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The Individualized and Cross-Cultural Roots of Well-being Therapy

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Increasing Psychological Well-being in Clinical and Educational Settings

Part of the book series: Cross-Cultural Advancements in Positive Psychology ((CAPP,volume 8))

Abstract

In this chapter we examined the concept of psychological well-being, its cultural underpinnings and its clinical implications. A specific psychotherapeutic strategy for increasing psychological well-being, Well-being therapy (WBT), is described with special reference to the promotion of an individualized and balanced path to achieve optimal human functioning, avoiding the polarities in positive psychological dimensions. WBT has been developed and tested in a number of randomized controlled trials. The findings indicate that optimal human functioning can be promoted by specific interventions leading to a positive evaluation of one’s self, a sense of continued growth and development, the belief that life is purposeful and meaningful, the possession of quality relations with others, the capacity to manage effectively one’s life, and a sense of self-determination.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Psychology, University of Bologna, Bologna, Italy

    Chiara Ruini Ph.D. & Giovanni Andrea Fava M.D.

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  1. Chiara Ruini Ph.D.
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  2. Giovanni Andrea Fava M.D.
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Correspondence to Chiara Ruini Ph.D. .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Psychology, University of Bologna, Bologna, Italy

    Giovanni Andrea Fava

  2. Department of Psychology, University of Bologna, Bologna, Italy

    Chiara Ruini

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Ruini, C., Fava, G.A. (2014). The Individualized and Cross-Cultural Roots of Well-being Therapy. In: Fava, G., Ruini, C. (eds) Increasing Psychological Well-being in Clinical and Educational Settings. Cross-Cultural Advancements in Positive Psychology, vol 8. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-017-8669-0_2

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