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From the Good Life to Good Living: A Longitudinal Study Investigating the Relationship Between Good-Life Coherence and Motivation, Goal Progress and Subjective Well-Being

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Journal of Happiness Studies
Authors:
Ben Thomas
Ben Thomas
Ben Thomas
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Kayleigh-Ann Clegg
Kayleigh-Ann Clegg
Kayleigh-Ann Clegg
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Anne Holding at New York University
Anne Holding
Richard Koestner
Richard Koestner
Richard Koestner
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Abstract and Figures

Although considerable research has examined the traits and features involved in living a good life (Baumeister et al. in J Posit Psychol 8(6):505–516, 2013; Ryan et al. in Self-determination theory: Basic psychological needs in motivation, development, and wellness, Guilford Press, 2006; Wong in Can Psychol/Psychol Can 52(2):69–81, 2011), little research has examined personal philosophies of the good life and the motivational outcomes associated with these views. Through a prospective longitudinal study across one academic year, we examined whether perceiving oneself to be living coherently with personal conceptions of the good life was associated with greater autonomous goal motivation and, subsequently, goal progress and greater subjective well-being (SWB) over time. We hypothesize that perceiving oneself as living coherently in terms of one’s own philosophy of flourishing relates to greater volition, goal progress and happiness. Our results suggest that when individuals assess themselves as following their own philosophy of the good life, they tend to experience greater autonomous motivation, goal progress and SWB. Implications for personality coherence and Self-Determination Theory are discussed.
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Vol.:(0123456789)
Journal of Happiness Studies (2022) 23:1887–1900
https://doi.org/10.1007/s10902-021-00476-0
1 3
RESEARCH PAPER
From theGood Life toGood Living: ALongitudinal Study
Investigating theRelationship Between Good‑Life Coherence
andMotivation, Goal Progress andSubjective Well‑Being
BenThomas1 · Kayleigh‑AnnClegg1· AnneCatherineHolding2· RichardKoestner1
Accepted: 5 November 2021 / Published online: 23 November 2021
© The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer Nature B.V. 2021
Abstract
Although considerable research has examined the traits and features involved in living a
good life (Baumeister etal. in J Posit Psychol 8(6):505–516, 2013; Ryan et al. in Self-
determination theory: Basic psychological needs in motivation, development, and well-
ness, Guilford Press, 2006; Wong in Can Psychol/Psychol Can 52(2):69–81, 2011), little
research has examined personal philosophies of the good life and the motivational out-
comes associated with these views.Through a prospective longitudinal study across one
academic year, we examined whether perceiving oneself to be living coherently with per-
sonal conceptions of the good life was associated with greater autonomous goal motivation
and, subsequently, goal progress and greater subjective well-being (SWB) over time.We
hypothesize that perceiving oneself as living coherently in terms of one’s own philosophy
of flourishing relates to greater volition, goal progress and happiness. Our results suggest
that when individuals assess themselves as following their own philosophy of the good life,
they tend to experience greater autonomous motivation, goal progress and SWB. Implica-
tions for personality coherence and Self-Determination Theory are discussed.
Keywords Self-determination theory· Autonomous motivation· The good life·
Personality coherence
1 Introduction
The good life is a process, not a state of being. It is a direction not a destination
(Carl Rogers, 1961, pp. 186–187).
* Ben Thomas
benjamyn.thomas@mail.mcgill.ca
Anne Catherine Holding
ach8472@nyu.edu
1 Department ofPsychology, McGill University, Montreal, Canada
2 Department ofPsychology, New York University, NewYorkcity, NY10003, USA
Content courtesy of Springer Nature, terms of use apply. Rights reserved.
... Analysis of the importance of harmonious passion in the context of SDT shows that it supports internal motivation, the development of competencies, and autonomy, which in turn promotes commitment, positive emotions, and better interpersonal relationships (Ryan & Deci, 2020;Vallerand, 2010). Harmonious passion also supports coping with challenges, increasing mental resilience, and flourishing (Thomas et al., 2022;Vallerand & Houlfort, 2003). In contrast, obsessive passion, due to its external nature, contributes to poor mental health and difficulties in personal integration. ...
... Unlike obsessive passion, which is more externally controlled and often leads to internal conflicts and reduced well-being, harmonious passion supports internal motivation and the development of competencies and autonomy. We chose harmonious passion because of its positive impact on mental health, coping with challenges, and achieving flourishing (Thomas et al., 2022;Vallerand, 2010). Students with harmonious passion show greater mental resilience, higher levels of commitment, and better interpersonal relationships, which is consistent with the assumptions of SDT (Vallerand & Houlfort, 2003). ...
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... Younger adults tend to find more meaning in personal growth, which has also been observed in medical students who often knowingly defer short-term gratification for long-term academic and professional success [11]. Positive affect is related to increased flourishing among medical students and has been found to have greater influence over both satisfaction and individual meaning than negative affect [14,18,19]. ...
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... Subjective well-being reflects the extent to which a person feels happy, satisfied, and content with their life (Caunt et al., 2013). Subjective well-being is about having a good life, a meaningful, purposeful and loving life (Thomas et al., 2022). ...
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The Really Hard Problem: Meaning in a Material World
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A noted philosopher proposes a naturalistic (rather than supernaturalistic) way to solve the "really hard problem": how to live in a meaningful way—how to live a life that really matters—even as a finite material being living in a material world. If consciousness is "the hard problem" in mind science—explaining how the amazing private world of consciousness emerges from neuronal activity—then "the really hard problem," writes Owen Flanagan in this provocative book, is explaining how meaning is possible in the material world. How can we make sense of the magic and mystery of life naturalistically, without an appeal to the supernatural? How do we say truthful and enchanting things about being human if we accept the fact that we are finite material beings living in a material world, or, in Flanagan's description, short-lived pieces of organized cells and tissue? Flanagan's answer is both naturalistic and enchanting. We all wish to live in a meaningful way, to live a life that really matters, to flourish, to achieve eudaimonia—to be a "happy spirit." Flanagan calls his "empirical-normative" inquiry into the nature, causes, and conditions of human flourishing eudaimonics. Eudaimonics, systematic philosophical investigation that is continuous with science, is the naturalist's response to those who say that science has robbed the world of the meaning that fantastical, wishful stories once provided. Flanagan draws on philosophy, neuroscience, evolutionary biology, and psychology, as well as on transformative mindfulness and self-cultivation practices that come from such nontheistic spiritual traditions as Buddhism, Confucianism, Aristotelianism, and Stoicism, in his quest. He gathers from these disciplines knowledge that will help us understand the nature, causes, and constituents of well-being and advance human flourishing. Eudaimonics can help us find out how to make a difference, how to contribute to the accumulation of good effects—how to live a meaningful life. Bradford Books imprint
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The positive role of autonomous motivation in personal goal pursuit has been robustly established in Self-Determination Theory research. Recent work has linked individual differences in trait selfcontrol to motivation quality, showing that higher self-control is associated with greater autonomous motivation (Converse, Juarez & Hennecke, 2018). The present investigation built on this research to test the association longitudinally in the context of long-term personal goal pursuit. In a prospective longitudinal study with college students, we tested whether trait self-control predicts increased autonomous goal motivation and decreased controlled motivation over time. Participants set three personal goals they planned to pursue for the duration of the academic year and reported on their goal motivation, self-control and Big Five personality traits. Results showed that trait self-control predicted increased autonomous motivation and decreased controlled motivation over the academic year, even after controlling for the Big Five. These findings contribute to the emerging understanding of the role of personality factors in determining motivation. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0191886918305841?dgcid=author
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