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Understanding and Enhancing the Subjective Well-Being of Children

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Promoting Psychological Well-Being in Children and Families

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Abstract

Health-oriented research, including psychology, education, and medicine, has emphasized identifying and treating deficits and dysfunction. Though this approach has proved valuable, it does not exhaust the range of the human experience that researchers should investigate. In addition to deficits and dysfunction, it is important to understand strengths and thriving. The past two decades have witnessed the active development of a complementary approach to cataloguing and correcting illness. This approach, now referred to as positive psychology, is focused on well-being instead of ill-being. New studies are identifying the correlates of happiness, gratitude, hope, and life satisfaction including factors associated with children’s well-being (e.g., friends, spirituality, and physical activity). This identification represents only the initial stage of understanding children’s well-being. The next and critical stage of research is to use the recent research findings to develop and assess strategies and interventions to encourage enduring enhancements of children’s well-being. The present chapter first reviews some of the relevant research on children’s well-being. We then suggest several possible intercessions, based on these research findings, which clinicians and practitioners might employ to enhance children’s well-being.

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Authors
  1. Mark D. Holder
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  2. Robyn L. Weninger
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Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. International Centre for the Study of Occupational and Mental Health, Düsseldorf, Germany

    Bruce Kirkcaldy (Director) (Director)

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© 2015 Mark D. Holder and Robyn L. Weninger

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Holder, M.D., Weninger, R.L. (2015). Understanding and Enhancing the Subjective Well-Being of Children. In: Kirkcaldy, B. (eds) Promoting Psychological Well-Being in Children and Families. Palgrave Macmillan, London. https://doi.org/10.1057/9781137479969_6

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