Mental Health: Global Challenges Journal

https://reference-global.com/journal/MHGCJ

ISSN 2612-2138

EXPERIENCING YOURSELF: EXISTENTIAL WELL-BEING AS

A PATHWAY TO INNER GROWTH

Tetiana Danylova1, Nataliia Kryvda2, Ihor Hoian3, Olena Pavlova4, Iryna Matviienko5, Galyna Poperechna6,

Svіtlana Storozhuk2

1Institute for Social and Political Psychology, National Academy of Educational Sciences of Ukraine, Kyiv,

Ukraine

2Taras Shevchenko National University of Kyiv, Kyiv, Ukraine

3Vasyl Stefanyk Precarpathian National University, Ivano-Frankivsk, Ukraine

4National Technical University of Ukraine “Igor Sikorsky Kyiv Polytechnic Institute”, Kyiv, Ukraine

5National University of Life and Environmental Sciences of Ukraine, Kyiv, Ukraine

6Ternopil Volodymyr Hnatiuk National Pedagogical University, Ternopil, Ukraine

Abstract

Introduction: Positive mental health has been recognized as a key element of well-being;

therefore, mental health professionals increasingly focus on its positive dimensions – optimism,

life satisfaction, happiness, self-acceptance, purpose in life and self-

efficacy. However,

interpretation of mental health and well-being through this lens faces challenges, since humans

still cannot solve complex existential problems and overcome painful human experiences as

they are a part of human life.

Purpose: This paper aims to explore the concept of existential well-being from the perspective

of philosophy and mental health.

Methodology:

The study adopted a desktop research methodology. We conducted a

systematic search in the electronic databases, such as PubMed, Scopus, Web of Science and

Google Scholar. Relevant studies were identified using search terms: well-being, existential well-

being, existential positive psychology, mental health, philosophy, existentialism, culture, death

anxiety, meaning in life, existential loneliness, social exclusion, existential guilt, identity,

happiness. The authors used phenomenological philosophical and hermeneutic approaches,

as well as the interpretive research paradigm.

Results:

Being a human, it is impossible to avoid existential challenges and to maintain

unchanging positive mental and emotional states. Facing and dealing with a borderline

situation such as illness, suffering, struggle, guilt or death, people tend to reflect more intensely

on existential questions. Within the framework of existential psychodynamics, the basic conflict of

an individual is determined by his/her confrontation with the givens of existence: death,

freedom, isolation, meaninglessness, identity, pursuit of happiness. Existential conflicts, which are

linked to depression, anxiety, stress, addiction, personality disorders, are generated by the

individual’s confrontation with any of these givens. Thus, the search for existential well-being has

become inevitable, as existential well-being can act as a predictor of quality of life and may be

seen an internal coping resource to deal with borderline life situations.

Conclusion: In the modern world, in which the aggravation of existential problems has reached

monstrous proportions, and more and more people, terrorized by wars, catastrophes,

economic, environmental, social, political, cultural problems, reject traditional ideas and feel

cut off from the integral fabric of existence, existential well-

being becomes especially

important. The concept of existential well-being expands our understanding of overall well-

being, enhances our abilities to achieve sustainable well-being by addressing the deepest layers

of human nature and providing awareness of the need for existential growth.

Keywords

Mental Health, Well-Being, Existential Well-Being, Existential Positive Psychology,

Philosophy,

Existentialism, Culture, Death Anxiety, Meaning In Life, Existential Loneliness, Social Exclusion,

Existential Guilt, Identity, Happiness.

Mental Health: Global Challenges Journal

https://reference-global.com/journal/MHGCJ

ISSN 2612-2138

Address for correspondence:

Dr. Tetiana Danylova,

1Institute for Social and Political Psychology, National

Academy of Educational Sciences of Ukraine, Kyiv, Ukraine

E-mail: danilova_tv@ukr.net

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution- 4.0 International

License (CC BY 4.0).

©Copyright: Danylova et al, 2026

Publisher: Paradigm (De Gruyter)

DOI: https://doi.org/10.56508/mhgcj.v9i1.346

Submitted for

publication: 14 October

2025

Revised: 23 December

2025

Accepted for

publication: 09 January

2026

Introduction

All human cultures understand the meaning of

mental health and well-being in their own way.

