PSYC674 Exam Notes and Study Guide: Well-being and Flourishing in Positive Psychology at North-West University (NWU)

Well-being and flourishing are central ideas in positive psychology because they move the focus of psychology beyond illness, dysfunction, and deficit toward what enables people and communities to thrive. In the context of PSYC674, these concepts are usually examined through theoretical models, measurement approaches, interventions, and cultural critiques, with special attention to how flourishing can be supported in real educational, work, and community settings. This study guide organizes the field into exam-ready themes, with a particular emphasis on concepts that are frequently tested in South African university contexts and in applied health and positive psychology courses at North-West University (NWU).

1. Core Meaning of Well-being and Flourishing

Well-being is one of the most widely used terms in positive psychology, yet it is also one of the most debated. At its simplest, well-being refers to how well a person is doing in life, but that simple definition hides several layers of meaning. Some scholars treat well-being as subjective happiness, others as psychological functioning, and still others as social contribution and meaning. Flourishing takes the idea further: it describes a state in which individuals are not merely free from distress, but are actively living in a way that is psychologically healthy, socially connected, purposeful, and capable of growth.

1.1 What “well-being” means in positive psychology

In positive psychology, well-being is not just the absence of depression, anxiety, or stress. A person may have low levels of pathology and still feel empty, disconnected, or directionless. Conversely, a person may face hardship and still show signs of resilience, purpose, and connection that indicate high well-being in some domains. This is why positive psychology treats well-being as a multidimensional construct rather than a single score.

A useful way to remember this is to think of well-being as including at least four broad experiences:

• Positive feelings such as joy, calm, gratitude, hope, and interest
• Positive functioning such as autonomy, competence, self-acceptance, and effective coping
• Positive relationships such as belonging, intimacy, trust, and support
• Positive meaning such as purpose, contribution, and alignment with values

Different theories emphasize different parts of this list. A student preparing for PSYC674 should be able to explain that there is no universally agreed definition of well-being, but that most modern models include some combination of affect, functioning, meaning, and social connection.

1.2 Flourishing as the “full life”

Flourishing is often described as the highest level of well-being. It suggests that a person is doing well emotionally, psychologically, and socially. The term implies more than temporary pleasure. It implies development, vitality, and a life that is characterized by growth and contribution. A flourishing person is not perfect or permanently happy; rather, such a person has a stable pattern of functioning that is robust even when life becomes difficult.

The idea of flourishing is powerful because it challenges a narrow “feeling good” approach. Someone may report frequent pleasure but still lack meaning, commitment, or strong relationships. Another person may not feel cheerful every day but may be deeply engaged in meaningful work, highly connected to others, and psychologically resilient. Positive psychology increasingly treats this second profile as a more complete picture of thriving.

1.3 Hedonic and eudaimonic well-being

One of the most important distinctions in the field is between hedonic and eudaimonic well-being.

Hedonic well-being

Hedonic well-being concerns pleasure, comfort, and happiness. It is commonly measured by:

• Positive emotions
• Life satisfaction
• Low negative affect
• Enjoyment and comfort

This tradition asks: Do people feel good?

Eudaimonic well-being

Eudaimonic well-being concerns functioning, virtue, meaning, and realization of potential. It is commonly measured by:

• Personal growth
• Purpose in life
• Autonomy
• Environmental mastery
• Self-acceptance
• Positive relations with others

This tradition asks: Are people living well?

A strong exam answer should show that the two are related but not identical. A student might experience enjoyment in the short term without a sense of purpose, or may experience stress in service of a meaningful long-term goal. Positive psychology does not require choosing one over the other. Instead, it often argues that a complete account of human thriving needs both.

1.4 Subjective well-being and psychological well-being

A common exam distinction is between subjective well-being (SWB) and psychological well-being (PWB).

Subjective well-being

Subjective well-being is associated with:

• High positive affect
• Low negative affect
• High life satisfaction

This model is strongly linked to the hedonic tradition and is often used in surveys and population studies.

