Positive Sororities: Positive Institutions for Student Well-Being Amidst a National Campus Mental Health Crisis
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generation z
sororities
mental health
well-being
curriculum
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College students nationwide are struggling more than ever before and facing a mental health crisis. While many students transition and adapt to college life successfully, more students are arriving to college unprepared to handle new stressors and thrive in college. There are many generational differences between Generation Z and prior generations that provide indications to what has changed and what is impacting students today. This generation has never known a life without smartphones and social media. Generation Z not only has to manage life in college, but also life online and this blur between their virtual world and reality may be a big contributing factor to the problem. There are also gender differences in this mental health crisis. By understanding the dynamics of well-being, a focus of positive psychology, we can help students thrive in college. One avenue for student success and well-being is developing a sense of belonging on campus. Sorority membership helps fulfill this need, as well as enhance the elements of PERMA that contribute to well-being. Sororities, as positive institutions, have the opportunity to promote well-being and offer tools and resources, such as a member well-being curriculum, to help their members flourish in college and beyond.