Wellbeing
entry by Julie M. Marx, Global Family Expert at Expat Valley
A multidimensional state encompassing psychological, social, physical, and functional flourishing. In internationally mobile contexts, wellbeing is dynamically affected by the demands of relocation, cultural adjustment, role transitions, and the quality of support structures available to the individual and family.
Comparable terms
Mental health (clinical — in formal usage refers specifically to psychological dimension; in popular usage often synonymous with wellbeing) · Quality of life (HR/research — functional, often quantitatively assessed) · Expat wellbeing (community, coaching — applied to international context) · Flourishing (positive psychology — specific theoretical construct; Seligman’s PERMA model)
Why this matters
International life puts extra strain on wellbeing through change, uncertainty, and loss of familiar supports. At the same time, it can enrich wellbeing through growth, connection, and meaningful work. Keeping the whole picture in view prevents focusing only on crises.
Cross-references
Flourishing (Wellbeing & Mental Health); EAP (Wellbeing & Mental Health); Resilience (Wellbeing & Mental Health); Meaning-Making (Wellbeing & Mental Health); Sense of Agency (Wellbeing & Mental Health). Flourishing is the positive end of the wellbeing spectrum — where wellbeing describes the full range from distress to optimal functioning, flourishing describes its fullest positive expression. EAP is the organizational mechanism most commonly tasked with supporting wellbeing when it is compromised; resilience is the protective capacity most associated with sustained wellbeing under adversity. Meaning-making and sense of agency are the two psychological processes most consistently associated with positive wellbeing in challenging circumstances including international relocation.
Sources
The foundational positive psychology framing is: Seligman, M.E.P. (2011). Flourish: A Visionary New Understanding of Happiness and Well-being. Free Press. For the expatriate-specific wellbeing literature, see: Stahl, G.K., & Caligiuri, P. (2005). The effectiveness of expatriate coping strategies: The moderating role of cultural distance. Journal of Applied Psychology, 90(4), 603–615.
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