Skip to main content

Developing a Eudaimonia Research Agenda in Travel and Tourism

  • Chapter
  • First Online:
Handbook of Eudaimonic Well-Being

Part of the book series: International Handbooks of Quality-of-Life ((IHQL))

Abstract

We argue in this chapter that the concept of eudaimonia embodies the elements of psychological happiness (hedonic well-being or emotional well-being), prudential happiness (life satisfaction), and perfectionist happiness (mental health, self-actualization, psychological well-being and flourishing). We review selected theories of eudaimonia and suggest ideas for future research. These theories are self-determination theory, the broaden-and-build theory of positive emotions, the theory of human flourishing, meaning and purpose in life theory, theory of positive mental health, need hierarchy theory, and eudaimonstic identity theory.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this chapter

Chapter
USD 29.95
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
eBook
USD 299.00
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as EPUB and PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
Softcover Book
USD 379.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Compact, lightweight edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info
Hardcover Book
USD 379.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Durable hardcover edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info

Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout

Purchases are for personal use only

Institutional subscriptions

Notes

  1. 1.

    The following scales are used to record responses for each measurement items:

    How much is there now? Minimum 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 MaximumHow much should there be? Minimum 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Maximum

    The overall score of life satisfaction of a particular respondent is computed by taking the absolute difference score (between “how much is there now” and “how much should there be”) for each item and deriving an average score. The lower the resultant average score, the higher the overall life satisfaction.

References

  • Andrews, F. M., & Withey, S. B. (1976). Social indicators of well-being: America’s perception of life quality. New York: Plenum Press.

    Book  Google Scholar 

  • Bosnjak, M., Brown, C. A., Lee, D-J., Yu, G. B., & Sirgy, M. J. (2014). Self-expressiveness in sports tourism: Determinants and consequences. Journal of Travel Research. Published online; doi:10.1177/0047287514535845).

    Google Scholar 

  • Burns, R. A., & Machin, M. A. (2009). Investigating the structural validity of Ryff’s psychological well-being scales across two samples. Social Indicators Research, 93, 359–375.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Campbell, A., Converse, P. E., & Rodgers, W. L. (1976). The quality of American life: Perceptions, evaluations, and satisfactions. New York: Russell Sage.

    Google Scholar 

  • Cantril, H. (1965). The pattern of human concerns. New Brunswick, NJ: Rutgers University Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Chamberlain, K., & Zika, S. (1988). Measuring meaning in life: An examination of three scales. Personality and Individual Differences, 9, 589–596.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Chen, Y., Fu, X., & Lehto, X.Y. (2014). Chinese tourist vacation satisfaction and subjective well-being. Applied Research Quality Life. doi:10.1007/s11482-014-9354-y.

    Google Scholar 

  • Diener, E. (1984). Subjective well-being. Psychological Bulletin, 75, 542–575.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Diener, E., & Emmons, R. A. (1984). The independence of positive and negative affect. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 47, 1105–1117.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Diener, E., Emmons, R. A., Larsen, R. J., & Griffin, S. (1985). The satisfaction with life scale. Journal of Personality Assessment, 49, 71–75.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Diener, E., Smith, H., & Fujita, F. (1995). The personality structure of affect. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 69, 130–141.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Diener, E., Wirtz, D., Tov, W., Kim-Prieto, C., Choi, D., Oishi, S., et al. (2010). New well-being measures: Short scales to assess flourishing and positive and negative feelings. Social Indicators Research, 97, 143–156.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Dolnicar, S., Yanamandram, V., & Cliff, K. (2012). The contribution of vacations to quality of life. Annals of Tourism Research, 39(1), 59–83.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Driver, B. L., Brown, P. J., & Peterson, G. L. (1991). Benefits of leisure. State College, PA: Venture Publishing.

