Personal Freedom Research Articles

Krótkotrwałe formy pozbawienia wolności w ujęciu konstytucyjnym i ustawowym

The thesis is devoted to the subject of deprivation of liberty and contains an overview of forms of detention as the short-term coercive measures while indicating the limitations of their use resulting from functional, practical and legal conditions. The author, using the research method of analyzing legal acts and case law, systematically presents the existing types of deprivation of liberty against the background of the provisions of various legal acts and their location in the constitutional order. The work asks research questions about the possibility of limiting personal freedom, the multiplicity of such restrictions and their purposefulness. The author presents a conclusion that the possibilities of depriving a person of liberty under Polish law are very broad and granted to a significant number of entities.

Examining the impact of personal freedom on income inequality: Evidence from Sub-Saharan Africa and Western European regions.

Rising income inequality has recently garnered intensive attention owing to its significance in theory and practice. This has rendered the mechanism through which inequality can be understood, even from a microscopic perspective, to institute proper policies that curtail it important. We contribute to the literature by examining the effect of freedom on income inequality using data from 34 least-free and 18 most-free countries from 2000 to 2020 in Sub-Saharan Africa and Western Europe, respectively. A novel fixed-effects panel quantile regression econometric estimator was employed, and the findings showed a non-linear relationship between personal freedom and income inequality for both regions. Again, both regions reported an inverse relationship between personal freedom and income inequality within the medium-run quantiles. However, a positive relationship was reported in the short-run and long-run quantiles of Sub-Saharan Africa and Western Europe, respectively, whereas the inverse was the same. Finally, the significant adverse relationship was more dominant in Western Europe, implying that high levels of personal freedom in the region explain the low levels of income inequality compared to Sub-Saharan Africa, which has lower levels of personal freedom and higher income inequality. Concerning the findings, it is recommended that policymakers and governments of least- and most-free regions institutionalise personal liberties that support human capital development and establish mechanisms to implement enacted freedoms.

The public's considerations about implementing non-pharmaceutical interventions to manage a novel COVID-19 epidemic

In the future, new variants of the SARS-CoV-2 virus might emerge and cause outbreaks. If this occurs, the implementation of non-pharmaceutical interventions (NPIs) can be reconsidered. Consideration of the potential benefits and harms of implementing NPIs, and ultimately deciding about implementing NPIs, is currently mainly executed by experts and governments. However, general literature on public engagement suggests that integrating public perspectives into decision-making can enhance the quality of decisions and foster greater public understanding of them. In this study, a deliberative mini-public was conducted to integrate this public perspective. The aim was to elicit public considerations regarding non-pharmaceutical interventions by asking a diverse group of citizens to participate as decision-makers and convene, learn and deliberate about implementing non-pharmaceutical interventions during a hypothetical outbreak of a new SARS-CoV-2 variant. Participants emphasized the importance of early implementation during the outbreak, to prevent exceeding healthcare capacity, long-term mental health issues, educational deficits, and bankruptcies. Additionally, participants stressed taking public support into account, and shared ideas on maintaining support. Furthermore, participants wanted to give citizens personal responsibility and freedom in making their own assessment regarding adherence to interventions and how much risk of infection they would be willing to accept. Participants also expressed the need for the government to adopt a learning attitude towards improvements in pandemic response, and to generate more focus on long-term strategies. The deliberative mini-public, revealed public considerations that reflected public values and needs. These considerations might be helpful in better aligning epidemic management policies with public perspectives. Regarding the deliberative mini-public, uncertainties remain about the design and impact on a bigger scale.

Ethical implications of COVID-19 management-is freedom a desired aim, or a desired means to an end?

Most developed societies managed, due to their prosperity and resource abundance, to structure relationships among free individuals in such a way to leave them fundamentally unstructured, according to the free market principle. As the pandemic illustrated well, this lack of structure when facing collective threats makes it impossible to collectively and proportionately assess and manage its implications and consequences. This may be particularly precarious when introducing comprehensive, monitoring and tracking, surveillance systems dependent on the vaccination status of the individual. If our previously shared aims were successfully and collectively enacted with the greatest of costs, is it permissible that the degree of personal freedom is a commodity, and everyone is a compulsory participant? The need to control one's COVID-19 status allows the individual to become legally free from excessive enactment of sovereignty of the state. Should these rights be regulated by the free market?

