: Ed Diener
: The Science of Well-Being The Collected Works of Ed Diener
: Springer-Verlag
: 9789048123506
: 1
: CHF 107.00
:
: Theoretische Psychologie
: English
: 274
: Wasserzeichen/DRM
: PC/MAC/eReader/Tablet
: PDF
Major Theoretical Questions Theories about subjective well-being have grown over the past several decades, but have been re ned only slowly as adequate data have been compiled to test them. We can characterize the theories describing happiness along several dimensions. The rst dimension is whether the theory places the locus of happiness in external conditions such as income and status, as many sociological theories do, or within the attitudes and temperament of the individual, as many psychological theories do. Some have maintained that people adapt to all circumstances over time, so that only individual personality matters for producing happiness, whereas others believe that economicandothersocietalfacto sarethedominantforcesinproduc ngwell-being. Throughout my writings there is a mix of both the internal and external factors that in uence well-being. A second dimension that characterizes scholarship on well-being is the issue of whether the factors affecting well-being are relative or absolute. That is, are there standards used by people at all times and places in judging their lives and in reacting to events? Or are standards dependent on what other people possess, on expec- tions,andonadaptationlevelsba edonpastcircumstances?Again,t ereisevidence supporting the role of both universal and relative standards. People around the globe are probably in uenced by common factors such as friendship versus loneliness, but even these universal in uences on happiness are probably subject to some degree of comparison depending on what the person is used to and what others have. However, some factors might be much more comparative than other in uences, as Hsee, Yang, Li, and Shen (in press) have described.

Ed Diener is the Joseph R. Smiley Distinguished Professor of Psychology at the University of Illinois. He received his doctorate at the University of Washington in 1974, and has been a faculty member at the University of Illinois for the past 34 years. Dr. Diener was the president of both the International Society of Quality of Life Studies and the Society of Personality and Social Psychology. Currently he is the president of the International Positive Psychology Association. Dr. Diener was the editor of theJournal of Personality and Social Psychology and theJournal of Happiness Studies, and he is the founding editor ofPerspectives on Psychological Science. Diener has over 240 publications, with about 190 being in the area of the psychology of well-being, and is listed as one of the most highly cited psychologists by the Institute of Scientific Information with over 12,000 citations to his credit. He won the Distinguished Researcher Award from the International Society of Quality of Life Studies, the first Gallup Academic Leadership Award, and the Jack Block Award for Personality Psychology. Dr. Diener also won several teaching awards, including the Oakley-Kundee Award for Undergraduate Teaching at the University of Illinois.
Contents6
Contributors7
Endorsements8
Editor’s note concerning source publications10
Introduction—The Science of Well-Being: Reviews and Theoretical Articles by Ed Diener11
Developing the Science of Well-Being11
Major Theoretical Questions13
The Articles in this Volume14
Strengths andWeaknesses of the Field17
Advancing the Field18
References19
Subjective Well-Being21
Defining and Measuring SubjectiveWell-Being22
Influences on SubjectiveWell-Being34
Theory48
References58
In Pursuit of Happiness: Empirical Answers to Philosophical Questions69
A Short History of Happiness70
What is this Thing Called Happiness?71
Can People Be Happy?72
Do People Want to Be Happy?75
Should People Be Happy?76
How to Be Happy?77
Where DoWe Go from Here?80
On the Shoulders of Giants81
References81
Personality and Subjective Well-Being85
Defining SWB87
Measuring SWB90
Evidence for the Importance of Personality93
Summary105
References106
Beyond the Hedonic Treadmill: Revising the Adaptation Theory of Well-Being113
Our Research on Adaptation115
Implications of the Revised Model123
Future Research and Conclusions125
References126
Will Money Increase Subjective Well-Being?: A Literature Review and Guide to Needed Research129
Analyses at the Individual Level131
Analyses at the National Level141
Materialism145
Theoretical Models of the Data147
A Guide to Needed Research153
Conclusions159
References159
The Well-Being of Nations: Linking Together Trust, Cooperation, and Democracy165
Cooperation and Trust166
SubjectiveWell-Being167
The Effects of Cooperation and Trust on SWB168
The Effects of SWB on Cooperation and Trust170
Analyses from the World Value Survey172
Discussion178
Appendix180
References180
The Optimum Level of Well-Being: Can People Be Too Happy?184
The Concept of Happiness185
Happiness as the Objective of Life: Why Do People Pursue Happiness?186
Optimal Levels of Happiness: Is Happier Always Better?187
When Should Happier Be Better?189
Optimal Level of Happiness for Current Success191
Optimal Levels of Happiness for Future Success196
Discussion200
Conclusion204
References205
Beyond Money: Toward an Economy of Well- Being210
Economic Indicators Versus Well-Being212
The Unsystematic Nature of Current Findings and Measures215
Selected Findings with Policy Relevance217
A System of National Indicators252
The Central Place of Psychology in Creating National Well-Being261
Concluding Remarks261
References262
Conclusion: The Well-Being Science Needed Now275
References279