Collective wellbeing and posttraumatic growth during COVID-19: how positive psychology can help families, schools, workplaces and marginalized communities

Abstract

Positive psychology approaches have been shown to play a vital role in protecting mental health in times of challenge and are, therefore, an important area to include when studying the psychological outcomes of COVID-19. While existing research has focused on individual psychological health, this paper focuses on collective wellbeing and collective posttraumatic growth, with the aim of more clearly identifying the positive experiences and positive growth for families, schools, and workplaces during the pandemic. A range of positive psychology interventions for families, schools, workplaces, and psychology clinics are presented. The paper then considers how three broad-reaching phenomena existing in our wider society (i.e., arts and culture, eco-connection, and wellbeing literacy) can be used to boost collective wellbeing. Finally, the use of a positive systems approach to understand civilian responses across different countries, together with an examination of the role that positive psychology can play in supporting marginalized groups, is discussed.