Abstract
This chapter summarizes the work of Veronika Huta and of researchers who have used her measure of eudaimonic and hedonic orientations, the HEMA (Hedonic and Eudaimonic Motives for Activities). Huta and Waterman (2014) classified definitions of eudaimonia and hedonia into four categories – orientations (priorities, values, motives, goals), behaviors, experiences (affect, appraisals), and functioning (abilities, accomplishments, healthy habits). This chapter reports preliminary analyses showing that hedonic experiences (e.g., positive affect, carefreeness) formed a separate factor from eudaimonic experiences (e.g., feelings of meaning/value, accomplishment, interest); eudaimonic and hedonic orientations also formed distinct factors. Recently, Huta developed an expanded characterization of eudaimonia and hedonia in all four definition categories, including the cell that has heretofore been neglected – healthy hedonic functioning – to complement Ryff’s (1985) theory of eudaimonic functioning. In the recently updated HEMA, eudaimonia is defined as an orientation towards four elements: authenticity, meaning/broad concerns, excellence/morality, and growth/maturity; hedonia is defined as an orientation toward pleasure/satisfaction and comfort/ease. HEMA eudaimonic and hedonic orientations have correlated with somewhat different niches of personal well-being experience, need satisfaction, health behavior, and functioning; the combination of eudaimonic and hedonic orientations has related to higher scores on well-being than either pursuit alone. Eudaimonic pursuits have been linked with more positive contributions to others, society, and the environment. Only a eudaimonic orientation has related to abstract thinking and future time perspective. Finally, only eudaimonia has related to having parents who were responsive and demanding. The chapter concludes with philosophical thoughts on why eudaimonia and hedonia are both good, and how one pursuit is higher while the other is more fundamental.
Keywords
- Wellbeing
- Eudaimonia
- Hedonia
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Appendices
Appendix A: Correlations of HEMA Eudaimonic and Hedonic Motives with Well-Being Experiences, Need Satisfaction, and Health Behaviors: Trait, Situational, State
HEMA eudaimonia | HEMA hedonia | Studies | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
Well-being experience measure (authors in parentheses) | ||||
Meaning experience (Huta & Ryan, 2010) | 0.4 | 0.2 | ||
Meaning experience (Huta & Ryan, 2010) | 0.4 | −0.1 | (Behzadnia, 2015) | |
Meaning experience (Huta & Ryan, 2010) | 0.5 | 0.1 | ||
PERMA meaning (Kern & Butler, J. (June, 2013) | 0.4 | 0.1 | Huta (2015a) | |
Elevating experience (Huta & Ryan, 2010) | 0.4 | 0.1 | Henderson et al. (2013a), Huta (2012), Huta et al. (2012), and 4x Huta and Ryan (2010) | |
Elevating experience (Huta & Ryan, 2010) | 0.2 | 0.2 | Behzadnia (2015) | |
Elevating experience (Huta & Ryan, 2010) | 0.4 | 0.2 | ||
Self-connectedness (Huta, 2012) | 0.4 | 0.1 | Huta (2012), Huta et al. (2012), and 4x Huta and Ryan (2010) | |
Self-connectedness (Huta, 2012) | 0.4 | 0.2 | ||
Interest (Vittersø et al., 2005) | 0.4 | 0.1 | Huta (2015a) | |
PERMA engagement (Kern & Butler, J. (June, 2013) | 0.4 | 0.1 | Huta (2015a) | |
Flow experience (Delle Fave & Massimini, 1988) | 0.3 | 0.0 | Huta (2015a) | |
PERMA accomplishment (Kern & Butler, J. (June, 2013) | 0.4 | 0.1 | Huta (2015a) | |
PEAQ personal expressiveness (Waterman, 1993) | 0.3 | 0.2 | Huta (2015a) | |
Carefreeness (Huta & Ryan, 2010) | 0.1 | 0.3 | ||
Carefreeness (Huta & Ryan, 2010) | 0.0 | 0.3 | Behzadnia (2015) | |
Carefreeness (Huta & Ryan, 2010) | 0.1 | 0.5 | ||
Positive affect (Diener & Emmons, 1984) | 0.3 | 0.4 | Huta (2012), Huta et al. (2012), and 4x Huta and Ryan (2010) | |
Positive affect (Diener & Emmons, 1984) | 0.2 | −0.1 | Behzadnia (2015) | |
Positive affect (Diener & Emmons, 1984) | 0.2 | 0.6 | ||
PANAS positive affect (Watson, Clark, & Tellegen, 1988) | 0.3 | 0.4 | Henderson et al. (2013a) | |
PANAS positive affect (Watson et al., 1988) | 0.5 | 0.5 | Besenski (2009) | |
Bradburn positive affect (Bradburn, 1969) | 0.3 | 0.2 | Huta (2015a) | |
PERMA positive emotions (Kern & Butler, J. (June, 2013) | 0.3 | 0.2 | Huta (2015a) | |
SPANE positive experience (Diener et al., 2009) | 0.3 | 0.2 | Huta (2015a) | |
PEAQ hedonic enjoyment (Waterman, 1993) | 0.3 | 0.2 | Huta (2015a) | |
