Developing Well-Being and Capabilities as a Goal of Higher Education: A Thought-Piece on Educating the Whole Student

Abstract

The role of well-being in higher education has received increased attention from both researchers and practitioners in recent years. Here we argue that (a) the multiplicity of approaches notwithstanding a eudaemonic approach to well-being represents an important lens through which to examine well-being in the educational context; (b) such an approach is consistent with the progressive school of thought in educational theory and learner-centered approaches to education; (c) multiple educational curricula consistent with eudaemonic principles already exist in the U.S. context, and (d) an educational system that has as its goal the expansion of eudaemonic wellbeing—depending on how well-being is defined—can contribute to a more just society and world. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2020 APA, all rights reserved)