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Theory & Psychology
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Positive Psychology and Philosophy of Social Science

Frank C. Richardson

UNIVERSITY OF TEXAS, fcr{at}mail.utexas.edu

Charles B. Guignon

UNIVERSITY OF SOUTH FLORIDA, cguignon{at}yahoo.com

Many of the shortcomings of `positive psychology' seem to stem from its unreflectively perpetuating key assumptions of the very mainstream social science it censures for being too `negative.' Philosophical hermeneutics and related social theory perspectives allow us to identify and critically examine such assumptions, including a one-sided individualism and narrow instrumentalism. Hermeneutics allows us to make sense of the `disguised ideology' that imbues positive psychology and much modern social science, suggests that social inquiry is best seen as a kind of dialogic understanding, and may allow us to take the measure of deep human limitations without falling into cynicism or despair.

Key Words: dialogic understanding • Gadamer's hermeneutics • philosophical hermeneutics • philosophy of social science • positive psychology • social constructionism

Theory & Psychology, Vol. 18, No. 5, 605-627 (2008)
DOI: 10.1177/0959354308093398
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