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The Ontology of Well-Being in Social Policy and Welfare Practice Well-Being, Melancholy and Happiness: Bitter-Sweet Emotions and Sober Self-Reflection

The Ontology of Well-Being in Social Policy and Welfare Practice : Well-Being, Melancholy and... [Reflecting the ontological features of embodiment and cognition explored in Chap. 2 and informing The Ontology of Well-Being Thesis (TOWT) defended throughout the book, melancholy is defined in this chapter as an experience that produces pleasure from feeling sad, derived from a person’s complex and contradictory embodied emotional experiences; and which can then lead to sober self-reflection, based on cognitive abilities that re-orientate personal perspectives regarding what this person knows about herself, and the world she inhabits. Reflecting the ontological features of evaluation and agency also explored in Chap. 2 and informing TOWT, the argument here is that the experience of melancholy can facilitate the authentic re-adjustment of life goals and personal values. This re-adjustment involves a person exercising her agency through engaging in self-critical evaluation which re-prioritise her personal commitments and attachments. Therefore, the experience of melancholy, can enable her to focus more authentically on what she genuinely values, and regarding those goals she should subsequently pursue. First, the pleasure and sober self-reflection evoked by melancholy, lead to relatively safe ‘psychological states’ that can more authentically articulate the values a person is committed to most genuinely. Second, this outcome increases a person’s well-being, epistemologically and normatively speaking, as a person can better know and fulfill what is most valuable to her. Third, melancholy facilitates her realising that what she values will not last forever, reflecting the ontological feature of human finiteness, also informing TOWT. Finally, melancholy, in turn, can help her to psychologically process the experience of loss more healthily, and support welfare practices, such as bereavement counselling and reminiscent therapy for older people.] http://www.deepdyve.com/assets/images/DeepDyve-Logo-lg.png

The Ontology of Well-Being in Social Policy and Welfare Practice Well-Being, Melancholy and Happiness: Bitter-Sweet Emotions and Sober Self-Reflection

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Publisher
Springer International Publishing
Copyright
© The Editor(s) (if applicable) and The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Switzerland AG 2023
ISBN
978-3-031-18141-2
Pages
119 –143
DOI
10.1007/978-3-031-18142-9_5
Publisher site
See Chapter on Publisher Site

Abstract

[Reflecting the ontological features of embodiment and cognition explored in Chap. 2 and informing The Ontology of Well-Being Thesis (TOWT) defended throughout the book, melancholy is defined in this chapter as an experience that produces pleasure from feeling sad, derived from a person’s complex and contradictory embodied emotional experiences; and which can then lead to sober self-reflection, based on cognitive abilities that re-orientate personal perspectives regarding what this person knows about herself, and the world she inhabits. Reflecting the ontological features of evaluation and agency also explored in Chap. 2 and informing TOWT, the argument here is that the experience of melancholy can facilitate the authentic re-adjustment of life goals and personal values. This re-adjustment involves a person exercising her agency through engaging in self-critical evaluation which re-prioritise her personal commitments and attachments. Therefore, the experience of melancholy, can enable her to focus more authentically on what she genuinely values, and regarding those goals she should subsequently pursue. First, the pleasure and sober self-reflection evoked by melancholy, lead to relatively safe ‘psychological states’ that can more authentically articulate the values a person is committed to most genuinely. Second, this outcome increases a person’s well-being, epistemologically and normatively speaking, as a person can better know and fulfill what is most valuable to her. Third, melancholy facilitates her realising that what she values will not last forever, reflecting the ontological feature of human finiteness, also informing TOWT. Finally, melancholy, in turn, can help her to psychologically process the experience of loss more healthily, and support welfare practices, such as bereavement counselling and reminiscent therapy for older people.]

Published: Nov 12, 2022

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