Clarifying eudaimonia and psychological functioning to complement evaluative and experiential well-being : Why basic psychological needs should be measured in national accounts of well-being
Journal article
Martela, Frank and Ryan, Richard M.. (2023). Clarifying eudaimonia and psychological functioning to complement evaluative and experiential well-being : Why basic psychological needs should be measured in national accounts of well-being. Perspectives on Psychological Science. 18(5), pp. 1121-1135. https://doi.org/10.1177/17456916221141099
Authors | Martela, Frank and Ryan, Richard M. |
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Abstract | Measuring subjective well-being as a key indicator of national wellness has increasingly become part of the international agenda. Current recommendations for measuring well-being at a national level propose three separate dimensions: evaluative well-being, experiential well-being, and eudaimonia. Whereas the measurement of the first two dimensions is relatively standardized, the third category has remained undertheorized, lacking consensus on how to define and operationalize it. To remedy the situation, we propose that the third dimension should focus on psychological functioning and the identification of key psychological factors humans generally need to live well. A key part of psychological functioning is the satisfaction of basic psychological needs—specific types of satisfying experiences that are essential for psychological health and well-being. Psychological needs as a category provides a parsimonious set of elements with clear inclusion criteria that are strongly anchored in theory and our current understanding of human nature—and could thus form a core part of the third, “eudaimonic” dimension of well-being. The needs for autonomy, competence, and relatedness have especially received broad empirical support. Accordingly, national accounts of well-being should include measures for key psychological needs to gain an enriched and practically useful understanding of the well-being of the citizens. |
Keywords | national indicators of well-being; subjective well-being; eudaimonia; eudaimonic well-being; psychological functioning; psychological needs; self-determination theory |
Year | 2023 |
Journal | Perspectives on Psychological Science |
Journal citation | 18 (5), pp. 1121-1135 |
Publisher | SAGE Publications |
ISSN | 1745-6916 |
Digital Object Identifier (DOI) | https://doi.org/10.1177/17456916221141099 |
PubMed ID | 36626353 |
Scopus EID | 2-s2.0-85146065898 |
Web address (URL) | https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/17456916221141099 |
Open access | Published as ‘gold’ (paid) open access |
Research or scholarly | Research |
Page range | 1121-1135 |
Publisher's version | License File Access Level Open |
Output status | Published |
Publication dates | |
Online | 10 Jan 2023 |
Publication process dates | |
Deposited | 22 Jun 2023 |
https://acuresearchbank.acu.edu.au/item/8z2qq/clarifying-eudaimonia-and-psychological-functioning-to-complement-evaluative-and-experiential-well-being-why-basic-psychological-needs-should-be-measured-in-national-accounts-of-well-being
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Publisher's version
OA_Martela_2023_Clarifying_eudaimonia_and_psychological_functioning_to.pdf | |
License: CC BY 4.0 | |
File access level: Open |
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