This thesis is focused on positive affect in the workplace, with a particular emphasis on the UK public sector. Three samples of data were taken from 433 respondents across nine participating organizations with the aim of identifying those who rate themselves as happy and upbeat and whom others are noticing in this regard. Thus, the thesis goes beyond the analysis of those who are self-nominated as happy, seeking those who are flourishing (denoted throughout as Happy Plus or H+ ) which, for the purposes of this thesis, are categorised as employees whose positive affect is contagious. The data identified 45 H+ respondents, ascertaining that their happiness has a degree of longevity that is in line with eudaimonic sources and that the state of flourishing is unlikely to be accidental. The flourishing respondents were measured on 16 workplace emotions and compared against a group of 388 non-flourishing work colleagues. The H+ respondents recorded higher scores in all 4 emotions associated with employee engagement (enthusiastic, joyful, inspired & excited) and employee satisfaction (calm, relaxed, laid back & at ease) while the NonH+ group scored higher in emotions associated with stress (nervous, anxious, tense & worried) and depression (dejected, despondent, hopeless & depressed). Independent samples t-tests (using the Bonferroni correction) suggest these differences are statistically significant in 13 of the 16 affects measured. This is salient in that the more vigorous sense of employee engagement tends to result in pro-social behaviours that are correlated with bottom-line performance. The thesis then sought to discover the means by which the H+ respondents achieve and maintain their flourishing status. Following Lyubomirsky s (2007) contention that if an individual s genes and circumstances are fixed (in the immediacy of here and now) then it is the 40% of one s intentional strategies that will differentiate the flourishing from their non-flourishing colleagues. Thus, the H+ and NonH+ groups were compared on a raft of seventeen within-person strategies. The flourishing group rate choosing to be positive as their biggest single strategy, with the corollary that attitudinal choice requires both awareness and effort. It is postulated that engaged employees are attitude maximizers rather than satisficers , in that they are less likely to make do with ambivalent attitudes, striving to be as positive as they are able. Flourishing employees are also significantly more likely to set goals, play to their strengths, have positive internal dialogue, reframe negative events and consume less news. They indulge in what is termed life-crafting in which they alter their thoughts and circumstances to maximise their likelihood of remaining happy. The thesis concludes with a series of recommendations, focusing on co-creation , the idea that happiness emerges as a collective and cooperative endeavour that requires both favourable working conditions and individual effort. As such, recommendations are aimed at how organizations can learn from the findings to implement structures and policies that are best placed to facilitate flourishing cultures. There is a further set of recommendations alluding to what individuals can do to raise their own happiness levels. As such, it is argued that organizational culture change is not simply a matter of instigating top-down or bottom-up remedies, but rather eliciting change that emanates from inside-out.

Cette recherche se positionne dans la lignée d’une enquête sur le bonheur chez Rousseau, qui va de Robert Mauzi à Michel Delon. Intégrant ces acquis, elle se propose d’en prolonger les analyses, et de prendre en compte l’œuvre autobiographique, morale, éthique et politique de Jean-Jacques Rousseau. Cette thèse sonde la cohérence de ce thème récurrent, et en confronte les multiples facettes disséminées dans l’œuvre. Il existe dans l’œuvre une dynamique du bonheur assujettie à des mouvements oscillatoires. Le premier concerne la théorie de l’extase et fait émerger l’opposition entre un bonheur comme rétraction en soi-même et un autre comme expansion hors de soi. Ce mouvement affecte ensuite les formes de la sociabilité, allant du bonheur de la solitude au bonheur de la relation sociale restreinte, s’élargissant enfin en balancement entre sa dimension morale et sa dimension politique, entre le bonheur de l’homme et celui du citoyen. Cette dynamique rythmée et cadencée, engageant une dualité, est pourtant dépassée au profit d’un bonheur comme unité, révélant une « dialectique » de la félicité. Cette dynamique permet de comprendre, in fine, la fiction comme matrice de la félicité. / This research takes its position in the line of research on happiness in Rousseau, which goes from Robert Mauzi to Michel Delon. Encompassing this acquired knowledge, it sets out to prolong the analysis of it and to take into account the autobiographical, moral, ethical, and political work of Jean-Jacques Rousseau. This thesis probes the coherence of this recurring theme and confronts the multiple facets of it disseminated in the work. There exists in the work a dynamic of happiness subject to oscillatory movements. The first concerns the theory of ecstasy and gives rise to the opposition between a happiness as the withdrawal into oneself and another happiness as the expansion beyond oneself. This movement then affects the forms of sociability, going from the happiness of solitude to the happiness of the limited social relationship, eventually broadening out by moving between its moral dimension and its political dimension, between the happiness of the man and that of the citizen. This regular and rhythmical dynamic, involving a duality, is however exceeded to the benefit of a happiness as a unity, revealing a dialectic of bliss. This dynamic, in short, allows an understanding of the fiction as the matrix of bliss.