    Google Scholar 

  • Dyck, M. J. (1987). Assessing logotherapeutic constructs: Conceptual and psychometric status of the purpose in life and seeking of noetic goals tests. Clinical Psychology Review, 7, 439–447.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Filep, S. (2008). Applying the dimensions of flow to explore visitor engagement and satisfaction. Visitor Studies, 11(1), 90–108.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Frankl, V. (1963). Man’s search for meaning (Revisedth ed.). London: Hodder & Stoughton.

    Google Scholar 

  • Frankl, V. (1967). Psychotherapy and existentialism. New York: Simon & Schuster.

    Google Scholar 

  • Fredrickson, B. L. (2001). The role of positive emotions in positive psychology: The broaden-and-build theory of positive emotions. American Psychologist, 56, 219–226.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Gilbert, D., & Abdullah, J. (2004). Holidaytaking and the sense of well-being. Annals of Tourism Research, 31(1), 103–121.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hayborn, D. M. (2008). The pursuit of unhappiness. Oxford, UK: Oxford University Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Haybron, D. M. (2000). Two philosophical problems in the study of happiness. Journal of Happiness Studies, 1, 207–225.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hicks, J. A., & King, L. A. (2007). Meaning in life and seeing the big picture: Positive affect and global focus. Cognition and Emotion, 21, 1577–1584.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hills, P., Argyle, M., & Reeves, R. (2000). Individual differences in leisure satisfactions: An investigation of four theories of leisure motivation. Personality and Individual Differences, 28(4), 763–779.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hobson, J. S. P., & Dietrich. (1994). Tourism health and quality of life: Challenging the responsibility of using the traditional tenets of sun, sea, sand and sex in tourism marketing. Journal of Travel and Tourism Marketing, 3(4), 21–38.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Iso-Ahola, S. E. (1980). Social psychological perspectives on leisure and recreation. Springfield, Ill: Charles C. Thomas.

    Google Scholar 

  • Jackson, L. T. (2008). Leisure activities and quality of life. Activities, Adaptation, & Aging, 23(4), 19–24.

    Google Scholar 

  • Joshanloo, M., & Nostrabadi, N. (2009). Levels of mental health continuum and mental health traits. Social Indicators Research, 90, 211–224.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Kahneman, D. (1999). Objective happiness. In D. Kahneman, E. Diener, & N. Schwartz (Eds.), Well-being: The foundations of hedonic psychology (pp. 3–25). New York: Russell Sage.

    Google Scholar 

  • Keyes, C. L. M. (1998). Social well-being. Social Psychology Quarterly, 61, 121–140.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Keyes, C. L. M. (2002). The mental health continuum: From languishing to flourishing in life. Journal of Health and Social Behavior, 43, 207–222.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Keyes, C. L. M. (2006a). Subjective well-being in mental health and human development research worldwide: An introduction. Social Indicators Research, 77, 1–10.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Keyes, C. L. M. (2006b). Mental health in adolescence: Is America’s youth flourishing? The American Journal of Orthopsychiatry, 76, 395–402.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Kler, B. V. K., & Tribe, J. (2012). Flourishing through scuba: Understating the pursuit of dive experiences. Tourism in Marine Environments, 8(1/2), 19–32.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Kosenko, R., Sirgy, M. J., & Efraty, D. (1990). A life satisfaction measure based on need hierarchy theory. In H. L. Meadow & M. J. Sirgy (Eds.), Quality-of-life studies in marketing and management (pp. 657–667). Blacksburg, VA: Virginia Tech, Center for Strategy and Marketing Studies.

    Google Scholar 

  • Lane, R. E. (2001). The loss of happiness in market democracies. New Haven, CT: Yale University Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Lee, D.-J., Kruger, S., Whang, M.-J., Uysal, M., & Sirgy, M. J. (2014). Validating a consumer well-being index related to natural wildlife tourism. Tourism Management, 45, 171–180.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Lee, D.-J., Sirgy, M. J., Yu, G. B., & Chalamon, I. (2015). The well-being effects of self-expressiveness and hedonic enjoyment associated with physical exercise. Applied Research in Quality of Life, 10, 141–159.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Lucas, R. E., Diener, E., & Suh, E. (1996). Discriminant validity of well-being measures. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 71, 616–628.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Maslow, A. H. (1954, 1970). Motivation and personality. New York: Harper.

