ALMANAQUE

Positive Psychology and Its Conceptual Complements: Toward a Holistic Understanding of Well-Being

María Elena Garassini — 2025-09-15

Positive Psychology, known as the Science of Well-being, which was born on the shoulders of giants, its predecessors, has a wonderful current representation, its main authors, and a promising future from the studies that are beginning to develop in the third wave of Positive Psychology that contemplate “human complexity” as its center. This Science of Well-Being is born as a great compiler of authors and studies that contemplate the variables that correlate with well-being and full life. On the other hand, many scholars of human behavior have developed conceptual frameworks that complement the Positive Psychology theory of Well-Being, making it broaden and deepen some of its constituent elements (positive emotions, optimal experiences, interpersonal relationships, purpose and determination) and its transversal axis (character strengths). Similarly, the application and integration of the approaches of the Science of Well-Being to the different fields of human development has allowed for its broadening and a deeper understanding of human flourishing. The appearance in academic publishing houses of titles that combine and complement Positive Psychology such as: Positive Psychology and Nonviolent Communication, Sustainability and Positive Psychology, Character Strengths and Resilience, Contemplative Positive Psychology, Positive Psychology and Logotherapy, Positive Psychology from a Christian perspective, Positive Psychotherapy and Positive Parenting based on strengths, are a sample of the conceptual complements that open the way towards an integral understanding of wellbeing.

Decode Your Brain: A Neuroscientific Model for Well-Being and Personal Transformation

Rosa Elba Domínguez Bolaños — 2025-09-15

Neuroscience is the scientific study of the brain and, more specifically, the nervous system. Although attempts to understand its functioning date back centuries, it is in more recent times that this discipline has made significant advances, especially thanks to discoveries such as Santiago Ramón y Cajal’s neuron theory, which revolutionized our understanding of the nervous system. Beyond these discoveries that help us comprehend behavior and various bodily functions linked to the nervous system, there is an emerging field proposing important premises about how we might guide our brain to experience states of well-being by understanding its neurobiological mechanisms. This approach considers practices that Positive Psychology has been supporting for over forty years, such as building healthy relationships, experiencing positive emotions, and practicing mindfulness, among others. It is clear that many people aspire to achieve well-being; however, this goal requires consistent and daily effort that goes beyond mere desire, involving the development of habits that make it possible. The purpose of this work is to present a theoretical model that identifies the key elements for forming habits oriented toward well-being. It is grounded in a theoretical review of various authors who have contributed to the field of neuroscience for well-being.

Education in Mental Well-Being and Resilience: An Alternative for the Promotion and Prevention of Mental Health

Pura Zavarce Armas — 2025-09-15

The World Health Organization defines Mental Health as a state of mental well-being that enables individuals to cope with the stressful situations of life, develop their abilities, learn, work productively, and contribute to the improvement of their surrounding environments. The aim of this document is to present a strategic approach to psychoeducational intervention focused on the salutogenic factors that cause and sustain mental health over time for its promotion and prevention. Its deterioration persists globally, particularly among younger generations and in the area of social connection. Mental well-being is lower in more developed countries and higher in Latin America and Africa. There is a negative correlation with cultural and economic indicators. The gender gap is greater in Spanish-speaking Latin American countries, and higher levels of education and employment are associated with greater mental well-being. In Venezuela, people are facing circumstances that may be restricting their full potential. The most vulnerable groups include women, individuals over 65 years old, people living in poverty, those with lower levels of education, and youth between the ages of 18 and 24. Skills related to Mental Well-Being and Resilience can be taught and learned, making them a strategic focus for the promotion and prevention of Mental Health, as well as for meaningful and healthy human development. This requires networked collaboration and the establishment of alliances among all involved stakeholders, along with the creation of diverse forms of support and intervention that foster agency and autonomy, built with and for the communities.

High-Demand Psychology Service: A Model Proposed by the Baruta Municipality Caracas, Venezuela

Yorelis Acosta — 2025-09-15

This paper aims to propose a care model for high-demand psychology services, grounded in prevention and public health. It outlines the fundamental pillars of the model, which begins with an analysis of demand in psychosocial terms and includes response strategies for different types of users: municipal employees, residents of the municipality, and approximately 55% of users who reside in other municipalities within Greater Caracas. The model is based on the experience of the Psychology Service of the Baruta Municipality, located in Miranda State. The paper provides a general overview of the approach to mental health from a public health perspective, followed by a description of how the service operates, its objectives, and its psychosocial care strategies. These are aligned with principles from cognitive behavioral therapy, brief psychotherapy, and community clinical psychology, and include care modalities and key social programs. The intention is to encourage discussion around new approaches and training for psychologists to effectively respond to high demand in a primary care setting at the municipal level—one that integrates the well-being and mental health of both workers and citizens, in line with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), the World Health Organization (WHO), and the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO).

