Perspectives on wellbeing : a reader / edited by Sue Vella, Ruth Falzon and Andrew Azzopardi.

Includes bibliographical references and index.

Acknowledgements -- Notes on contributors -- Introduction -- Belong and flourish -- drop out and perish: the belongingness hypothesis / Paul Bartolo -- Emotional intelligence, resilience and wellbeing / Natalie Kenely -- Spirituality: the cornerstone of wellbeing? / Claudia Psaila -- Prosocial behaviour and psychological wellbeing / Mary Anne Lauri and Sandra Scicluna Calleja -- Family wellbeing: a look at maltese families / Clarissa Sammut Scerri, Ingrid Grech Lanfranco and Angela Abela -- Literacy and wellbeing / Ruth Falzon -- Voices of the young so-called vulnerable: how well is their being? / Andrew Azzopardi -- The conceptualisation of leisure as an indicator and component of social wellbeing / Joanne Cassar and Marilyn Clark -- Dis/empowerment under patriarchy: intimate partner violence against women / Marceline Naudi and Barbara Stelmaszek -- Disabled people and social wellbeing: what's good for us is good for everyone / Val Williams, Amy Camilleri Zahra and Vickie Gauci -- Wellbeing: an economics perspective / Marie Briguglio -- Wellbeing: a welfare perspective / Sue Vella -- 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.