Wellbeing and Mental Health

Goals

Mental health is not just the absence of mental illness but the presence of meaning, engagement, and other factors that characterize a good life. The goal of this VIP team is to conduct psychological research on factors that link to wellbeing and mental health in adulthood and old age. We emphasize how theories can be applied to study optimal development and individual adaptation to life circumstances. Specifically, students will work in groups to complete a research project, from conceptualizing concepts related to wellbeing and mental health, operationalizing the concepts, to analyzing data and writing up a report. Students will have opportunities to work with the instructor and submit their group work to local or national conferences.   
 

Issues Involved or Addressed

We will learn how young, middle-aged, and older adults lead their lives and adapt to life transitions and challenges. We will discuss factors that link to mental health and wellbeing. Example topics include emotional experience, thinking processes that people use to adapt to life circumstances, and individual and sociocultural factors that shape wellbeing and mental health.   
 

Partners/Sponsors

Center for Engineering Education Diversity (CEED); Women in Engineering (WIE); College of Engineering; the Center for the Study of Women, Science and Technology (WST).