Psychological well-being

Psychological well-being, especially in the work of Carol Ryff, emphasizes:

• Self-acceptance
• Positive relations with others
• Autonomy
• Environmental mastery
• Purpose in life
• Personal growth

This framework is more eudaimonic. It asks whether a person is functioning in a psychologically mature and self-developing way.

The relationship between these models matters. A student may remember that SWB tends to emphasize feeling and PWB tends to emphasize functioning, but in reality they overlap. A high-quality answer will note that both are needed for a full account of flourishing.

1.5 Flourishing as a multidimensional state

The concept of flourishing is often treated as a combination of several dimensions. Although different authors define it differently, a common examination-friendly summary is that flourishing involves:

1. Emotional well-being
   Feeling positive emotions and satisfaction with life.

2. Psychological well-being
   Functioning well as a person: autonomy, mastery, growth, purpose.

3. Social well-being
   Feeling integrated into the community, contributing to society, and trusting others.

4. Physical or health-related well-being
   Energy, functioning, and the capacity to engage in daily life.

5. Existential or meaning-based well-being
   Feeling that life matters, has direction, and serves a larger purpose.

This multidimensional view is especially useful in South African higher education contexts, where well-being cannot be reduced to individual happiness alone. Students may experience financial stress, academic pressure, family responsibilities, and social inequality while still showing deep purpose, resilience, and social commitment.

1.6 Why well-being matters in PSYC674

In a course like PSYC674, well-being and flourishing are not abstract luxuries. They are central because they connect to:

• Mental health prevention
• Student success
• Workplace performance
• Relationship quality
• Community resilience
• Public health outcomes

Well-being predicts many valuable life outcomes. People with higher well-being tend to show better coping, lower risk of burnout, better relationship functioning, and greater engagement. In educational settings, well-being is linked to persistence, concentration, and motivation. In workplaces, it is associated with productivity, lower turnover, and stronger collaboration. Exam answers should therefore present well-being as both a personal and social resource.

2. Major Theoretical Models of Well-being

Positive psychology relies on several key theories to explain how flourishing develops. These theories are often tested because they differ in assumptions, structure, and measurement. A strong PSYC674 answer should be able to compare models clearly, not merely name them. The most important theories include Self-Determination Theory, Seligman’s PERMA model, Ryff’s psychological well-being model, Keyes’ complete state model, and Diener’s subjective well-being framework.

2.1 Self-Determination Theory

Self-Determination Theory (SDT), associated with Edward Deci and Richard Ryan, is one of the most influential theories in positive psychology. It argues that human beings have three basic psychological needs:

• Autonomy: the experience of acting with volition and choice
• Competence: the experience of effectiveness and mastery
• Relatedness: the experience of connection and belonging

When these needs are satisfied, people are more likely to experience intrinsic motivation, well-being, and flourishing. When they are frustrated, people become more vulnerable to distress, alienation, and disengagement.

Why SDT matters

SDT is important because it provides a concrete explanation of how environments support or undermine well-being. It suggests that well-being does not depend only on individual attitude; it also depends on social conditions such as teaching style, leadership style, parenting style, and institutional culture. This is highly relevant in university settings. A classroom that allows choice, gives constructive feedback, and fosters belonging is more likely to support student flourishing than one that is controlling and impersonal.

Exam angle

A common exam question is to explain how autonomy, competence, and relatedness promote flourishing. A strong answer would:

• Define each need
• Explain how satisfaction of each need enhances motivation and well-being
• Provide a real-life example, such as a student who thrives when given structured independence, regular feedback, and peer support

2.2 Seligman’s PERMA model

Martin Seligman proposed the PERMA model as a framework for well-being. PERMA stands for:

• Positive Emotion
• Engagement
• Relationships
• Meaning
• Accomplishment

This model is popular because it offers a simple, memorable structure for understanding flourishing. It also captures both hedonic and eudaimonic elements.

Positive Emotion

Positive emotion includes happiness, gratitude, serenity, interest, and hope. It broadens attention and supports coping.

Engagement

Engagement refers to deep absorption in activities, often called flow. It is not just being busy; it is being fully involved.

Relationships

Relationships are central because humans are social. Supportive relationships provide comfort, identity, and resilience.

