Abstract
A brief historical and philosophical analysis suggests that the biomedical model and prevention have been the pillars of health promotion practices with the underlying assumption that these concepts provide answers to people’s health woes. Another observation resulting from this analysis is that biomedical, prevention, and more recently, wellness, do not differ much from each other paradigmatically (e.g., instrumental rationality) and, hence, are severely restricted in their short- and long-term effectiveness for helping people with healthy living and quality of life. It is proposed that eudaimonic well-being—if explored, understood, and implemented in a manner that holds true to the purity of the concept—offers significant promise for shifts in health promotion practices that may lead to transformative health experiences and enhanced quality of life.
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I would like to thank Doug Newburg for his unwavering support over the years. I would also like to thank one anonymous reviewer whose thorough critique made this manuscript much better.
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Kimiecik, J. Exploring the Promise of Eudaimonic Well-Being Within the Practice of Health Promotion: The “How” is as Important as the “What”. J Happiness Stud 12, 769–792 (2011). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10902-010-9226-6
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10902-010-9226-6