Viaggio attraverso la Spiritualità di Sant’Ignazio di Loyola e la Psicologia Positiva
Serena Mancuso, Andrea Laudadio, P. Luca Gallizia LC
The development of Positive Psychology (PP) has produced a deep change in themes and paradigms of psychological research, which involved a transition from a psychology primarily focused on disorders and disease, to psychology focused on resources and personal strengths. According to some authors (Zagano & Gillespie, 2006), PP «borrowed» some terminology and methodology of Christian spirituality, particularly as developed by St. Ignatius of Loyola. In particular, we can identify two areas of proximity between PP and Ignatian Spirituality, the first one concerning the «techniques», the second one the «dimensions» of interest. PP proposes the use of guided exercises as a method of intervention, through which positive emotions can be developed. Exercises promoted by PP are similar to Ignatian spiritual exercises: they are defined as intentional activities, involving effort and commitment, aimed at cultivating positive knowledge, emotions and behaviors, as promoted by Jesuit pedagogy. Similarly, PP and Ignatian Spirituality are interested in themes as gratitude, forgiveness and virtues. Without forgetting differences between the two approaches, in term of goals and values, we think that the existing proximity helps us to identify and understand some deep roots from which PP originated and to trace an important reference in Ignatian Spirituality.
Keywords
Positive Psychology, Ignatian Spirituality, Spiritual Retreats, Virtue.