The symbolizations emerging from aviation crew members’ perspectives on well-being: a linguistic analysis using emotional text mining

Background: Well-being is a complex and structured construct recently studied in aviation, primarily through self-report measures. The primary aim of this study is to explore aviation crews' representations of well-being using the Emotional Text Mining (ETM) method. A secondary aim is to examine whether different representations are associated with occupational variables. Method: 492 participants (302 males) completed an online survey via SurveyMonkey, including an open-ended question prompting them to describe their perception of well-being. Additionally, socio-occupational variables were collected. The texts were analyzed using ETM, identifying how a social group emotionally symbolizes a topic. Results: The analysis revealed three clusters: (1) Material and Family Stability, (2) Individual Self-Development, and (3) Connection and Social Realization. These clusters are positioned within a factorial space defined by two factors: one contrasting individual vs. social representations of well-being and the other differentiating well-being as a set of given elements vs. an active, evolving process. No associations with occupational variables were found. Conclusion: The findings suggest a concept of well-being in which the work dimension is considered only marginally, primarily for its material and economic value, and not as part of a broader sense of personal fulfillment. Administering the survey within a workplace setting may have heightened social desirability bias, potentially influenced by fears of professional repercussions.