The purpose of this study is to analyze if and how cultural values and expectations in society influence the experiences and perceptions of happiness and well-being. Applying a quantitative research methods approach, a survey based on previous research was conducted to compare and analyze experiences and perceptions between two contrasting cultures, China and Sweden, using Hofstede’s national culture dimensions as an analytical tool. The sample consisted of students from China and Sweden. The findings from the study show that both groups ranked family as being the domain of life most important for their well-being, followed by health for the Chinese group, and friends for the Swedish group. There were statistically significant differences in the mean responses in some questions that may be attributed to cultural differences. For example, finishing long-term difficult tasks was ranked more important for the well- being by the Chinese group. As for the Swedish group, they felt to a higher degree that they had the freedom to choose what they would like work with. The majority of the responses, however, were similar between the two groups. The paper discusses how globalization may contribute to converging values in the current generation of students. Furthermore, other factors such as internal abilities and societal and cultural structures have an influence on the possibilities to pursue goals in life. Happiness is achieved by finding a balance in life between what you can achieve and accepting what you cannot. The themes and concepts used in the study are inspired by Jongbloed and Andres’ concepts of happiness as balance and gears of well-being. The study contributes to the research fields of human-centered development, and happiness studies on how subjective indicators as a complement to objective indicators can be used to better measure growth from a cultural perspective.

Happiness, or the concept of well-being can be traced back to the era of Aristotle (384 to 322 BC), Epicuruss (341 to 270 BC), John Locke (1632 to 1704) and more recently Ed Diener (DOB 1946), who played an integral part in the well-being revolution. People have very different ways in seeking happiness, whether it is closely associated to their personal life, the work environment or in society, they are constantly striving towards a goal of experiencing happiness at its purist form. Bursts of absolute joy and the purist form of immediate gratification cannot provide a path to finding happiness and well-being. The process is intricate and requires a variety of variables integrated into a combination of events and lifestyle experiences to culminate into an existence which produces a feeling of inner peace and fulfillment. Current research suggests that this is not an attainable state of existence, but human nature drives every individual to seek out a path to finding true happiness. The advent of the modern day economic crisis has changed the global environment to the extent where society is attempting to find a new norm to operate in. As a consequence, individuals are presented with new challenges which have forced them to re-evaluate their path to finding a balance in their lives. These changes have added new challenges to deal with and adapt to as new forces in the global environment start to shape a new tomorrow. People spend a large portion of their existence working to earn an income and to provide a means of supporting themselves and their dependents. The challenges they face are enhanced by the strains of working in stressful and pressurised working environments as their employers are also adapting to the changing global environment. Economic pressure is passed on to employees, as they are pushed to achieve the financial results demanded by shareholders. The last ten years has seen a wealth of research being conducted in the space of well-being and how it relates to business has gained popularity. The study of epidemiology refers to the study of components of human behaviour, which have a negative impact on individual functioning, like stress and anxiety disorders. Well-being in the workplace can counter these ailments and create a working environment absent of these negative afflictions which damage the productivity of a workforce. Employers who understand the positive aspects associated with well-being are in a position to effectively deploy their employees to produce improved financial results. The starting point for many organisations is to determine the current level of happiness in their businesses and to establish what variables are responsible for the current state of well-being. The main objective of the empirical study was to determine the level of happiness at a financial institution. The target population (354 potential respondents) is the regional office the financial institution based in Port Elizabeth, South Africa. Potential respondents received electronic requests by email, requesting their participation in the study. A total of 164 completed questionnaires were returned (46.33%) and analysed. Literature was reviewed to develop a conceptual model. Seven variables were identified as having an influence on employee happiness and have the potential to change employee well-being levels to aid organisations in their quest to adapt to the prevailing economic conditions and stress people have to deal with on a daily basis. The results from the study show that Work-life, Safety and Security, Growth and Development, Health, Recognition and Reward, Autonomy and Social Connectedness are all closely associate with employee well-being. Safety and security, Autonomy and Recognition and Reward have direct positive associations with the concept of well-being and have a significant relationship and potential to enhance well-being. The end result is that with the correct interventions by an employer, well-being can be measured and applied in the working environment. The correct combination of variables can have a positive impact in the work environment. A happy workforce can be an advantage to an organisation, their interventions can add great value to employees by increasing their commitment to the organisation and ultimately the business can benefit from their Interventions by seeing their efforts being realised in their financial results.