Legal Protection of the Right to Freedom and Personal Integrity of the Citizens of Ukraine (Private and Public Aspect)

The article defines the specifics of private legal protection of the right to freedom and personal inviolability of an individual in Ukraine. It elaborates on the content of the right to freedom and personal inviolability of a natural person, including both physical and psychological inviolability. The article identifies methods that violate the psychological inviolability of an individual (hypnosis, polygraph, etc.). Private legal protection of the right to freedom and personal inviolability, characterized as a personal non-property right of a natural person, has been analyzed in the context of legal regulations. The conclusion has been drawn that the right to freedom and personal inviolability is safeguarded through the establishment of a set of prohibitions regarding its infringement and methods of protection in case of violation. Both private legal and public legal means of protecting the right to freedom and personal inviolability of a natural person have been identified. The article characterizes violations of the right to freedom and personal inviolability of an individual in the context of their placement in places of liberty deprivation (orphanages, psychiatric hospitals, boarding schools, military guard-houses, detention facilities, etc.). Through the analysis of Ukrainian judicial practice and the European Court of Human Rights, the conclusion has been drawn that there are cases where there are no legal grounds for placing individuals in places of liberty deprivation, as well as instances of torture, cruel, inhuman, and degrading treatment of these individuals.

Legal behavior and human identity in the debate paradigm of the philosophy of law

This article analyzes the peculiarities of the reflection of a person’s legal behavior in the light of various philosophical and legal scientific discourses. In general, the analysis of a person’s legal behavior in the debatable paradigm of the philosophy of law in the context of studying the problem of establishing legal cooperation illuminates the deep aspects of the interaction between the individual and the legal system. Philosophical concepts help to consider this topic on a metaphysical level, revealing the fundamental principles and moral aspects of legal behavior.
 It was established that the primary springboard for considering behavior in the context of legal reality is its consideration through the ideological paradigm of human rights, since the concept recognizes the inalienability and inalienability of the rights of each person, justifying their fundamentality due to the presence of dignity inherent to each person. The main idea is that these rights are not only legal norms, but also a key element that forms personal dignity and freedom and express the personal identity of a person, and in evaluating human behavior, the role of the state and society in ensuring and protecting rights as an unconditional axiological determinants.
 It is proved that a valid paradigm of reflection is the need to analyze behavior in the prism of a social contract, since the mutual agreement of people involves the exchange of a part of individual freedom for common order and security, ensured by the adoption of rules and obligations, which forms the basis for the creation of the state and the legal order. Thus, a person’s behavior is evaluated for its compliance with established rules and the ability to interact with other members of society in peace and mutual understanding.
 It is motivated that the philosophical analysis of ethical-philosophical concepts in the context of human behavior defines two key areas - deontology and consequentology. Deontology, focusing on duties and rules, determines the morality of actions regardless of their consequences, indicating the obligation of ethical norms, and consequentology focuses on the consequences of actions as the main criterion for their moral evaluation, emphasizing the importance of positive results.

Politicisation of Science in COVID-19 Editorial Cartoons: A Comparative Study of Cartoons in Australia, South Africa and the United Kingdom

ABSTRACT This study explores the representation of scientists and politicians in editorial cartoons from three countries: Australia, South Africa and the United Kingdom. Of 466 cartoons collected from six Sunday newspapers (two from each country) over an 18-month period, 226 (49%) contained some reference to COVID-19. A qualitative analysis of cartoons highlights the politicisation of science and the relative absence of scientists in the cartoon discourse. Cartoonists focus on the political aspects of the pandemic, often portraying politicians as juggling competing demands, such as health needs versus personal freedom. However, they often miss the opportunity to address the reasons for the imposition of COVID-19-related restrictions or the effectiveness of health measures, instead portraying scientists as oppositional figures. In addressing COVID-19 in this way, cartoonists subtly suggest conflicts between the values of scientists, politicians and society. Cartoonists also tie the pandemic into broader political discourses in each country, for example, states’ rights, corruption and Brexit in, respectively Australia, South Africa and the UK. This work provides insights into journalistic coverage of complex, science-related issues, with a particular focus on the ways that editorial coverage reflects public sentiment, policy responses and social attitudes.

