From Deficit to Strength-Based Aboriginal Health Research—Moving toward Flourishing

Jonathan Bullen (), Trish Hill-Wall, Kate Anderson, Alex Brown, Clint Bracknell, Elizabeth A. Newnham, Gail Garvey and Lea Waters
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Jonathan Bullen: EnAble Institute, Curtin University, Perth, WA 6102, Australia
Trish Hill-Wall: EnAble Institute, Curtin University, Perth, WA 6102, Australia
Kate Anderson: Faculty of Medicine, The School of Public Health, The University of Queensland, Herston, QLD 4006, Australia
Alex Brown: Telethon Kids Institute, Perth, WA 6009, Australia
Clint Bracknell: School of Languages and Cultures, The University of Queensland, St. Lucia, QLD 4067, Australia
Elizabeth A. Newnham: EnAble Institute, Curtin University, Perth, WA 6102, Australia
Gail Garvey: Faculty of Medicine, The School of Public Health, The University of Queensland, Herston, QLD 4006, Australia
Lea Waters: Centre for Wellbeing Science, Melbourne Graduate School of Education, The University of Melbourne, Parkville, VIC 3101, Australia

IJERPH, 2023, vol. 20, issue 7, 1-20

Abstract: Aboriginal Australians have a fundamental human right to opportunities that lead to healthy and flourishing lives. While the impact of trauma on Aboriginal Australians is well-documented, a pervasive deficit narrative that focuses on problems and pathology persists in research and policy discourse. This narrative risks further exacerbating Aboriginal disadvantage through a focus on ‘fixing what is wrong’ with Aboriginal Australians and the internalising of these narratives by Aboriginal Australians. While a growing body of research adopts strength-based models, limited research has sought to explore Aboriginal flourishing. This conceptual paper seeks to contribute to a burgeoning paradigm shift in Aboriginal research, seeking to understand what can be learned from Aboriginal people who flourish, how we best determine this, and in what contexts this can be impactful. Within, we argue the case for a new approach to exploring Aboriginal wellbeing that integrates salutogenic, positive psychology concepts with complex systems theory to understand and promote Aboriginal wellbeing and flourishing. While deeper work may be required to establish the parameters of a strength-based, culturally aligned Aboriginal conceptualisation of positive psychology, we suggest the integration of Aboriginal and Western methodologies offers a unique and potent means of shifting the dial on seemingly intractable problems.

Keywords: Aboriginal; First Nations; wellbeing; salutogenesis; flourishing; positive psychology; complex systems (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2023
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (1)

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