Abstract:

The current large-scale structural crisis in Russia, aggravated by the COVID-19 pandemic, is characterized by a decrease in the standard of living of the population and a low socio-psychological climate of society, which entails in itself a pessimistic attitude for the future and a sharp increase in opposition sentiments amongst young people.

In these conditions, there is a demand from government agencies and society to introduce positive education into schools, which (thanks to the methods aimed at developing emotional intelligence and emotional literacy, as well as character strengths, i.e. resilience and self-discipline) is perceived as the key to more manageable, safe and effective classrooms.

Following M. Seligman and other founders of positive psychology and education, the authors define positive education as education for both traditional skills and for happiness (well-being, prosperity).

The primary purpose of our article is a theoretical overview of the potential opportunities and limitations and the pros and cons of positive education in Russian realities.

Methods and results:
The main research methods are diachronic analysis, comparative and systemic analysis.

The following advantages of positive education have been established: As an integral part of humanistic education, it contributes to realizing the student's abilities and their creative potential, their upbringing as a subject and creator of their own life. This serves to prevent youth depression, deviant and escapist behavior; promotes life satisfaction; increases social cohesion and civic awareness. It can also help make the stereotype of "harsh and sad" Russians less solid in the Russian realities.

Amongst the disadvantages of positive education, the authors identify the following: It actualizes the need for the so-called ‘therapeutic education,’ which, as we demonstrate, is a remedy that can worsen the disease; it tends to neglect problems of structural injustice in society; it provokes the risk of imposing ideas of happiness on a child through ideological indoctrination.

It is substantiated that the primary source of these shortcomings is the individualized understanding of happiness (well-being) inherited by positive education from positive psychology.

The study of the historical retrospective of Russian education undertaken by the authors has shown that in Russian schools, two main strategies for fostering happiness (well-being) have historically coexisted. They can be described as a “downgrading game” (a characteristic existing mainly in standard general education schools and Orthodox gymnasiums) and as an “uplifting game” (typically existing in elite schools).

The article proposes adjusting the Russian version of positive education, taking into account these strategies, and linking them with education in social justice, aimed at strengthening equality and inclusiveness in society.

In conclusion, the authors disclose the ambivalent nature of positive education, which does not allow it to turn into a panacea for solving personal and social problems, instead, emphasizes the need for a systematic approach to educational issues: А reform in education, not supported by improvements in other spheres of life, will not only fail to achieve its goal but will probably lead to negative, rather than positive consequences.

Keywords:

Happiness education, pedagogy, positive education, psychology of education, school, therapeutic education, well-being.