What is common to all interpretations is that a

human being is a “bearer” of mental health and

well-being. Perhaps it is the mysterious

phenomenon of a human being that gave rise to

the multiplicity of interpretations, as well as

different approaches to these concepts.

The complex multifaceted essence of a

human as a biological, psychological, social,

and spiritual being has attracted the attention of

researchers and sparked heated debates for

centuries: philosophers, psychologists, religious

thinkers, physicians, anthropologists, physiologists,

biologists, historians, and ethnographers have

tried to unravel the mystery of a human being. A

human is a unique creature, and modern

science is unable to explain this phenomenon,

since there is no scientific evidence of what a

human should be. Although some contemporary

scientists question human uniqueness calling it

“eternal human vanity” (Anderson & Perrin, 2018;

Brown & Cartmill, 2018; Philips, 2025), we

proceed from the assumption that people do not

have a specific, unchanging essence and are

not stable, predetermined objects of research.

On the contrary, as Sartre asserted, “man is

nothing else but that which he makes of himself”

(1948, p. 28). It is within this approach that the

uniqueness of humans is revealed: they are both

the subject and the object of research; they are

rooted in many worlds, from biological to

symbolic; they are ultimately capable of

transcending their own nature and going beyond

their own limits (Danylova, 2017; Danylova at al.

T., 2024). The ambiguity and complexity of

human nature determine the interpretations of

mental health and well-being.

Mental health is a general term that most

people are familiar with, but it can mean

different things to different people: from the

absence of mental illness to the way of living a

happy life and a full realization of human

potential. Today mental health is defined as “a

state of well-being in which an individual realizes

his or her own abilities, can cope with the normal

stresses of life, can work productively and is able

to make a contribution to his or her community”

(Mental Health, 2025). Thus, mental health is a

state (or manifestation) of overall well-being. The

concept of well-being is holistic and

multifaceted. It is the state that is determined by

both subjective and objective factors, which

encompass different areas of our lives. Simply

put, we experience a state of well-being when

we feel good, healthy, prosperous and happy,

when we are satisfied with a meaningful life, have

goals and can cope with daily stressful

circumstances. According to WHO, “well-being is

a positive state experienced by individuals and

societies. Similar to health, it is a resource for daily

life and is determined by social, economic and

environmental conditions. Well-being

encompasses quality of life and the ability of

people and societies to contribute to the world

with a sense of meaning and purpose. Focusing

on well-being supports the tracking of the

equitable distribution of resources, overall thriving

and sustainability. A society’s well-being can be

determined by the extent to which it is resilient,

builds capacity for action, and is prepared to

transcend challenges” (Promoting Well- Being,

2025).

If previously attention was paid to mental

disorders and symptoms of psychopathology,

today it is time to talk about maintaining a

positive level of mental health, the main

components of which are positive well-being and

effective functioning (Bohlmeijer & Westerhof,

2021), which is rather successfully implemented

within the framework of positive psychology. The

modern interpretation of mental health and well-

being is rooted in ancient concepts of well-being

(or happiness) – hedonic and eudaimonic (Ryan

& Deci, 2001).

The idea of enjoying life dates back to the

teaching of Aristippus, the founder of the

Cyrenaic School, who was called the father of

hedonism. He argued that among human

values, pleasure was the highest and pain – the

lowest. Zilioli quoted pseudo-Plutarch describing

the teachings of Aristippus: “Aristippus from

Cyrene maintains that the end of good things is

pleasure, of bad things pain; he rejects all the

other sciences of nature, saying that the only

useful thing to do is to look for what is good and

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bad” (2012). Nowadays, there is broad

agreement that hedonic well-being is a

multidimensional concept that encompasses the

evaluation of life in emotional terms, as well as

the presence of positive and absence of

negative affect (Diener, 1984; Diener et al.,

1999).

The eudaimonic approach is rooted in the

teaching of Aristotle, who argued that happiness

was an activity of the soul in harmony with virtue.

And it is not simply virtue, but rather the activity of

virtue by its own will (Aristotle, 2020). The purpose

of human life is to flourish, be happy and realize

one’s potential in a social context, that is self-

realization and active functioning in society

(Waterman, 1993).

Ancient ideas have found confirmation in

modern psychology. Through the lens of

eudaimonia, Ryff shows that a deeper sense of

purpose and self-actualization in life contributes

to psychological well-being, including health,

personal development, family experience, work

and social participation, that is, well-being may

have protective benefits for health (2014).