Meaning

Meaning comes from belonging to and serving something larger than oneself, such as family, faith, community, or a profession.

Accomplishment

Accomplishment involves pursuing goals, achieving mastery, and experiencing competence.

Why PERMA is useful

PERMA is useful because it turns flourishing into a set of dimensions that can be cultivated. It also encourages educators and practitioners to think beyond mood. A student may have positive emotions but low meaning; another may have meaning but poor relationships. PERMA helps identify what is missing.

Critique of PERMA

Despite its popularity, PERMA has been criticized for:

• Being broad and somewhat descriptive rather than explanatory
• Lacking a single agreed-upon measurement standard
• Potentially treating all five elements as equally important when contexts may differ
• Reflecting a Western emphasis on individual achievement

In exam writing, critique should be balanced. PERMA is useful, but not final or complete.

2.3 Ryff’s psychological well-being model

Carol Ryff developed a model of psychological well-being that is especially useful when distinguishing eudaimonia from happiness. Her six dimensions are:

1. Self-acceptance
2. Positive relations with others
3. Autonomy
4. Environmental mastery
5. Purpose in life
6. Personal growth

This model is important because it focuses on the structure of healthy psychological functioning rather than mood alone.

Self-acceptance

A positive attitude toward oneself, including awareness of strengths and weaknesses.

Positive relations with others

The capacity for warm, trusting, and satisfying relationships.

Autonomy

The ability to self-regulate, resist social pressure, and act according to internal standards.

Environmental mastery

The ability to manage life circumstances and create suitable contexts.

Purpose in life

Having direction and intentionality.

Personal growth

Seeing oneself as developing and expanding over time.

Why Ryff’s model matters

Ryff’s model is often praised for its maturity and depth. It acknowledges that flourishing is not childish cheerfulness but complex psychological functioning. It is also useful for explaining why a person can be emotionally distressed yet still possess a strong sense of purpose or growth.

2.4 Keyes’ complete state model of mental health

Corey Keyes argued that mental health is not simply the absence of mental illness. His complete state model distinguishes:

• Languishing
• Moderate mental health
• Flourishing

A flourishing person has high emotional well-being, high psychological well-being, and high social well-being. A languishing person lacks vitality and meaningful functioning, even if they do not meet criteria for mental disorder.

This model is particularly powerful in clinical and public health settings because it challenges the assumption that low pathology equals good mental health. It also helps explain why some people who are “not ill” still struggle to engage in life.

Exam relevance

If asked to define flourishing, Keyes’ model is often highly relevant because it offers a simple classification:

• Flourishing: high well-being
• Languishing: low well-being
• Mental illness and well-being are related but distinct continua

2.5 Diener’s subjective well-being model

Ed Diener is one of the most influential scholars in happiness research. His model of subjective well-being includes:

• Life satisfaction
• Positive affect
• Negative affect

This framework is foundational in the measurement of happiness at individual and population levels. It is widely used because it is relatively straightforward and empirically tractable.

Strengths

• Easy to measure
• Useful in large surveys
• Good for comparing groups and populations

Limitations

• Can be too narrow
• Does not fully capture meaning, virtue, or growth
• May overlook culturally specific understandings of a good life

2.6 Comparing the major models

Model	Main Focus	Key Components	Strength	Limitation
Subjective Well-being (Diener)	Happiness and life evaluation	Positive affect, negative affect, life satisfaction	Simple and measurable	Can be too narrow
Psychological Well-being (Ryff)	Healthy functioning	Autonomy, purpose, growth, relations, mastery, self-acceptance	Rich and developmental	More complex to measure
Self-Determination Theory (Deci & Ryan)	Need satisfaction	Autonomy, competence, relatedness	Explains environmental effects	Not a full outcome model
PERMA (Seligman)	Flourishing	Positive emotion, engagement, relationships, meaning, accomplishment	Broad and memorable	Can be conceptually diffuse
Complete State Model (Keyes)	Mental health continuum	Flourishing, languishing, well-being dimensions	Distinguishes health from illness	Requires careful measurement

A strong examination answer often compares these models instead of describing them separately. The key insight is that each model captures a different angle of flourishing. None is exhaustive. Together, they show that well-being includes feeling good, functioning well, connecting socially, and living meaningfully.

