SACE Psychology · Stage 2
SACE Psychology Stage 2: Psychological Wellbeing — Flashcards & Quiz
SACE Psychology Stage 2 Psychological Wellbeing examines the factors that promote and hinder mental health across the lifespan. These 20 free flashcards and 20 true/false quiz questions cover the mental health continuum, resilience and protective factors, Seligman’s positive psychology and the PERMA model of flourishing, the biopsychosocial model of mental health, the DSM-5 diagnostic framework, stigma and its public health impact, CBT and other evidence-based interventions, mindfulness-based therapies (MBSR, MBCT), protective and risk factors across biological, psychological and social domains, the diathesis-stress model, social determinants of mental health, mental health literacy, help-seeking barriers, the headspace early-intervention model, culturally appropriate care in Indigenous mental health, and the research-design and evaluation skills assessed across KU, An and Ap criteria. Every card is mapped to the SACE Board Psychology Stage 2 curriculum and builds the evidence-based analytical skills required for Stage 2 assessments.
Key Terms
- Mental Health Continuum
- The conceptualisation of mental health as a spectrum from flourishing to languishing, rejecting a binary illness/wellness dichotomy.
- Biopsychosocial Model
- Engel’s (1977) model of health and illness integrating biological, psychological and social factors and their interactions.
- PERMA
- Seligman’s five-element model of flourishing — Positive emotion, Engagement, Relationships, Meaning, Accomplishment.
- Diathesis-Stress
- The model of mental illness as interaction between predisposing vulnerability (diathesis) and environmental stressor.
- Mental Health Literacy
- Jorm’s construct — knowledge and beliefs about mental disorders that aid recognition, management and prevention.
- Social Determinants
- The social, economic and environmental conditions (income, education, housing, discrimination) that shape mental health outcomes.
- SEWB
- Social and Emotional Wellbeing — the Indigenous Australian framework centring connection to country, culture, kinship and spirituality in mental health.
Sample Flashcards
Q1: What is the mental health continuum model?
The mental health continuum model proposes that mental health exists on a spectrum from flourishing (high wellbeing) through moderate mental health to languishing (low wellbeing) and mental illness. Individuals move along the continuum throughout their lives depending on biological, psychological and social factors. This model challenges the binary view that people are either "mentally ill" or "mentally healthy."
Q2: What is psychological resilience and what factors promote it?
Resilience is the capacity to adapt positively in the face of adversity, trauma or significant stress. Protective factors include: strong social support networks, secure attachment in childhood, effective coping strategies, self-efficacy, cognitive flexibility and access to community resources. Resilience is not a fixed trait but a dynamic process influenced by both individual and environmental factors.
Q3: Explain Seligman’s PERMA model of wellbeing.
Seligman’s (2011) PERMA model identifies five measurable elements of psychological wellbeing: Positive Emotions (joy, gratitude, hope), Engagement (flow states, absorption in activities), Relationships (social connections, love, belonging), Meaning (purpose, serving something larger than oneself) and Accomplishment (achievement, mastery, competence). Each element is independently measurable and contributes to flourishing.
Q4: Describe the biopsychosocial model of mental health.
The biopsychosocial model (Engel, 1977) proposes that mental health and illness result from the interaction of three categories of factors: biological (genetics, neurochemistry, brain structure), psychological (thoughts, emotions, coping skills, personality) and social (relationships, socioeconomic status, culture, community). No single factor is sufficient to explain mental health — it is always an interaction.
Q5: Distinguish between risk factors and protective factors for mental health.
Risk factors increase the likelihood of developing mental health problems (e.g. childhood trauma, poverty, genetic predisposition, substance abuse, social isolation). Protective factors reduce this likelihood (e.g. secure attachment, social support, physical activity, self-efficacy, access to mental health services). Both operate across biological, psychological and social domains.
Q6: How does stigma affect mental health outcomes and help-seeking behaviour?
Mental health stigma involves negative stereotypes, prejudice and discrimination toward individuals with mental illness. Public stigma (society’s attitudes) and self-stigma (internalised shame) both reduce help-seeking behaviour, delay treatment and worsen outcomes. Stigma can lead to social isolation, reduced self-esteem and reluctance to disclose mental health difficulties.
Q7: What is the DSM-5 and how is it used in mental health?
The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fifth Edition (DSM-5) is published by the American Psychiatric Association and is the primary classification system for mental disorders. It provides standardised diagnostic criteria based on symptom clusters, duration and functional impairment. While it improves reliability of diagnosis, critics argue it medicalises normal variation and is influenced by cultural biases.
Q8: What is positive psychology and how does it differ from traditional clinical psychology?
Positive psychology, founded by Martin Seligman (1998), focuses on what makes life worth living rather than treating pathology. It studies strengths, virtues, positive emotions, engagement, meaning and optimal human functioning. Traditional clinical psychology primarily focuses on diagnosing and treating mental disorders. Positive psychology complements rather than replaces clinical approaches.
Sample Quiz Questions
Q1: The mental health continuum model proposes that people are either mentally ill or mentally healthy with no intermediate states.
Answer: FALSE
The mental health continuum model proposes that mental health exists on a spectrum from flourishing to languishing, with many intermediate states. It explicitly challenges the binary illness/wellness dichotomy.
Q2: Resilience is a fixed personality trait that some people are born with and others lack entirely.
