The Development of Psychological Well-Being Among First-Year College Students

The Development of Psychological Well-Being Among First-Year College Students Nicholas A. Bowman (bio) The first year of college constitutes a time of substantial transition for incoming students. For many traditional-age students, adjusting to college can include tasks that are as mundane as doing one's own laundry for the first time, or as complex as finding meaning in one's life and deciding on a future career. Clearly, students vary greatly in their ability to cope with and adjust to these new challenges, and some students face far more challenges than others. Those who adapt effectively to their new social and academic environment are much more likely to persist in college and ultimately earn a degree (Tinto, 1993). As a result, a great deal of attention has been paid to improving college students' first-year experience (for an extensive review, see Upcraft, Gardner, that is, positive functioning constitutes much more than one's current level of happiness. The theoretical origins of PWB are grounded in Maslow's (1968) concept of self-actualization, Erikson's (1959) psychosocial stage model, and Jung's (1933) formulation of individuation, among others. Incorporating these perspectives, Ryff (1989) developed a model of PWB that encompasses six dimensions: autonomous functioning and decision making, mastery of one's environment, seeking opportunities for personal growth, maintaining positive relations with others, having a sense of purpose in life, and accepting and thinking positively about oneself. Although it is correlated with other constructs, PWB is theoretically and empirically distinct from life satisfaction, happiness, self-esteem, and locus of control (Ryff, 1989; Ryff Ryff, 2008). Ryff 's model of PWB captures a broad array of conceptions of self. In fact, several of the dimensions associated with PWB closely align with established developmental outcomes in higher education. For instance, Kegan's End Page 180 (1994) concept of self-authorship (see also Baxter Magolda 2001) includes cognitive, interpersonal, and intrapersonal components. Specifically, students who are self-authored tend to think independently, know themselves, have healthy personal relationships in which others' opinions are valued (but not relied upon exclusively), and have internally formed goals. These perceptions and behaviors overlap substantially with the PWB dimensions of autonomy, self-acceptance, purpose in life, and positive relations with others. Like self-authorship, PWB encompasses the use of certain skills and perspectives that are useful for overcoming challenges and effectively navigating one's life (Ryff, Keyes, Smider, Essex, Ryff, Singer, Ryff Ryff & Singer, 1998). Some longitudinal evidence shows that PWB changes in response to life transitions. Over a 5-year period, Marks and Lambert (1998) find that people who get married...