Beyond hedonic and eudaimonic well-being: Inspiration and the self-transcendence tradition

Abstract

In this chapter, we examine the role of inspiration in the promotion of well-being. We begin by reviewing conceptualizations of inspiration and theory concerning the two most prominent well-being traditions: Hedonic well-being and eudaimonic well-being. We then present theoretical arguments for a role of inspiration in promoting hedonic and eudaimonic well-being, and we present empirical evidence in support of such effects. In the final section, we argue that inspiration may be regarded as an indicator of hedonic and eudaimonic well-being in its own right. However, the two-tradition hedonic-eudaimonic perspective fails to provide an adequate historical-intellectual foundation for the type of well-being that inspiration represents. We conclude that inspiration is a paradigmatic exemplar of a third type of well-being-self-transcendent well-being-that has deep historical roots but that has been neglected by psychologists to date.