Thanks for this Sue. well.... As you will see from the other post I just made, I am pretty sceptical. But
There is a risk of knocking what,s potentially good and progressive I agree and of wasting energy knocking. Which I know that we on the left are so inclined to do....And maybe this report, or the broader work on wellbeing , does provide a stepping stone to raise the bar for the common good. Valuing wellbeing must be important in many ways. But this report seems to disregard or at best minimise the inequalities data? Nothing on trauma, rape, violence against women, homophobia, other human rights abuses, war....
And it doesn't differentiate between ameliorative and transformative action in the face of evidence of distress?
Annie
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From: The UK Community Psychology Discussion List [[log in to unmask]] on behalf of Sue Roffey [[log in to unmask]]
Sent: 22 March 2014 19:32
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: Re: [COMMUNITYPSYCHUK] FW: important new report on wellbeing and policy
Although I have much sympathy with Annie's post - this focus on wellbeing could be seen as a driver for the purposes of empowerment. At the moment the positive psychology movement is largely driven by the US where there is a focus on subjective wellbeing - (which makes me deeply uncomfortable, especially as some proponents are clearly out to make big bucks for themselves) but perhaps there are enough of us to use this as a stepping stone to raising the bar on the 'common good'.
There are people like Felicia Huppert exploring how measures of wellbeing are in part determined by income distribution across Europe - building on the work of Wilkinson and Pickett. Wellbeing itself is highly political - and an opportunity in the right direction if we don't spend our energies just knocking it.
Sue
Sue Roffey, Doc.Ed.Psych. AFBPsS FRSA
Associate Professor, University of Western Sydney
Twitter @SueRoffey
Director Wellbeing Australia
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On 22/03/2014, at 11:26 PM, Annie Mitchell <[log in to unmask]<mailto:[log in to unmask]>> wrote:
Dear all,
This new report which will be influential, I imagine, comes from a neo-liberal and paternalistic perspective (Richard Layard) . Pretty much dismisses consideration of inequalities…eg as far as I can see on first scanning, the Marmot Repot on heath Inequalities, or WHO equivalents don’t get much if any of a mention, nor climate change ( tho there is talk of the benefits of green environments….) , and it is imbued throughout with positive psychology concepts and no analysis of structural power determinants of health and wellbeing .
There’s some good in it, too, I am sure , … but politically it makes me feel very uncomfortable..
It came out yesterday march 21st. BY GUS O’DONNELL (CHAIR) AND ANGUS DEATON, MARTINE DURAND, DAVID HALPERN, RICHARD LAYARD
http://li.com/docs/default-source/commission-on-wellbeing-and-policy/commission-on-wellbeing-and-policy-report---executive-summary---march-2014-pdf-.pdf?sfvrsn=3
Concludes
Nevertheless, it is possible to make progress now. Chapter 5 looks at strong determinants of wellbeing and discusses a range of possible public policies. It looks in particular at four areas: mental health and character building; community; income and work; and governance. The conclusion is that we should treat mental ill health as professionally as physical ill health, support parents, and build character and resilience in schools. At the community level, we should promote volunteering and giving, address loneliness, and create a built environment that is sociable and green. As well as promoting economic growth, we should aim to reduce unemployment through active welfare policies and encourage businesses to promote wellbeing at work. We should treat citizens with respect and empower them more.
Our final recommendation in this report is simple: we should measure wellbeing more often and do so comprehensively, making the data accessible. This would help governments improve policies, companies raise productivity, and people live more satisfying lives.
Annie Mitchell
Annie
Annie Mitchell
Clinical Director and Associate Professor,
Doctorate in Clinical Psychology,
School of Psychology, Faculty of Health and Human Sciences,
Plymouth University,
Room 504 Rolle Building, Plymouth University Drake Circus, Plymouth, PL4 8AA
01752 586657 or via Michele Blake Programme Administrator 01752 586701
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