Eudaimonic well-being: a socio-cultural perspective on narrative action

Abstract

ABSTRACT This paper, inspired by Arendt’s thought on the narrative character of action, aims to understand how speech and action, performed in the context of new beginnings, reveal eudaimonic potential in the quest for well-being. Our qualitative study follows ethnographic/netnographic principles and highlights four patterns of narrative action that actualize eudaimonic well-being in the foundation of a new business and life project: integrating resources for new beginnings, mobilizing objects, activating like-minded communities, and unleashing authenticating technologies. Our contribution lies in introducing a socio-cultural glance into the field of eudaimonic well-being through which we emphasize the value of narrative action and purpose in the construction of a new beginning. In so doing, we highlight the virtuous interplay between authenticating acts, networked narratives, and networks of desire in social media in the pursuit of eudaimonic well-being.