Emotional Skills for a Life Project with Well-Being

Zeneida Rocío Ceballos Villada — 2025-09-15

Rural adolescents in the Andean region of Colombia face significant challenges marked by inequitable opportunities for their educational and personal development. These challenges are further exacerbated by poverty, wide digital gaps, geographic isolation, and, fundamentally, limited emotional skills. To address this issue, the action research project "Life Skills for Adolescents in Strengthening Life Projects through Rural Identity" used the Social Entrepreneurship Lab as its central strategy—an experiential space in which adolescents developed entrepreneurial skills, analyzed their local contexts, and strengthened community ties to design, critically evaluate, and manage strategies for launching ventures that respond to territorial needs. The project was carried out with students in grades nine, ten, and eleven from two rural educational institutions—one in the department of Cauca and the other in the department of Nariño, Colombia. The study demonstrated the practical connection between emotional skills and life project development, highlighting the importance of recognizing, regulating, and appropriately expressing emotions in building life projects that foster well-being.

Unleashing Talent: The Path to Flow and Engagement through Positive Psychology

Erick Ibarra Cruz — 2025-09-15

This article explores the relationship between talent development and individual well-being within the context of Positive Psychology, analyzing the impact of the concepts of Flow and Engagement on the academic and professional success of undergraduate students. Using a mixed-methods research approach, it examines strategies based on talent diagnosis for vocational guidance, implemented with users of the services offered by CIDDET. Through case studies and recommendations, the article aims to demonstrate how aligning personal strengths with career choices can enhance life satisfaction, academic performance, and sustainable professional success.

Well-Being, Happiness, and ICT: A Productive Alliance for Human Development?

Astrid Sofía Suárez Barros — 2025-09-15

Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) have become an essential part of human life in the 21st century, and it is necessary to examine the productive alliance that can be formed between these technologies, well-being, happiness, and human development. The main objective of this article is to analyze the contributions, challenges, and risks involved in linking studies and interventions in the field of well-being and happiness with technological tools and platforms that have the potential to impact human development. This work stems from research activities carried out by the authors, who have associated these two lines of work: happiness and well-being, and technological applications. The presentation offers a critical analysis of the relationships between Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) and human happiness and well-being, through a lens that highlights key aspects for understanding different conceptions of happiness and well-being. These include perspectives from health organizations, and research approaches from psychology, sociology, and economics, all of which are connected to the technological characteristics of the current historical moment. From this conceptual analysis, the article presents an overview and trajectory of research on well-being in relation to the productivity enabled by the use and implementation of technological tools. The article concludes with a real case study illustrating the application of technology in a research and intervention process within the science of well-being.

Workplace Well-Being Programs: An Alternative for Disease Prevention and Health Promotion in Organizations

Claudia Carolina Cabrera Gómez — 2025-09-15

The impact of work-related stress on employees' health is considered a public health issue and is classified among psychosocial risks. This highlights the importance of conducting studies that strengthen workers' well-being and the development of programs aimed at reducing risk factors within organizational environments. The main objective of this study was to analyze the effect of a well-being program based on psychoeducation to reduce stress levels among employees of an organization. The specific objectives were: to identify the level of stress among workers, to design and implement a psychoeducational program titled Mental Health and Safe Work, and finally, to determine the effect of the program after its implementation. The study followed a quantitative research methodology, within an empirical-analytical, explanatory, pre-experimental paradigm. It is worth noting that the program was implemented with a population of 75 employees. To assess stress levels (pretest-posttest), the Stress Scale from the Battery for the Evaluation of Psychosocial Risk Factors—developed by the Ministry of Social Protection—was used. This instrument evaluates four types of symptoms: physiological, social-behavioral, intellectual-occupational, and psycho-emotional. Posttest results showed that the program had an effect on physiological, social-behavioral, and intellectual-occupational symptoms, but not on psycho-emotional symptoms. This outcome is attributed to contextual situations being experienced by the organization's employees at the time.

Well-Being and Its Relationship with Emotional Climate, Perception of Social Problems, and Institutional Trust

Marcela Muratori — 2025-09-15

From a psychosocial perspective, the perception of the social context plays a fundamental role in well-being. It is not only important how individuals value their relationships, but also how they interpret broader factors that influence their connection with the environment. This study analyzes the relationship between well-being and social variables such as perceived social problems, emotional climate, and institutional trust. The sample was intentional and included 243 Argentine participants between the ages of 18 and 78. While the results indicate satisfactory levels of well-being, participants reported a high number of social problems, perceived the emotional climate negatively, and expressed low levels of institutional trust. Regarding gender, women reported lower life satisfaction and perceived a more negative emotional climate. In terms of age, older adults showed higher levels of both hedonic and eudaimonic well-being compared to younger participants. Overall, well-being was positively associated with a positive emotional climate and greater institutional trust. Conversely, lower well-being was linked to higher negative affect. In addition, a high perception of social problems was related to lower social well-being. People who feel part of their community, hold positive attitudes toward others, and are optimistic about the social future tend to experience a more positive emotional climate. In contrast, a negative emotional climate was associated with lower institutional trust and a higher perception of social problems.