“Shiny Happy People”: On the Criticism of the Happiness Turn
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.5944/endoxa.54.2024.30380Keywords:
Happiness turn, Subjectivity, Psytizenship, Positive Psychology, Critical PsychologyAbstract
The aim of this paper is to critically appraise the criticism in recent decades of positive thinking, which is accused of justifying an individualistic conception of happiness. The idea on which these criticisms are based is revealed: positive thinking is an ally of capitalism, it impairs the search for the common good, and it imposes a normalization that excludes anomalous forms of subjectivity which, nevertheless, constitute privileged places for denunciation. The assumptions underlying this idea are shown by appealing to the circular relationship between subjectivity and social sciences, the generalization of psytizenship and the ambivalence of individualism. It is concluded that this criticism also implies a certain concept of happiness.
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