A Unified Approach to Achieving Fulfillment and Happiness

This book is an academic treatise that provides an analytical construct and associated methodology for evaluating potential for fulfillment and happiness at both individual and societal levels, encompassing race, religion, nationality and political systems. At the individual level, at issue is how people are best able to perceive things in the context of events that shape their lives. After exploring ideas specifically related to personal fulfillment and happiness, a key question that emerges is: To what extent has actual fulfillment and happiness been realized in relation to potential for fulfillment and happiness over time? It becomes apparent that potential for and actual are two interconnected yet fundamentally different gauges of fulfillment and happiness. In this regard, potential for fulfillment and happiness can be defined as how a person would be expected to feel and act under a set of given circumstances, such as good or poor health, family problems, income, etc. This reflects each person’s unique outlook on life. In contrast, actual fulfillment and happiness is the way people really do feel -- regardless of the prevailing circumstances. At the societal level, the principles are applicable to wide-ranging aspects of human behavior focusing on the average or typical members of the society as a whole, contrasted with those of the interest group or societal subgroup. A theoretical construct has been developed that can provide a quantitative assessment for analysis by thought leaders and academicians. In particular, the differences in entities at the societal and subgroup levels are compared and contrasted to assess the incremental change in states of well being in relation to one another. Applications of the principals developed are demonstrated though case studies, graphs, charts, and representative examples. Ultimately, the objectives of this book are to: enable the quality of life for individuals and societal groups to be gauged in quantitative terms either on a stand-alone basis or in contrast to one another; provide a basis for gauging how well individuals are faring with regard to maximizing their quality of life given the hands that they have been dealt; and provide a systematic approach, based on these observations, for establishing strategies and priorities to enhance the quality of life for both individuals and societal groups.