Cropanzano and Wright (2001) echo these sentiments with their own definition of subjective well-being. According to them, there are three main features of happiness. First, well-being is subjective. If people believe they are happy, then they are happy. Second, happiness is both the prevalence of positive affect and the absence of negative affect. Third, a person’s estimation of his or her well-being takes all aspects of that person’s life into account.
Cropanzano and Wright add that all scientific studies on happiness have always concentrated on one or more of these three features. Triandis (2000), on the other hand, expands all of these previous definitions by seeing subjective well-being as reliant on both emotion and cognition. The emotional or affective factors of happiness are expressed in statements such as “I feel good about my work,” while the cognitive factors of happiness are articulated in statements such as “I think that the most important parts of my life, including my family, job, and friends, are satisfactory. ”
Last but not the least, Diener (2000) conceptualizes happiness as a construct that is based on “what people think and how they feel about their lives – to the cognitive and affective conclusions they reach when they evaluate their existence. ” When people mostly experience pleasant emotions, when they perform enjoyable acts, when they do not feel a great mount of pain, and are generally contented with their lives, they are said to have a high level of subjective well-being. Diener’s research asserts that happiness is a combination of all of these factors. Models of Well-Being Ryff’s Theory-Guided Dimensions of Well-Being.
Ryff (1989) attempted to devise a theoretical framework for the existing scientific literature by formulating six models of well-being. These models were based on several prominent researchers’ ideas on positive psychological functioning. Ryff’s work drew from Jung’s views on individuation, Maslow’s definition of the fully functioning individual, Erikson’s psychosocial stages model, Allport’s notions of maturity, Roger’s ideas on the fully functioning person, Jahoda’s positive criteria of mental health, Buhler’s basic life tendencies, and Neugarten’s depictions of personality change in adulthood and old age.
The multiplicity of theoretical frameworks gave rise to Ryff’s multidimensional model of well-being. It is a model that takes into consideration many aspects of wellness, such as self-knowledge, self-confidence, healthy interpersonal relationships, and independence, to name a few. Ryff’s model of well-being has six prerequisites, the first being self-acceptance. This quality is necessary for a person to achieve self-actualization.
Without a positive self-image, an individual will be unable to function properly in society or gain a measure of maturity and wisdom. Thus, healthy self-esteem is a vital requirement for mental health. Second, well-being entails continuous growth, in the sense that a happy person must be able to continually improve his or herself and achieve his or her life goals. The third prerequisite of well-being is having specific goals in life.
In order to achieve subjective well-being, a person must believe that his or her life has a clear direction, focus and meaning. More importantly, that person must believe that he or she has a some degree of control over his or her life path. The fourth prerequisite is a healthy response to interactions with other humans. For an individual to be happy, he or she must have good relationships with other individuals. “Good” here is taken to mean relationships with an atmosphere of mutual trust, affection and empathy.
The fifth prerequisite is environmental mastery, or having some measure of control over one’s surroundings. Without any sense of power over their environment, individuals become restless, frustrated and resentful. Thus, proper psychological functioning is impossible without environmental mastery. The sixth and final prerequisite for Ryff’s model of well-being is autonomy. A sense of independence, of control over one’s own mind and body, and the ability to resist external forces is necessary to achieve happiness.