‘An Adult Who Protects the Child With an Umbrella’: Making Sense of Happiness and Unhappiness in Finnish children's Drawings

Abstract

Research into the phenomenon of happiness is often approached from the perspective of adults, yet the sense-making practice around happiness may not be the same for all age groups. This paper explores the conceptions of happiness and its opposite, unhappiness, among children in Finland—ranked ‘the happiest country in the world’ for 7 consecutive years. Drawing from Social Representations Theory, we analyse how children (10–12 years old) understand happiness and unhappiness and how these conceptions are socially constructed in relation to each other. The research material consists of drawings and written narratives by 254 children. The results show that symmetry exists between the concepts of happiness and unhappiness. The social representations are constructed around five distinct themes, namely: Social relationships, the Environment, Material possessions, Well-being and Performance. The underlying structure, thema, which guides meaning-making around happiness, is based on meaning-producing tension between feeling safe, supported and protected versus feeling unsafe due to lack of support and protection. The results suggest the importance of ‘positive safety’ as a ground for happiness, rather than an understanding of the concept based on the mere absence of threat. In other words, happiness can be experienced even in the face of challenges and hardships, when a sense of safety deriving from feeling supported and protected is being developed.