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.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Allport G.W. 1961 Pattern and Growth in Personality Holt, Rinehart and Winston, NewYork
Aristotle: 1985, Nichomachean Ethics (T. Irwin, translator) (Hackett, Indianapolis, IN)
Avery R.R., Ryan R.M. 1988 Object relations and ego development: Comparison and correlates in middle childhood. Journal of Personality 56: 547–569
Bauer, J.J., D.P. McAdams, and J.L. Pals: 2006, `Narrative identity and␣eudaimonic well-being’, Journal of Happiness Studies (this issue), DOI␣10.1007/s10902-006-9021-6
Diener E. 1984, Subjective well-being. Psychological Bulletin 95: 542–575
Jung C.G. 1933 Modern Man in Search of a Soul (W.S. Dell and C.F. Baynes, translators) Harcourt, Brace and World, New York
Kahneman D., Diener E. and Schwarz N. (eds) 1999, Well-Being: The Foundations of Hedonic Psychology (Russell Sage Foundation, NewYork)
Kraut R. 1979 Two conceptions of happiness. Philosophical Review 87: 167–196
Loevinger J. 1976 Ego Development Jossey-Bass, San Francisco
Maslow A.H. 1968, Toward a Psychology of Being (2nd ed) Van Nostrand, New York
Rogers C.R. 1962 The interpersonal relationship: The core of guidance. Harvard Educational Review 32: 416–429
Ryan R.M., Deci E.L. 2000 Self-determination theory and the facilitation of intrinsic motivation, social development, and well-being. American Psychologist 55: 68–78
Ryan R.M. and E.L. Deci: 2001 `On happiness and human potentials: A review of research on hedonic and eudaimonic well-being’, in S. Fiske (ed.), Annual Review of Psychology (Annual Reviews Inc., Palo Alto, CA) Vol. 52, pp.␣141–166
Ryan R.M., Sheldon K.M., Kasser T., Deci E.L. 1996 All goals are not created equal: An organismic perspective on the nature of goals and their regulation in Gollwitzer P.M., Bargh J.A. (eds) The Psychology of Action: Linking Cognition and Motivation to Behavior Guilford, NewYork pp. 7–26
Ryff C.D. 1989 Happiness is everything, or is it? Explorations on the meaning of psychological well-being Journal of Personality and Social Psychology 57:1069–1081
Tooby J., Cosmides L. 1992 The psychological foundations of culture in Barkow J.H., Cosmides L., Tooby J. (eds) The Adapted Mind: Evolutionary Psychology and the Generation of Culture Oxford University Press, NewYork pp. 19–136
Waterman A.S. 1993 Two conceptions of happiness: Contrasts of personal expressiveness (eudaemonia) and hedonic enjoyment Journal of Personality and Social Psychology 64: 678–691
Waterman, A.S., S.J. Schwartz and R. Conti: 2006, ‘The implications of two conceptions of happiness (hedonic enjoyment and eudaimonia) for the understanding of intrinsic motivation’, Journal of Happiness Studies (this issue), DOI␣10.1007/s10902-006-9020-7
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Deci, E.L., Ryan, R.M. Hedonia, eudaimonia, and well-being: an introduction. J Happiness Stud 9, 1–11 (2008). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10902-006-9018-1
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10902-006-9018-1