Establishing a Comprehensive Hierarchical construct of Eustress (CHE).

Area of Science:

• Psychology
• Wellbeing Research

Background:

• Eustress, a positive psychological response to challenges, is increasingly studied for its benefits to wellbeing, performance, and growth.
• Existing definitions and measurements of eustress are fragmented and lack a unified construct, hindering research progress.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop a unified and empirically-based construct of eustress.
• To organize and define the multifaceted nature of eustress through a hierarchical structure.

Main Methods:

• Empirical extraction of 57 unique eustress features from 80 diverse articles.
• Organization and interpretation of extracted features into a Comprehensive Hierarchical construct of Eustress (CHE).
• Bibliometric analysis to identify frequently addressed hierarchical elements within the eustress literature.

Main Results:

• The Comprehensive Hierarchical construct of Eustress (CHE) organizes eustress into three sources: goal-directed action, fulfilling experiences, and individual qualities.
• Eustress is characterized as a family resemblance structure with statistical properties, manifesting in diverse states.
• CHE's trait-like qualities for generating eustress overlap significantly with established wellbeing elements.

Conclusions:

• Eustress is best conceptualized as a diverse family resemblance structure rather than a singular definition.
• The CHE model provides a unified framework for understanding eustress, integrating its sources and manifestations.
• Wellbeing appears to be a crucial factor contributing to an individual's capacity to experience eustress in challenging situations.