Abstract
The aim of this chapter is to provide an overview of the current state of the Positivity Projection and Enactment Technique. The progression of the technique’s origination, development, validation and application, which is contingent on critical life events the author were confronted with, is discussed. Reflecting on his lived experience of flourishing in the form of post-traumatic growth the author hypothesizes that positivity is embodied, confirmed by neoteny theory and embodied cognition/conceptual metaphor theory. The simple image associated with positivity, which he designed, proves to be a credible and valid projective and enactment technique which may serve as a mediation instrument for the facilitation and branding of positivity in general and well-being in particular.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Access this chapter
Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout
Purchases are for personal use only
Notes
- 1.
This feeling of warmth was most probably triggered by an activated vegus nerve.
- 2.
Lakoff and Johnson (1999, p. 17) suggest that “our sense of what is real begins with and depends crucially upon our bodies, especially our sensorimotor apparatus, which enables us to perceive, move, and manipulated, and the detailed structures of our brains, which have been shaped by both evolution and experience”. The body is a source, shaping abstract thoughts and meanings.
- 3.
When Lakoff and Johnson (1980) refer to metaphors such as ‘HAPPY is UP’, they state that it should be understood that metaphor means a metaphorical concept.
References
Bakker, A. B., & Demerouti, E. (2006). The job demands—Resources model: State of the art. Journal of Management Psychology, 22(30), 309–328.
Bal, M. (1994). Telling objects: A narrative perspective on collecting. In J. Elsner & R. Cardinal (Eds.), The cultures of collecting. London: Reaktion.
Charlton, B. (2006). The rise of the boy-genius: Psychological neoteny, science and modern life. Medical Hypotheses, 67, 679–681. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.mehy.2006.05.003.
Cooperrider, D. L., Whitney, D., & Stavros, J. M. (2008). Appreciative inquiry handbook. San Francisco, CA: Berrett-Koehler.
Crous, F. (2007). UP: Branding the positive. Inaugural lecture (15 August). Johannesburg: University of Johannesburg.
Crous, F., & de Chalain, C. C. B. (2016). Appreciative inquiry coaching in a multicultural context. In L. E. van Zyl, M. W. Stander, & A. Odendaal (Eds.), Coaching psychology: Meta-theoretical perspectives and applications in multicultural contexts. Cham, Switzerland: Springer.
Csikszentmihalyi, M. (1990). Flow: The psychology of optimal experience. New York: Harper&Row.
Csikszentmihalyi, M., & Csikzentmihalyi, I. S. (Eds.). (2006). A life worth living: Contributions to positive psychology. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
Dewey, J. (1934). Art as experience. New York: Capricorn.
Diener, E. D. (1996). Traits can be powerful, but are not enough: Lessons from subjective well-being. Journal of Research in Personality, 30, 389–399.
Ehrenreich, B. (2009). Smile or die: How positive thinking fooled America and the world. London: Granta.
Emmons, R. A. (2004). Gratitude. In C. Peterson & M. E. P. Seligman (Eds.), Character strengths and virtues: A handbook of classification. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
Fataar, S. (2016). Towards the enactment of positivity in the workplace (Unpublished masters dissertation). University of Johannesburg, Johannesburg.
Fredrickson, B. (2009). Positivity. Oxford: Oneworld.
Gould, S. J. (1977). Ontogeny and phylogeny. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press.
Hofstede, A., Van Hoof, J., Walenberg, N., & De Jong, M. (2007). Projective techniques for brand image research. Qualitative Market Research: An International Journal, 10(3), 300–3009. https://doi.org/10.1108/13522750710754326.
Hughes, S. A., & Pennington, J. L. (2017). Autoethnography: Process, product, and possibility for critical social research. London: SAGE.
James, W. (1892). Psychology: Briefer course. New York: Henry Holt.
Johnson, M. (1987). The body in the mind: The bodily basis of meaning, imagination, and reason. Chicago, IL: University of Chicago Press.
Johnson, M. (2007). The meaning of the body: Aesthetics of human understanding. Chicago, IL: University of Chicago Press.
