Getting Started With The Definition of Psychological Well-Being

Both philosophers and psychologists have studied well-being. And each group is burdened with its own distinctive issues. Despite their numerous insights, philosophers are stuck in an unsolvable stalemate. And despite their many successes, psychologists are unable to explain Positive Psychology in a straightforward manner. 

Well, I feel that the study of well-being has been structured like a lighthearted Hollywood romantic comedy. The young lovers “meet cute” in ancient Greece. But when psychology became experimental in the nineteenth century, their relationship came to an end due to irreconcilable differences. Each one leaves the other alone, sadder, and unaware of how important the other was to their accomplishment. Will the star-crossed lovers keep acting foolishly and carrying on with their lone struggles? Or, will they come to an amicable agreement, come together spectacularly, with music growing in the background? 

Fine, enough. Apologies, I know I’m just a sucker for the Hollywood endings. You see, the secret to getting the Hollywood ending, to resolving the stalemate for the philosophers and finding a secure foundation for the psychologists, is right under your nose. In fact, it was at the very beginning of this blog. Work can make you sick – and work can make you happy. Confusing, is it? (I meant it metaphorically, in a work context)

The point is that a major component of psychological well-being is having rewarding work that offers an opportunity to feel accomplishment on a daily basis, involves positive connections with coworkers, provides joy at work, and is gratifying. With reference to my happy ending, it is the amalgamation of both philosophers and psychologists.

Coming back to the definition of psychological well-being. At the most fundamental level, psychological well-being is pretty similar to other terms that relate to good mental emotions, such as happiness or contentment, and in many respects, worrying about subtle distinctions between such terms is neither required nor helpful in a blog like this. You can pretty much guarantee that my psychological well-being is quite high if I claim to be content or happy with my life. 

However, it is crucial to clarify that psychological well-being (PWB) is not the same as several other often used phrases, such as “work satisfaction” or “motivation.” Job satisfaction refers to how content someone is with their current position. While this is undoubtedly a factor in psychological well-being (PWB), it is also entirely possible for someone to be content with their current position while being extremely dissatisfied with their relationships with some coworkers or the standard of management and supervision they receive. The same is true for motivation. A work task may excite me and motivate me to work hard on it because I believe it is important and I don’t want to let anyone down, but the burden and lack of resources may irritate and depress me. PWB is more or less the same as being happy at work.

Causes And Components of Psychological Well-being

There are two key aspects to psychological well-being. The first of these is concerned with how much happiness and pleasant sensations are felt by individuals. This component of psychological well-being is sometimes referred to as subjective well-being (Diener, 2000).

Although important for overall psychological well-being, subjective well-being is insufficient on its own. To see why this is so, imagine winning a lottery. For the majority of individuals, that would be really fun for a week or two, but just think if you could do it forever! There aren’t many people who would find that possibility appealing. There may be such a thing as having too much of a good thing. This example demonstrates that in addition to experiencing great feelings, in order to feel good truly, we also need to have a sense of meaning and purpose.

A happy life is essential to psychological well-being. It consists of having a positive attitude and performing well. The experience of painful emotions (such as disappointment, failure, or sadness) is a natural part of life, and being able to control these unpleasant or painful emotions is crucial for long-term well-being. Therefore, sustained well-being does not require people always to feel happy. Negative emotions that are severe or persistent that interfere with a person’s capacity to operate in daily life jeopardise psychological well-being. Feeling good refers to a variety of emotions, including interest, engagement, confidence, and affection, in addition to the good feelings of happiness and contentment.

Given the potential advantages of higher levels of psychological well-being (PWB), it is intriguing and quite crucial to examine what factors affect PWB levels. There is a straightforward response to this question, as there is for the majority of psychological variables, at the most fundamental level of analysis: it is influenced by a combination of genetics and environment. The PWB genetic influences appear to be routed through personality traits. In other words, our personalities help determine PWB and our personalities help determine our genetic make-up.