Izzat: Analysis of the Concept as a Category of Positive Psychology

IzzatIzzat is closely linked to the social quality of women’s lives in South Asia. It has been translated as honorHonor in the English language. This simplistic translation masks the notions of morality shaped by the Enlightenment project. It is very often that Izzat is used as a conceptual category used for the social control of womenSocial control of women. In this chapter, authors undertake a newer analysis of the concept of Izzat from the point of view of Positive PsychologyPositive psychology. Our basic argument is Izzat cannot be applied to an atomistic woman, separating her existence from the community. The persistence woman undertakes to protect Izzat, despite class and religious differencesClass and religious differences, could be understood only when communitarian notions are examined from the point of view of positive psychology. Authors bring the ideas of courage and resilience from positive psychology to show the centrality of Izzat in social quality. The idea of Izzat is strongly linked to the protection of communitarian well-being than individual well-being. This is where gender as a social construct needs to be reinterpreted to bring out the positive psychological elements in the concept of Izzat.