Positive Psychology Has Its Limits

Last week, I read the book Bright-Sided: How the Relentless Promotion of Positive Thinking has Undermined America, by Barbara Ehrenreich. What got me interested was hearing a radio interview in which the author, who was diagnosed with breast cancer several years ago, talked about her reaction to the breast cancer culture she encountered during her treatment. Cancer was a gift, people would say. It’s the best thing that ever happened to me.

Ehrenreich wasn’t soothed by the cheeriness that people had in reaction to their cancer, and that they expected from her. Rather, this relentless focus on maintaining a positive attitude felt stifling to her. And when she expressed anger about her diagnosis, about the effects of chemotherapy, and about the frustrations of dealing with her insurance company, people responded by suggesting that she was too angry. Run, don’t walk, someone told her, to some counseling.

Ehrenreich points out that certain assertions that are often accepted as truth -- such that a positive attitude lessens your chances of getting cancer and improves your chances of surviving it -- are actually simplifications of the relevant research. While stress can weaken your immune system, that doesn’t mean that if you’re stressed, you’re more likely to get cancer. Similarly, while therapy and support groups may be good for people's emotional health, therapy, or support groups won't extend their lives. The problem, Ehrenreich points out, is that sometimes this research trickles down in such a way that people end up blaming themselves unnecessarily for their illness or for their inability to prevent its spread.

Another part of the book addresses the spread of positive psychology, a relatively new area of psychology that focuses on the study of positive emotions, happiness, and resilience. In her view, this research, along with some other New Age ideas, is being misused to foster the belief that what happens to us is our fault. For example, rather than focus on systemic issues (such as income inequality or a crumbling economy) as reasons why you lost your job, these disciplines focus on attributing what happens to you on internal, individual characteristics, and essentially blame the victim for what happens to him or her.

It’s an interesting argument that relates to the tension in people's lives between denial of reality on the one hand and debilitating, excessive pessimism on the other. If you have breast cancer, being told that your anger and sadness about the cancer is going to make it worse would most likely fill you with both rage and guilt. At the same time, if all you can think about is what is out of your control, it will be difficult to work to change anything about your situation. Sometimes, it’s important not to minimize the bad, or sad things that happen to us, or that we feel. You can recognize them and acknowledge them in a way that enables you to move forward.