Pleasure (Vittersø et al., 2005) | 0.4 | 0.2 | Huta (2015a) | |
Emotional well-being (Keyes, 2002) | 0.2 | 0.1 | Huta (2015a) | |
Negative affect (Diener & Emmons, 1984) | −0.1 | −0.1 | Huta (2012), Huta et al. (2012), and 4x Huta and Ryan (2010) | |
Negative affect (Diener & Emmons, 1984) | −0.3 | 0.3 | Behzadnia (2015) | |
Negative affect (Diener & Emmons, 1984) | 0.0 | −0.4 | ||
PANAS negative affect (Watson et al., 1988) | 0.0 | −0.2 | Henderson et al. (2013a) | |
PANAS negative affect (Watson et al., 1988) | −0.1 | −0.2 | Besenski (2009) | |
DASS21 depression (Lovibond & Lovibond, 1995) | −0.1 | −0.3 | Henderson et al. (2013a) | |
DASS21 stress (Lovibond & Lovibond, 1995) | −0.2 | −0.3 | Henderson et al. (2013a) | |
DASS21 anxiety (Lovibond & Lovibond, 1995) | −0.1 | −0.2 | Henderson et al. (2013a) | |
SPANE negative experience (Diener et al., 2009) | −0.1 | 0.0 | Huta (2015a) | |
Bradburn negative affect (Bradburn, 1969) | −0.2 | 0.0 | Huta (2015a) | |
Life satisfaction (Diener, Emmons, Larsen, & Griffin, 1985) | 0.2 | 0.2 | Henderson et al. (2013a, 2013b), Huta (2012), Huta et al.. (2012), and 4x Huta and Ryan (2010) | |
Life satisfaction (Diener et al., 1985) | 0.3 | 0.2 | ||
Vitality (Ryan & Frederick, 1997) | 0.3 | 0.2 | Henderson et al. (2013a), Huta (2012), Huta et al. (2012), and 4x Huta and Ryan (2010) | |
Vitality (Ryan & Frederick, 1997) | 0.3 | −0.1 | Behzadnia (2015) | |
Vitality (Ryan & Frederick, 1997) | 0.2 | 0.4 | ||
Self-esteem (Robins, Hendin, & Trzesniewski, 2001) | 0.2 | 0.2 | Huta (2012), Huta et al. (2012), and 4x Huta and Ryan (2010) | |
Self-esteem (Robins et al., 2001) | 0.2 | 0.0 | Behzadnia (2015) | |
Self-esteem (Robins et al., 2001) | 0.3 | 0.3 | ||
Need satisfaction measure (authors in parentheses) | ||||
Competence satisfaction (Gagné, 2003) | 0.3 | 0.1 | Huta (2015a) | |
Competence satisfaction (Gagné, 2003) | 0.5 | 0.4 | ||
Workplace competence satisfaction (Gagné, 2003) | 0.3 | 0.1 | (2x Ramirez, 2013) | |
Relatedness satisfaction (Gagné, 2003) | 0.3 | 0.2 | Huta (2015a) | |
Relatedness satisfaction (Gagné, 2003) | 0.5 | 0.4 | ||
Workplace relatedness satisfaction (Gagné, 2003) | 0.2 | 0.2 | (2x Ramirez, 2013) | |
PERMA relationships (Kern & Butler, J. (June, 2013) | 0.3 | 0.1 | Huta (2015a) | |
Autonomy satisfaction (Gagné, 2003) | 0.2 | 0.1 | Huta (2015a) | |
Autonomy satisfaction (Gagné, 2003) | 0.4 | 0.4 | ||
Workplace autonomy satisfaction (Gagné, 2003) | 0.3 | 0.2 | (2x Ramirez, 2013) | |
Health behavior measure (authors in parentheses) | ||||
Physical activity (Godin & Shepard, 1985) | 0.4 | 0.3 | Mack et al. (2011) | |
Physical activity (Wendel-Vos, Schuit, Saris, & Kromhout, 2003) | 0.2 | 0.1 | ||
Hours of exercise per week (ad hoc) | 0.2 | 0.0 | Myskiw (2014) | |
Hours of exercise per week (ad hoc) | −0.1 | 0.1 | Myskiw (2014) | |
Hours slept per night (ad hoc) | 0.0 | 0.2 | Myskiw (2014) | |
Hours slept per night (ad hoc) | 0.0 | 0.4 | Myskiw (2014) | |
Number of alcoholic drinks per week (ad hoc) | −0.1 | 0.1 | Myskiw (2014) | |
Number of alcoholic drinks per week (ad hoc) | −0.1 | 0.2 | Myskiw (2014) | |
Appendix B: Mean Correlations of HEMA Eudaimonic and Hedonic Motives with Indices of Eudaimonic Well-Being Functioning: Trait, Situational
Eudaimonic functioning measure (authors in parentheses) | HEMA eudaimonia | HEMA hedonia | Studies |
|---|---|---|---|
Questionnaire for eudaimonic well-being (Waterman et al., 2010) | 0.5 | 0.0 | Huta (2015a) |
Purpose in life – purpose scale (Crumbaugh & Maholick, 1964) | 0.4 | 0.0 | Huta (2015a) |
Life regard index – framework scale (Battista & Almond, 1973) | 0.4 | 0.1 | (2x Huta, 2013) |
MLQ presence of meaning (Steger et al., 2006) | 0.4 | 0.2 | |
Flourishing (Diener et al., 2009) | 0.4 | 0.3 | |
PWB psychological well-being composite (Ryff, 1989) | 0.4 | 0.0 | Huta (2015a) |
PWB psychological well-being composite (Ryff, 1989) | 0.3 | 0.3 | |
SWB social well-being composite (Keyes, 1998) | 0.3 | 0.1 | Huta (2015a) |
Self-actualization (Jones & Crandall, 1986) | 0.2 | 0.1 | Huta (2015a) |
Mindfulness (Brown & Ryan, 2003) | 0.1 | 0.0 | Huta (2015a) |
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Huta, V. (2016). Eudaimonic and Hedonic Orientations: Theoretical Considerations and Research Findings. In: Vittersø, J. (eds) Handbook of Eudaimonic Well-Being. International Handbooks of Quality-of-Life. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-42445-3_15
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