Către o abordare sociologică a bunăstării subiective
Towards a Sociological Approach to Subjective Well-being

Summary/Abstract: This paper is a synthesis of my previous point of views (written since 1999) and linked with the articulation of a sociological theory of subjective well-being. This theory should be capable of reconciling individual phenomenon of perception of subjective well-being with the complex processes of social happiness. I began by arguing, in line recent scholars (Bartram, 2012; Thin, 2014; Zevnik, 2014; McKenzie, 2016), that happiness is a socio-cultural construct. A short review of historical ideas of happiness sets the terms of the debate about the relationship between society and subjective well-being, a debate that emerged just a few years ago in the field of sociology (see the issue of Sociological research online edited by Cieslik and Bartram (2014)). Ideas of good life are a product of ideologies and social practices. For example theories of quality of life are implicit to a given society and influence the way a person evaluate his/her life (see the conceptual referent theory by Rojas, 2007). However, a full sociological theory of subjective well-being should not limit to the cognitive dimension. Based on previous research in sociology of emotions, I explore the possibility that even the development of the emotion linked with happiness is the product of society. Using concepts of “feeling rules” (Hochschild, 2012) and “public mood” (Rahn, Kroeger and Kite, 1996), I propose a model of the way society influences not only our standards of good life, but shapes the emotion of happiness itself, which becomes normative to a society.

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