3. Measuring and Assessing Well-being

Measurement is critical in positive psychology because concepts such as flourishing can be inspiring but vague unless they are operationalized. In research, a concept must be translated into observable indicators. In applied settings, measurement helps identify risk, monitor progress, and evaluate interventions. For PSYC674, students should know the logic of well-being assessment, the strengths and weaknesses of common measures, and the difference between subjective and objective indicators.

3.1 Why measurement matters

If well-being cannot be measured, it cannot easily be compared across individuals, groups, or interventions. Measurement allows researchers to ask questions such as:

• How many students are flourishing?
• Do well-being interventions actually work?
• Which dimensions of well-being are improving?
• Are some groups systematically disadvantaged?

Measurement also matters ethically. If institutions claim to support flourishing, they should be able to show evidence rather than rely on slogans. In universities, for example, claims about student well-being should be supported by data on stress, belonging, engagement, persistence, and satisfaction.

3.2 Subjective indicators

Subjective indicators are based on people’s own judgments and experiences. These are central because well-being is partly defined by how life is experienced.

Common subjective measures include:

• Life satisfaction scales
• Affect balance measures
• Happiness ratings
• Meaning in life scales
• Flourishing scales
• Psychological well-being inventories

Strengths of subjective measures

• Capture the person’s lived experience
• Sensitive to change
• Easy to administer in surveys
• Useful for intervention evaluation

Limitations

• Vulnerable to temporary mood
• Influenced by response style and social desirability
• May vary across cultures in how people report emotions
• May not fully reflect actual functioning

A student should remember that subjective measures are not “less real” simply because they are self-reports. In positive psychology, inner experience is an essential part of well-being.

3.3 Objective indicators

Objective indicators are externally observable or independently verifiable. They may include:

• Physical health markers
• Academic performance
• Employment stability
• Income
• Attendance
• Social participation
• Behavioral engagement

Strengths

• More observable and comparable
• Helpful for policy and institutional decisions
• Less dependent on momentary mood

Limitations

• May miss internal experiences
• Can be misleading if taken alone
• A person can appear successful while feeling empty or disconnected

Objective indicators are useful, but they do not replace subjective experience. A high-functioning employee may have good performance indicators and still be emotionally depleted. Likewise, a student may perform modestly but feel deeply purposeful and connected.

3.4 Multi-method assessment

The strongest approach is to combine subjective and objective measures. A multi-method assessment may include:

1. Self-report surveys
2. Behavioral indicators
3. Clinical interviews
4. Peer or teacher ratings
5. Institutional data

This approach reduces the risk of overreliance on one source. For example, a university support program might assess:

• Student self-reported stress
• Sense of belonging
• Academic participation
• Retention rates
• Help-seeking behavior

The combination offers a more realistic picture than any single number.

3.5 Common measures in positive psychology

Several tools are often used in well-being research.

Satisfaction with Life Scale

Measures global cognitive judgments of life satisfaction.

Positive and Negative Affect Schedule

Measures frequency of positive and negative emotions.

Ryff Scales of Psychological Well-being

Measures six aspects of eudaimonic functioning.

Flourishing Scale

Assesses self-perceived success in important areas such as relationships, purpose, and competence.

Mental Health Continuum

Places individuals along a continuum from languishing to flourishing.

A good exam answer should know not only the names of these measures but also what they are designed to capture.

3.6 Measurement challenges in South African and multicultural contexts

In South African higher education and community research, measurement is especially complex because well-being is shaped by historical inequality, language diversity, social norms, and different cultural values. A scale developed in one cultural context may not behave identically in another. For example:

• A measure focused heavily on individual autonomy may underplay communal responsibility.
• Self-report items may be interpreted differently depending on language and cultural idiom.
• The expression of distress or flourishing may be shaped by religious, family, and community frameworks.

This means that researchers and practitioners should test whether measures are valid and reliable in the populations where they are used. Translations should preserve meaning, not just words. Cultural adaptation is not optional; it is part of good science.

3.7 Reliability and validity

Reliability

Reliability refers to consistency. A reliable measure gives similar results under similar conditions.

