Review of the application of positive psychology to substance use, addiction, and recovery research.

Abstract

Advances in positive psychology have grown exponentially over the past decade. The addictions field has experienced its own growth in a positive direction, embodied by the recovery movement. Despite parallel developments, and great momentum on both sides, there has been little crosspollination. This review introduces positive psychology and the recovery movement, describes the research on positive psychology in the addictions, and discusses future avenues of theory, research, and intervention based on a positive-psychology framework. A systematic review of positive psychology applied to substance use, addiction, and recovery found nine studies which are discussed according to the following themes: theoretical propositions, character strengths and drinking, positive psychology and recovery, positive interventions, and addiction: feeling good and feeling bad. The current scholarship is scant, but diverse, covering a wide range of populations (adults, adolescents, those in and out of treatment), topics (character strengths, recovery, positive affect), and addictive behaviors (work addiction, cigarette smoking, and alcohol use disorders). There is diversity, too, in country of origin, with work originating in the US, UK, Poland, and Spain. The rigorous application of the lens, tools, and approaches of positive psychology to addiction research generally, and to the aims of the recovery movement specifically, has potential for the development of theory and innovation in prevention and intervention. Further, because the work in positive psychology has primarily focused on microsystems, it may be primed to make contributions to the predominantly macro-systems focus of the recovery movement.

Indicadores de Criatividade no Desenho da Figura Humana

“…Portanto, os dados obtidos neste trabalho apontam que a criatividade entendida como um potencial (Fink et al, 2012;, tal como sugere a Psicologia Positiva (Krentzman, 2013;Seligman, & Csikszentmihalyi, 2000), sendo aplicada aos indicadores tradicionalmente considerados como emocionais (Arteche, & Bandeira, 2006;Castro, & Moreno-Jimenéz, 2010;Naglieri et al, 1991), pode conferir ao instrumento Desenho da Figura Humana a potencialidade de avaliar características criativas.…”

“…Esta compreensão da criatividade enquanto potencialidade humana pode estar relacionada ao movimento científico da Psicologia Positiva (Krentzman, 2013;Seligman, & Csikszentmihalyi, 2000). Neste sentido, ao deixar o foco patológico e buscar compreender as virtudes humanas, a criatividade foi entendida enquanto potencial, como apresentada na Conferência Internacional de Buffalo, de 1990.…”

The Positive Psychology of Recovery: A Review

“…Over the past ten years, PP and the Recovery Movement have grown up next to each other with very little crossover research. 2 Positive Psychology did not begin as an addiction theory, but is increasingly being applied to mental health and addiction studies. 2,3 It takes a stance of "Recognizing that there is more to mental health than the absence of mental illness, positive psychology is dedicated to the rigorous scientific study of 'strengths, well being optional functioning'.…”

“…2 Positive Psychology did not begin as an addiction theory, but is increasingly being applied to mental health and addiction studies. 2,3 It takes a stance of "Recognizing that there is more to mental health than the absence of mental illness, positive psychology is dedicated to the rigorous scientific study of 'strengths, well being optional functioning'. 2 This paper grew out of the author's teaching practice in a Master's degree Psychology of Addiction's course with City University of Seattle (Edmonton, Alberta Campus).…”

“…2,3 It takes a stance of "Recognizing that there is more to mental health than the absence of mental illness, positive psychology is dedicated to the rigorous scientific study of 'strengths, well being optional functioning'. 2 This paper grew out of the author's teaching practice in a Master's degree Psychology of Addiction's course with City University of Seattle (Edmonton, Alberta Campus). The students in the course increasingly have an appetite for more positive, non-pathologizing approaches to addiction.…”