According to self-determination theory, the

satisfaction of basic human needs for autonomy,

competence, and relatedness is critically

important for almost all aspects of human

functioning in society; and contexts that prevent

this satisfaction often catalyze defense, rigidity

and psychopathology (Ryan & Deci, 2017; Ryan

& Deci, 2022). In recent years, “there has been

an increase in the amount of research based on

self-determination theory in the context of health,

including research on health-promoting

environment and behavior. The results of these

studies have shown the role of autonomous self-

regulation and needs’ support in various aspects

of human mental and physical health.

Autonomous self-regulation is especially

important for an individual’s health-preserving

behavior, as it regulates his/her efforts,

perseverance, stability, etc. more effectively”

(Serdyuk, 2018).

As a result of recent research into the

relationship between mental health and mental

illness, scientists have concluded that there is

substantial evidence in favor of the dual continua

model of mental health. Reminding of Herzberg’s

two-factor theory of motivation – hygiene, the

dual continua model of mental health suggests

that mental health and mental illness are related

but distinct continua: one continuum represents

the presence or absence of mental health, and

the other represents the presence or absence of

mental illness (Keyes, 2005; Westerhof & Keyes,

2010). Health, lifestyle, and longevity studies have

shown that mental health and mental illness are

separate dimensions; moreover, higher levels of

well-being reduce the risk of mental health

problems (Huppert & Whittington, 2003). Although

some researchers, without denying the validity of

the dual continua model, emphasize that the

assumption of the model may not necessarily be

fulfilled for every person (Kraiss et al., 2023), it is

precisely this eudaimonic interpretation of mental

health that is currently being tried to be involved

in the process of developing a model of

sustainable mental health (Bohlmeijer &

Westerhof, 2021).

Positive mental health has been recognized

as a key element of well-being (Promoting mental

health…, 2004), therefore, mental health

professionals increasingly focus on its positive

dimensions – optimism, life satisfaction,

happiness, self-acceptance, purpose in life and

self-efficacy. This paradigmatic shift towards

positivity has expanded our understanding of

factors and conditions that promote or

undermine mental health, which could lead to

individual flourishing, societal prosperity and

social well-being, offering innovative solutions to

complex individual, organizational and societal

problems.

However, interpretation of mental health and

well-being through the lens of positive psychology

faces challenges, which were defined by van Zyl

and Rothmann (2022). These are the lack of a

unifying metatheory that leads to Jingle-Jangle

fallacy; the validity of positive psychological

assessment measures; the lack of

significant/sustained changes in positive states,

personality traits and behavior of participants;

reliance on “contextual factors” for justification

rather than self-correcting or updating existing

theories; the overemphasis on quantitative

methods and the positivist paradigm (Friedman &

Brown, 2018; Mongrain & Anselmo-Matthews,

2012; Robbins & Friedman, 2018; Wong & Roy,

2018).

Positive psychology faces another major

challenge, namely, cultural bias. Being primarily

a Western enterprise, it uses findings from studies

conducted in Western, educated, industrialized,

rich and democratic countries (WEIRD) and

generalizes them to the entire human population

(Hendriks et al., 2019). Thus, the emphasis on

happiness and well-being is understood within a

universalistic framework without taking into

account the contexts, cultures, values and beliefs

of different people and societies. However,

material, relational and subjective dimensions of

well-being (and happiness) are closely

interrelated (Gough & McGregor, 2010),

“constructs of the experience and meaning of

distress and mental health and illness cannot be

understood through a universalist framework but

are instead intertwined with context, culture and

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beliefs of people and societies” (White & Eyber,

2017). To overcome these limitations, researchers

will have to answer “epistemological questions

about whether any approach to well-being can

serve across all contexts, and ontological

questions about the role of culture in the

formation of personhood” (White & Eyber, 2017).

Nowadays, expanding psychology scope, it is

necessary to incorporate non-WEIRD

interpretations of human well-being and

flourishing into the overall field of mental health

and well-being and overcome Western consumer

culture’s ignorance of painful human experiences

(Wong, 2010) to consider an individual in his/her

entirety including his/her painful, destructive

mental states, which cannot be eradicated as

they are a part of human life..

Purpose

This paper aims to explore the concept of

existential well-being from the perspective of

philosophy and mental health.

