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The Happy Mind: Cognitive Contributions to Well-Being pp 389–407Cite as

Can Affectively Negative Experiences Contribute to Well-Being? The Affectively Negative Need-Fulfillment Model

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Abstract

Psychological well-being is traditionally characterized by high positive affect and low negative affect. However, we propose that experiencing negative affect can be beneficial for well-being. Specifically, we advance that psychological needs, which are vital for well-being, can be fulfilled in situations characterized by negative affect. To support our proposal, we outline five affectively negative situations (i.e., stressful goal-pursuit, the frightening supernatural, other-directed annoyance, passion for social causes or beliefs, highly adverse life events) that can simultaneously meet psychological needs. We summarize our proposals in the Affectively Negative Need-Fulfillment Model and contextualize our analysis within the literature.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Centre for Research on Self and Identity, Department of Psychology, University of Southampton, Southampton, SO17 1BJ, UK

    Jacob Juhl

  2. North Dakota State University, Fargo, North Dakota, USA

    Clay Routledge

  3. Texas A&M University, College Station, Texas, USA

    Joshua A. Hicks

  4. University of Southampton, Southampton, UK

    Constantine Sedikides

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  1. Jacob Juhl
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  2. Clay Routledge
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  3. Joshua A. Hicks
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  4. Constantine Sedikides
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Correspondence to Jacob Juhl .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Psychology, NDSU Department 2765, North Dakota State University, Fargo, North Dakota, USA

    Michael D. Robinson

  2. Department of Education and Psychology, Freie Universität Berlin, Berlin, Germany

    Michael Eid

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Juhl, J., Routledge, C., Hicks, J.A., Sedikides, C. (2017). Can Affectively Negative Experiences Contribute to Well-Being? The Affectively Negative Need-Fulfillment Model. In: Robinson, M., Eid, M. (eds) The Happy Mind: Cognitive Contributions to Well-Being. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-58763-9_21

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