    Google Scholar 

  • Matteucci, X. (2013). Experiencing flamenco: An examination of a spiritual journey. In S. Fliep & P. Pearce (Eds.), Tourist experience and fulfilment: Insights from positive psychology. New York: Routledge.

    Google Scholar 

  • McMahan, E. A., & Estes, D. (2011). Hedonic versus eudaimonic conceptions of well-being: Evidence of differential associations with self-reported well-being. Social Indicators Research, 103, 93–108.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Melton, A. M. A., & Schulenberg, S. E. (2008). On the measurement of meaning: Logotherapy’s empirical contributions to humanistic psychology. Humanistic Psychologist, 36, 31–44.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Michalos, A. C. (1985). Multiple discrepancies theory (MDT). Social Indicators Research, 16, 347–413.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Morgan, J., & Farsides, T. (2009). Measuring meaning in life. Journal of Happiness Studies, 10, 197–214.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Nawijn, J. (2011). Determinants of daily happiness on vacation. Journal of Travel Research, 50(5), 559–566.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Nawijn, J., Mitas, O., Lin, Y., & Kerstetter, D. (2013). How do we feel on vacation? A closer look at how emotions change over the course of a trip. Journal of Travel Research, 52(2), 265–274.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Neulinger, J. (1981). To leisure – an introduction: A psychological approach to leisure and its relationships to the quality of life. Boston: Allyn and Bacon.

    Google Scholar 

  • Peterson, C., Park, N., & Seligman, M. E. P. (2005). Orientations to happiness and life satisfaction: The full life versus the empty life. Journal of Happiness Studies, 6, 24–41.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Phillips, D. (2006). Quality of life: Concept, policy and practice. London: Routledge.

    Book  Google Scholar 

  • Prebensen, N., Woo, E., & Uysal, M. (2013). Experience value: Antecedents and consequences. Current Issues in Tourism, 16(7–8), 1–15.

    Google Scholar 

  • Prebensen, N., Chen, J., & Uysal, M. (Eds.). (2014). Creating experience value in tourism. Oxfordshire, UK: CABI Publishing. 288 pages.

    Google Scholar 

  • Prebensen, N., & Foss, L. (2011). Coping and co-creating in tourist experiences. International Journal of Tourism Research, 13, 54–67.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Ryan, R. M., & Deci, E. L. (2000). Self-determination theory and the facilitation of intrinsic motivation, social development, and well-being. American Psychologist, 55, 68–78.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Ryff, C. D. (1989). Happiness is everything, or is it? Explorations on the meaning of psychological well-being. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 57, 1069–1081.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Ryff, C. D., & Keyes, C. L. M. (1995). The structure of psychological well-being revisited. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 69, 719–727.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Ryff, C. D., & Singer, B. (1996). Psychological well-being: Meaning, measurement, and implications for psychotherapy research. Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics, 65, 14–23.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Ryff, C. D., & Singer, B. (1998). The contours of positive human health. Psychological Inquiry, 9, 1–28.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Schulenberg, S. E., & Melton, A. M. A. (2010). A confirmatory factor-analytic evaluation of the purpose in life test: Preliminary psychometric support for a replicable two-factor model. Journal of Happiness Studies, 11, 95–111.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Schulenberg, S. E., Schnetzer, L. W., & Buchanan, E. M. (2011). The purpose in life test-short form: Development and psychometric support. Journal of Happiness Studies, 12, 861–876.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Seligman, M. E. P. (2002). Authentic happiness: Using the new positive psychology to realize your potential for lasting fulfillment. New York: The Free Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Simsek, O. F. (2009). Happiness revisited: Ontological well-being as a theory-based construct of subjective well-being. Journal of Happiness Studies, 10, 505–522.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Sirgy, M. J., Cole, D., Kosenko, R., Meadow, H. L., Rahtz, D., Cicic, M., et al. (1995). Developing a life satisfaction measure based on need hierarchy theory. In M. J. Sirgy & A. C. Samli (Eds.), New dimensions of marketing and quality of life (pp. 3–26). Westport, CT: Greenwood Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Sirgy, M. J., Efraty, D., Siegel, P., & Lee, D.-J. (2001). A new measure of quality-of-work life (QWL) based on need satisfaction and spillover theories. Social Indicators Research, 55, 241–302.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Sirgy, M. J., Lee, D.-J., & Kressmann, F. (2006). A need-based measure of consumer well-being (CWB) in relation to personal transportation: Nomological validation. Social Indicators Research, 79, 337–367.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Sirgy, M. J., & Wu, J. (2009). The pleasant life, the engaged life, and the meaningful life: What about the balanced life? Journal of Happiness Studies, 10, 183–196.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Sirgy, M. J. (2012). The psychology of quality of life: Hedonic well-being, life satisfaction, and eudaimonia. Dordrecht, The Netherlands: Springer.

