The DOI matches its Crossref record; 135 of the 138 references it cites were found in a registry or an index.
The Value of Positive Psychology for Health Psychology: Progress and Pitfalls in Examining the Relation of Positive Phenomena to Health
Abstract
The growth of the "positive psychology" movement reflects increased scientific and lay interest in the relation of positive phenomena to mental and physical health and the corresponding potential for interventions that promote positive feelings, thoughts, and experiences to improve health and well-being. In this article, we (1) consider research on optimism, sense of coherence, and posttraumatic growth that predates the contemporary emphasis on positive psychology, but has clear and increasingly well-supported connections to health psychology, (2) examine several potential mechanisms through which such positive phenomena may influence the etiology, progression, and management of illness, (3) identify four pervasive but misleading assumptions about positive phenomena that may limit both scientific research and practical application, and (4) caution against serious pitfalls of popular views of positive thinking, such as its promotion as a cure for cancer and other diseases. We conclude with recommendations for the balanced scientific investigation and application of positive phenomena.
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“Positive experiences and cognitions can help people better attend to and process health information [37], including unbiased and open appraisal of negative health information [56].”
From Positive Psychological Interventions for Patients with Type 2 Diabetes: Rationale, Theoretical Model, and Intervention Development (2015) · cites this paper as [56]
In the citing paper
“Positive affect is also linked to improved coping and problem-solving skills [56, 58].”
From Positive Psychological Interventions for Patients with Type 2 Diabetes: Rationale, Theoretical Model, and Intervention Development (2015) · cites this paper as [56]
In the citing paper
“Broadly, positive states are thought to improve people's social, psychological, and physical resources [55–57].”
From Positive Psychological Interventions for Patients with Type 2 Diabetes: Rationale, Theoretical Model, and Intervention Development (2015) · cites this paper as [56]
In the citing paper
“Positive psychological constructs appear to affect attention and cognitive processing.”
From Positive Psychological Interventions for Patients with Type 2 Diabetes: Rationale, Theoretical Model, and Intervention Development (2015) · cites this paper as [56]
In the citing paper
“positive affect may have stress-buffering effects that allow for a broader range of adaptive and creative coping skills [56]”
From Positive Psychological Interventions for Patients with Type 2 Diabetes: Rationale, Theoretical Model, and Intervention Development (2015) · cites this paper as [56]
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Metadata
- Authors
- Aspinwall, L. G., & Tedeschi, R. G.
- Affiliations
- University of Utah (US)
- University of North Carolina at Charlotte (US)
- Corresponding author
- Aspinwall, Lisa G.
- Venue
- Annals of Behavioral Medicine
- Publisher
- Oxford University Press (OUP)
- Published
- 2010-01-21
- Volume
- 39
- Issue
- 1
- Pages
- 4-15
- ISSN
- 0742-5554 (ISSN-L)
- 0883-6612
- 1532-4796
- OpenAlex
- W2095639382
- Semantic Scholar
- daa089406818be30f260af382ebd347ca57ec66a
- Cited by
- 271
- References
- 138
- Citations by year
- 2026: 13 · 2025: 10 · 2024: 12 · 2023: 15 · 2022: 14 · 2021: 13 · 2020: 15 · 2019: 8 · 2018: 13 · 2017: 17 · 2016: 25 · 2015: 20 · 2014: 31 · 2013: 17 · 2012: 24
- FWCI
- 2.18
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- closed
- Locations
- Annals of Behavioral Medicine (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- Topics
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Applied Psychology › Optimism, Hope, and Well-being
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Social Psychology › Psychological Well-being and Life Satisfaction
- Health Sciences › Health Professions › General Health Professions › Health, psychology, and well-being
- Keywords
- positive psychology, health psychology, optimism, sense of coherence, posttraumatic growth, positive thinking, well-being, health interventions
- MeSH terms
- Affect, Behavioral Medicine, Health, Humans, Mental Health, Models, Psychological, Psychological Theory
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