International Handbook of Work and Health Psychology, 3rd Edition

CHAPTER 21Epilogue

Cary L. Cooper

Lancaster University, UK

James Campbell Quick

The University of Texas at Arlington, USA

and

Marc J. Schabracq

Human Factor Development, The Netherlands

21.1 A MORE POSITIVE FUTURE

While there are concerns and issues in the domain of work and health psychology as we expressed in the opening chapter for this third edition of the Handbook, there are positive advances emerging as well. Hence, we see a more positive future (Cartwright & Cooper, 2008). Along this line, Macik-Frey, Quick and Nelson (2007) identify four of these positive advances in the broad domain of occupational health. These are: positive health, leadership, mood and emotion, and intervention. Here we touch on the first three of these issues, reserving the issue of interventions for Section 21.3 as the conclusion of the chapter.

21.1.1 Positive Health

Seligman and Csikszentmihalyi (2000) have led psychology towards a more positive future with their call for positive psychology as the science of positive subjective experience. Included in positive psychology’s mission is the need to focus on both human strengths and positive institutions. This mission of positive psychology compliments the other two missions of psychology, which are to prevent problems and to repair damage. The latter mission is manifest in therapy and therapeutic intervention. Nelson and Cooper (2007) extend this new science of positive psychology with their inclusive view of positive organizational behaviour ...