Felicidade é um constructo multidimensional que pode ser definido como ograu em que uma pessoa avalia a qualidade geral de sua vida como favorável; ela tem sido associada com vários desfechos e medidas de saúde. A transição da infância para a adolescência envolve uma série de mudanças físicas e especialmente psicológicas, e oimpacto das doenças bucais pode ser percebido como um obstáculo para o desenvolvimento social dos indivíduos.Osobjetivos do presente trabalho foram estudar a influência das condições de saúde bucal, condição socioeconômica e uso de serviços no grau de felicidade durante o período de transição da infância para a adolescência;identificar os fatores associados à mudança do grau de felicidade e avaliar o incremento dos problemas de saúde bucal na amostra após 2 anos de acompanhamento. A coleta de dados ocorreu em 2 momentos, nos anos de 2012 e 2014. Foram feitos exames clínicos para avaliar as condições de saúde bucal (cárie dentária, má oclusão, traumatismo dentário e condição gengival), entrevistas para avaliar o grau de felicidade (medido com a Escala Subjetiva de Felicidade-SHS) e o impacto das condições de saúde bucal na qualidade de vida (medido com o Child Perceptions QuestionnaireCPQ11-14), além de questionários enviados aos responsáveis para avaliar a condição socioeconômica da família, variáveis demográficas e de uso de serviços dacriança. Para a análise dos fatores relacionados ao grau de felicidadefoi utilizado um modelo linear multinível para medidas repetidas ao longo do tempo, comentrada de variáveis hierarquizada de acordo com um modelo conceitual; para análise dos fatores associados à mudança no grau de felicidadefoi utilizada regressão logística multinomial.Das 1134 crianças examinadas no baseline, 770 foram reavaliadas após 2 anos(taxa de resposta de 67,9 por cento), e foi observado um aumento na prevalência de problemas bucais (experiência de cárie, prevalência de má oclusão, prevalência de sangramento e placa dental). O modelo multinível final foi composto por variáveis socioeconômicas da família, pelo uso de serviços e pelas condições clínicas de saúde bucal e autopercepção.Adolescentes de famílias com menor renda(p=0,030), que viviam em residências com maior aglomeração(p<0,001), cujas mães tinham um menor nível de escolaridade(p=0,014), que utilizavam o serviço odontológico por motivos de dor ou em busca de tratamentos(p=0,039), que possuíam um número maior de dentes com cavidades de cárie não tratada(p=0,010)e que relatavam maior impacto das condições de saúde bucal na qualidade de vida (p<0,001)apresentaram um pior grau de felicidade. O modelo multinomial final indicou uma associação entre experiência de cárie e autopercepção e a mudança no grau de felicidade: adolescentes com um maior número de dentes cariados, perdidos ou obturados (OR=1,16-1,19, p=0,018-0,037) e com escores mais altos no CPQ11-14 (OR=1,04-1,07, p=0,000-0,014) tinham uma maior chance de pertencer às categorias mais desfavoráveis de trajetória de felicidade. Esses resultados evidenciam a importância de políticas públicas inclusivas e promoção de saúde bucal para o desenvolvimento psicossocial de adolescentes / Happiness is a multidimensional construct and can be defined as the degree to which a person evaluates the quality of his life as a whole as favorably; It has been associated with several health outcomes and measures. The transition from childhood to adolescence involves a number of physical and especially psychological changes, and the impact of oral diseases can be perceived as an obstacle to the social development of individuals. The objectives of this paper were to investigate the influence of oral health conditions, socioeconomic