The Role of Subjective Norm in Persuasion Through the Restoration of Personal Freedom

ABSTRACT Human behavior is largely influenced by social norms. While the social norm approach is frequently used in public health campaigns, their effectiveness is inconsistent. This study investigated the role of normative reactance – the amplification of subjective norms as a means of restoring threatened freedom – across two health behaviors: college drinking and STD testing. A 2 (message threat: low vs. high) × 2 (health topic: college drinking vs. STD testing) between-subjects experiment was conducted with 765 participants. The results indicated that, similar to attitudes, subjective norms could also be amplified as a self-justification strategy to restore threatened freedom, which led to reduced intention to follow a message recommendation. In addition, results showed that the role of subjective norms and attitudes can vary across health behaviors and individual differences, particularly concerning an individual’s degree of self-monitoring. Theoretical implications, limitations, and future directions are discussed.

Tourism marketing, ileity and the construction of a real ideality

AbstractThis study delves into the realm of island marketing, challenging prevailing assumptions held by potential mainland and urban tourists. It adopts a critical approach aimed at unraveling the motivations and expectations of these tourists in relation to island destinations, exploring the conflictual connections between the implicit beliefs in insularity and islandness. The study refutes simplistic stereotypes that often dominate insular tourism marketing, which abstractly portrays tropical islands as paradises of happiness and tranquility. The research identifies several values and benefits that significantly impact the motivation of island tourists, while recognizing the uniqueness of islands as tourist destinations. These include the allure of the sea and beaches as sources of leisure and well-being, the distinctiveness of island communities marked by authenticity and ancestral isolation, the promise of adventure in unfamiliar spaces, emotional involvement through personal spontaneity and freedom, and the opportunity to connect with preserved nature. For many small islands, tourism serves as a crucial economic resource, and their promotion centers around the idea of paradise and escape from the everyday routine—a concept referred to as “island desire” within a utopian context. The study also discusses the evolving role of communication technologies, the equivocal notion of authenticity, the significance of interculturality, and the contrasting perceptions of the sea for mainlanders and islanders. It emphasizes the need for island marketing professionals to draw from anthropological and epistemological insights to inform their creative communication strategies.

Double-Gifting and Self-Interested Charity in The Merchant of Venice

This essay analyzes the enacting of charity in The Merchant of Venice, with particular emphasis on moments of “double-gifting” in the plotlines of Portia and Antonio. Building on Henry Berger Jr.’s reading of the play in “Mercifixion in The Merchant of Venice,” I argue that both Bassanio’s wife and friend attempt to exert power over him by weaponizing unspoken obligations of reciprocity underlying their extravagant, repeated gifts of both self and property. Though Portia’s success at winning Bassanio’s fealty (as well as personal freedom for herself) contrasts sharply with Antonio’s near-complete loss of influence, a close reading of the ring plot and merry bond reveals a similar strategy of manipulation via charity behind the actions of both characters. I conclude by connecting the essay’s discussion of the play’s altered gift exchanges to the reality of emergent mercantile capitalism in early modern England, suggesting that said exchanges can be read as instances of “purchasing” interpersonal goods in a manner less explicit than, though bearing resemblance to, Shylock’s use of the money lending contract to obtain revenge on Antonio.

Похід Максима Кривоноса у Поділля й Південно-Східну Волинь та його воєнно-політичні наслідки (червень-липень 1648 року).

The purpose of the article is to find out the biography of Maksym Kryvonis at the beginning of the Cossack uprising of 1648, the campaign on the territory of Podillia and South-Eastern Volyn, its course, military actions, the political self-awareness of the participants of the expedition and its consequences for the development of the Ukrainian National Revolution in the summer of 1648. The methodological foundation is based on the concepts of the "Annals" and "New Social History" schools, as well as the principles of historicism, objectivity, reliance on historical sources, systematicity, and comprehensiveness. The main research methods were narrative, reconstructive, chronological, comparative, historical-genetic, and synchronous. The scientific novelty lies in an attempt for the first time in historiography to reconstruct a complete picture of the liberation campaign of M. Kryvonis in Podillia and South-Eastern Volyn, the program requirements of its participants, and the military-political consequences for the development of the revolutionary struggle in the summer of 1648. Conclusions. The study of the discovered complex of sources and scientific literature gives reason to see M. Kryvonis as an outstanding leader of the national liberation, religious and social struggle of the population of Right-bank Ukraine, which began to transform into the National Revolution. The campaign began at the end of the first decade of June with his capture of Pogrebyshchi and ended at the end of July with B. Khmelnytsky’s recall to his camp. It went through two stages in its development: the 1st (approx. June 7-8 - early July) was marked by successful military actions with Polish hostages in the cities of Bratslav Region and the liberation of its territory from Polish rule; The 2nd (beginning of July - end of July) was mainly characterized by the struggle with magnate and government units, which ended with the successful battle of Starokostiantyniv on July 26-28, the retreat of the troops of Prince I. Vyshnevetskyi and the liberation of the territories of Southwestern Zhytomyr region and Southeastern Volyn. Thanks to his military and organizational talents, M. Kryvonis managed to transform the 400-th Cherkasy regiment at the beginning of the campaign into a 28-30-thousand-strong army at the time of its completion. Fully sharing the revolutionary sentiments of the Cossack commoners, who sought liberation from national-religious oppression and social subjugation, to achieve personal freedom, land ownership, and independence of Russia ("on the Vistula") from the Polish Crown, he became the informal leader of a radical group of elders, which transformed into the Ukrainian political proto-elite.