    Book  Google Scholar 

  • Snepenger, D., King, J., Marshall, E., & Uysal, M. (2006). Modeling Iso-Ahola’s motivation theory in the tourism context. Journal of Travel Research, 45(2), 140–149.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Steger, M. F., Frazier, P., Oishi, S., & Kaler, M. (2006). The meaning in life questionnaire: Assessing the presence and search for meaning in life. Journal of Counseling Psychology, 53, 80–93.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Van Dierendonck, D., Diaz, D., Rodriguez-Carvajal, R., Blanco, A., & Moreno-Jimenez, B. (2008). Ryff’s six-factor model of psychological well-being: A Spanish exploration. Social Indicators Research, 87, 473–479.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Veenhoven, R. (1984a). Conditions of happiness. Boston: Reidel.

    Book  Google Scholar 

  • Veenhoven, R. (1984b). Data book on happiness. Boston: Reidel.

    Book  Google Scholar 

  • Veenhoven, R., et al. (1994). World database of happiness: Correlates of happiness. Rotterdam, The Netherlands: Erasmus University.

    Google Scholar 

  • Voigt, C., Howata, G., & Browna, G. (2010). Hedonic and eudaimonic experiences among wellness tourists: An exploratory enquiry. Annals of Leisure Research, 13, 541–562.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Warburton, D. (1996). The functions of pleasure. In D. Warburton & N. Sherwood (Eds.), Pleasure and quality of life. Chichester, UK: Wiley.

    Google Scholar 

  • Waterman, A. S. (1993). Two conceptions of happiness: Contrasts of personal expressiveness (eudaimonia) and hedonic enjoyment. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 64, 678–691.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Waterman, A. S. (2005). When effort is enjoyed: Two studies of intrinsic motivation for personally salient activities. Motivation and Emotion, 29, 165–188.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Waterman, A. S., Schwartz, S. J., Goldbacher, E., Green, H., Miller, C., & Philip, S. (2003). Predicting the subjective experience of intrinsic motivation: The roles of self-determination, the balance of challenges and skills, and self-realization values. Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, 29, 1447–1458.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Waterman, A. S., Schwartz, S. J., & Conti, R. (2008). The implications of two conceptions of happiness (hedonic enjoyment and eudaimonia) for the understanding of intrinsic motivation. Journal of Happiness Studies, 9, 41–79.

    Article  Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

Authors

Corresponding author

Correspondence to M. Joseph Sirgy .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

Copyright information

© 2016 Springer International Publishing Switzerland

About this chapter

Cite this chapter

Sirgy, M.J., Uysal, M. (2016). Developing a Eudaimonia Research Agenda in Travel and Tourism. 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_32

Download citation

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-42445-3_32

  • Published:

  • Publisher Name: Springer, Cham

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-319-42443-9

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-319-42445-3

  • eBook Packages: Social SciencesSocial Sciences (R0)

Publish with us

Policies and ethics