Methodology

The study adopted a desktop research

methodology. We conducted a systematic

search in the electronic databases, such as

PubMed, Scopus, Web of Science and Google

Scholar. Relevant studies were identified using

search terms: well-being, existential well-being,

existential positive psychology, mental health,

philosophy, existentialism, culture, death anxiety,

meaning in life, existential loneliness, social

exclusion, existential guilt, identity, happiness. The

authors used phenomenological philosophical

and hermeneutic approaches, as well as the

interpretive research paradigm.

Ethical considerations

This research did not require IRB approval

because it did not involve humans or animals in

the study and was conducted as desk research

according to the thematic plan under the Ukraine

State Registration Number of scientific research

0125U000198.

Results and Discussion

Nowadays, in an age of great scientific and

technological breakthroughs, humanity remains

unable to answer important questions concerning

human freedom and autonomy, death and

anxiety, creativity and loneliness, responsibility

and integrity. Living in the world, in which change

is the only constant (Behan, 2020), it is impossible

to avoid these existential challenges and to

maintain unchanging positive mental and

emotional states. As Kierkegaard put it, these

challenges are closely connected with the

pinnacle of temporary tension, the moment

when we have to act in order to shape or

reshape our destiny and our self (Kierkegaard,

2014).

Therefore, focusing solely on positive well-

being is a kind of escape from the problems and

an unwillingness to look into the abyss, in a way,

into the abyss of human nature. A human being

as a thinking being is aware of his/her finiteness in

all its depth and tragedy, experiencing fear of life

in this worldly existence (Heidegger, 1962). The

exclusive emphasis on positive experiences

divorces us from reality. No matter how much we

dream of a beautiful world filled with light and

goodness, the reality is that even the positive

experience itself is only possible in relation to

something that is labelled as negative. Essentially,

these are two sides of the same coin, these are

interconnected and counterbalancing forces

consonant with the Chinese concept of Yin and

Yang. They are distinct but inseparable. They are

immanent to each other and to life itself. They

are modes of human existence. Avoiding

existential problems such as alienation, fear of

death, anxiety, meaninglessness, positive

psychology, according to Wong, “full of

adolescent exuberance but lacking in depth”

(Wong, 2010). What is capable of expanding and

deepening the field of research and application

is existential psychology that is “full of wisdom but

lacking in youthful vitality” (Wong, 2010). The

amalgamation of these two branches of

psychology offers the possibility of creating a new

conceptual framework for understanding a

human and his/her well-being.

Indeed, psychology is deeply rooted in a

certain type of philosophy. If many psychological

schools adhere to theories and techniques that

have been developed and validated through the

use of the scientific method and depend on

objective measurement and the replication of

results under controlled or known conditions

(Scientific psychology, 2018), then existential

psychology is based on the philosophy of

existentialism. Focusing on naturalism and

empiricism and searching for general laws, these

schools to some extent “absolutize and

universalize the reality, in which the individuals

have to act according to its laws. Moreover,

cartesian “mind – body” dualism has led to the

collapse of the holistic phenomenon of a human

being and, accordingly, to deep contradictions.

At the same time, existential psychology interprets

a human being as an indivisible whole: there are

no separate mental and physical phenomena,

and we have to deal with human wholeness and

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indivisibility approaching his/her core” (Danylova

et al., 2024).

While positive well-being has received

particular attention today, the concept of

existential well-being remains understudied.

Facing and dealing with a borderline situation

such as illness, suffering, struggle, guilt or death,

people tend to reflect more intensely on

existential questions. Even if we are not physically

alone during these tough moments, in fact, we

are the only ones who experience them, reveal

our human existence, and most fully realize our

uniqueness. Only through the deepest personal

upheavals we comprehend the meaning of our

existence. Thus, existential dimensions of well-

being are closely connected to our existential

experiences and the ways we cope with

existential concerns (Koole et al., 2006).

Within the framework of existential

psychodynamics, the basic conflict of an

individual is determined by his/her confrontation

with the givens of existence. Yalom defines these

givens of existence as “certain ultimate concerns,

certain intrinsic properties that are a part, and an

inescapable part, of the human being’s

existence in the world” (1980, p. 8). He identified

four ultimate givens: death, freedom, isolation,

and meaninglessness. Wong added identity and

pursuit of happiness (2010). Existential conflicts,

which are linked to depression, anxiety, stress,

addiction, personality disorders (Menzies, 2024),

are generated by the individual’s confrontation

with any of these life facts.

