Psychological wellbeing involves not only the absence of illness, but the presence of something positive: autonomy, environmental mastery, personal growth, personal relations with others, purpose in life, and self-acceptance. are just some to name a few.

It is important to know that wellbeing is not all about happiness. In fact we aren’t designed to be happy all the time. Our painful moments are just as important as our happy ones as it builds resilience and empathy and is essential for long-term well-being.. They key to painful moments is having enough tools on board to be able to work your way through and if not seeking help to develop them. Psychological well-being is, however, compromised when negative emotions are extreme or very long lasting and interfere with a person's ability to function in his or her daily life and should have intervention.

The concept of feeling good incorporates not only the positive emotions of happiness and contentment, but also such emotions as interest, engagement, confidence, and affection. The concept of functioning effectively (in a psychological sense) involves the development of one's potential, having some control over one's life, having a sense of purpose (e.g. working towards valued goals), and experiencing positive relationships.