ПРАВОВИЙ СТАТУС ВІЙСЬКОВОПОЛОНЕНИХ В УКРАЇНІ

The article is devoted to the understanding of the legal status of prisoners of war. In order to establish the legal status of prisoners of war, the author analyzes and argues that captivity is a phenomenon which is accompanied by restrictions on the freedom of persons who fall (claim) to have the legal status of prisoners of war and were involved in an armed conflict, with the aim of preventing their participation in hostilities in the future. The author clarifies the role of participants in an international armed conflict, which in international humanitarian law are divided into military and civilian combatants and non-combatants. Only combatants, i.e., those persons involved in an interstate conflict, can become prisoners of war. The main difference between a non-combatant and a combatant is that the above-mentioned persons have personal weapons, but can use them only for self-defense. If they participate in hostilities, they acquire the status of combatants. The legal status of a person is a system of rights, freedoms, obligations, and responsibilities enshrined in legal acts and guaranteed by the state, according to which an individual, as a subject of law (i.e., as one with legal personality), coordinates his or her behavior in society. The legal status of: a) citizens of Ukraine; b) foreigners; c) stateless persons; d) persons granted asylum. According to the nature of legal regulation, the legal status is a) general; b) sectoral (individual), c) special. The legal status of prisoners of war applies only to those persons who have not violated the rules and customs of war and are not subject to prosecution under the criminal law of Ukraine. In general, the legal status is formed by combining subjective rights, legitimate interests and legal obligations. The constituent elements of the legal status of prisoners of war are rights, obligations and prohibitions. Prisoners of war are special subjects of law, as they are under international legal protection and endowed with a special legal status regulated by both national legislation and regulations of international humanitarian law. Key words: war, prisoners of war, captivity, legal status of a person, international conflict, rights, obligations, prohibitions, foreigners, combatants, non-combatants.

Anxiety level of Iranian patients with psychiatric disorders and related factors: A cross-sectional study

Patients at psychiatric facilities may experience anxiety for a variety of reasons. Long-term anxiety that is not treated can lead to chronic problems like headaches, insomnia, depression, muscle tension, suicidal thoughts, and chronic pain. The purpose of this study is to investigate the relationship between anxiety levels and anxiety-inducing factors in patients hospitalized in psychiatric wards. Using SPSS software version 26, an independent t-test and Pearson's correlation coefficient were used to analyze the data. The traditional "Kessler's anxiety" questionnaire and the "researcher-made" questionnaire, as well as the random sampling methodology, are the foundations of this study. A significant association exists between patients’ anxiety and the lack of personal freedoms following hospitalization and the marital status of the nurses (P<0.05). The findings of this study indicate that some of the elements under investigation contribute to patients' anxiety while others have no bearing on it. To fully understand the causes of anxiety in patients being treated in psychiatric hospitals, more research is required.

