The Best Within Us assembles a panel of distinguished scholars whose work has been central to understanding positive aspects of psychological functioning. Together, the chapters explore the many ways in which the philosophic concept of eudaimonia is being employed in psychology.
Eudaimonia is defined in this volume as:
- Flourishing
- Realization of potentials reflecting the true self
- Happiness that comes from the pursuit of virtue/excellence
Although philosophy continues to pit hedonism and eudaimonism against one another, theoretical and empirical work in psychology leads to the conclusion that eudaimonic functioning is the most reliable basis for life satisfaction. The source of happiness plays the greatest role in the outcomes obtained.
Chapters in this volume also reveal that eudaimonic functioning not only yields quality of life benefits to the individual, it also benefits others in the person's life and extended community. Individuals whose behaviors reflect eudaimonic functioning have demonstrably closer, more caring, and more intimate personal relationships, and engage more extensively in a wide range of prosocial activities.
This book is for personality and social psychologists with a teaching and research interest in positive psychology, well-being, happiness, self-acceptance and self-esteem, identity, meaning in life, self-determination and autonomy, and motivation. Psychologists examining the intersections of psychology with philosophy will find much of interest here. This book is also for philosophers, sociologists, and political scientists, and graduate students seeking research ideas pertaining to quality of life.
Contributors
Preface
Introduction: Considering the Nature of a Life Well Lived — Intersections of Positive Psychology and Eudaimonist Philosophy
Alan S. Waterman
- Recipes for a Good Life: Eudaimonism and the Contribution of Philosophy
Valerie Tiberius - Feelings, Meanings and Optimal Functioning: Some Distinctions Between Hedonic and Eudaimonic Well-Being
Joar Vittersø - What Humans Need: Flourishing in Aristotelian Philosophy and Self-Determination Theory
Richard M. Ryan, Randall R. Curren, and Edward L. Deci - Eudaimonic Well-Being and Health: Mapping Consequences of Self-Realization
Carol D. Ryff - Eudaimonic Identity Theory
Alan S. Waterman and Seth J. Schwartz - Individual Daimon, Universal Needs, and Subjective Well-Being: Happiness as the Natural Consequence of a Life Well Lived
Kennon M. Sheldon - Pursuing Eudaimonia Versus Hedonia: Distinctions, Similarities, and Relationships
Veronika Huta - Is Meaning in Life a Flagship Indicator of Well-Being?
Michael F. Steger, Joo Yeon Shin, Yerin Shim, and Arissa Fitch-Martin - Passion and Optimal Functioning in Society: A Eudaimonic Perspective
Robert J. Vallerand - The Importance of Who You Really Are: The Role of the True Self in Eudaimonia
Rebecca J. Schlegel, Kelly A. Hirsch, and Christina M. Smith - Cross-Cultural Perceptions of Meaning and Goals in Adulthood: Their Roots and Relations With Happiness
Antonella Delle Fave, Marié Wissing, Ingrid Brdar, Dianne Vella-Broderick, and Teresa Freire - Discovering Positive Lives and Futures: Adolescent Eudaimonic Expression Through Activity Involvement
J. Douglas Coatsworth and Erin Hiley Sharp - Human Strengths and Well-Being: Finding the Best Within Us at the Intersection of Eudaimonic Philosophy, Humanistic Psychology, and Positive Psychology
P. Alex Linley
Index
About the Editor
Alan S. Waterman, PhD, is a personality and developmental psychologist. He received his doctorate in clinical psychology from the State University of New York at Buffalo in 1966. He is currently Professor Emeritus in Psychology at The College of New Jersey. He has served as president of the Society of Research in Identity Formation (SRIF) and is currently serving as editor of Identity: An International Journal of Theory and Research, a journal sponsored by SRIF. He is a fellow in APA Divisions 7 (Developmental Psychology) and 24 (Society for Theoretical and Philosophical Psychology). His interests include the philosophical foundations of personality theories and empirical research on identity formation; the quality of identity choices; and, more broadly, quality-of-life.
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