Happiness as an individual experience and an ideological imperative ^*

The book under review provides a socio-philosophical analysis of the current trend of psychologization of the social, which is characteristic of both scientific and mass consciousness, as well as its political, economic, and social consequences. Using the example of positive psychology, the authors convincingly demonstrate how a specific scientific idea (the study of happiness) becomes an effective tool for various institutions of power, developing into ever greater cooperation with them, penetrating almost every aspect of human life, and ultimately leading to a new normativity of individual existence where the human element no longer has a place. According to the authors, this subtle transition from attention to individual experience to the transformation of the latter into an ideological imperative that totally limits human authenticity is explained by the objective socioeconomic and political mechanisms characteristic of neoliberal society, which are reinforced by the penetration of psychotherapeutic discourse into everyday consciousness. The authors argue that in the challenging times of unpredictability and nonlinearity in social and cultural development, increasing global risks, and multiple destabilization, the dominant ideal of personal psychological well-being not only turns happiness into a commodity, but also limits the possibilities for collective social and political change, social solidarity, and active engagement.

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