5.1: Introduction to Eudaimonia
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Upon reading this chapter, the reader should be able to:
- Define eudaimonia and its importance in psychology, including its components and key researchers.
- Explore the relationship between meaning in life and well-being outcomes, and apply techniques for enhancing personal meaning.
- Understand the concept of flow, its characteristics, conditions for experiencing it, and its impact on overall well-being.
What is Happiness?
In an earlier chapter, we touched on the concept of hedonia, which centers on the pursuit of pleasure. However, Aristotle challenged the notion that pleasure alone leads to a fulfilling life. He proposed the concept of eudaimonia, which encompasses self-discovery, realizing one's fullest potential, finding purpose and meaning, engaging deeply in activities, investing significant effort, and experiencing personal expression and profound connections in life. Interestingly, research shows a strong correlation between measures of hedonism and eudaimonia, with an average correlation coefficient of 0.8. Reflecting on this correlation offers valuable insights for future research and interventions in positive psychology.
To read more about this issue, read Todd Kashdan’s critique of Aristotle's Eudaimonic theory and his exploration of the various types of happiness in "How Many Types of Happiness Exist?¹"
Some well-known eudaimonic researchers include Carol Ryff, Ed Deiner, Martin Seligman.
Carol Ryff developed the Psychological Well-Being Scale, which assesses six dimensions of well-being: purpose, mastery, self-acceptance, autonomy, personal growth, and positive relationships—all integral to eudaimonia. To learn more about this scale, visit Stanford University's dedicated page on the Well-being Scale². You can also complete the questionnaire at this link³.
We also touched upon Martin Seligman's PERMA model in an earlier chapter, which remains relevant here. To recap, PERMA represents Pleasure, Engagement (e.g., flow), Relationships, Meaning, and Achievement. You can explore the PERMA questionnaire on the University of Pennsylvania's Authentic Happiness website⁴ and find more information about the measure and scoring in the PERMA Profiler, authored by Julie Butler and Margaret L. Kern.
Significance of Eudaimonia
Ed Diener, a leading researcher in the field of happiness, emphasized the significance of eudaimonic well-being, suggesting that it plays a crucial role in sustaining long-term subjective well-being. In essence, continuous pursuit of pleasure alone is insufficient for lasting happiness. Diener argued that individuals require additional factors such as long-term goals, purpose and meaning, meaningful relationships, and experiences of mastery and flow to achieve overall well-being.
Life satisfaction captures how individuals perceive their past, present, and future circumstances, focusing more on cognitive aspects than emotions. It reflects overall contentment with various life domains, including relationships, achievements, and coping abilities. Notably, cultural and individual values heavily influence how satisfaction is gauged. For instance, in collectivist societies, meeting societal expectations may impact satisfaction, while in individualistic cultures, personal esteem plays a more significant role.
Although hedonia and eudaimonia are not so separate as some would have us believe, it is useful to consider eudaimonia as valuable because it can create long-term and repeated happiness for humans. These are things we need to be happy and to make others happy.
We measure and manipulate eudaimonic constructs through various methods and interventions. For example, eudaimonia is typically measured through self-report measures that are reasonably valid. However, altering eudaimonia, like improving one's sense of purpose or relationships, might not be as simple as with hedonia. This prompts consideration of how daily measures of hedonic experiences, including positive and negative emotions, might be affected by changes in eudaimonic well-being.
theory that encompasses self-discovery, realizing one's fullest potential, finding purpose and meaning, engaging deeply in activities, investing significant effort, and experiencing personal expression and profound connections in life
Attribution
¹Kashdan, T. B. (2015, September 3). How Many Types of Happiness Exist? Psychology Today. https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/curious/201509/how-many-types-happiness-exist
²Stanford University. (n.d.). Psychological Wellbeing Scale. Stanford | SPARQtools. Retrieved from https://sparqtools.org/mobility-measure/psychological-wellbeing-scale/
³University, © Stanford (n.d.). Psychological Wellbeing Scale | SPARQtools. Retrieved from https://sparqtools.org/mobility-measure/psychological-wellbeing-scale/
⁴Seligman, M. (2005). Authentic happiness questionnaire. Positive Psychology Center, University of Pennsylvania. https://www.authentichappiness.sas.upenn.edu/testcenter