WhatisWellbeing?ByKarenGillespie,2015[paper]

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Thequestionofwhat‘wellbeing’meansanditsdefinitionhasperplexedphilosophersforcenturies,andremainsnotsomuchunansweredasopentoongoingdebate.Theuseoftermssuchas‘wellness’,‘subjectivewellbeing’,‘emotionalwellbeing’,‘psychologicalwellbeing’,‘health’,‘lifesatisfaction’,‘happiness’,‘flourishing’and‘qualityoflife’onanalmostinterchangeableorsynonymousbasishasfurthermuddiedthepicture.Thatitsdefinitionhaseludedconsensusmayalsobeareflectionofitsinherentcomplexitybutthishasnotpreventedamultitudeofdescriptions,ofwhichourtwofavouriteare:

• Wellbeingisaboutmorethanliving‘thegoodlife’:itisabouthavingmeaninginlife,aboutfulfillingourpotentialandfeelingthatourlivesareworthwhile…ourpersonalorsubjectivewellbeingisshapedbyourgenes,ourpersonalcircumstancesandchoices,thesocialconditionsweliveinandthecomplexwaysinwhichallthesethingsinteract.(Eckersley,Hamilton,&Denniss,2005)

• Wellbeingismorethanjusthappiness.Aswellasfeelingsatisfiedandhappy,

wellbeingmeansdevelopingasaperson,beingfulfilledandmakingacontributiontothecommunity.(Shah&Marks,2004)

Howeverwemightchoosetointerpretwellbeing,therearethreecentralthemes:

1. Self-fulfilmentinmasteringa‘balancedlife’isacoredependency.2. Wellbeingisan“activeagent”i.e.itisindividualswhopossessthepowerand

consciousnesstointerpretandcreatetheperceptionsofwellbeing.3. Anyevaluationsofwellbeingyieldadynamicratherthanfixedstateassessment

basedoncontinualfluxandnothingwillbringconstantcontentmentPathwaystoWellbeingHistoricallytherehavebeentwobroadlyopposingphilosophicalperspectivesregardingthemostlikelypathwaytowellbeing:

1. Hedonia(maximisingpleasurablepositiveemotionalaffect)and2. Eudaimonia(livinganAristotelianauthenticlifeofvirtueandself-actualizationand

positivefunctioning)Despitethehistoricalcontention,theprevailingviewtodayisthatboththeseperspectivesareinherentlyvalidandthatanintegratedapproachencompassingbothaspectswill

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contributetoaflourishingstate.Amorethoroughreviewoftheresearchrevealsamultitudeoffactorswhichaddfurthertoourunderstandingofthescientificpathwaystoachievingwellbeing:

1. Creatingmeaninginlife,senseofpurpose,spiritualwellbeing,healthofthesoul2. Engagementandflow,creativity,intellectualinspiration3. Personalgrowth,autonomy,competence,self-mastery,realisationofpotential,

abilitytofulfilone’sgoalsandself-realization4. Presenceofmorepositiveemotionandoptimismthannegativeaffectorpessimism5. Feelingsofharmony,mindfulness,balanceandevenness,innerpeace,serenity,

humility,authenticity,valuescongruenceandself-acceptance6. Socialconnectedness;family,supportivesocialandworkrelationshipswhich

facilitatebondbuilding,senseofbelonging,loveandintimacyTheAustralianWellbeingManifestoprovidesanaccessibleandintegrateddescriptionofthevariousdimensionsthatpromotewellbeing:Theevidenceshowsthatagoodmarriage,thecompanyoffriends,rewardingwork,sufficientmoney,agooddiet,physicalactivity,soundsleep,engagingleisureandreligiousorspiritualbeliefandpracticeallenhanceourwellbeing,andtheirabsencediminishesit.Optimism,trust,self-respectandautonomymakeushappier.Gratitudeandkindnessliftsourspirits:indeedgivingsupportcanbeatleastasbeneficialasreceivingit.Havingcleargoalswecanworktowards,a‘senseofplace’andbelonging,acoherentandpositiveviewoftheworld,andthebeliefwearepartofsomethingbiggerthanourselvesfosterwellbeing…Allinallourwellbeingcomesfrombeingconnectedandengaged,frombeingenmeshedinawebofrelationshipsandinterests.Thesegivemeaningtoourlives.Wearedeeplysocialbeings.Theintimacy,belongingandsupportseemtomattermost:andisolationexactsthehighestprice.(Eckersley,Hamilton,&Denniss,2005)TheGLWSapproachtoWellbeingWellbeingimpliesasenseofthriving,flourishing,beingfullyaliveandlivinglifetothefull,aswellasfeelingbalanced,calmandatease.Wellbeingisnotanentirelysteadystatewhichonceattainedcanbekeptsafelyforever–itwillfluctuateinaccordancewiththeevents,challengesandexperiencesweencounterbutalsofrompersontoperson.Eachofushasadifferentcombinationofpsychological,social,emotional,financialandphysicalresourcesuponwhichwedraw,andthesewillvaryasweprogressthroughthelifespan.

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Wellbeingcanbeimaginedasa“see-saw”withabalancepointbetweenanindividual’sinnerresourcepoolandthechallengesfaced.Stablewellbeingiswhenindividualshavethepsychological,socialandphysicalresourcestheyneedtomeetaparticularchallenge.Whenindividualshavemorechallengesthanresources,thesee-sawdips,alongwiththeirwellbeing.