This paper argues for a more sophisticated understanding of well-being, grounding it in the psychological literature on human motivation. It critiques the current fragmented and theoretically inconsistent approaches to well-being, highlighting category errors in existing frameworks. The paper proposes a unified model based on twelve core human motivations, derived from a comprehensive motivational taxonomy, to explain the diverse operational definitions used by academics and practitioners. The implications of this motivational framework are explored for well-being theory, methods, and practice, emphasizing the practical advantages of clear operational definitions.

J David Pincus