interest in contexts and systems, culture and society. This symposium offers an up-to-date take on these new waves, incorporating a range of topics and perspectives. Tim Lomas begins by presenting a critical reflection on the wave metaphor itself, and what it reveals about the dynamics of progress in positive psychology. Ryan Niemiec follows by considering the strengths paradigm through the prism of the second and third waves. Itai Ivtzan then looks at the idea that psychological development may involve, or even require, an engagement with difficulty and challenge. Finally, Paige William discusses in depth the contours and dynamics of the emerging third wave. Overall the symposium shines a critical light on the meaning and significance of these new waves, and looks ahead to possibilities for the future.
Making waves in the great ocean, Tim Lomas
What does it mean to speak of waves of academia? Basically, it implies new phases of development in a given field. But the metaphor itself is revealing. It suggests dynamic fluidity rather than stepwise, punctuated change. Moreover, rather than phases having clearly delineated boundaries, they are blurry and overlapping – just as one ocean wave cannot be cleanly separated from the next. Indeed, new pulses of academic energy are continually being generated, propelling new ripples of ideas (and it is a matter of opinion whether these then cumulatively constitute a distinct wave). Pushing the metaphor further, what of the people themselves, floating in this ocean of ideas? Scholars do not belong to a particular wave, but are more like surfers or swimmers who may find themselves ‘moved’ by the charge of the passing wave and potentially embracing its dynamics. Moreover, in our agency, we may help mobilise and even create new ripples and waves. And surely these will keep coming. A field as energised as positive psychology will continue developing and evolving, generating new currents of ideas and practice. We just need to keep mounting our surfboards and enjoy the ride.
Character strengths across second and third wave positive psychology, Ryan Niemiec
xNew theorizing in the science of character strengths offers a number of functions character strengths have for wellbeing/opportunity as well as for adversity. As aligned with the latter and second wave positive psychology, an emerging area of research and practice involves the overuse, underuse of character strengths. Studies are showing that these phenomena have strong, expected directions with flourishing, life satisfaction, and depression. Certain patterns of strengths overuse/underuse with serious psychological disorders have started emerging as well. New practical strategies, such as the towing effect and the tempering effect, are being suggested to help clients find optimal strengths use or a balance that has been referred to over the centuries as the golden mean. The dynamics and complexity called forth by third wave positive psychology have been conceptualized for over a decade in the field of character strengths, yet are in need of strong scientific investigation. This includes character strengths concepts such as the ordering effect, the overshadowing effect, the Michelangelo phenomenon, team dynamics with strengths, character strengths synergies and collisions, character strengths backdraft, meta-strengths, hot button areas, and the mutual giving and receiving of character strengths. A sampling of examples of these areas will be discussed.
Positive transformation through challenging times, Itai Ivtzan
What is the first image that comes to our mind when positive psychology (PP) is mentioned? For most of us, it is the smiley emoticon. This symbol of happiness, optimism and joy reflects the way PP is commonly conceived and portrayed, both within the PP discipline and in society at large. As such, whatever is labelled as ‘negative’ is frequently rejected and considered to be outside the sphere of PP. But this could not be farther from the truth. In fact, PP investigates and researches some of the most difficult and painful human experiences. This talk explores a variety of topics that could be regarded as part of the ‘dark side’ of life, and emphasises the role they play in the positive aspect of our functioning and transformation as human beings.
The ‘dark side’ refers to challenging experiences, thoughts, emotions and behaviours, which trigger discomfort in us. Such discomfort is frequently avoided, as it involves an engagement with fear, pain, distress or confusion. However, engaging with the challenge and discomfort has great potential for growth, healing, insight and transformation. In other words, the ‘dark side’ contains the seed for a potential positive outcome, even when the path towards this outcome is testing.
I would like students and other people who are interested in this field to feel they are allowed to include the aspects of life - which we might call ‘negative’ - in their PP experience. Moreover, it is important to stress that these aspects of life are frequently necessary for the experience of growth and flourishing to be complete. To achieve this, I describe in this talk the current state of affairs in the field of PP, with a view to dispelling the myth of its 'positivity'. People believe that PP involves only the positive, because they confuse experiences with outcomes. Indeed, the outcomes of PP theory and research are always positive in some way; however, the paths, the journey, what we experience on the way to these outcomes may be ‘negative’ and challenging. Second-wave PP recognises and acknowledges this journey, enabling the broadening of PP boundaries to embrace both ‘positive’ and ‘negative’ in our experience of flourishing.
Third wave positive psychology, Paige Williams
The metaphor of waves is apt to describe the perpetual development of academic fields. First wave positive psychology ignited hope and enthusiasm within psychology and beyond by providing an alternative paradigm when narratives of dysfunction dominated and advocating the need for robust research into ‘what made life worth living’. In the second wave, research emerged characterized by a more nuanced contextual approach to concepts of positive and negative that continues to deepen insights from the first wave. As the momentum of the first and second waves endures, new energy is gathering with an equally significant evolution: namely scholarship that in various ways goes beyond the individual and embraces greater complexity. This includes going beyond the individual person as the primary focus of enquiry to look more deeply at the groups and systems in which people are embedded. It also involves becoming more interdisciplinary and multicultural, and embracing a wider range of
methodologies. These interrelated ripples constitute a form of epistemological ‘broadening’ that merit the label of a nascent ‘third wave.’ This presentation explores the key dynamics of this wave, allowing appreciation not only of the field’s leading edge, but also its developmental potential.