Answer: FALSE
Resilience is a dynamic process, not a fixed trait. It is influenced by protective factors (social support, coping skills, self-efficacy) and can be developed and strengthened throughout life through interventions and environmental changes.
Q3: Seligman’s PERMA model identifies five elements of wellbeing: Positive Emotions, Engagement, Relationships, Meaning and Accomplishment.
Answer: TRUE
PERMA stands for Positive Emotions, Engagement, Relationships, Meaning and Accomplishment. Seligman (2011) proposed that each element independently contributes to psychological flourishing.
Q4: The biopsychosocial model proposes that mental health is determined solely by neurochemical imbalances in the brain.
Answer: FALSE
The biopsychosocial model (Engel, 1977) proposes that mental health results from the interaction of biological, psychological AND social factors. Reducing mental health to neurochemistry alone reflects a purely biomedical model, which the biopsychosocial model was designed to replace.
Q5: Physical activity is a well-established protective factor that can reduce symptoms of depression and anxiety.
Answer: TRUE
Multiple research studies and meta-analyses confirm that regular physical activity significantly reduces symptoms of depression and anxiety, with the Black Dog Institute reporting 20–30% symptom reduction across Australian population studies.
Why It Matters
Psychological wellbeing is arguably the most personally relevant topic in SACE Psychology Stage 2, as it directly addresses the mental health challenges facing young Australians today. Understanding the mental health continuum, resilience and the biopsychosocial model equips you not only for exam success but also for recognising and responding to mental health difficulties in yourself and others. The concepts covered here — from Seligman’s PERMA model to the impact of stigma on help-seeking — connect directly to the Emotions topic (stress and coping) and Individual Development (risk and protective factors across the lifespan). SACE examiners assess your ability to apply these frameworks to real-world scenarios and evaluate evidence-based interventions, making this topic essential for achieving strong results across multiple assessment tasks.
Key Concepts
The Mental Health Continuum
Understanding mental health as a spectrum from flourishing to languishing challenges simplistic illness/wellness thinking. SACE assessments require you to explain how individuals move along the continuum and identify the factors that promote flourishing or contribute to languishing.
Resilience and Protective Factors
Resilience is a dynamic process influenced by biological, psychological and social protective factors. Being able to identify, categorise and explain these factors — using research evidence such as Werner and Smith’s Kauai study — is a core assessment skill.
The Biopsychosocial Model
Engel’s biopsychosocial model is the dominant framework for understanding mental health in SACE Psychology. Every extended response on mental health should address biological, psychological and social factors to demonstrate comprehensive analysis.
Positive Psychology and Evidence-Based Interventions
Seligman’s PERMA model and evidence-based interventions (CBT, MBSR, exercise) represent current best practice in promoting wellbeing. SACE assessments may ask you to evaluate these approaches, requiring knowledge of both their effectiveness and their limitations.
Common Mistakes to Avoid
- Treating mental health as binary (ill vs well) rather than as a continuum from flourishing to languishing — Stage 2 requires continuum-based analysis.
- Reducing mental health to neurochemistry — the biomedical model is explicitly rejected in favour of biopsychosocial analysis.
- Confusing public stigma (society’s attitudes) with self-stigma (internalised attitudes) — both reduce help-seeking but through different mechanisms.
- Attributing the DSM-5 to the WHO — the DSM-5 is published by the APA; the WHO publishes the ICD.
- Individualising mental illness without acknowledging social determinants — Stage 2 analysis must integrate social context.
Study Tips
- Create a visual diagram of the mental health continuum with labels for flourishing, moderate wellbeing, languishing and mental illness — use this as a framework for organising exam responses.
- Build a biopsychosocial table for at least two mental health conditions (e.g. depression, anxiety), listing biological, psychological and social risk and protective factors for each.
- Memorise the five PERMA elements using a mnemonic and practise applying each element to a scenario — SACE exams frequently present case studies requiring PERMA analysis.
- Use flashcards with spaced repetition to memorise key researchers (Seligman 2011, Engel 1977, Keyes 2002, Holt-Lunstad 2010) and their findings — citing specific research demonstrates depth.
- Practise writing evaluation paragraphs on the DSM-5 and positive psychology, addressing both strengths and limitations with supporting evidence.
- Connect wellbeing concepts to your own experience as a study strategy — personal relevance enhances encoding depth (Craik & Lockhart’s levels of processing from the Cognition topic).
Related Topics
Exam Prep & Study Notes
Frequently Asked Questions
What does SACE Psychology Stage 2 cover on psychological wellbeing?
This topic covers the mental health continuum, resilience and protective factors, Seligman’s PERMA model of positive psychology, the biopsychosocial model, mental illness classification (DSM-5), stigma and its impact on help-seeking, and evidence-based interventions for mental health.
Are these flashcards aligned to the SACE Board curriculum?
Yes — every flashcard and quiz question is mapped to the South Australian Certificate of Education (SACE) Board Psychology Stage 2 curriculum for the Psychological Wellbeing topic.
How does psychological wellbeing connect to other SACE Psychology topics?
Psychological wellbeing connects directly to the Emotions topic (stress and coping), Cognition (cognitive distortions in mental illness) and Individual Development (developmental risk factors). Understanding these connections strengthens responses across multiple assessment tasks.
Last updated: March 2026 · 20 flashcards · 20 quiz questions · Content aligned to the SACE Board