ABSTRACT
The present volume on positive identities addresses issues that have long preoccupied the minds of humankind. Much of philosophy, psychology, sociology, religion, economics, literature, and the arts are, in one way or another, pursuits of the “good life.” Each discipline approaches this intellectual journey in a different way—for example, a psychologist might be interested in facilitators and inhibitors of mental health, a religious leader might consider how individuals can gain higher levels of intimacy with a deity, an artist might strive to take our perceptions beyond what is ordinary and mundane, or an economist might focus on how resources can be best allocated within a society—but all are concerned with what having a good life entails, and how a good life can be attained. In these various efforts to understand positivity, the question of identity, or how the self is related to others and the world at large, inevitably emerges. In each person’s pursuit of a good life, we have to resolve issues such as our purpose in the larger scheme of the world, our place in the history of humankind, our role in the welfare and happiness of others, and ultimately who we are and how we are connected to our fellow human beings.