For instance, death anxiety dramatically

undermines human experience of happiness;

causes mental health disorders; leads to a loss of

meaning in life. Iverach et al. argue that death

anxiety is a transdiagnostic construct that

underlies the “development and maintenance of

numerous psychological conditions” (2014). It is

related to illness anxiety, somatoform disorders,

panic disorder, common specific phobias,

obsessive compulsive disorder, agoraphobia,

post-traumatic stress disorder, depressive

disorder, social anxiety disorder, and eating

disorders (Goldenberg et al., 2005; Menzies &

Menzies, 2018; Strachan et al., 2007).

Meaning in life is viewed as a cornerstone of

well-being and a deep human motivation. F.

Nietzsche said: “If you have your why for life, you

can get by with almost any how” (1997, p. 6).

Frankl put it this way: “…human life, under any

circumstances, never ceases to have a

meaning, and… this infinite meaning of life

includes suffering and dying, privation and death”

(2006). Therefore, the loss of meaning is one of

the most dangerous situations, in which the very

existence of a human becomes really devalued,

with all the ensuing negative outcomes (Danylova

et al., 2023a). Today, meaninglessness has

become one of the biggest problems and is

associated with depression, suicide, eating,

substance use and anxiety disorders,

schizophrenia and post-traumatic stress disorder

(Steger, 2022; Volkert et al., 2014; Vanhooren,

2019).

Existential loneliness is one more challenge of

human existence (McKenna-Plumley et al., 2023).

It is an emotional experience of disconnection

from our own self, others, and the world itself,

which leads to emptiness and isolation.

According to existentialists, loneliness is an

integral aspect of the human condition, it is tied

to human very existence (Heidegger, 1962;

Sartre, 1956). The idea that we are alone in our

feelings, thoughts, and in our very death leads to

psychological distress, including anxiety, stress,

depression, suicidal ideation (Constantino et al.,

2019; Helm et al., 2020; Storey et al., 2022).

Existential loneliness can be further exacerbated

by social exclusion, which causes a global

decrease in the perception of life as meaningful

(Stillman et al., 2009).

Existential guilt is the feeling that we do not live

authentically, we do not realize out full potential,

we do not use opportunities, or even that we

“wrongly” exist in this world. It is something

connected deeply to human nature and is

related to freedom, authenticity and true

responsibility. According to Heidegger, the

deepest meaning of inauthenticity is the “fleeing

of [the human being] from itself” (1962). As Binder

put it, “the concept of existential guilt describes

preconditions for responsibility and accountability

in life choices and the relationship to the

potential given in the life of a human. It might

also be used as a starting point to examine an

individual’s relationship to the potential offered in

their life and life context and, in this way, the

hitherto unlived life of an individual” (2022).

Existential guilt can lead to a number of

problems, namely, sorrow, regret, anxiety, pain,

shame, anger, self-punishment, self-deprecation,

insomnia, thoughts about being a failure, crisis of

identity, etc. (Cherry, 2025; Existential Guilt, 2023;

Guilt, 2025; Saffrey et al., 2008; The Different

Types…, 2024). However, despite such

consequences, some researchers consider

existential guilt neither neurotic nor a symptom

that needs to be treated (Önol & Engin, 2022),

and it may be seen as a launching pad for the

individual’s return to the his/her true self and unity

with the world that helps us to discover and

create an autonomous personal identity.

To answer the question “Who am I?”, we need

to turn to the concept of identity. Although some

authors argue that it is a controversial concept,

and there is no consensus regarding the

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phenomena to which it refers (Bosma, 1995), it

has become a popular concept that is widely

used in scientific research. As this paper is

devoted to existential well-being, let’s turn to

Sartre’s understanding of identity who offers three

usages of the self: “First, the self of irreflective

consciousness; second, the self as ego or as

personality; third, the self as value” (Barnes, 1993,

p. 41). At certain stages of life, at moments of

transition from one role to another, from one

stage to another (Hall, 2025), people find

themselves in a state of existential liminality, “a

psychologically distinct state of suspended

selfhood. It’s the experience of being in a

threshold – not only between roles or life stages,

but between identities. It happens when the

stories we tell about who we are fall apart, but no

new narrative has emerged to take their place.

