ABSTRACT
What makes a life dignified? What makes a life positive? The perception of what is positive or negative is derived from one’s empirical encounters with the world. Such encounters involve epistemological, philosophical, anthropological, and psychological exploration and interpretation. Individuals interpret their experiences according to logic or reasoning that is often shaped according to social and cultural norms. Socially and culturally defined logic allows individuals to determine what is, for example, good versus bad or beautiful versus ugly. Such concepts as good, bad, beautiful, or ugly are concepts that may be understood and operationalized in diverse ways (Bok, 2010; Kristjánsson, 2010; Watkins, 2014, pp. 16–26). A dignified or good life may similarly be understood and operationalized in diverse ways. What makes life good may vary from individual to individual. The sociocultural contexts within which an individual exists may further shape what makes life good (Seligman & Csikszentmihalyi, 2000; Viera, 2013; Wong, 2011). In this way, the “good life” is a debatable and contestable notion.
