Beyond Pleasure and Purpose
The State of Being Theory of Happiness
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 9020595 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Mark Jamieson (0009-0008-2336-0398, Sofia University, Palo Alto, CA, USA, corresponding author) |
| Year | 2025 |
| Publication date | 2025-12-30 |
| Peer Reviewed | Yes |
| Open Access | Yes |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | Journal of Humanistic Psychology (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 0022-1678 • E-ISSN: 1552-650X |
| Publisher | SAGE Publishing (PUBLISHER • US) |
| DOI | 10.1177/00221678251399048 |
| OpenAlex | W7117731886 |
| Language | EN |
| References cited | 30 |
This article introduces the state of being theory of happiness, a humanistic framework that defines happiness as an intrinsic condition of inner connection and coherence that is present beneath thoughts, emotions, and experiences. It builds upon the growing consensus among researchers that happiness reflects a unitive and holistic phenomenon. The theory is grounded in a mixed-method study of 497 survey responses across a broad, global demographic and 18 in-depth interviews of individuals reporting high levels of happiness. High degrees of correlation were found between happiness and qualities associated with self-transcendence, including presence, a felt unity with life, and emotional equilibrium. Qualitative data supported these findings, with participants frequently describing happiness as a feeling or sense of contentment, connection, and alignment with life, expressed as feelings of peace and joy. The theory proposes that happiness arises when ego-based striving diminishes, and individuals reconnect with an expanded sense of self, a broader, more inclusive identity marked by inner coherence, felt connection, and reduced identification with the ego. It builds on existing psychological models by illuminating the inner, experiential structure of psychological well-being. It has important implications for psychological theory, clinical practice, and well-being research
Experiential learning · Feeling · Grounded theory · Happiness · Identification (biology · Identity (music · Pleasure · Psychological Theory · Well-being · Health, psychology, and well-being · Identity, Memory, and Therapy · Psychological Well-being and Life Satisfaction
The Wiley‐Blackwell Handbook of Transpersonal Psychology
Toward a psychology of being.
Psychological Well-Being in Adult Life
Exploring constructs of well-being, happiness and quality of life
The Psychology of Worldviews
New Measures of Well-Being
Self-Centeredness and Selflessness
Pursuing Happiness
Know Thyself and Become What You Are
Personality, Culture, and Subjective Well-Being
Eco-existential positive psychology
Positive psychology
Happiness and Pleasure 1
Measuring an Ongoing State of Wakefulness
Reorienting Through the Body
A theory of human motivation
Using thematic analysis in psychology
The "What" and "Why" of Goal Pursuits
From Wonder to Transformation
A classification system for teachers' motivational behaviors recommended in self-determination theory interventions
Subjective well-being
Subjective well-being
The Dynamic Universal Profiles of Spiritual Awareness
A Measure of Subjective Happiness
| Citation velocity | historical |
|---|---|
| Highly cited | No |