REAL HAPPINESS AS REALIZATION OF IMPORTANT VITAL VALUES AND RESEARCH OF ITS STRUCTURE IN LATGALE REGION

Ēriks Kalvāns

doi:10.17770/ercs2017.2752

Authors

Ēriks Kalvāns Rezekne Academy of Technologies (LV)

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.17770/ercs2017.2752

Keywords:

real happiness, the realization of values, positive social relations, self-realization and positive attitude toward oneself, satisfaction with public values, Latgale inhabitants

Abstract

The aim of this scientific research article is to justify the term “real happiness” and the investigation of this phœnomen in the Latgale region.

A number of studies confirmed the link between happiness and the socio-economic conditions in the state. The low standard of living of Latgale’s inhabitants resulted in a fast decline of the number of inhabitants in the region. The unemployment rate in Latgale is the largest rate of unemployment in Latvia. For this reason, the problem of well-being, the integral psychological part of which is a sense of real happiness is very topical in this region.

The theoretical interpretation of happiness in this article is based on the interpretation of this phenomenon as the degree of realization of the person's vital values. The term “real happiness” is used in the context of this understanding of happiness. This interpretation allows us to fully study the phenomenon of happiness, in contrast to the hedonistic concept of this phenomenon, according to which happiness is treated only as a pleasure.

The author developed methodology „Real Happiness Scales”, were used in the research paper.

It was found out that the low level of feeling of real happiness is a topical problem for Latgale people, since 57.53 % can be classified as unhappy according the structure of this phenomenon.

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