Hedonia, eudaimonia, and well-being: An introduction
Deci, Edward L. Ryan, Richard Michael
Deci, Edward L.
Ryan, Richard Michael
Abstract
Research on well-being can be thought of as falling into two traditions. In one—the hedonistic tradition—the focus is on happiness, generally defined as the presence of positive affect and the absence of negative affect. In the other—the eudaimonic tradition—the focus is on living life in a full and deeply satisfying way. Recognizing that much recent research on well-being has been more closely aligned with the hedonistic tradition, this special issue presents discussions and research reviews from the eudaimonic tradition, making clear how the concept of eudaimonia adds an important perspective to our understanding of well-being.
Keywords
eudaimonia, fully functioning, hedonism, subjective well-being
Date
2008
Type
Journal article
Journal
Journal of Happiness Studies
Book
Volume
9
Issue
1
Page Range
1-11
Article Number
ACU Department
Institute for Positive Psychology and Education
Faculty of Education and Arts
Faculty of Education and Arts