Kampourakis, K. (2018). Turning points: How critical events have driven human evolution, life and development. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
Kübler-Ross, E. (1969). On death and dying. Newyork: Tavistock.
Lakoff, G., & Johnson, M. (1980). Metaphors we live by. Chicago, Ill: The University of Chicago Press.
Lakoff, G., & Johnson, M. (1999). Philosophy in the flesh: The embodied mind and its challenge to western thought. New York, NY: Basic Books.
Lyubomirsky, S. (2007). The how of happiness: A practical approach to the life you want. London: Sphere.
Luthans, F. (2002). The need for and meaning of positive organizational behavior. Journal of Organizational Behavior, 23, 695–706. https://doi.org/10.1002/job.165.
Martin, K. (2010). The book of symbols: Reflections on archetypal image. Cologne: Taschen.
Maslow, A. H. (1964). Religions, values and peak experiences. New York, NY: Perigee.
Meiring, E. (2011). Validating the Positivity Projective Technique (Unpublished masters dissertation). University of Johannesburg, Johannesburg.
Montagu, A. (1989). Growing young (2nd ed.). Grandy, MA: Bergin & Garvey.
Osher, M. A. (2013). The positivity projective technique in relation to the major psychological constructions in positive psychology (Unpublished masters dissertation). University of Johannesburg, Johannesburg.
Peterson, C. M., & Seligman, M. E. P. (2003). Positive organisation studies: Lessons from positive psychology. In K. S. Cameron, J. E. Dutton, & R. E. Quinn (Eds.), Positive organisational scholarship. San Francisco, CA: Berrett-Koehler.
Peterson, C. M., & Seligman, M. E. P. (2004). Character strengths and virtues: A handbook and classification. New York, NY: Oxford University Press.
Schnall, S. (2014). Are there basic metaphors? In M. J. Landau, M. D. Robinson, & B. P. Meier (Eds.), The power of metaphor: Examining its influences on social life. Washington, DC: American Psychological Association.
Seligman, M. E. P. (2002). Authentic happiness: Using the new positive psychology to realize your potential for lasting fulfilment. New York: Free Press.
Seligman, M. E. P. (2011). Flourish: A visionary new understanding of happiness and wellbeing. New York, NY: Free Press.
Seligman, M. E. P. (2018). The hope circuit: A psychologist's journey from helplessness to optimism. New York: PublicAffairs.
Stamp, J. (2013, March 13). Who really invented the smiley face? Smithsonian.Com. Retrieved from http://www.smithsonianmag.com.
Taleb, N. N. (2012). Antifragile: Things that gain from disorder. London: Random House.
Wall, S. S. (2016). Toward a moderate autoethnography. International Journal of Qualitative Methods, January-December, 2016, 1–9. https://doi.org/10.1177/1609406916674966.
Whitman, W. (1918). Leaves of grass. Philadelphia, PA: McKay.
Wrzesniewski, A., & Dutton, J. (2001). Crafting a job: Revisioning employees as active crafters of their work. Academy of Management Review, 26(2), 179–201.
Zaltman, G. (2003). How customers think: Essential insights into the mind of the market. Boston, MA: Harvard Business School Press.
Zhong, C., & House, J. (2014). Dirt, pollution, and purity: A metaphoric perspective on morality. In M. J. Landau, M. D. Robinson, & B. P. Meier (Eds.), The power of metaphor: Examining its influence on social life. Washington, DC: American Psychological Association.
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
Crous, F. (2019). The Origin, Development, Validation and Application of the Positivity Projective and Enactment Technique. In: Van Zyl, L., Rothmann Sr., S. (eds) Theoretical Approaches to Multi-Cultural Positive Psychological Interventions. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-20583-6_18
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-20583-6_18
Published:
Publisher Name: Springer, Cham
Print ISBN: 978-3-030-20582-9
Online ISBN: 978-3-030-20583-6
eBook Packages: Behavioral Science and PsychologyBehavioral Science and Psychology (R0)