Transformations of the family institution: from the pre-modern to the metamodern

The relevance of the stated topic is due to the modern socio-cultural situation. On the one hand, the family is the most important social institution, the state of which determines the well-being of society. On the other hand, the modern family is experiencing a crisis, which finds its expression in a decrease in fertility rates, a narrowing of family functions, a growing number of divorces, etc. The purpose of the work is to study the relationship of the family as a mechanism for ensuring the translation and reproduction of culture with the processes taking place in society. The problems of the family are considered in the context of modernization processes in the world – in the context of the transition from a traditional society to a modern one, from a pre-modern culture to a meta-modern one. The theoretical basis of the research is the works of Russian and Western authors exploring the problems of the family in a historical context. The interdisciplinary nature of the work determines the combination of socio-philosophical and cultural approaches to the problem of dynamics and possible prospects of the institution of the family. The paper examines the causes of family transformation, the consequences of the family crisis for the development of society and civilization, as well as possible options for the future of the family in connection with the changes taking place in the culture of the early 21st century. The author concludes that the fetishization of personal freedom and the spread of values of self-expression in postmodern culture contradicts the values of self-preservation of society as an integral, unique education. However, the crisis processes in the 21st century undermine the sense of existential security that was inherent in the postmodern era and caused the decline of traditional norms. In the culture of metamodernism, there is a turn towards transcendence and spirituality, which can become a turn towards traditional cultural values, including the family. And this, according to the author, is the positive significance of the modern socio-cultural crisis.

PSYCHOLOGICAL CULTURE OF MODERN YOUTH: THREATS AND PROBLEMS OF VIRTUAL SOCIAL SPACE

The essence of such concepts as "information culture", "information literacy" and "information worldview" is considered. The conclusion is made about the high level of penetration of information technologies into the lives of modern youth, but the insufficient level of information literacy and information worldview among young people. Based on a quantitative sociological study, the key threats to modern youth arising in the information space are identified. Among the most acute problems for modern youth, we have attributed: Internet addiction of young people, the rupture of real social ties and their substitution with virtual connections, loss of personal freedom, leakage of personal information, involvement in criminal and destructive groups through the Internet. It was noted that the more actively virtual space replaces real social connections, the newer threats are recorded in the Internet space. It has been established that criminal work on the Internet is especially active against teenagers. It is determined that the level of information culture among young people is correlated with age. The younger the respondents, the lower their level of information culture. It is concluded that social norms in the virtual space lag behind specific practices. Thus, modern society needs to more actively develop rules and norms of behavior in a new environment for it -the virtual space. The recommendation is given to develop the norms of information culture and cultural competencies among young people more actively. Educational programs should include issues of information literacy, including information security. All organizations working with young people need to step up their efforts toraise awareness of personal information security issues, especially among young people.

Compulsory vaccination of children - medical and legal problems.

Regarding the vaccination of children, it can be said that there are basically three vaccination policies in the world, one of which is usually used in particular country depending on the national legislation. These are the mandatory vaccination policy, mandatory vaccination policy for school entry and recommended vaccination policy. The mandatory vaccination policy and the mandatory vaccination policy for school entry face obstacles consisting of conflicts between fundamental human rights and freedoms. This is, for example, a conflict between the right to health and the right to life on the one hand and the right to protect the inviolability of the person and body integrity or the right to personal freedom, freedom of movement, residence, etc., on the other. Another issue is the right to undisrupted school attendance, based on both compulsory schooling and the right to education. This article looks at different approaches to the vaccination of children in different countries. It provides an illustrative comparison of approaches to vaccination of children in selected countries. It is obvious that the essential problems with organizing and ensuring the vaccination of children are and will be associated with the indicated conflicts of fundamental human rights. It is therefore necessary to search and try to find the optimal policy for undergoing the necessary vaccinations and thereby creating herd immunity, of course for those infectious diseases where this is possible. These efforts are necessary for sufficiently effective protection of individual and public health.

Freedom of choice impact on country-specific liquidity commonality

We use three facets of freedom of choice (opportunity, decisional autonomy, and immunity from interference) to develop a freedom of choice index for 46 countries and test its impact on commonality in liquidity. We find that the three aspects of individual freedom of choice are negatively related to country-specific market liquidity commonality. Building on Sen’s (1993) theoretical framework, we document that in the presence of opportunities for making independent choices, immunity from encroaching activities, and decisional autonomy, investors tend to show less correlated trading decisions, measured by the levels of liquidity co-movement. To address possible endogeneity bias, we use 9/11 and country-level terrorist attacks as an exogenous source of variations to personal freedom of choice. We find that higher levels of perceived threats in a country restrain personal freedoms and tend to reduce freedom of choice effects on liquidity commonality. Our results are robust to alternative explanations, freedom of choice definitions, and model specifications.

