Positive Psychology Applied to the Workplace

A Foucauldian Discourse Analysis

Datos Bibliográficos

ID6436086
AutoresMatthew Mcdonald (0000-0002-7460-4013, Fulbright University, Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam, autor de correspondencia), Lan Thi Nguyen (0000-0002-8848-2168, RMIT University, Melbourne, Australia), David Bubna‐litic (University of Technology Sydney), David Bubna-Litic (University of Technology Sydney), Thanh-Nhã Nguyễn (0000-0003-4398-7135, Central European University, Vienna, Austria), Greig Taylor (0000-0001-8071-1600, University of New South Wales, Sydney, Australia)
Año2021
Volumen65
Número6
Páginas1480-1520
Fecha de publicación2021-07-26
Peer ReviewedSí
Open AccessSí
TipoARTICLE
RevistaJournal of Humanistic Psychology (JOURNAL)
Identificadores de la revistaISSN: 0022-1678 • E-ISSN: 1552-650X
EditorialSAGE Publishing (PUBLISHER • US)
DOI10.1177/00221678211029400
OpenAlexW3183898177
IdiomaEN
Citas recibidas3
Referencias citadas90

An ever-expanding literature now exists critiquing the theory and philosophy of positive psychology, however, research has yet to provide a critical analysis of its practical application . The current study extends on these critiques by exploring how positive psychology is applied to the workplace by investigating practitioner-based sources including interviews with workplace coaches who use positive psychological interventions and applied published texts. The study draws on Michel Foucault’s concepts of power/knowledge and discourse as a theoretical and methodological framework. Three dominant discourses were identified which illustrate the ways in which positive psychology is applied to the workplace. These include the promotion of its scientific credentials, employing a strength-based approach and using goal-setting and behavioral reinforcement interventions. When applied to the workplace, these discourses psychologize workplace problems, resulting in potentially negative outcomes for employees. However, interviews with some of the workplace coaches indicate they practice a degree of reflexivity, providing a salutary lesson for the science of positive psychology

Discourse analysis · Discursive psychology · Epistemology · Positive psychology · Power (physics · Promotion (chess · Psychological intervention · Psychological research · Reflexivity · Social science · Sociology · Workplace bullying · Academic and Historical Perspectives in Psychology · Applied Psychology · Psychological Well-being and Life Satisfaction · Psychology · Social Psychology · Social Representations and Identity