Abstract
From education, health and business to public policy and infrastructure, an agenda for building the positives, and not merely reducing the negatives, has now been set across the MENA region. We are confident that researchers, policymakers and practitioners will get on board along with organizations, educational institutions, ministries, non-profits, and other stakeholders to ask big, bold questions that add, challenge and enrich what we love and know to be true about the region. Yet, questions, challenges and many unknowns remain; thus, we end this book with the practical in mind and set forth some future directions and closing thoughts.
Access this chapter
Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout
Purchases are for personal use only
References
Abu-Raiya, H. (2012). Toward a systematic Qura’nic theory of personality. Mental Health, Religion & Culture, 15(3), 217–233.
Abu-Raiya, H. (2015). Working with religious Muslim clients: A dynamic, Qura’nic-based model of psychotherapy. Spirituality in Clinical Practice, 2(2), 120–133.
Aknin, L. B., Barrington-Leigh, C. P., Dunn, E. W., Helliwell, J. F., Burns, J., Biswas-Diener, R., … Norton, M. I. (2013). Prosocial spending and well-being: Cross-cultural evidence for a psychological universal. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 104(4), 635–652.
Al-Ghalib, S. J., & Salim, A. Y. (2018). A mindfulness based intervention to enhance university student wellbeing in Saudi Arabia. Middle East Journal of Positive Psychology, 4(1), 142–157.
Ansari, Z. (2002). Islamic psychology. In R. P. Olson (Ed.), Religious theories of personality and psychotherapy: East meets West (pp. 325–357). New York, NY, USA: Haworth Press.
Arnett, J. J. (2008). The neglected 95%: Why American psychology needs to become less American. American Psychologist, 63(7), 602–614.
Azimi, N., & Esmaeilzadeh, Y. (2017). Assessing the relationship between house types and residential satisfaction in Tabriz. Iran. International Journal of Urban Sciences, 21(2), 185–203.
Badrī, M. (1979). The dilemma of Muslim psychologists. London, UK: MWH London.
Bermant, G., Talwar, C., & Rozin, P. (2011). To celebrate positive psychology and extend its horizons. In K. M. Sheldon, T. B. Kashdan, & M. F. Steger (Eds.), Designing positive psychology: Taking stock and moving forward (pp. 430–438). Oxford, UK: Oxford University Press.
Binder, M., & Coad, A. (2013). Life satisfaction and self-employment: A matching approach. Small Business Economics, 40(4), 1009–1033.
Blanchflower, D., & Oswald, A. J. (2004). Well-being over time in Britain and the USA. Journal of Public Economics, 88(7), 1359–1386.
Calvo, E., Mair, C. A., & Sarkisian, N. (2015). Individual troubles, shared troubles: The multiplicative effect of individual and country-level unemployment on life satisfaction in 95 nations (1981–2009). Social Forces, 93(4), 1625–1653.
Christopher, J., & Hickinbottom, S. (2008). Positive psychology, ethnocentrism, and the disguised ideology of individualism. Theory & Psychology, 18(5), 563–589.
Coifman, K. G., Flynn, J. J., & Pinto, L. A. (2016). When context matters: Negative emotions predict psychological health and adjustment. Motivation and Emotion, 40(4), 602–624.
Crescioni, A. W., Baumeister, R. F., Ainsworth, S. E., Ent, M., & Lambert, N. M. (2016). Subjective correlates and consequences of belief in free will. Philosophical Psychology, 29(1), 41–63.
Csikszentmihalyi, M. (1990). Flow: The psychology of optimal experience. New York, NY: Harper-Perennial.
DeSilver, D., & Masci, D. (2017). World’s Muslim population more widespread than you might think. Pew Research Center. Retrieved from http://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2017/01/31/worlds-muslim-population-more-widespread-than-you-might-think/.
Diener, E., & Biswas-Diener, R. (2019). Well-being interventions to improve societies. In Global Happiness and Wellbeing Policy Report 2019 (Chapter 6, pp. 95–112). Dubai, UAE: Global Council for Happiness and Wellbeing. Retrieved from https://s3.amazonaws.com/ghwbpr-2019/UAE/GHWPR19.pdf
Diener, E., Oishi, S., & Lucas, R. E. (2015). National accounts of subjective well-being. American Psychologist, 70(3), 234–242.
Donaldson, S. I., Dollwet, M., & Rao, M. A. (2015). Happiness, excellence, and optimal human functioning revisited: Examining the peer-reviewed literature linked to positive psychology. Journal of Positive Psychology, 10(3), 185–195.
Duckworth, A. L., & Eskreis-Winkler, L. (2015). Grit. In J. D. Wright (Ed.), International encyclopedia of the social and behavioral sciences (2nd ed., pp. 397–401). Oxford, UK: Elsevier.
Dunn, E. W., Aknin, L. B., & Norton, M. I. (2014). Prosocial spending and happiness: Using money to benefit others pays off. Current Directions in Psychological Science, 23, 41–47.
Feghali, E. (1997). Arab cultural communication patterns. International Journal of Intercultural Relations, 21(3), 345–378.
