Eudaimonia as a treatment goal in psychotherapy and psychosomatic medicine

Psychotherapy encompasses a broad range of goals, ranging from the alleviation of symptoms and the prevention of recurrence to the enhancement of well-being. These goals are mostly cross-sectional and hedonic-oriented in the sense of wellness, happiness, and absence of pain. However, an alternative goal is eudaimonia, which involves mastery of life from a long-term perspective. This pursuit entails embracing and even seeking hardship and confrontation with adversities for the sake of higher goods and goals. Eudaimonia, both an attitude and a behavior, is essential for everybody, especially individuals facing challenging circumstances and burdensome life situations, such as familial burdens, job problems, and illness. Eudaimonia can be attained through wisdom, which is regarded in lifespan psychology as a multidimensional capacity for coping with complex challenges and dilemmas in life. Initial studies suggest that wisdom skills are trainable, opening additional avenues in psychotherapy and psychosomatic medicine. It is argued that eudaimonia deserves increased attention in psychotherapy and psychosomatic medicine.