Since 2015, several high-profile surveys have painted a grim portrait of teacher stress and job satisfaction. Although some educators have attributed those trends to educational accountability and reform, little evidence exists connecting education policies to teacher working conditions or -- more distally -- to the mental and physical health of…

Nel Noddings claims that there is an important normative element in happiness. For support, she points to the Aristotelian idea of the "eudaimonic" life, a concept that is often translated into English as "the happy life". However, in light of the wide divergence between the Aristotelian view of "eudaimonia" as a life…

A new paper presents a strong case for life satisfaction scales (Diener et al. in "Soc Indic Res," 2012). However, it underestimates two important weaknesses in subjective wellbeing (SWB) measures: the contrast between individual satisfaction and social discontent; and the contradictory evidence on the benefits of personal freedom. This commentary…

What is meant by the term "wellbeing"? Much has been written on the relationship between chronic illness and mental health outcomes, particularly in terms of "happiness", and the reciprocal relationship between physical and emotional health. Visual impairment research into wellbeing has tended to focus specifically on the concept of "emotional"…

Oswald and Wu (2010; "Science") recently reported life satisfaction ranks for residents of the 50 U.S. states. Their rankings were framed as measures of "well-being," but were derived from responses to only a single survey item ("In general, how satisfied are you with your life?"). Here we contrast Oswald and Wu's subjective rankings with our…

This paper critiques the view that the study of happiness is not a worthy scientific pursuit. The happiness set point and hedonic treadmill theories denote the complexity of increasing happiness levels due to genetic limitations and adaptation, however, there is mounting evidence to suggest that with the use of appropriate measures and specific…

This article argues that vocational psychology is, and has been, positive psychology. It provides an overview of the theory of work adjustment (TWA), one of the most robust and best validated theories in vocational psychology. It also provides an introduction to person-environment-correspondence (PEC) counseling, an extension of the TWA concepts…

Presents previously unpublished paper written by Abraham Maslow in November 1964. Maslow discusses the concept of happiness, suggesting that happiness is a lot more complicated than its standard, hedonistic definition as merely the absence of pain. (Author/ABL)

It is becoming increasingly clear that the effects of work and life stress are costly both to the individual and to the organization. Everyone experiences work and life stress, yet many people are more stress resistant (hardy) than others. Several factors appear to be quite predictive of the stress resistant employee. These include the perception…

Leisure activities seem to have a significant impact on physical and psychological health. Research also indicates that intrinsically motivated behaviors positively affect an individual's sense of well-being, ability to cope with stress, and physical health. (DF)

Describes the origins of parenting stress, namely, tensions in the parent-child relationship and changes that occur in five family domains as men and women make the transition from life as a couple to family life. Implications for public policy are discussed. (Author/BB)

The conception of the good life in theoretical texts and adult learners' written narratives depicts well-being in terms of aesthetic experiences, values, existential experiences, autonomy, and significant others. Future prospects for adult education as legislative practice, as therapy and as commitment are derived from the discussion. (SK)

Counselor education had its professional debut in the 20th century. This book is a personal collection of memories, advice, and perceptions of C. Gilbert Wrenn, a pioneer in counselor training. Although the volume is intended for everyone, it is especially aimed at the scores of former Ph.D. students, colleagues, and friends accumulated over the…

Addresses issues and methodologies for the assessment and promotion of quality of life (QOL) of people with intellectual disabilities. Considers objective and subjective components of QOL, both process-centered and outcome-centered approaches to the assessment of QOL, the difficulties of eliciting subjective QOL information from this population,…

A model for achieving harmony between work and personal lives involves balancing four components: employment (I am what I do), commitment (I am who I know), development (I am what I can be), and nourishment (I am what I feel). (SK)