Flourishing across Europe: Application of a New Conceptual Framework for Defining Well-Being

Autor/inn/en	Huppert, Felicia A.; So, Timothy T. C.
Titel	Flourishing across Europe: Application of a New Conceptual Framework for Defining Well-Being
Quelle	In: Social Indicators Research, 110 (2013) 3, S.837-861 (25 Seiten) PDF als Volltext Verfügbarkeit
Sprache	englisch
Dokumenttyp	gedruckt; online; Zeitschriftenaufsatz
ISSN	0303-8300
DOI	10.1007/s11205-011-9966-7
Schlagwörter	Foreign Countries; Self Esteem; Psychometrics; Life Satisfaction; Profiles; Well Being; Cultural Differences; Mental Disorders; Anxiety; Depression (Psychology); Definitions; Mental Health; Social Indicators; Measurement; Sociometric Techniques; Research Methodology; Comparative Analysis; Surveys; Statistical Analysis; Resilience (Psychology); Psychological Characteristics; Cross Cultural Studies; Denmark; Portugal; Russia; Slovakia + Suchen Sie Ihr Suchwort? Ausland; Self-esteem; Selbstaufmerksamkeit; Psychometry; Psychometrie; Lebensvollendung; Charakterisierung; Profilanalyse; Well-being; Wellness; Wohlbefinden; Kultureller Unterschied; Mental illness; Geisteskrankheit; Angst; Begriffsbestimmung; Psychohygiene; Social indicator; Sozialer Indikator; Messverfahren; Soziometrie; Research method; Forschungsmethode; Survey; Umfrage; Befragung; Statistische Analyse; Cultural comparison; Kulturvergleich; Dänemark; Russland; Slowakei
Abstract	Governments around the world are recognising the importance of measuring subjective well-being as an indicator of progress. But how should well-being be measured? A conceptual framework is offered which equates high well-being with positive mental health. Well-being is seen as lying at the opposite end of a spectrum to the common mental disorders (depression, anxiety). By examining internationally agreed criteria for depression and anxiety (DSM and ICD classifications), and defining the opposite of each symptom, we identify ten features of positive well-being. These combine feeling and functioning, i.e. hedonic and eudaimonic aspects of well-being: competence, emotional stability, engagement, meaning, optimism, positive emotion, positive relationships, resilience, self esteem, and vitality. An operational definition of flourishing is developed, based on psychometric analysis of indicators of these ten features, using data from a representative sample of 43,000 Europeans. Application of this definition to respondents from the 23 countries which participated in the European Social Survey (Round 3) reveals a four-fold difference in flourishing rate, from 41% in Denmark to less than 10% in Slovakia, Russia and Portugal. There are also striking differences in country profiles across the 10 features. These profiles offer fresh insight into cultural differences in well-being, and indicate which features may provide the most promising targets for policies to improve well-being. Comparison with a life satisfaction measure shows that valuable information would be lost if well-being was measured by life satisfaction. Taken together, our findings reinforce the need to measure subjective well-being as a multi-dimensional construct in future surveys. (As Provided).
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Erfasst von	ERIC (Education Resources Information Center), Washington, DC
Update	2017/4/10