A Theology of Human Flourishing for Positive Psychology Pedagogy

Abstract

Research interest in human flourishing continues to grow across multiple disciplines. In this article, we suggest means by which Christian theology can inform teaching positive psychology. We survey the field of positive psychology by characterizing and distinguishing theories regarding eudaimonic and hedonic accounts of flourishing. Christian theological approaches diverge from the emphases of psychology by grounding flourishing outside of the self. Love, properly understood, links various Christian proposals regarding the nature of flourishing and circumscribes the relationships in need of flourishing: with God, with each other, with ourselves, and with the rest of creation. From this follow several pedagogical implications: 1) grounding positive psychology in love, 2) linking love of God to psychology of religion and spirituality, 3) using love to unify the study of traits, 4) including emic versions of positive traits, 5) incorporating discussion of positive institutions, 6) tempering positive psychology with a theology of suffering, and 7) using cross-cultural perspectives.