And in a world that demands constant

performance, coherence, and productivity, this

state of limbo is often ignored, pathologized, or

rushed through before its meaning can be fully

lived” (Starr, n/d). This state undermines the

individual’s confidence and sense of self; people

feel disoriented and lost in this vast and

incomprehensible world. And while these

conditions are often mistaken for depression,

dissociation, or identity disorder, Starr emphasizes

that this in itself does not indicate pathology, but

is a significant part of our human journey, “the

silent, painful, necessary work of becoming” (n/d).

These challenges of human existence can be

addressed (although not completely) from the

standpoint of philosophy, in particular existential

philosophy, and its fruitful cooperation with

psychology. In borderline situations the options of

psychological help are often limited, since we

deal with human beings abandoned in the world,

in which they do not have a certain future, thus

they are forced to choose their own life and self

(Sartre, 2004). Any human being is his/her own

project. In a word, we are our own future, but

there is a possibility not to become this future.

Thus, our existence is always complicated and

multifaceted and can be defined and

interpreted through the lens of our “presence in

the world”, our essential connections with the

world itself, with other people and, ultimately, with

ourselves (Danylova et al., 2023b).

None of us can escape these existential

challenges, and how we respond to them is

entirely up to us. The willingness and ability to ask

questions is the first step to solving a problem, “a

journey of a thousand miles begins with a single

step” (Lao Tzu, 2008). Ultimately, the world’s

philosophical thought has provided humanity with

various ways to deal with existential challenges.

Plutarch believed that “a doctor made a mistake

if he thought that he could neglect philosophy; it

would also be a mistake to reproach a

philosopher for the fact that, going beyond the

boundaries allotted to him, he addressed the

issue of health” (Toloknin, 2007). Philosophy helps

to understand humans as complex dynamic

systems, as well as their feelings, thoughts,

interests, and sociocultural mechanisms

underlying their development; the multifaceted

relationship between biological, psychological,

social, cultural, spiritual processes that shaped

them – it is philosophy that can reveal their

existential core (Danylova et al., 2023a).

Therefore, the search for existential well-being,

and more broadly, spiritual well-being, has

become inevitable. As Ownsworth and Nash

stress, existential well-being is receiving more

attention today in the context of chronic illness.

Though this concept is still considered

controversial, “some researchers view spirituality

and existential well-being as core dimensions of

health-related quality of life that are related to

but distinct from physical, emotional, and social

well-being domains” (2015). Spirituality and

existential beliefs can act as predictors of quality

of life and emotional well-being (Arnold et al.,

2006; Cohen et al., 1996; Kusumawardania &

Asihb, 2019), and existential well-being itself may

be seen an internal coping resource to deal with

stressful life situations, “people with higher levels of

existential well-being report lower emotional

distress and better quality of life” (Ownsworth &

Nash, 2015).

Sustainable well-being embraces the entire

human experience – from the brightest

manifestations to the darkest depths of our life.

Suffering is an integral part of our lives (Anderson,

2015; Bueno-Gómez, 2017; Fowers et al., 2017)

and, as Wong and Yu rightly point out, attempts

to escape from them lead to even greater

suffering (Yu & Wong, 2024).

Dr. Paul Wong made a great contribution to

the study of human well-being elaborating an

existential conceptual framework for an

expanded vision of positive psychology which

leads to the emergence of existential positive

psychology (EPP). Today, his name has become

synonymous with existential positive psychology,

“he combined Frankl’s existential psychology with

positive psychology, which became known as

existential positive psychology (EPP). In doing this,

he recognized the need to incorporate and

recognize cross-cultural psychology

internationally into the ambit of EPP” (Nel &

Govender, 2022). Within this concept, going

beyond clinical terms, we can speak of

meaningful suffering that leads to inner growth,

reassessment of values, sense of unity with life

and transcendence of the boundaries imposed

by one’s own ego. Wong emphasized the need

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to go beyond WEIRD psychology by incorporating

non-WEIRD ideas of wellbeing and flourishing

(Wong & Cowden, 2022), by considering other

cultures, traditions, values, and spiritual

aspirations. His own system was influenced by

Eastern philosophical traditions, in particular the

concepts of Yin-Yang and Wu-Wei, and his

attempts to guide us between the two blades of

total happiness and total suffering reminds of the

Middle Way in Mahayana Buddhism.

