Abstract
Like many words in common use, ‘well-being’ is easily understood in everyday language. Probing this concept, however, is a rigorous process, and reaching consensus on an agreed definition is extremely elusive. It is therefore incumbent on any researcher or writer on the subject to define the usage of the term in their particular research or work. In this work, ‘well-being’ is a sustained, positive, perceived state of satisfaction with life (often described as subjective well-being or SWB), rather than short-term happiness or a simple absence of ‘ill-being’. Engagement, as we shall explore further, is interlinked with the concept of well-being. This definition differs from many which define well-being in terms of its objective factors. So, for example, a well-being assessment question, ‘overall satisfaction with my life in general’, describes a passive variant of well-being while ‘state of health as measured by …’ Describes an objective concept of well-being (assuming that various health measures reflect and are components of well-being itself).
Chapter PDF
Keywords
These keywords were added by machine and not by the authors. This process is experimental and the keywords may be updated as the learning algorithm improves.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Copyright information
© 2016 Ali Qassim Jawad and William Scott-Jackson
About this chapter
Cite this chapter
Jawad, A.Q., Scott-Jackson, W. (2016). Well-being: What Is It?. In: Redefining Well-Being in Nations and Organizations. Palgrave Macmillan, London. https://doi.org/10.1057/9781137572455_2
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1057/9781137572455_2
Publisher Name: Palgrave Macmillan, London
Print ISBN: 978-1-349-84799-0
Online ISBN: 978-1-137-57245-5
eBook Packages: Business and ManagementBusiness and Management (R0)