Validity

Validity refers to whether the measure actually assesses what it claims to assess.

Types of validity often relevant in exams include:

• Content validity: Does the measure cover the construct adequately?
• Construct validity: Does it truly measure well-being or flourishing?
• Criterion validity: Does it predict relevant outcomes?
• Face validity: Does it appear to measure what it says?

For example, a life satisfaction scale may be reliable, but if it ignores social belonging and meaning, it may not fully capture flourishing. A flourishing scale may have good face validity, but it still needs evidence that it works across groups and settings.

3.8 Interpreting scores responsibly

Scores should never be interpreted mechanically. A low well-being score may reflect:

• Temporary stress
• Cultural response style
• Genuine distress
• Life transition
• Social disadvantage
• Poor measurement fit

Similarly, a high score does not always mean everything is truly fine. Some people report high well-being despite serious hidden strain, especially if they are highly motivated to present themselves positively. Exam answers should emphasize that measurement is a tool for understanding people, not a final judgment on their worth.

4. Factors That Promote or Undermine Flourishing

Flourishing does not happen in a vacuum. It develops through interactions among biology, psychology, relationships, institutions, and culture. A student who masters this section can explain why some people thrive even under pressure, while others struggle despite apparent advantage. It is also important in applied positive psychology because interventions work best when they address environments, not only individuals.

4.1 Individual factors

Some personal characteristics are associated with higher well-being. These include:

• Optimism
• Self-efficacy
• Emotional regulation
• Resilience
• Hope
• Gratitude
• Mindfulness
• Purpose orientation

These are not fixed traits. They can be strengthened over time, and they often interact with context. For example, optimism is more helpful when paired with realistic planning. Self-efficacy matters more when the environment provides opportunities for action. Gratitude may deepen connection, but it is not a substitute for fair treatment.

Emotional regulation

People who can manage emotions effectively are better able to cope with setbacks. This does not mean suppressing negative feelings. It means recognizing, understanding, and responding to emotions in ways that support functioning.

Resilience

Resilience is often misunderstood as toughness or the ability to “push through” no matter what. In positive psychology, resilience is better understood as adaptive recovery and flexibility under stress. A resilient person may seek help, revise goals, or rest before continuing.

4.2 Relationship factors

Relationships are one of the strongest predictors of well-being. Supportive relationships contribute to:

• Belonging
• Emotional safety
• Practical help
• Identity formation
• Meaning
• Recovery from stress

Important relationship factors include:

• Attachment security
• Social support
• Communication quality
• Trust
• Reciprocity
• Conflict resolution

Why belonging matters

Belonging is not the same as simply being around people. Belonging means feeling accepted, valued, and included. In student life, belonging can determine whether someone persistently engages or silently withdraws. In workplace settings, belonging affects morale and retention.

The cost of isolation

Chronic loneliness is strongly associated with poor mental and physical health. A person can be surrounded by others and still feel isolated if relationships are superficial, judgmental, or unsafe. Flourishing requires meaningful connection, not just contact.

4.3 Educational and institutional factors

Universities and schools shape well-being in powerful ways. Institutional design can either support flourishing or erode it. Important factors include:

• Fair assessment
• Academic support
• Predictable communication
• Respectful teaching
• Opportunities for participation
• Accessible counselling and support services
• Peer connection
• Inclusive policies

A student’s well-being is influenced not only by personal habits but by whether the institution is experienced as supportive and just. When evaluation systems are opaque or teaching is alienating, stress increases. When students have clear expectations, timely feedback, and meaningful contact with staff, flourishing becomes more likely.

4.4 Work and organizational factors

In workplace contexts, flourishing depends on:

• Job autonomy
• Role clarity
• Meaningful tasks
• Manageable workload
• Recognition
• Fair leadership
• Psychological safety
• Opportunities for growth

These factors map closely onto SDT and PERMA. A good manager does not merely demand productivity; the manager creates conditions for competence, relatedness, and purpose.

