Positive psychology and career development

Positive psychology has been an influential movement within psychology in the early years of the twenty-first century. It is now timely to assess the value of its contribution to career education and guidance. This paper provides a critique of this perspective. Positive psychology can enrich approaches to career development. It can provide a fertile source of concepts and an empirical basis for some elements of practice. However, the application of approaches derived from positive psychology is problematic if it neglects the socioeconomic context in which careers are lived and experienced, or if claims made for its efficacy cannot be supported by the evidence base.