In positive psychology, the shift from a hedonic view of
well-being to a eudaimonic perspective is clearly a shift in a more humanistic
direction and is explicitly inspired by the humanistic philosophy of Aristotle.
Whereas hedonic well-being is defined in terms of the ratio of pleasure to pain
in one’s life, eudaimonic well-being is understood to be a reflection of a
person who is flourishing in terms of his or her character strengths and
virtues, including, among other things: autonomy, mastery of the environment,
personal growth, positive interpersonal relationships, purpose in life, and
self-acceptance. The concept of eudaimonic well-being derives from Aristotelian
virtue theory. Aristotle and his followers conceptualized well-being as
composed of an individual’s virtuous traits, and only a happiness that flows
from legitimate harmony of the virtues was thought to be a genuine happiness. All
other forms of happiness were understood to be superficial and fleeting.
Stephen Joseph (ed.), “Positive Psychology in Practice:
promoting human flourishing in work, health, education, and everyday life”, (New
Jersey: Wiley, 2015)
