The Investigation of Harmony in Psychological Research

The concept of harmony was neglected by scientific psychology until recent years, when the growing interest in the investigation of well-being, happiness and the good life brought this dimension to the attention of researchers. Within the literature on human positive functioning, harmony was variously defined and operationalized as a component of well-being in the context of broader theoretical models. This chapter is aimed at providing an overview of the psychological contributions to the study of harmony, which was investigated in relation to intrapersonal, interpersonal, and transcendent dimensions of human experience. Although not explicitly included in the current psychological classifications of virtues, harmony shares features with the virtues of temperance, kindness, justice, and transcendence. Due to this multifaceted structure, the identification of harmony with a virtue requires further conceptual elaboration and empirical investigation.