Advancing Therapeutic Positive Autoethnography (ThePosAE): Theoretical Foundation, Framework and Future

Authors

• Claude-Hélène Mayer, Industrial Psychology and People Management, University of Johannesburg, Johannesburg, South AfricaFollow

Abstract

This article presents a brief introduction of the foundations of “therapeutic positive autoethnography” (ThePosAE). It briefly presents how the concept of ThePosAE came to life, how it is defined and framed in terms of its theoretical foundation and what the future of ThePosAE might bring.

Keywords

therapeutic positive autoethnography (ThePosAE), therapy, healing, transformation, positive psychology, theory development, research methodology development

Author Bio(s)

Claude-Hélène Mayer is a Professor at the University of Johannesburg, Johannesburg, South Africa. ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9445-7591 Please direct correspondence to [email protected]

Publication Date

11-10-2026

Creative Commons License

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-Share Alike 4.0 International License.

Recommended APA Citation

Mayer, C.-H. (2026). Advancing therapeutic positive autoethnography (ThePosAE): Theoretical foundation, framework and future. The Qualitative Report, 31(11), 7068-7087.

ORCID ID

https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9445-7591