The DOI matches its Crossref record; 66 of the 67 references it cites were found in a registry or an index.
The challenge of defining wellbeing
Open accessAbstract
Wellbeing is a growing area of research, yet the question of how it should be defined remains unanswered.This multi-disciplinary review explores past attempts to define wellbeing and provides an overview of the main theoretical perspectives, from the work of Aristotle to the present day.The article argues that many attempts at expressing its nature have focused purely on dimensions of wellbeing, rather than on definition.Among these theoretical perspectives, we highlight the pertinence of dynamic equilibrium theory of wellbeing (Headey & Wearing, 1989), the effect of life challenges on homeostasis (Cummins, 2010) and the lifespan model of development (Hendry & Kloep, 2002).Consequently, we conclude that it would be appropriate for a new definition of wellbeing to centre on a state of equilibrium or balance that can be affected by life events or challenges.The article closes by proposing this new definition, which we believe to be simple, universal in application, optimistic and a basis for measurement.This definition conveys the multi-faceted nature of wellbeing and can help individuals and policy makers move forward in their understanding of this popular term.
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“Being a multi-dimensional construct, the definition of psychological well-being, or the elements emphasized, change depending on the context in which it is studied (Dodge et al., 2012).”
From Psychological Well-Being and Its Relationships with Active and Passive Procrastination (2015) · cites this paper as Dodge et al., 2012
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In the citing paper
“The quest for a single definition of wellbeing is a quest as yet unresolved (Dodge, et al., 2012) and definitions currently in use are various.”
From A GROUNDED THEORY EXPLORATION OF WELLBEING FOR WOMEN WHO HAVE BEEN FORCIBLY DISPLACED AS A RESULT OF TRAUMA CAUSED BY CONFLICT, BASED ON THE EXPERIENCE OF PARTICIPANTS LIVING IN UGANDA (2025) · cites this paper as Dodge, et al., 2012
In the citing paper
“Fundamental to the challenge of measuring well-being is the extent of disagreement over its definition9 and theoretical basis.8”
From Review of 99 self-report measures for assessing well-being in adults: exploring dimensions of well-being and developments over time (2016) · cites this paper as [9]
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Citations
Cites
Happiness is everything, or is it? Explorations on the meaning of psychological well-being.
Ryff, C. D. (1989) · Journal of Personality and Social Psychology · doi:10.1037/0022-3514.57.6.1069 · Cited by 14,847
Subjective well-being: Three decades of progress.
Diener, E., Suh, E. M., Lucas, R. E., & Smith, H. L. (1999) · Psychological Bulletin · doi:10.1037/0033-2909.125.2.276 · Cited by 12,910
Diener, E. (1984) · Social indicators research series · doi:10.1007/978-90-481-2350-6_2 · Cited by 12,609
The structure of psychological well-being revisited.
Ryff, C. D., & Keyes, C. L. M. (1995) · Journal of Personality and Social Psychology · doi:10.1037//0022-3514.69.4.719 · Cited by 10,285
Well-being : the foundations of hedonic psychology
Kahneman, D. J., Diener, E. F., & Schwarz, N. (1999) · Cited by 7,472
Csíkszentmihályi, M. (1975) · Cited by 5,690
The mental health continuum: from languishing to flourishing in life.
Keyes, C. L. M. (2002) · Journal of Health and Social Behavior · doi:10.2307/3090197 · Cited by 5,133 · cited 1×
“Research in this area has been undertaken by Keyes (2002; 2005), who views mental health as a syndrome of wellbeing symptoms.”
BackgroundThe Structure of Psychological Well-Being.
Mechanic, D., & Bradburn, N. M. (1970) · American Sociological Review · doi:10.2307/2093340 · Cited by 4,925
Rogers, C. R. (1961) · Cited by 4,342
A Measure of Subjective Happiness: Preliminary Reliability and Construct Validation
Lyubomirsky, S., & Lepper, H. S. (1999) · Social Indicators Research · doi:10.1023/a:1006824100041 · Cited by 4,071
Cited by
Sorted by citations
Gardening is beneficial for health: A meta-analysis
Soga, M., Gaston, K. J., & Yamaura, Y. (2017) · Preventive Medicine Reports · doi:10.1016/j.pmedr.2016.11.007 · Cited by 688
“In this study, “wellbeing” was interpreted simply as “the state of being comfortable, happy, or prosperous”; proposing a single definition of wellbeing is still a substantial general challenge (Dodge et al., 2012).”
BackgroundLinton, M.-J., Dieppe, P., & Medina-Lara, A. (2016) · BMJ Open · doi:10.1136/bmjopen-2015-010641 · Cited by 638
Artificial intelligence in business: State of the art and future research agenda
Loureiro, S. M. C., Guerreiro, J., & Tussyadiah, I. P. (2020) · Journal of Business Research · doi:10.1016/j.jbusres.2020.11.001 · Cited by 682
A systematic review and meta-analysis of psychological interventions to improve mental wellbeing
van Agteren, J., Iasiello, M., Lo, L., Bartholomaeus, J., Kopsaftis, Z., Carey, M., & Kyrios, M. (2021) · Nature Human Behaviour · doi:10.1038/s41562-021-01093-w · Cited by 510
Social capital and health: A systematic review of systematic reviews
Ehsan, A., Klaas, H. S., Bastianen, A., & Spini, D. (2019) · SSM - Population Health · doi:10.1016/j.ssmph.2019.100425 · Cited by 468
Metadata
- Authors
- Dodge, R., Daly, A., Huyton, J., & Sanders, L.
- Affiliations
- Cardiff Metropolitan University (GB)
- Corresponding author
- Dodge, Rachel
- Venue
- International Journal of Wellbeing
- Publisher
- International Journal of Wellbeing
- Published
- 2012-08-28
- Volume
- 2
- Issue
- 3
- Pages
- 222-235
- ISSN
- 1179-8602 (ISSN-L)
- OpenAlex
- W4250386232
- Cited by
- 2,166
- References
- 67
- Citations by year
- 2026: 126 · 2025: 158 · 2024: 227 · 2023: 252 · 2022: 281 · 2021: 291 · 2020: 223 · 2019: 177 · 2018: 118 · 2017: 113 · 2016: 82 · 2015: 59 · 2014: 41 · 2013: 13
- FWCI
- 54.00
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- diamond
- doi.org
- Licence
- cc-by-nc-nd
- Locations
- International Journal of Wellbeing (publishedVersion, cc-by-nc-nd)
- Figshare (submittedVersion, cc-by-nc-nd)
- Cardiff Metropolitan Research Repository (Cardiff Metropolitan University) (submittedVersion, cc-by-nc-nd)
- Topics
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Social Psychology › Psychological Well-being and Life Satisfaction
- Health Sciences › Health Professions › General Health Professions › Health, psychology, and well-being
- Social Sciences › Sociology and Political Science › Quality of Life Measurement
- Keywords
- well-being, homeostasis, life problems, lifespan development, Aristotle, well-being measurement, life events
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