Gallery Presentation International Positive Psychology Association 7th IPPA World Congress 2021

Four-Dimensional Psychological Theory and Public Philosophy: Factors Related to Business Performance and Positive Social Sciences   (#239)

Masaya Kobayashi 1
  1. Chiba University, Tokyo, TOKYO, Japan

 

A factor analysis and covariance structure analysis of the psychological features of 402 employees of a Japanese food company was conducted, which led to a four-factor model of psychological components: life wellbeing (happiness, positive emotion, satisfaction), pro-sociality (social contribution, workplace contribution, loyalty), virtue (intellect, courage), and workplace wellbeing (workplace satisfaction and happiness). The quality of the fit was adequate in terms of the relations between the first three-factor model and the shops and factories' performance. Life wellbeing showed itself to be positively related to the performance of shops, while virtue was seen to be negatively related to it; life wellbeing and virtue were positively associated with the account of the factories, while pro-sociability was negatively associated with it.

 

This model was theoretically related to the three axes of 'wellbeing/virtue and strength', 'individuality/sociality', and 'hedonia/eudaimonia'. The trace of the factor analyses from the one-factor model to the four-factor model demonstrated that the factors of wellbeing, sociality, virtuousness, and officialness appear in turn.

 

This development can be expressed as the differentiation from the one-dimensional axis of wellbeing to the four-dimensional spaces. This unfolding corresponds to the historical development from classical philosophy to contemporary social sciences. While Aristotelian philosophy embraces the four dimensions, most modern public philosophies are one-dimensional theories; utilitarianism (Bentham), qualitative utilitarianism (J. S. Mill), statism/liberalism, and socialism or communism correspond respectively to wellbeing (first dimension), virtue (third dimension), officialness (fourth dimension) and sociality (second dimension).

Communitarianism comprehends the liberal fourth dimension, the communal second dimension, and the virtuous third dimension. Moreover, it originates from Aristotelian philosophy and embraces the 1st dimension of wellbeing. Accordingly, it incorporates the four dimensions so that it can be formulated into the four-dimensional social and political theory. Thus, empirical psychology can be integrated with normative public philosophy for the evolution toward positive social science.

  • Keywords: Arts and Humanities, Business and Organizations, Public Policy and Civic Engagement, Strengths, Systems