Of Babies and Bathwater: A Reply to Coyne and Tennen’s Views on Positive Psychology and Health
Submitted on Thursday, 4 February 2010
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Abstract
Results First, we dispute that researchers have advanced the claim that positive thinking can cure disease. Second, we question their
exclusive focus on cancer-related mortality, when strong cumulative evidence suggests that optimism is related to positive
health outcomes for other major diseases, and that psychosocial interventions may improve other important cancer outcomes,
such as reduced pain and increased quality of life. Third, we disagree sharply with their assessment of the literature on
posttraumatic growth and the implications of the research they cite.
Conclusion It is premature to abandon efforts to understand and promote positive phenomena among people with various life-threatening
illnesses. Instead, well-validated measures of positive phenomena should become routinely incorporated into a broader array
of health psychology studies to provide a rigorous test of their role in human health and adaptation to disease.
- Content Type Journal Article
- Category Original Article
- DOI 10.1007/s12160-010-9155-y
- Authors
- Lisa G. Aspinwall, University of Utah Department of Psychology 380 South 1530 East, Room 502 Salt Lake City UT 84112-0251 USA
- Richard G. Tedeschi, University of North Carolina at Charlotte Department of Psychology Charlotte NC 28223 USA
- Journal Annals of Behavioral Medicine
- Online ISSN 1532-4796
- Print ISSN 0883-6612
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