status and use of dental services on subjective happiness during the transition from childhood to adolescence; to identify the factors associated with the change in the perception of happiness and to evaluate the incidence of oral health problems in the sample after 2 years of follow-up. Data collection was performed at two periods, in 2012 and 2014. Clinical examinations were performed to evaluate oral health conditions (dental caries, malocclusion, dental trauma and gingival condition), interviews were conducted to evaluate the subjective happiness (using the Subjective Happiness Scale -SHS ) and the impact of oral health conditions on quality of life (using the Child Perception Questionnaire -CPQ11-14), questionnaires were sent to the parents to assess socioeconomic family characteristics, demographic variables and the use of dental services. To analyse the factors associated with the subjective happiness, data were fitted into a linear multilevel model for repeated measures and hierarchical selection of variables; to analyze the factors associated with changes in happiness, data were fitted into a multinomial logistic model. From 1134 children examined in the baseline, 770 were reevaluated after 2 years (response rate of 67.9 per cent), and it was observed an increase in the prevalence of oral health conditions (experience of dental caries, prevalence of malocclusion, gingival bleeding and dental plaque). In the multilevel model, following adjustment, there was an association between the mean score of SHS and socioeconomic variables, the use of dental services, clinical conditions and self-perception. Adolescents from lower income families (p = 0.030), who lived in households with worse overcrowding (p<0.001), whose mothers had lower levels of education (p = 0.014), who used dental services due to pain or to seek dental treatment (p= 0.039), which had a higher number of cavitated caries lesions (p = 0.010) and who reported higher impact of oral health conditions on quality of life (p <0.001) presented to a worse degree of happiness. The multinomial final model indicated an association between dental caries experience and self-perception and the changes in happiness over time: adolescents with a greater number of teeth decayed, missng orfilled (OR = 1.16-1.19, p = 0.018-0.037), and with higher CPQ11-14 scores (OR = 1.04-1.07, p = 0.000-0.014) had a higher chance of being in the most unfavorable categories of happiness trajectory. These results highlight the importance of inclusive publicpolicies and oral health promotion for the psychosocial development of adolescents

The present thesis deals with the question of goodness in ethical thinking of Plato and Aristotle. The work aims to answer two research questions: How did Plato and Aristotle perceive the essence of goodness in human life? What are we supposed to do in order to accomplish human well-being? The first chapter contains a brief summary of ethical ideas of both philosophers. In the following chapters their concepts of areté, soul and goodness are analysed and compared. The comparison supports the fact that both Plato and Aristotle basically agreed on the essence of human goodness. They consider it the sole criterion of human well-being, both of them connect it with moral values and argue that it can be only achived through life in accordance with the virtues. On the other hand, Plato and Aristotle differ from each other in the way how can be such human goodness and well-being achieved. Aristotle's views based on the ethical issues, however, can not be perceived as totally different from those of Plato, but rather as a further elaboration and supplement of his ideas and opinions.

