The Hedonic And Eudaimonic Views Of Happiness Psychology Term Paper

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1. Compare and contrast the hedonic and eudaimonic views of happiness. Provide example(s) where appropriate.
Happiness is one of the most subjective terms in the world. Its subjectivity makes it quite difficult to analyze or study and develop a universal way of assessing it. One universal fact about happiness is that people are after happiness even though some people do not know what makes them happy and what does not. The reason why happiness is subjective is that people are after different things in life and what makes someone happy may not necessarily make another person happy. Additionally, for most people, what makes them happy currently, may not necessarily make them happy tomorrow or as they age. So, for better understanding and analysis of happiness, often the term well-being is used in place of happiness. Davis (2010) defines well-being as “the experience of health, happiness, and prosperity.” She goes on to say that well-being “includes having good mental health, high life satisfaction, and a sense of meaning or purpose.” To better understand happiness and well-being, two words with a Greek background were conjured. These words include hedonic and eudaimonic happiness.
Hedonic happiness is the type of happiness where a person seeks to attain the highest level of pleasure. While in pursuit of hedonic happiness, people often try their best to avoid instances of pain or disappointment. For people who are looking for this sort of happiness or well-being, their goal is to experience life without its lemons. Hedonic happiness or well-being was coined by a Greek philosopher known as Aristippus. So, to attain this form of happiness, pain and pleasure need to have an indirectly proportionate relationship with the latter increasing and the former decreasing. To some people, happiness is the attainment of a lot of material wealth. To others, it can be traveling or touring the world without thinking about where the means to travel the world. The happiness being referred to here is one without disappointments or letdowns in life. So, it mainly involves living a good or happy life. A person who is after hedonic happiness will not be found doing things that are tedious or that derail them in any way. Their goal is to have as much pleasure as possible while reducing the instances of pain, discomfort or trauma. A good example would be someone who believes going out on drinking sprees with friends brings them happiness. For such a person, work or doing anything that is not in line with drinking and being around their friends is against what they believe to be happiness.
However, with regard to hedonic happiness, there have been those who are against this form of happiness. One of the reasons why this form of happiness is not considered realistic is that even though it may gift people momentary happiness, hedonic happiness does not contribute to one’s overall well-being. The above is said to be true because while in search of happiness, it is possible for people to be in pursuit of things that may endanger their lives. For example, an individual who goes on drinking sprees may endanger their lives by having risky sexual encounters or driving under the influence of alcohol. While what people do while chasing after hedonic happiness may bring them momentary happiness, in the end, their lives could be in danger and their future in jeopardy.
To counter the ideas expressed in hedonic happiness, Aristotle came up with eudaimonic happiness. To Aristotle, hedonic pleasure or happiness is not logical and can thus never be considered something worth attainable. Aristotle was keen to indicate that happiness or momentary pleasures of life do not necessarily mean that something or activity is worth one’s time. It is true that doing these things may bring one happiness or momentary pleasure. However, Aristotle was more concerned with the impact of these things on one’s future or well-being. His focus was more on the long-term effects and not on the short-term effects.
One of the major goals of eudaimonic happiness is that people should seek to attain personal fulfilment. Those seeking to attain eudaimonic happiness or well-being are usually after personal growth and not after momentary pleasures of the world. Everyone wants to feel good or do something that will make them happy. However, the difference comes in where some people want the feeling of happiness to have a longer-lasting effect. A good example of eudaimonic happiness or well-being is when a person is giving themselves to voluntary work in the hope of gifting disadvantaged children within their community a greater future. Volunteering as an activity does bring about satisfaction and can also make one happy. However, a person who is after eudaimonic happiness or well-being will not be after what they will feel after a single day’s work. These people will keep volunteering and working until they see lasting change within their community. It is true that they may feel good in the short-term, however, their joy or happiness lies in what they intend to achieve in the long-run. Eudaimonic happiness or well-being is simply understanding short-term feelings while still maintaining one’s trajectory or focus on long-term goals. Attaining this balance is easier said than done and often, people find themselves stuck in momentary pleasures at the expense of the long-term effects.
2. Discuss the underlying factor...