6 Contributors To Wellbeing
What does it mean to live a good life? For eons, from Aristotle to Plato & Abraham Maslow to Carl Jung have all had their say…
While researching for my book “Flow Fly Flourish”, I came across Carol Ryff’s seminal work on “Well-being”.
What I liked about her work is that she identified the recurrence and convergence across diverse theories from philosophical to psychological, and these intersections gave her the foundation for her new model of well-being.
A good life is balanced and whole. Ryff roots this principle in Aristotle’s Nichomachean Ethics, where the goal of life isn’t feeling good, but is instead about living virtuously.
Carol Ryff’s six categories of well-being are:
1. Self-acceptance
Positive attitude toward the self; acknowledgment and acceptance of multiple aspects of self, including good and bad qualities; positive feelings about one’s past
2. Positive relations with others
Warm, satisfying, trusting relationships with others; concern for the welfare of others; capacity for strong empathy, affection, and intimacy; understanding of the give-and-take of relationships
3. Autonomy
Self-determination and independence; the ability to resist social pressures to think and act in particular ways, regulate behavior from within, and evaluate oneself based on personal standards
4. Environmental mastery
Sense of mastery and competence in one’s environment; the ability to control a complex array of external activities and leverage opportunities; the capacity to choose or create contexts that suit needs and values
5. Purpose in life
The possession of goals and a sense of direction; the feeling that there is meaning to present and past life; holding beliefs that give life purpose as well as aims and objectives for living
6. Personal growth
Feelings of continued development and the sense that one is growing and expanding; openness to new experiences; realization of one’s potential and perceived improvement in self and behavior over time; change that reflects greater self-knowledge and effectiveness