Abstract

MERINO, Mª Dolores  and  PRIVADO, Jesús. Positive Psychological Functioning: evidence for a new construct and its measurement. Anal. Psicol. [online]. 2015, vol.31, n.1, pp.45-54. ISSN 1695-2294.  https://dx.doi.org/10.6018/analesps.31.1.171081.

In 2007, the Institute of Happiness conducted one of the most ambitious studies ever done on this subject in Spain. Many different variables were measured: socio-demographics and psychological, (the latter through new instruments) and all were applied to a representative sample of 3000 participants of the Spanish population. Study 1 of this research used that database. The objective of this Study was to understand how key psychological resources are organized (Autonomy, Resilience, Self-Esteem, Purpose in life, Enjoyment, Optimism, Curiosity, Creativity, Humor, Environmental mastery and Vitality). The purpose of Study 2 was to replicate the results of Study 1 and to test the psychometrical properties of the new scales used in Study 1, but using a sample of 130 college students. This research proves that key psychological resources are interconnected, forming a second order construct we call Positive Psychological Functioning (PPF), and, it develops a new Spanish scale to assess it. This measure is formed with 11 subscales each containing three items. This scale structure allows a general and a specific assessment of PPF and, in consequence, of human psychological well-being.

Keywords : Psychological Resources; resource caravans; psychological well-being; positive psychological functioning.

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