Community Psychology in Global Perspective - Call for papers: Happiness and Social Well-being

In recent decades the public and the scientific arena has been pervaded by discourses concerning ‘life satisfaction’, ‘well-being’, and ‘health’, yet these have come mainly from a person-centered and de-contextualized perspective. Since the ‘60s some Psychology and Social science approaches have shifted the focus from the study of psychological distress to human flourishing (Seligman, 2011; Seligman & Csikszentmihalyi, 2000), by introducing new concepts such as ‘resilience’, ‘flourishing’, ‘thriving’, ‘prospering’ as well as promoting good practices aimed at fostering internal resources, social relationships and goal achievement (Ryff, 1989; Ryff & Singer 2008; Seligman 2002, 2011), enjoyment in specific life domains such as work, marriage, and leisure time (Diener, Suh, Lucas & Smith 1999), and changing dysfunctional cognitive and motivational processes by engaging in happiness-increasing activities (Lyubormirsky, 2007; Lyubormirsky, Sheldon & Schkade, 2005). However, these developments show that there is still widespread incapacity to consider well-being and life satisfaction as socially constructed products (see Schueller, 2009). The most direct result of this is a deeply rooted understanding of happiness and well-being as merely a subjective state, which is the end product of personal efforts and commitment, rather than as socially mediated outcome of person-environment transactions.

This individualistic approach, which psychologize happiness, overlook broader elements that are paramount to the pursuit and maintenance of the good life. Among these: the presence/absence of conditions of justice and fairness, the role of power and liberation for the promotion of well-being, the importance of environmental and contextual circumstances, the importance of values as well as social ethics, a broad understanding of neoliberalism, capitalism, globalization and market-driven economic approaches. Moreover, whenever the power of individual efforts crowds out the role of external circumstances, and the effect of contextual factors is overlooked, the risk of “blaming the victim” for failing to achieve a happy life is likely to loom quite large (Ryan, 1971; Held, 2004).

In the light of this, the purpose of the present issue is to invite contributions on happiness and well-being that are consistent with the Community and Critical Psychology ethos as well as related scholarships, both psychological and outside of psychology. We are particularly interested in contributions that seek to understand happiness and well-being by taking into account its contextual and social determinants (i.e. democracy, justice, and social responsibility, and access to resources). Concepts such as justice and fairness, grassroots engagement, social change, empowerment, values, social capital, are all relevant to explore happiness and well-being from an alternative viewpoint.

The following list presents some illustrative questions for possible contributions:

  • How do justice and fairness affect people’s evaluation of their lives?
  • What kind of community-based practices and activities can contribute to promote happiness and well-being?
  • What is the relation between well-being, happiness, and environmental protection and preservation?
  • Is it possible to promote happiness and well-being in a capitalistic, market-driven as well as globalized world?
  • What kind of values can best underpin the pursuit of the good life?
  • Is it possible to promote happiness and well-being beyond the individual level?
  • Are there any examples of practices of liberation and empowerment that can positively impact on people’s appraisal of their lives?

Theoretical works as well as theory-driven empirical studies are welcome.

Details

Submitted papers should contain original and unpublished work and must be written in English. For non-native speakers, editing of the manuscript by a competent English-speaking editor is requested.

Papers are due July 31, 2015.

All submitted papers will undergo the journal's regular peer review.

Papers must be prepared in full accord with the journal’s Author guidelines and be submitted through the journal portal (http://siba-ese.unisalento.it/index.php/cpgp/index).

Inquiries regarding topic or scope for the special issue can be sent to caterina.arcidiacono@unina.it

Papers unrelated to the theme of the special issue may be submitted at any time through the journal’s online submission system and will be considered for publication in Community Psychology In Global Perspective as regular articles. Inquiries regarding the journal’s aim, scope, and policy can be sent to terri.mannarini@unisalento.it

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