Don’t worry, be happy: Erasing racism, sexism, and poverty in positive psychology

Abstract

Positive psychology, referred to by some as a “fifth force” in psychology, has claimed that its offerings can contribute to the building of a “good life” and a “moral society.” Its methods in achieving this goal appear to include not only active denial of systemic and institutionalized forms of oppression or rationalizing oppression as a positive force, but also judgment of feelings, experiences, and actions that are central to addressing prejudice and social violence. Suffering is presented as a failure of self-control. Moreover, positive psychology, like other dominant forms of Western psychology throughout its history, legitimize themselves through scientism, which embraces supposedly “value-neutral” empiricism including exclusively natural science/quantitative designs, evolutionary psychology, a biological focus, and experimentation on animals. Special attention is given to how positive psychology is communicated to the public through popular publications, and how a mono-emotional approach to human experience is produced by and supports monocultural social structures.