Well-being as Need Fulfillment: Implications for Theory, Methods, and Practice

The concept of well-being has gained significant traction across various fields, including human resource management, gerontology, and public health. However, the lack of theoretical consensus and the proliferation of diverse definitions have hampered progress. This paper addresses this issue by proposing a more parsimonious approach that integrates well-being into the broader context of human motivation. The current state of well-being theory is highly fragmented, characterized by inconsistencies in definitions and category errors. Many frameworks fail to differentiate between causes and effects, state and trait variables, and endogenous and exogenous factors. The paper aims to rectify this by anchoring well-being in a meta-theoretical framework rooted in human motivation. A recent literature review revealed 191 distinct components of well-being, which this paper argues can be integrated within a model of twelve fundamental human needs. This integration will facilitate advancements in theory, methodology, and practical applications of well-being research.

Several literature reviews highlight the significant lack of consensus on defining well-being. Roscoe (2009) and Oliver et al. (2018) emphasize the absence of an agreed-upon definition, while Ryff (1989) criticizes the lack of theoretical rationale in previous work. These reviews reveal a proliferation of frameworks with varying numbers of domains and components, ranging from four in the 1960s to as many as seventeen in recent models. This expansion underscores the need for a more parsimonious and theoretically grounded approach. The review also highlights category errors in existing literature, including the failure to distinguish between exogenous causes and endogenous effects, and the conflation of different levels of abstraction in psychological constructs. The existing literature also struggles to reconcile external conditions with subjective evaluations, often failing to adequately address the interplay between aspirations, expectations, and actual attainments.

The study reanalyzes the comprehensive literature review by Linton, Dieppe, & Medina-Lara (2016), which identified 191 distinct well-being components across nearly 100 models. This analysis reveals a serious problem of definitional consistency, with two-thirds of components unique to single theories and only a small percentage appearing in multiple frameworks. The analysis categorizes these components according to their level of abstraction, distinguishing between general psychological conditions, summary-level rational and emotional concepts, fundamental human needs, and corresponding environmental factors. The authors then apply a recently developed unified model of human motivation (Pincus, 2022a) to this taxonomy. This model proposes twelve core human needs, organized within four life domains (self, material, social, and spiritual) and three levels of striving (potential, doing, having). The study examines the distribution of the 191 well-being components within this motivational framework, assessing the degree of overlap and identifying underrepresented needs. The paper further examines the existing literature related to the methodologies used for measuring well-being, highlighting limitations of traditional self-report measures and promoting the use of more nuanced approaches, like those which bypass cognitive filters, for better assessment of motivational-emotional states. The study also uses the Surgeon General's framework for workplace well-being as a practical case study, comparing it to the unified model to illustrate the benefits of the proposed approach.

The reanalysis of Linton et al.'s (2016) review confirms the significant lack of consistency and theoretical grounding in well-being research. Only a small fraction of components appear across multiple frameworks. The authors demonstrate that many of the 191 identified components can be mapped onto the twelve core human needs within the unified model of human motivation. This mapping reveals that some needs (e.g., justice, ethics) are significantly underrepresented in current well-being frameworks, suggesting gaps in theoretical coverage. The analysis highlights the importance of distinguishing between endogenous psychological variables and exogenous environmental variables, and between different levels of abstraction within psychological constructs. The study emphasizes the need for methodological advancements, moving beyond traditional self-report measures that rely on rational, analytical processing. They advocate for “System 1” approaches (e.g., neuro-imaging, biometric measurements, implicit association measures) to better capture the motivational-emotional essence of well-being. A comparison of the unified model with the Surgeon General's framework for workplace well-being underscores the practical implications of the proposed model, highlighting potential shortcomings in existing frameworks and suggesting improvements based on the comprehensive motivational taxonomy.

The findings support the central argument that well-being is best understood as a product of human motivation. The unified model of twelve core human needs provides a comprehensive and parsimonious framework for integrating the diverse concepts within the well-being literature. The underrepresentation of certain needs in existing frameworks indicates areas needing further research and conceptual development. The proposed model enhances theory by providing a clear structure for organizing concepts, differentiating between endogenous and exogenous factors, and clarifying levels of abstraction. The methodological implications of the model emphasize the importance of aligning assessment approaches with the emotional character of well-being, advocating for methods that bypass cognitive filters and directly measure motivational-emotional states. The practical implications are demonstrated by comparing the unified model to the Surgeon General's framework, highlighting the benefits of a more comprehensive and theoretically grounded approach for developing interventions and policies aimed at improving well-being.

This paper provides a significant contribution to well-being research by integrating the diverse and often contradictory approaches within a unified framework of human motivation. The twelve-need model offers a parsimonious and comprehensive framework for future research, highlighting areas of underrepresentation and guiding the development of more effective assessments and interventions. Future research should focus on investigating the dynamic interactions between these needs, considering cultural variations and developing new measurement techniques that effectively capture the motivational-emotional underpinnings of well-being.

While the unified model attempts to provide a comprehensive framework, the reliance on existing literature reviews for data analysis may limit the generalizability of the findings. Further empirical research is needed to validate the model and its application across diverse populations and contexts. The model's focus on higher-order needs might overshadow the significance of basic needs in influencing well-being, requiring further exploration of their interplay. The comparison with the Surgeon General's framework is limited to a single example and may not represent the full diversity of practical applications of the unified model.