Franke, K. B., Huebner, E. S., & Hills, K. J. (2017). Cross-sectional and prospective associations between positive emotions and general life satisfaction in adolescents. Journal of Happiness Studies, 18(4), 1075–1093.
Gruman, J. A., Lumley, M. N., & Gonzalez-Morales, M. G. (2018). Incorporating balance: Challenges and opportunities for positive psychology. Canadian Psychology/Psychologie Canadienne, 59(1), 54–64.
Hagenauer, G., Gläser-Zikuda, M., & Moschner, B. (2018). University students’ emotions, life-satisfaction and study commitment: A self-determination theoretical perspective. Journal of Further and Higher Education, 42(6), 808–826.
Hamjah, S. H., & Akhir, N. S. M. (2014). Islamic approach in counseling. Journal of Religion and Health, 53, 279–289.
Hands, J. (2017). Views on wellbeing research, policy and practice: An interview with Dr. Joanne Hands. Middle East Journal of Positive Psychology, 3(1), 24–27.
Haque, A. (2004). Psychology from Islamic perspective: Contributions of early Muslim scholars and challenges to contemporary Muslim psychologists. Journal of Religion and Health, 43(4), 357–377.
Haque, A., & Keshavarzi, H. (2012). Integrating indigenous healing methods in therapy: Muslim beliefs and practices. International Journal of Culture and Mental Health, 7(3), 297–314.
Haque, A., & Mohamed, Y. (Eds.). (2009). Psychology of personality: Islamic perspectives. Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia: Cengage Learning Asia.
Helliwell, J. F., & Wang, S. (2012). The state of world happiness. In J. F. Helliwell, R., Layard & J. Sachs (Eds.), World Happiness Report (pp. 10–57). New York, NY: The Earth Institute, Columbia University.
Helliwell, J. F., Huang, H., Grover, S., & Wang, S. (2018). Empirical linkages between good governance and national well-being. Journal of Comparative Economics, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jce.2018.01.004.
Hendriks, T., Schotanus-Dijkstra, M., Hassankhan, A, Graafsma, T., Bohlmeijer, E., & de Jong, J. (2018a). The efficacy of positive psychology interventions from non-Western countries: A systematic review and meta-analysis. International Journal of Wellbeing, 8(1), 71–98.
Hendriks, T., Warren, M. A., Schotanus-Dijkstra, M., Hassankhan, A., Graafsma, T., Bohlmeijer, E., & de Jong, J. (2018b). How WEIRD are positive psychology interventions? A bibliometric analysis of randomized controlled trials on the science of well-being. The Journal of Positive Psychology, 1–13.
Hessels, J., Arampatzi, E., van der Zwan, P., & Burger, M. (2018). Life satisfaction and self-employment in different types of occupations. Applied Economic Letters, 25(11), 734–740.
Hurt, C. S., Burn, D. J., Hindle, J., Samuel, M., Wilson, K., & Brown, R. G. (2014). Thinking positively about chronic illness: An exploration of optimism, illness perceptions and well-being in patients with Parkinson’s disease. British Journal of Health Psychology, 19(2), 363–379.
Inglehart, R., Foa, R., Peterson, C., & Welzel, C. (2008). Development, freedom and rising happiness: A global perspective 1981–2006. Perspectives on Psychological Science, 3(4), 264–285.
Ivry, A. (2008). Arabic and Islamic psychology and philosophy of mind. Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy. Retrieved from https://plato.stanford.edu/entries/arabic-islamic-mind/.
Joshanloo, M. (2013). The influence of fear of happiness beliefs on responses to the satisfaction with life scale. Personality and Individual Differences, 54(5), 647–651.
Kim, H., Doiron, K., Warren, M. A., & Donaldson, S. I. (2018). The international landscape of positive psychology research: A systematic review. International Journal of Wellbeing, 8(1), 50–70.
Kööts-Ausmees, L., & Realo, A. (2015). The association between life satisfaction and self-reported health status in Europe. European Journal of Personality, 29, 647–657.
Lambert, L. (2017). Developing character strengths at university (For a GCC audience). The facilitator’s manual. Amazon Publishing. Retrieved from http://a.co/2sxBX3M.
Lambert D’raven, L., & Pasha-Zaidi, N. (2016). Using the PERMA model in the United Arab Emirates. Social Indicators Research, 125(3), 905–933.
Lambert, L., Karabchuk, T., & Joshanloo, M. (under review). Paradoxes of life satisfaction predictors in a wealthy society: Empirical analysis of the United Arab Emirates Gallup data.
Lambert, L., Passmore, H.-A., & Joshanloo, M. (2018). A positive psychology intervention program in a culturally-diverse university: Boosting happiness and reducing fear. Journal of Happiness Studies, https://doi.org/10.1007/s10902-018-9993-z.
Lambert, L., Karabchuk, T., Joshanloo, M., Al Rasbi, Z., & Cody, B. (in preparation). Using positive psychology interventions in the United Arab Emirates: Boosting wellbeing but, changing what else?