The essence of existential positive psychology

is that by transforming and overcoming the

experience of inevitable suffering, an individual

can achieve well-being by developing positive

suffering mindset (PSM) that offers answers to

profound existential questions:

•How can we be happy and realize our

potential in this chaotic and unpredictable world?

• How can we become better and stronger

through struggles and suffering?

•How can we make this world a better

place to live? (Wong, 2024).

Positive suffering mindset elaborated by Wong

includes five interconnected mindsets:

mindfulness, meaning, dialectic, resilient, and

growth (Wong, 2024). To deal with existential

challenges, we have to demonstrate our human

courage and creativity, our ability to transcend

own boundaries and break out of familiar

frameworks, while making life more fulfilling and

meaningful. Basic tenets of existential positive

psychology are:

•True positivity is to see and be the light in

the darkness.

•Effective coping with unavoidable

suffering depends on dialectical/paradoxical

rather than binary/rational logic, self-

transcendence and developing the PSM.

•A positive outcome is tragic optimism,

existential gratitude, and mature happiness,

leading to a sense of inner peace, balance, and

harmony (Yu & Wong, 2024).

By accepting positive and negative aspects of

life as givens and by answering existential

questions, people can find meaning and

purpose in their lives.

Limitations and Future Research

Directions

Intended as an overview, this paper attempts

to view the problem as a whole. It does not

consider applied aspects of existential positive

psychology and its degree of specificity within

different cultural environments. Hence, caution

should be taken with generalizing the findings. At

the same time, this theoretical study may provide

an avenue for more complex, transdisciplinary

research at the intersection of mental health and

well-being, psychology, and philosophy.

Practical and Social Value

This research contributes to the development

of the concept of mental health and well-being

incorporating philosophical ideas on human

nature and broadening and deepening the

understanding of the underrepresented concept

of existential well-being. This will allow us to

expand the existing arsenal of psychotherapeutic

interventions considering the existential

challenges of human existence and taking into

account cultural differences, which cannot be

done only within the framework of positivist

approach in psychology.

Conclusion

The concept of existential well-being expands

our understanding of overall well-being

complementing the concepts of hedonic and

eudaimonic well-being, but not coinciding with

them. Picardi and Filastro state that “measures of

life satisfaction and hedonic well-being have

limited overlap with wellbeing in an existential

sense, while measures of eudaimonic wellbeing

as an orientation towards growth, authenticity,

meaning, and excellence bear a greater

resemblance, but still pertain to a different

construct” (2025). Thus, existential positive

psychology enhances our abilities to achieve

sustainable well-being by providing awareness of

the need for existential growth.

Existential positive psychology deals with issues

that go beyond the scope of more traditional,

symptom-focused therapies, provides a richer

perspective on human mental health and well-

being and makes it possible to help where other

approaches have failed, since it directly

addresses the deep layers of human nature.

Existential positive psychology expands the

psychological therapeutic arsenal allowing for

more effective solutions to existential problems. It

not only alleviates symptoms but also helps

individuals find meaning and purpose in life

significantly improving their overall well-being and

life satisfaction. Although existential problems are

universal, various cultures throughout history have

developed their own ways of dealing with them

that found expression in the religious and

philosophical teachings of humankind, to which

many people still resort today. Therefore, an

emphasis on cultural sensitivity enhances the

effectiveness of existential positive psychology

and ensures the accessibility of mental health

care for a wider range of people.

Mental Health: Global Challenges Journal

https://reference-global.com/journal/MHGCJ

ISSN 2612-2138

In the modern world, in which the aggravation

of existential problems has reached monstrous

proportions, and more and more people,

terrorized by wars, catastrophes, economic,

environmental, social, political, cultural problems,

reject traditional ideas and feel cut off from the

integral fabric of existence, existential positive

psychology, with its emphasis on existential well-

being, becomes especially important. Therefore,

“unveiling the mysteries of existential well-being

using the existential positive psychology

framework and then educating the society about

how to achieve existential well-being will provide

new hope to all the suffering people” (Yu & Wong,

2024).

Funding statement

The authors received no financial support for

the research, authorship and publication of this

article. The publication fee was covered by the

authors personally.

Conflict of interest

The authors declare that they have no known

competing financial interests or personal

relationships that could have appeared to

influence the work reported in this paper.

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