An exploration of emotional well-being from a coping perspective

• Main Author: Nelson, Tina-Linnea
• Other Authors: Harvey, Brian
• Language: English; en
• Published: 2017
• Subjects: Mental health; Emotions; Mind and body; Terapeutics
• Online Access: http://hdl.handle.net/1828/8131

The primary purpose of this explorative study was to develop a therapeutically relevant theory of emotional well-being. The developed theory focuses on coping skills because they are observable, measurable, and teachable. The secondary purpose of this study was to begin researching other important aspects of human nature that may impact emotional well-being. As a foundation to this study, stress and coping theories were reviewed. Contemporary theories concerning coping styles were applied to current conceptions of emotional well-being. The author developed the Well-Being Pilot Test (WBPT) to serve two functions. The WBPT was devised to obtain a useful understanding of the composition of emotional well-being in terms of coping skill divisions. The second function of the WBPT was to begin exploring spiritual, physical, and intellectual health and how they relate to emotional well-being. The WBPT consists of 273 items and was given to 370 people in the United States. The results of this explorative study yielded five coping skill divisions associated with emotional well-being: interpersonal, intrapersonal, stress regulation, emotional stabilization, and problem solving skills. Results of this study are discussed in terms of their usefulness in the therapy session for both, the psychotherapist and the client. The results also indicated that all three of the chosen aspects of human nature (i.e., spiritual, physical, and intellectual health) were significantly related to emotional well-being. Intellectual health was most strongly related to emotional well-being, followed by physical health, and finally, spiritual health. This explorative study, thus, provides pertinent information for the psychotherapist regarding therapeutically relevant conceptualizations of emotional well-being. The information gained from this study will help the psychologist move away from the focus of decreasing emotional sickness to one of encouraging coping skills designed to enhance emotional wellness. Key Words: Emotional well-being, coping skills, stress, wellness, depression, interpersonal, intrapersonal, problem solving, emotional stabilization. === Graduate