Contextual, embodied and clinical joy.

The task of this short response is to interact with the article in this volume by Johnson and in so doing, advance a definition of joy. To that end, this article will focus on three elements, (a) contextualization/tradition, (b) human cognition as embodied, embedded, enacted and extended, and (c) clinical implications of the pursuit of joy. Contextualization will be explored through the specificity of culture and theological tradition. Embodiment, embeddedness, enactment and extension will be explored as an alternative to western anthropology which tends toward inwardness and individualism. Finally, clinical implications of joy will be explored in terms of the dialectical tension of balancing positive and negative realities of life. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]