Burnout as a threat to flourishing

Burnout can be seen as the erosion of energy, efficacy, and engagement under chronic stress. It is particularly important because it can coexist with outward success. Someone may perform well while feeling internally depleted. Flourishing requires sustainable patterns, not short bursts of achievement at the cost of health.

4.5 Socioeconomic and structural factors

Positive psychology sometimes gets criticized for overemphasizing individual attitude and underemphasizing social inequality. This criticism must be taken seriously. Flourishing is affected by:

• Poverty
• Housing insecurity
• Food insecurity
• Unemployment
• Violence
• Discrimination
• Unequal access to education and healthcare

These conditions shape the resources available for well-being. It is unrealistic to tell people to “be grateful” if they are living under severe structural constraints. A mature understanding of flourishing recognizes that personal strengths matter, but they do not cancel systemic injustice.

4.6 Culture and meaning systems

Culture shapes what counts as a good life. In some contexts, well-being may be strongly tied to:

• Family duty
• Spirituality
• Community contribution
• Collective identity
• Respect for elders
• Social harmony

In more individualistic settings, autonomy and self-expression may be emphasized more strongly. Neither orientation is inherently superior. The challenge is to understand flourishing in context. What counts as purpose in one culture may differ from another. What counts as healthy independence in one setting may look like selfishness in another.

4.7 A balanced model of flourishing

The most accurate view is that flourishing arises from the interaction of:

1. Personal resources
2. Interpersonal support
3. Institutional conditions
4. Social justice
5. Cultural meaning

This integrated model prevents oversimplification. It helps explain why some well-being programs succeed while others fail. A mindfulness workshop may improve momentary calm, but if students remain overworked and unsupported, the effect may be limited. Similarly, resilience training may help individuals cope, but it cannot replace structural reform.

5. Applications, Interventions, and Exam-Focused Integration

The final step in mastering well-being and flourishing is to understand how the concepts are applied. PSYC674 typically expects students to move from theory to practice: how to support well-being, how to evaluate interventions, and how to critique simplistic uses of positive psychology. This section integrates the main ideas into exam-ready form.

5.1 Positive psychology interventions

Positive psychology interventions are deliberate activities designed to enhance well-being. They may include:

• Gratitude exercises
• Strengths identification
• Acts of kindness
• Savoring
• Goal-setting
• Meaning-making exercises
• Mindfulness practices
• Best possible self exercises

These interventions are popular because they are often simple, low-cost, and scalable. However, their effectiveness depends on fit, dosage, context, and participation quality.

Gratitude

Gratitude interventions ask people to notice and appreciate positive aspects of life. They can increase positive affect and social connection, especially when they are specific and sincere.

Strengths use

When people identify and use their strengths regularly, they often feel more competent and engaged. The benefit is strongest when strengths are used in a meaningful context rather than as a superficial label.

Acts of kindness

Helping others can improve the giver’s well-being by increasing connection, purpose, and positive emotion. The effect is often stronger when kindness is chosen freely rather than forced.

Savoring

Savoring involves deliberately attending to and prolonging positive experiences. It can help people notice moments of joy that otherwise pass unnoticed.

5.2 What makes interventions effective

Interventions are more effective when they are:

• Theoretically grounded
• Culturally appropriate
• Matched to the individual’s needs
• Simple enough to repeat
• Practiced with commitment
• Embedded in supportive environments

A gratitude journal may work well for some students, but not if they are using it in a context where basic needs are unmet and the exercise feels artificial. In other words, positive psychology interventions work best when they do not deny reality.

5.3 Critiques of positive psychology

A strong PSYC674 answer should also mention critiques. Positive psychology has been criticized for:

• Overemphasizing happiness
• Individualizing social problems
• Underplaying suffering, trauma, and inequality
• Exporting Western values as universal ideals
• Using vague language without enough rigor

These critiques do not invalidate the field. They improve it. The best version of positive psychology is not naïve positivity. It is a scientifically grounded approach that acknowledges suffering while also studying strengths, meaning, and growth.