REALIZATION OF THE RIGHT TO INFORMATION ABOUT THE HEALTH STATUS OF THE FUTURE SPOUSE

In the context of the dispositivity of the norms of family law, which enshrine the right of future spouses to undergo a medical examination before marriage registration, law enforcement practice is being formed, which makes it difficult to implement this rule of law. The reason is the absence of authorized entities who are obliged to inform about this right and the procedure for passing a medical examination. The purpose of the article is to identify contradictions in the practice of applying the norms of family law on medical examination of persons entering into marriage and to develop proposals to eliminate them. The subject of the study is the institute of personal rights and freedoms of spouses, which includes a dispositive rule on the right of future spouses to undergo a medical examination. The result of the study is proposals for amendments to family law and legislation in the field of health protection. The novelty of the research lies in the generalization of the practice of legal support for medical examination of persons entering into marriage. Based on foreign and Russian experience, the opinions of the expert community, proposals for amendments to the family legislation of the Russian Federation are formulated. For the science of family law, the article is of interest, since expert positions on key problematic aspects of medical examination are summarized, and the author's point of view on the need to replace the dispositive norm with an imperative norm is substantiated. The component of scientific novelty is the author's assessment of foreign experience in regulating legal norms, based on the belonging of states to the Romano-German or Anglo-Saxon legal systems.

Апокалиптическое сознание Ларса фон Триера в антропологии Дома, который построил не Джек

The subject of the study is the concept of the historical hero as a victor of the gods and his role in contemporary Western cultural heritage, with a focus on the reinterpretation of Scandinavian culture in the works of Lars von Trier. The research methodology is based on the analysis of Hollywood’s reception of neo-European rationalism and the ideas of individualism and free will in European culture. The author examines the influence of the implementation of freedom without morality on the exploration of the idea of the Übermensch (superman) and discusses unresolved questions in this context. The research findings highlight the importance of the themes of personal responsibility and freedom in Western culture, as well as the legacy of Scandinavian culture as a source of the manifestation of truths. The conclusions of the study emphasize the relevance and significance of the discussed issues in the contemporary cultural context. The main goal of the research is to identify the consistent stages of Lars von Trier’s apocalyptic consciousness, particularly in the context of resistance to the colonization of art by ontological philosophy and the dominance of Hollywood clichés and political sentiments in the film market. This work conducts a methodological investigation into how Lars von Trier applies the philosophy of images through cinematography as a tool to separate false and immaculate representations of the world, with a focus on the problem of sin in his composition. This work methodologically explores this process and analyzes how it interacts with contemporary culture and cinema. In the context of the scientific novelty of the research, a question arises about Lars von Trier describing himself as a ‘sadistic doctor’ who saves lives but remains, in the eyes of those saved, an antichrist and a criminal in the humanistic world and humanity’s defense of a world different from the existing one. The results of this research can be used to study philosophical anthropology in the field of film studies and visual arts, as well as in related social and humanitarian disciplines, to analyze how this theme interacts with culture and society.

Understanding the Dynamics of Life Satisfaction in the Swedish Welfare State: A Multifaceted Analysis Integrating Quantitative, Qualitative, and Discourse Approaches

This interdisciplinary study investigates life satisfaction in the context of the Swedish welfare state, employing a mixed-methods approach to offer a comprehensive understanding. Quantitative analyses, utilizing World Values Survey data, reveal significant associations between work importance, household financial situation, and life satisfaction. However, the explanatory power of the models remains modest at 15.3%. The study emphasizes the need for a holistic approach, recognizing the interconnectedness of work and financial well-being with other determinants of life satisfaction. Qualitative insights, derived from interviews and focus groups, explore individual experiences, uncovering nuanced perspectives on well-being. Participants highlight the importance of resources, welfare benefits, work, and personal freedom, aligning with the capability approach. The conceptualization of well-being incorporates Chambers' notion of capabilities, Sen's emphasis on freedom, and Nussbaum's consideration of how individuals’ function. Discourse analysis enriches the study by examining language as a constitutive force, shaping perceptions, and influencing actions. A focus group discussion and blog analysis reveal diverse views on life satisfaction, emphasizing the significance of freedom and choice. The findings contribute to the broader understanding of life satisfaction, calling for future research that integrates quantitative, qualitative, and discourse analysis approaches. The study underscores the complexity of life satisfaction and its multifaceted determinants, urging policymakers and practitioners to adopt comprehensive strategies in promoting well-being in welfare states like Sweden.