The Influence of Relational,Individual and Collective Self-Aspects on Stress,Uplifts and Health

The theoretical framework of the tripartite self was used to explore the links between relational (R), individual (I) and collective (C) self-aspects, corresponding sources of stress and uplifts, and health outcomes in a sample of 355 Australians (147 men, 208 women). Results supported a self-uplift congruence model of well-being, whereby the strength of a self-aspect guided the experience of recent uplifts in a corresponding R, I or C domain, which, in turn, contributed to well-being. There was partial support for a self-stress incongruence model of ill-being, whereby a strong self-aspect combined with recent stress in a mismatched domain contributed to ill-being. These findings, which highlight the role of the self and the importance of identifying relational, individual and collective sources of stress and uplifts, provide a promising new approach to understanding psychosocial influences on health and illness.