5.4 Flourishing in South African higher education

In South African university contexts, flourishing has special relevance because students may experience:

• Academic pressure
• Financial strain
• Cultural transition
• Language challenges
• Family responsibilities
• Unequal access to resources

For institutions such as North-West University (NWU), flourishing initiatives must therefore be realistic and equity-sensitive. Supportive practices might include:

• Mentorship programs
• Orientation and transition support
• Accessible counselling
• Peer communities
• Financial aid awareness
• Inclusive teaching practices
• Stress management resources
• Career and purpose development

The goal is not to promise effortless happiness. The goal is to build conditions in which students can persist, grow, and meaningfully contribute despite obstacles.

5.5 Case-style exam examples

Example 1: A high-achieving but exhausted student

A student earns strong marks but sleeps poorly, feels disconnected, and questions the value of the degree. This student may score high on accomplishment but low on meaning, relationships, and emotional well-being. The case illustrates why achievement alone is not flourishing.

Example 2: A resilient first-year student

A first-year student struggles financially but has a close peer group, clear goals, and strong purpose. The student may not feel happy all the time, but the presence of relatedness, meaning, and hope supports flourishing in a broader sense.

Example 3: An employee with low autonomy

An employee receives praise and a good salary but has no decision-making power and feels controlled. According to SDT, autonomy frustration may undermine well-being even in the presence of rewards.

5.6 How to structure an exam answer

A high-scoring PSYC674 response on well-being and flourishing should usually include:

1. A clear definition

   • Define well-being and flourishing precisely

2. A theoretical framework

   • Use PERMA, SDT, Ryff, Keyes, or Diener appropriately

3. A distinction

   • Separate hedonic from eudaimonic well-being
   • Distinguish flourishing from mere absence of illness

4. A measurement component

   • Mention subjective and objective indicators
   • Note reliability and validity

5. An applied example

   • Use a student, workplace, or community case

6. A critique

   • Acknowledge limitations, culture, inequality, and context

7. A conclusion

   • Show that flourishing is multidimensional and context-dependent

5.7 Common mistakes to avoid

• Treating happiness as the only form of well-being
• Defining flourishing as constant positivity
• Ignoring the role of meaning and relationships
• Confusing absence of illness with mental health
• Using a theory without explaining its components
• Forgetting cultural and structural factors
• Making interventions seem universally effective
• Writing about well-being as if context does not matter

5.8 Final synthesis for revision

The strongest way to remember the topic is to see flourishing as the integration of feeling good, functioning well, and living meaningfully in supportive social contexts. Well-being is not a luxury or a shallow mood state; it is a serious psychological and social construct with implications for education, health, work, and community life. The major theories in positive psychology provide different lenses:

• Diener emphasizes subjective happiness
• Ryff emphasizes psychological functioning
• Deci and Ryan emphasize basic need satisfaction
• Seligman emphasizes PERMA dimensions
• Keyes emphasizes the continuum from languishing to flourishing

Together, these perspectives show that flourishing is not a single feeling but a pattern of healthy living. For exam purposes, the best answers are balanced, critical, and applied. They show that positive psychology is most useful when it is both hopeful and realistic, both scientific and humane, and both personally empowering and socially aware.

5.9 High-yield revision points

• Well-being is multidimensional and includes emotional, psychological, and social functioning.
• Flourishing means thriving, not merely avoiding illness.
• Hedonic well-being focuses on pleasure and happiness.
• Eudaimonic well-being focuses on meaning, growth, and functioning.
• PERMA stands for Positive Emotion, Engagement, Relationships, Meaning, and Accomplishment.
• Self-Determination Theory centers on autonomy, competence, and relatedness.
• Ryff’s model includes six dimensions of psychological well-being.
• Keyes distinguishes flourishing from languishing.
• Measurement should combine subjective and objective indicators.
• Culture, inequality, and institutional context strongly shape well-being.

5.10 Final exam-ready summary paragraph

Well-being and flourishing are foundational to positive psychology because they capture what it means not only to survive, but to thrive. In PSYC674, the key task is to understand how different theories define flourishing, how it can be measured, what factors support or undermine it, and how it can be promoted in real-world settings such as universities, workplaces, and communities. A strong answer shows that flourishing is not just happiness, but a multidimensional state of healthy emotional experience, effective functioning, meaningful connection, and purposeful living within a social and cultural context.