Indigenising positive psychology in the ‘Handbook of Quality of Life in African Societies’

Jan Alewyn Nel

doi:10.18682/jcs.vi17.4997

Abstract

This book review highlights the main themes of the Handbook of Quality of Life in African Societies (as edited by Prof Irma Eloff from the University of Pretoria), focusing on meaning and language, culture (and positive culture), and social responsibility. The interrelatedness of all five parts of the book (from a macro, meso and micro perspective) are discussed with specific mention of Ubuntu and its relevance in investigating the phenomenon of quality-of-life. The review emphasises the need for exploratory and indigenous research in communities where social association is of immense importance and to contextualise quality-of-life from this perspective. This book is recommended for scholars who wishes to utilise indigenous methodologies and to deeper understand the diverse influences and social impact on the quality-of-life of individuals south of the Sub-Saharan Africa.

Highlights

Quality-of-life has been an important field within positive psychology for decades for social scientists (Panzini et al, 2017)
The premise is quite subjective (Michalos, 2003) since it depends on many factors, amongst others the social context, emotional management, and the self-and social awareness of the individual
The book is divided into five parts each with unique chapters that provide original information on quality-of-life in diverse spheres of life

Summary

Introduction

Quality-of-life has been an important field within positive psychology for decades for social scientists (Panzini et al, 2017). The book is divided into five parts (social context, environment and technology, health, education, and family) each with unique chapters that provide original information on quality-of-life in diverse spheres of life. These diverse spheres can be further divided into macro (eg environment), meso (eg culture, community, family), and micro (individual) perspectives.

Results

Conclusion