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Handbook of Eudaimonic Well-Being pp 147–174Cite as

Eudaimonic Growth: The Development of the Goods in Personhood (or: Cultivating a Good Life Story)

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Part of the book series: International Handbooks of Quality-of-Life ((IHQL))

Abstract

Eudaimonic growth refers to the development of the varied goods of personhood over time. This chapter summarizes a theory of eudaimonic growth in three parts. In the first section of the chapter we consider a model of a good life that focuses on personhood and its development. In this model, eudaimonic well-being is defined as the wellness of one’s being. Hedonic pleasure and eudaimonic meaning are explained as two, irreducible features of a good life. The term “meaning” refers to the canonical goods of eudaimonia, such as wisdom, moral virtue, meaningfulness, self-actualization, and growth. In the second section we examine the idea of eudaimonic growth specifically, distinguishing eudaimonic, humanistic, and organismic value orientations as well as distinguishing growth valued from growth attained. In the third section we consider relations between eudaimonic growth and self-identity. The person who identifies with the idea of eudaimonic growth has what I call a transformative self. I take a narrative perspective on meaning-making and self-identity over time. The person constructs a transformative self in his or her life story, forming a narrative self-identity that features eudaimonic growth as a central theme. Such a life story borrows from cultural master narratives of eudaimonic growth, both reflecting and fostering cultural ideals of the good within the person’s life. We consider limitations of the person’s physical and social conditions that hinder one’s actualizing these ideals for eudaimonic growth. Finally, self-actualizing is presented as the development of self-authorship from independence to authenticity in a process of psychosocial maturation.

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Notes

  1. 1.

    Here I am presenting a case for what goods (like pleasure and meaning) are on the list for a good life. A good life may have pleasure but not virtuous meaning. A good life may have virtuous meaning but not pleasure. A good life need not have both.

  2. 2.

    I wish to thank Jeff Webster for his insightful remarks about the breadth of the construct of wisdom, some conceptions of which do correspond to subjective well-being, such as those dealing with what I am calling qualities of “meaningfulness.” For an empirical measure of cognitive, affective, and reflective dimensions of wisdom, see Ardelt (2003).

  3. 3.

    Whereas philosophical perfectionism reflects a theory’s teleological aims (as with Aristotle’s eudaimonia – Haybron, 2008), psychological perfectionism often has a more dire connotation, as in the personal pursuit of unrealistically or idealistically too-high expectations (even if certain forms of perfectionism can be adaptive – e.g., Chang, 2009).

  4. 4.

    However, any one redemptive event might be narrated in eudaimonic (e.g., selfishness to compassion) or hedonic ways (e.g., rags to riches).

  5. 5.

    Growth themes always express growth concerns (i.e., values and motives of eudaimonic growth) and sometime express growth attainments (e.g., “I grew from that event”). I am less interested in subjective assessments of growth at any one point in time and more interested in how growth concerns at one time predict subsequent increases in eudaimonic growth attained longitudinally. Still, all such research is needed and can shed light on the enormous project of studying eudaimonic development.

  6. 6.

    To temper the reverse ageism, let’s keep in mind that the cultivation of self-understanding toward authenticity is but one of many lines of development that constitute a good life (cf. the big umbrella of eudaimonia). One need not scale the heights of authenticity to be a good neighbor or parent etc.

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  1. University of Dayton, Dayton, OH, USA

    Jack J. Bauer

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  1. Jack J. Bauer
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Correspondence to Jack J. Bauer .

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  1. UiT The Arctic University of Norway, Tromsø, Norway

    Joar Vittersø

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Bauer, J.J. (2016). Eudaimonic Growth: The Development of the Goods in Personhood (or: Cultivating a Good Life Story). In: Vittersø, J. (eds) Handbook of Eudaimonic Well-Being. International Handbooks of Quality-of-Life. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-42445-3_10

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