Estudos anteriores sugeriram que as compras de experiências, tais como viagens e shows, deixam as pessoas mais felizes do que compras materiais, como, por exemplo, roupas e eletrônicos. E, por esta razão, sugerem que as pessoas passem a alocar mais a sua renda discricionária em tais tipos de compra. Entretanto, acredita-se que isto não é verdade para todos os indivíduos. O nível de felicidade com cada tipo de compra, provavelmente, varie de acordo com o estado motivacional das pessoas. À luz da teoria de self-regulation, hipotetizase que a felicidade derivada das compras depende da adequação entre as diferentes orientações motivacionais (prevention x promotion) e o tipo de compra (experiência x material). Em um estudo experimental, manipulou-se o tipo de compra e o regulatory focus, e se descobriu que os participantes com promotion focus, realmente, são mais felizes com as compras de experiência, no entanto, os participantes com prevention focus são tão felizes com as compras materiais quanto com as de experiência. Em um segundo estudo experimental, testou-se como os participantes com diferentes estados motivacionais alocam sua renda discricionária de modo a se sentirem mais felizes. Dado os resultados, sugere-se que os participantes com promotion focus são os que devem melhorar sua forma de investir para ficarem mais felizes, estes sim devem seguir a recomendação à experiência. Ainda, quando o trade-off entre os tipos de compra (experiência e material) estava saliente, os participantes com prevention focus, na seqüência, avaliaram as experiências mais favoravelmente do que quando o trade-off não estava saliente. / Experiential consumption - which is made with the primary intention of acquiring a life experience - usually yields greater happiness than material purchases. However, it might not be true for all individuals. The level of happiness in each type of purchase may vary according to one's motivational state. Building on research on subjective well-being and regulatory focus it is being put forward a hypothesis that happiness derived from purchases depends on the fit between self-regulation (individual differences) and the type of purchase (experiential versus material). In the first experimental study, the regulatory focus (prevention vs. promotion) and type of purchase (experiential vs. material) have been manipulated. The data shows that the promotion-focused participants indeed were happier with the experiential purchases than with the material ones. However, the prevention-focused participants were as happy with the material purchases as with the experiential purchases. In the second experimental study, it has been tested how the participants with different regulatory foci allocate their discretionary income as to feel happier. According to the results, its been suggested that in order to spend their income more judisciously, the promotion-focused participants should choose the experiential form of purchase and the prevention-focused participants should continue to invest in both types of purchases. Further, when the trade-off between the material and experiential purchases was made salient, experiences were subsequently evaluated more favorably than when the trade-off was not salient.

Submitted by Andrea Hayashi (deachan@gmail.com) on 2016-06-21T16:59:01Z No. of bitstreams: 1 dissertacao-josadaque-martins-silva.pdf: 1078446 bytes, checksum: 320bf2c866cb3fa829285f2a4dec34d3 (MD5) / Approved for entry into archive by Andrea Hayashi (deachan@gmail.com) on 2016-06-21T17:11:34Z (GMT) No. of bitstreams: 1 dissertacao-josadaque-martins-silva.pdf: 1078446 bytes, checksum: 320bf2c866cb3fa829285f2a4dec34d3 (MD5) / Made available in DSpace on 2016-06-21T17:11:34Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 dissertacao-josadaque-martins-silva.pdf: 1078446 bytes, checksum: 320bf2c866cb3fa829285f2a4dec34d3 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2014-11-15 / Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES) / Procurar-se-á neste trabalho expor certas direções para um estudo da correlação entre as noções de “vontade” e “medida” no diálogo De beata uita de Santo Agostinho. O diálogo De beata uita consiste numa reflexão sobre a natureza da felicidade, tendo como ponto de partida o desejo universal de ser feliz. Ao perguntar-se pela natureza da felicidade, Santo Agostinho se dá conta de que o ser humano só pode ser feliz se tem o que quer, mas, como aprende de Cícero, constata que ter o que se quer é diferente de ser feliz, pois é possível não ser feliz tendo tudo o que se quer, uma vez que nem sempre o ser humano deseja aquilo que é bom. Sob essa perspectiva, a posse de bens pode ser compatível com a infelicidade – sinônimo de indigência –. Para evitar a infelicidade ou corrigir o desejo equivocado, requer-se sabedoria, a medida da alma que orienta a vontade para desejar o que é bom. É ela também que, no limite, orienta para a busca e a posse de um bem que não se perca, o único capaz de corresponder ao desejo da felicidade. Tal bem só poderá existir numa natureza divina. Assim, o tratamento dado ao tema da felicidade no De beata uita não se reduz à identificação de uma realidade que satisfaça o desejo de ser feliz, mas implica necessariamente uma investigação da vontade em sua relação com algo que a oriente, isto é, a sabedoria ou medida da alma. / The aim of this thesis is to show some possibilities for a study of the correlation between the concepts of “will” and “measure” in St. Augustine’s dialogue De beata uita. This dialogue is a reflexion about the nature of happiness, and its starting point is the universal wish of being happy. Asking about the nature of happiness, Augustine realizes that human beings can be happy only if they got what they want, but on the other hand, as he learns from Cicero, he notes that having what is wanted is different from being happy, because human beings do not always want what is good for them and, so, might be submissive to the malice of their own will. Seen from this perspective, the possession of temporal goods can be compatible with unhappiness - synonymous with indigence - if one has no wisdom, i.e., the measure of the soul that guides the will to desire what is good. Augustine, because of this, looks for a good whose possession may not be lost, an imperishable, immutable, permanent and independent good. Such goodness can exist only in a divine nature, whence the assertion that happiness is in God. Therefore, the topic of happiness, in De beata uita, is not limited to the identification of a reality that satisfies the desire for being happy, but it is directly related to the theme of the will, because the desire for happiness is a desire for an immutable good (God). So, as it was already mentioned, the aim of this thesis is to examine the meaning assigned by Augustine for wisdom as a measure of the soul (and, therefore, as a guideline of the will), in the pursuit process for happiness.

