The Philosophical Basis of Eudaimonic Psychology

Abstract

In what follows I will first discuss the philosophical tradition from which eudaimonic psychology draws inspiration, 'welfare eudaimonism.' Eudaimonistic accounts of well-being center on ideals of nature-fulfillment, which have distinctive attractions and draw similar objections, but also can vary widely. Aristotle's account is just one member of a diverse family of theories, which divide notably on several key questions, such as the role of virtue or species membership in well-being. The second half of this chapter discusses eudaimonic measures of well-being: what the rationale for such measures might be, and what form they should take. I sketch a core schema for eudaimonic scales that outlines what seem to be the most important sorts of indicators for eudaimonic instruments to include, nearly all of which are already highly prominent in the empirical literature. The actual task of scale design is of course best done by empirical researchers, who will also want to vary the schema according to their theoretical inclinations and operational needs. But I hope to make it clear that eudaimonic psychology is a more coherent and principled enterprise, than has often been supposed. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2017 APA, all rights reserved)