Optimal well-being

Question 1

What is wisdom’s role in history?

Answer 1

• Bible: the wise guy.
• Greek philosophers: ethical persons contribute to the well-being of others.
• Research psychologists: hard to define wisdom.

Question 2

What are the five different themes based on wisdom?

Answer 2

1. Wisdom as stage of life.
2. Wisdom as post-formal cooperative thinking.
3. Wisdom as form of excellence.
4. The balance of wisdom theory.
5. Wisdom as master virtue.

Question 3

How can we become wiser?

Answer 3

1. develop post-formal thinking.
2. openness to experience.
3. acting in line with high ethical standards.

Question 4

Explain the relation between wisdom and well-being.

Answer 4

Wisdom is the strongest predictor of life satisfaction.

• increased striving for the good life.
• preference for self-growth.
• process- and environment-oriented feelings.
• cooperative conflict management styles.
• preference for values, growth, insight, social engagement and well-being of friends and family.

Question 5

Explain the existentialist ideas.

Answer 5

We should strive to experience the full range of human experience; honesty, self-awareness and openness.

1. Rollo May: optimal well-being, integrated identity.
2. Victor Frankly: meaning in suffering.
3. Paul Wong: dual-system model of mature happiness.

Question 6

Explain authenticity.

Answer 6

Authenticity is the honest presentation of oneself to others.

• awareness
• unbiased processing
• behaviour and relational orientation

the true self is actualized through satisfying the needs of the self-determination theory.

Question 7

Explain the fully functioning person [Carl Rogers].

Answer 7

There is an innate need to fulfil our potential. Presence of conditional positive regard can lead to self-actualization or self-disrepencies.

1. openness to experience.
2. existential living.
3. trust in one’s experiences and intuitions.

Question 8

Explain self-concordance.

Answer 8

It is a high congruence between one’s personality and one’s goals.

• Pursuing goals because you want to.
• Fit between values and goals is good for well-being.

Question 9

Explain the optimal personality.

Answer 9

1. environmental mental mastery.
2. attitudes towards the self.
3. growth and self-actualization.
4. integrated personality.
5. autonomy.
6. perception of reality.

Question 10

What entails fulfilling human potential?

Answer 10

Cultivate wisdom, be authentic, trust people have answers within them, self-concordance and be willing to risk failure.