[SPR26] The Transformative Landscape of Suffering: Concepts, Evidence, and Implications

The Transformative Landscape of Suffering: Concepts, Evidence, and Implications

takes Place on March 20, 2026 | from 12pm-2pm eST | St. Mary's Hall First Floor Conference Room

Presenter:

Richard G. Cowden, Ph.D. is a social-personality psychologist and Research Scientist with the Human Flourishing Program at Harvard University and the Department of Epidemiology at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health. He is interested in a wide range of psychological, social, and religious/spiritual dynamics that shape adaptive functioning, personal growth, and well-being. Much of his current research agenda focuses on topics related to adversity (e.g., suffering), character strengths and virtues (e.g., forgiveness), and religion/spirituality (e.g., religious/spiritual struggles), and their implications for health and well-being in diverse cultures and contexts. He has written and contributed to numerous scholarly articles, book chapters, and books that address various aspects of human flourishing in a wide range of populations. Through interdisciplinary engagement, he is also involved in developing and disseminating interventions designed to promote human flourishing across various cultural contexts.

Description:

Suffering is often treated as synonymous with other forms of distress, such as pain or depression, yet growing conceptual and empirical work suggests it is a distinct form of distress with potentially unique implications for well-being. This workshop introduces a working definition of the subjective experience of suffering, explores the transformative capacity of suffering, offers a practical approach to measuring suffering, and summarizes multinational evidence on the prevalence of suffering in general populations and its implications for human flourishing. The session addresses practical considerations, including integrating suffering assessments and language into care planning, and how to think about scalable supports as complementary resources (not replacements for formal treatment) that may help people respond more adaptively to suffering.

Learning Objectives:

By the end of this 120-minute workshop, participants will be able to:

• Understand important distinctions between suffering and related forms of distress (e.g., pain, depression) and explain why this matters for assessment and intervention planning.
• Identify feasible ways to assess suffering in practical settings, while keeping in mind the limits of quantitative methods to provide insight into such a deeply personal experience.
• Evaluate population-level evidence on suffering (e.g., prevalence and multi-domain well-being links) and understand the potential value of scalable resources for clinical and community implementation.