ADVANCING POSITIVE PSYCHOLOGY IN SOUTH EAST ASIA: THE IMPORTANCE OF CULTURE
Abstract: Interest in
the field of
positive psychology has
been overwhelming. This
can be observed
from the number
of academic conferences and journals attributed to this field. Similar
patterns can be observed in Asia where more and more research
are concentrating on
investigating constructs deemed
as important within
the field of
positive psychology. However, comparable
to other fields
within psychology, positive
psychology cannot ignore
the importance of culture. This is especially true in South East Asian
context when culture is arguably distinct from the American/European traditions
in which positive
psychology was originated
from. Culture is
likely to play a
significant role in
determining how human
strengths are being
conceptualized and nurtured
and eventually determined a
person’s well-being and success as experienced within that particular society.
Based on some findings from a research of adolescent’s happiness and
well-being in Malaysia,
this paper highlights
the importance of culture
in advancing positive
psychology in Asia.
More specifically, findings
from this research
demonstrated the importance of
positive psychology in understanding and improving quality of life for certain groups of people in a particular society
and illustrated several
significant cultural and
subcultural differences that
can potentially enrich our
understanding of positive
psychological constructs. Findings
also indicated the
importance of culturally embedded constructs
such as family
relations and spiritual
elements in contributing
to happiness. Finally findings from
this study suggested the need to unpack more general constructs such as
positive relationships and meanings of life as they are contextualized within a
specific culture and the call for further exploration on other constructs
related to human positive attributes and strengths.
Penulis: Intan Hashimah Mohd
Hashim
Kode Jurnal: jppsikologikepribadiangg130007