Lambert, L., Passmore, H.-A., Scull, N., Al Sabah, I., & Hussain, R. (2018). Wellbeing matters in Kuwait: The Alnowair’s Bareec education initiative. Social Indicators Research, https://doi.org/10.1007/s11205-018-1987-z.
Lomas, T. (2016). Positive psychology—The second wave. The Psychologist, 29, 536–539.
Lomas, T., & Ivtzan, I. (2016). Professionalising positive psychology: Developing guidelines for training and regulation. International Journal of Wellbeing, 6(3), 96–112.
Miyazaki, G., Saeki, D., Yada, N., & Ikegami, T. (2018). The effects of living in urban environments on residents’ life satisfaction: Findings from two online surveys using a multifaceted urban living environment scale. The Japanese Journal of Psychology, 89(1), 50–60.
Naess, S., Blekesaune, M., & Jakobsson, N. (2015). Marital transitions and life satisfaction: Evidence from longitudinal data from Norway. Acta Sociologica, 58(1), 63–78.
Nelson, S. K., & Lyubomirsky, S. (2014). Finding happiness: Tailoring positive activities for optimal well-being benefits. In M. Tugade, M. Shiota, & L. Kirby (Eds.), Handbook of positive emotions (pp. 275–293). New York, NY: Guilford.
Ngamaba, K. H., & Soni, D. (2018). Are happiness and life satisfaction different across religious groups? Exploring determinants of happiness and life satisfaction. Journal of Religion and Health, 57(6), 2118–2139.
Omar, O. (2018). Signing up for happiness: An exploratory study of workforce changes in the UAE market in response to the National Program for Happiness and Wellbeing. Middle East Journal of Positive Psychology, 4(1), 80–101.
Pasha-Zaidi, N., Afari, E., Sevi, B., Urganci, B., & Durham, J. (2018). Responsibility of learning: A cross-cultural examination of the relationship of grit, motivational belief and self-regulation among college students in the US, UAE and Turkey. Learning Environments Research, 1–18. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10984-018-9268-y.
Rothman, A., & Coyle, A. (2018). Toward a framework for Islamic psychology and psychotherapy: An Islamic model of the soul. Journal of Religion and Health, 57(5), 1–14.
Schofield, P., Ball, D., Smith, J. G., Borland, R., O’Brien, P., … Joseph, D. (2004). Optimism and survival in lung carcinoma patients. Cancer, 100(6), 1276–1282.
Schuilenberg, S., Warren, M. A., Crookes, A., Al Serkal, A., Donaldson, S. I., & McBride, D. (2016). Professional psychology associations in the GCC: Positive institutions whose time has come. Middle East Journal of Positive Psychology, 2(1), 61–78.
Seligman, M. E. P. (2011). Flourish: A visionary new understanding of happiness and well-being. New York, NY: Free Press.
Sergeant, S., & Mongrain, M. (2011). Are positive psychology exercises helpful for people with depressive personality styles? The Journal of Positive Psychology, 6(4), 260–272.
Skinner, R. (2010). An Islamic approach to psychology and mental health. Mental Health, Religion & Culture, 13(6), 547–551.
Syed, M., Santos, C., Yoo, H. C., & Juang, L. P. (2018). Invisibility of racial/ethnic minorities in developmental science: Implications for research and institutional practices. American Psychologist, 73(6), 812–826.
Veenhoven, R. J. (2008). Healthy happiness: Effects of happiness on physical health and the consequences for preventive health care. Journal of Happiness Studies, 9(3), 449–469.
Verme, P. (2009). Happiness, freedom and control. Journal of Economic Behavior & Organization, 71, 146–161.
Wang, F., & Wang, D. (2016). Geography of urban life satisfaction: An empirical study of Beijing. Travel Behaviour and Society, 5, 14–22.
Welzel, C., & Inglehart, R. (2010). Agency, values, and well-being: A human development model. Social Indicators Research, 97, 43–63.
Wong, P. T. P. (2011). Positive psychology 2.0: Towards a balanced interactive model of the good life. Canadian Psychology/Psychologie canadienne, 52(2), 69–81.
Wulfgramm, M. (2014). Life satisfaction effects of unemployment in Europe: The moderating influence of labour market policy. Journal of European Social Policy, 24(3), 258–272.
York Al-Karam, C. (2018). Islamically integrated psychotherapy: Uniting faith and professional practice. West Conshohocken, PA: Templeton Press.
Zhang, F., Zhang, C., & Hudson, J. (2018). Housing conditions and life satisfaction in urban China. Cities, 81, 31–44.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Editor information
Editors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 2019 Springer Nature Switzerland AG
About this chapter
Cite this chapter
Lambert, L., Pasha-Zaidi, N. (2019). Concluding Thoughts on the Development of a Middle East/North Africa Positive Psychology. In: Lambert, L., Pasha-Zaidi, N. (eds) Positive Psychology in the Middle East/North Africa. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-13921-6_17
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-13921-6_17
Published:
Publisher Name: Springer, Cham
Print ISBN: 978-3-030-13920-9
Online ISBN: 978-3-030-13921-6
eBook Packages: Behavioral Science and PsychologyBehavioral Science and Psychology (R0)