Beyond the conventional view of bipolarity: methodological considerations for examining the relationship between well-being and ill-being

Abstract

ABSTRACT One of the controversies central to the study of positive psychology is whether well-being is the bipolar opposite of, or independent of, ill-being. In a recent study , we utilized a data-driven approach and found that well-being and ill-being represent opposite ends of a bipolar continuum. In response to our work, a recent commentary in the Journal of Positive Psychology argued that positive psychology is better served by a bivariate rather than a bipolar conceptualization. In this article, we clarify that our position is driven by evidence-based considerations rather than theoretical ideology and call attention to refining the methodological understanding of bipolarity. We point out that the evidence supporting bipolarity can be confounded by measurement artifacts, and that well-being and ill-being co-endorsements and functional independence present insufficient justification for shifting the investigation away from bipolarity. We welcome more rigorous investigations to foster open and humble constructive dialogue.