The appropriation of Ludicity by Positive Psychology and the Health Market

Abstract

Ludicity has been increasingly emptied of its original meaning and appropriated in different contexts; in the present case, this discussion focused on positive psychology. Therefore, this work aimed to analyze how ludicity has been appropriated by the health market, transforming it into a ‘simplified’ solution for complex problems. The specific objectives were to identify how ludicity is presented as a therapeutic or preventive resource in practices related to illness, and to discuss the social, cultural, and subjective implications of using ludicity as a simplified solution in contexts of health and disease. This is a theoretical research with a qualitative approach, grounded in the constructivist paradigm, with exploratory-descriptive objectives. It analyzes three works by Kellerman and Seligman; Rashid and Seligman; and Seligman, using content analysis. As a result, it can be understood that ludicity, when appropriated by the health market, loses its free and spontaneous character and begins to function as a device of subjective regulation aligned with neoliberal rationality. It is presented as a simplified and efficient solution to complex problems such as burnout and depression, shifting the focus from the structural causes of illness to the individual and their capacity for adaptation.