Submitted by Andrea Hayashi (deachan@gmail.com) on 2016-06-24T15:31:16Z No. of bitstreams: 1 dissertacao-rafael-vieira-gomes.pdf: 2182387 bytes, checksum: 45434f7851706db251179774e3adb978 (MD5) / Approved for entry into archive by Andrea Hayashi (deachan@gmail.com) on 2016-06-24T15:31:55Z (GMT) No. of bitstreams: 1 dissertacao-rafael-vieira-gomes.pdf: 2182387 bytes, checksum: 45434f7851706db251179774e3adb978 (MD5) / Made available in DSpace on 2016-06-24T15:31:55Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 dissertacao-rafael-vieira-gomes.pdf: 2182387 bytes, checksum: 45434f7851706db251179774e3adb978 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2013-11 / Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES) / No Teeteto (176 b), Platão disse que, já que os males residem “aqui” e rondam necessariamente essa região perecível, e já que desejamos fugir dos males, é preciso “fugir daqui”. Essa fuga, segundo ele, consiste em assemelhar-se a deus. Plotino, em sua exegese do texto platônico, retoma literalmente essa afirmação e a incorpora em sua filosofia. Sua interpretação e concepção filosófica desse aspecto ético da tradição platônica parece corresponder a certa “chave” para compreender e penetrar o percurso da conversão (epistrophé) da alma, de sua dispersão na multiplicidade (ou “queda” nos vícios e males) à sua Assimilação e unificação com o princípio que, por ser fonte de máxima unidade, plenitude, conhecimento e felicidade da alma é, por isso, sua verdadeira meta e seu mais profundo “objeto” de amor e desejo. Portanto, é preciso fugir dos males, em um movimento de conversão e Assimilação a deus (homoíosis theôi), que, em Plotino, corresponde a um retorno e a uma entrada no mais profundo e íntimo de si mesmo. Entretanto, seguindo de perto Platão, se os males residem aqui, para fugir dos males é preciso “fugir daqui”. Ora, perguntamo-nos: o que, em Plotino, significa realmente essa Fuga? É bastante conhecida certa interpretação contemporânea que entende a moral platônica como uma forma de fuga e negação do corpo, do mundo e dos sentidos. Alguns filósofos, assim como alguns historiadores da filosofia, também parecem ter entendido literalmente essa expressão retomada por Plotino. Entretanto, a despeito dessa interpretação e do debate com seus defensores, desejamos apenas compreender esse aspecto da filosofia plotiniana principalmente a partir de seu próprio texto: afinal, trata-se de uma proposta de evasão e de negação do corpo e do mundo, ou há outra leitura possível? Se, paralelamente ao tema da Fuga, estudarmos alguns pontos estratégicos para a compreensão mais ampla do percurso conversivo veremos que paradoxalmente Plotino não apenas valoriza o corpo, o mundo e a experiência sensível, mas os concebe como meios para a Assimilação ao inteligível. Por conseguinte, se fugir daqui consiste em assemelhar-se a deus, essa Assimilação é a finalidade última dessa Fuga. De modo que Fuga e Assimilação aparecem como conceitos interdependentes. Todavia, qual é a natureza dessa Assimilação (homoíosis)? Trata-se apenas de imitar e tornar-se semelhante ao divino, ou esse termo guarda, em Plotino, ainda um sentido mais ousado e mais profundo? Segundo nossa interpretação, a assemelhação como imitação e aproximação ao divino, por meio das virtudes e da dialética, é uma etapa ainda propedêutica da Assimilação propriamente dita. E é essa passagem de um nível discursivo e propedêutico – de imitação e preparação – para a “visão” e a “experiência” imediata do divino – como “unificação”, “contato” e “união extática” e “mística” – que completa o itinerário filosófico da conversão da alma, condensado em sua interpretação desses dois conceitos complementares e convergentes. / In his Theaetetus (176 b), Plato stated that as evils lie “here” and necessarily prowl this perishable region, and as we aspire escaping from these evils, “escaping from here” is a must. According to him, this escape is based upon resembling