Includes bibliographical references and index.

Front Matter -- Copyright page -- Acknowledgements -- Notes on Contributors -- Introduction / Sue Vella, Andrew Azzopardi and Ruth Falzon -- Belong and Flourish – Drop Out and Perish / Paul Bartolo -- Emotional Intelligence, Resilience and Wellbeing / Natalie Kenely -- Spirituality / Claudia Psaila -- Prosocial Behaviour and Psychological Wellbeing / Mary Anne Lauri and Sandra Scicluna Calleja -- Family Wellbeing / Clarissa Sammut Scerri, Ingrid Grech Lanfranco and Angela Abela -- Literacy and Wellbeing / Ruth Falzon -- Voices of the Young So-Called Vulnerable / Andrew Azzopardi -- The Conceptualisation of Leisure as an Indicator and Component of Social Wellbeing / Joanne Cassar and Marilyn Clark -- Dis/Empowerment under Patriarchy / Marceline Naudi and Barbara Stelmaszek -- Disabled People and Social Wellbeing / Val Williams, Amy Camilleri Zahra and Vickie Gauci -- Wellbeing: An Economics Perspective / Marie Briguglio -- Wellbeing: A Welfare Perspective / Sue Vella -- Back Matter -- Index.

The study of wellbeing is not new. Over two millennia ago, the Ancient Greeks were already debating different conceptions of the good life, and how it may be fostered, albeit a debate for the privileged in ancient Greek society. More recently, the post-WWII concern with economic scarcity gave way – as prosperity rose in the later 20th century – to values such as personal growth and social inclusion. In parallel, research has increasingly turned its focus to wellbeing, going beyond traditional measures of income, wealth and employment. Greater attention is now paid to the subjective experience of wellbeing which, it is broadly agreed, has many dimensions such as life satisfaction, optimal functioning and a good quality of life. Perspectives on Wellbeing: A Reader brings together a number of chapters that examine wellbeing from different disciplinary perspectives. A number of the chapters take the angle of human flourishing, looking at the respective contributions of belonging, emotional resilience, spirituality, prosocial behaviour, literacy and leisure. Others look at wellbeing through a social relations lens, including family relations, youth, persons with disability and gender. Finally, a chapter on wellbeing and economics illustrates different approaches to measuring wellbeing and identifying its determinants. The book concludes with a chapter that argues for the enduring importance of the welfare state if the wellbeing of all is to be ensured. This book is likely to be of interest to both undergraduate and postgraduate students in the social sciences as well as to a general readership. Contributors are: Angela Abela, Andrew Azzopardi, Paul Bartolo, Marie Briguglio, Amy Camilleri Zahra, Joanne Cassar, Marilyn Clark, Ruth Falzon, Vickie Gauci, Ingrid Grech Lanfranco, Natalie Kenely, Mary Anne Lauri, Marceline Naudi, Claudia Psaila, Clarissa Sammut Scerri, Sandra Scicluna Calleja, Barbara Stelmaszek, Sue Vella, and Val Williams.