Contemporary psychological conceptions of well-being and maturity: identifying similarities and differences

The article analyzes the main approaches to the definition of psychological maturity and well-being of personali- ty with the aim to make a clearer distinction between them. The topical character of the issue is explained by the growing interest to the positive side of human being and a widespread popularity of terminology of health, well-being and maturity. However, their ratio has not been sufficiently clarified. The paper discusses the concepts of sub-jective and psychological well-being with the support of empirical studies. It also presents integrative models of well-being focused on identifying psychological predictors of happiness. The authors analyze the notion of psycho-logical maturity of personality and set criteria for reflecting its content. There is also an emphasis on the areas of similarity and difference of the phenomena under consideration. The substantial similarity of the terms is provided by the range of common criteria and by their relation to the conceptions of positive functioning of personality. The authors conclude that the distinction is determined by the area of the notions application. Psychological maturity un-like well-being characterizes personality from the perspectives of its structure (harmony, wholeness) and the level of its ethical development. This concept could be considered as a criterion for the development of adult personality while well-being is much more subjective.