Faculty

Faculty of Arts and Humanities, The School for Advanced Studied in Arts and Humanities

Supervisor Name

Dr. Anthony Skelton

Keywords

Well-being, psychology of well-being, philosophy of well-being, positive psychology, hedonism, cross discipline research

Description

This research project focuses on the nature and causes of well-being. Though the study of well-being has proliferated in recent years, the nature and causes of well-being are difficult to discern. This research aims to gain clarity by appealing to the disciplines of philosophy and psychology.

Well-being is a multi-dimensional construct and has been philosophized and theorized by many scholars and thought leaders throughout history. This research aggregates a multitude of theories, approaches, and philosophies to explain the nature of well-being. Psychologists created SWPP, SWB, lifespan research, emotional regulation and mindfulness theory, PWB, and WBT to understand well-being. Additionally, they identified that trauma and adversity, racism, marginalization and inequality have negative impacts on well-being. Philosophy proposed principles of pleasure versus pain (hedonism), desire fulfillment, and the possession of certain goods (objective list theories) as the theories of well-being. Examining both philosophical and psychological accounts expands current understandings of well-being and offers insights only discovered through cross disciplinary investigation. Well-being is both psychological and philosophical in nature; it goes beyond simplistic ideas of happiness. Instead, conceptions of well-being extend to consider meaning-making, relationships, pain and challenges, desires, values and accomplishments, and more. A multidimensional review of the literature on well-being offers a complex understanding of the construct in current times.

Acknowledgements

I would like to thank Dr. Anthony Skelton for supervising my research, Dr. Barbara Bruce and Dr. Aara Suksi from the School for Advanced Studies in the Arts and Humanities for introducing me to this opportunity, and to Western Research, Western Libraries, and the Undergraduate Student Internship Program for the continued support.

Creative Commons License

Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial 4.0 License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial 4.0 License

Document Type

Poster

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The Nature of Well-being

This research project focuses on the nature and causes of well-being. Though the study of well-being has proliferated in recent years, the nature and causes of well-being are difficult to discern. This research aims to gain clarity by appealing to the disciplines of philosophy and psychology.

Well-being is a multi-dimensional construct and has been philosophized and theorized by many scholars and thought leaders throughout history. This research aggregates a multitude of theories, approaches, and philosophies to explain the nature of well-being. Psychologists created SWPP, SWB, lifespan research, emotional regulation and mindfulness theory, PWB, and WBT to understand well-being. Additionally, they identified that trauma and adversity, racism, marginalization and inequality have negative impacts on well-being. Philosophy proposed principles of pleasure versus pain (hedonism), desire fulfillment, and the possession of certain goods (objective list theories) as the theories of well-being. Examining both philosophical and psychological accounts expands current understandings of well-being and offers insights only discovered through cross disciplinary investigation. Well-being is both psychological and philosophical in nature; it goes beyond simplistic ideas of happiness. Instead, conceptions of well-being extend to consider meaning-making, relationships, pain and challenges, desires, values and accomplishments, and more. A multidimensional review of the literature on well-being offers a complex understanding of the construct in current times.

 

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