god-like. Plotinus, upon his exegesis on the platonic text, literally resumes this assertion and incorporates this into his philosophy. His interpretation and philosophical conception of this Platonic tradition ethical feature seem to correspond to a certain "key" to understanding and penetrating the soul conversion route (epistrophé), its dispersion into the multiplicity (or "fall" into the addictions and evils) into the assimilation and unification along with the principle which, for being a source of maximum unity, wholeness, knowledge and happiness of the soul is, therefore, its true goal and innermost "object" of love and desire. Therefore, we must shun evils, in a movement of conversion and assimilation to godhood (homoíosis theôi), which in Plotinus corresponds to a return and an ingress into a deeper and more intimate self. However, closely following Plato, if the evils reside here, to escape from these evils we need to "run away from here". Now we ask ourselves: what in Plotinus does this escape really mean? Well known is certain contemporary interpretation which understands the Platonic moral as a form of escape and abnegation of the body, the world and the senses. Some philosophers, as well as some philosophy historians, seem to have understood literally this expression taken up by Plotinus. Though, in spite of this interpretation and debate with its supporters, we just want to understand this aspect of Plotinian philosophy from its own text: after all, it is a proposal of evasion and abnegation of the body and the world or is there another possible reading of the text? In addition to the theme of the Fugue, if we study some strategic points to acquire a broader comprehension of the conversion course we will behold that paradoxically Plotinus not only values the body, the world and the sense experience, but also conceives them as ways to assimilate the intelligible. Therefore, if escaping from here consists in resembling god, this assimilation is the ultimate purposal of this Fugue. So that Fugue and Assimilation come to light as interdependent concepts. However, what is this assimilation nature (homoíosis)? It is just to imitate and become god-like or does that term retain in Plotinus a bolder and deeper sense yet? According to our interpretation, the resemblance as imitation and approximation to the divine through the virtues and dialectics ways is yet a propaedeutical stage of that proper assimilation itself. And it is this passage from a discursive and introductory level – of imitation and preparation – to the "vision" and immediate "experience" of the divine – as "unification", "contact" and "ecstatic and mystical union" – that supplements the soul conversion philosophical itinerary condensed in the interpretation of these two complementary and convergent concepts.

Studien syftar till att undersöka den upplevda arbetsglädjen hos anställda inom Piteå kommun samt om det finns förbättringsområden som kommunen kan arbeta med för att öka arbetsglädjen. Dessutom undersöks om det finns några skillnader i arbetsglädje mellan olika grupper inom Piteå kommun. Förutom detta undersöks om det finns något samband mellan den upplevda arbetsglädjen hos den anställde och den anställdes attityd till sjukfrånvaro. Även skillnader i attityder till sjukfrånvaro mellan olika grupper studeras. Data samlades in med en enkät. Totalt deltog 865 anställda.Arbetsglädjen inom Piteå kommun är överlag hög. Vissa skillnader finns i arbetsglädje mellan förvaltningar, yrken och befattningar. Även vissa skillnader i attityder till sjukfrånvaro finns mellan yrken, heltid respektive deltid och mellan befattningar. Inget samband mellan total arbetsglädje och attityd till sjukfrånvaro hittades. Däremot framkom en svag negativ korrelation mellan arbetsglädje och sjukanmälan vid nekad ledighet, vilket innebär att om arbetsglädjen ökar så anses det som mindre okej att sjukanmäla sig. Vidare, en svag positiv korrelation framkom mellan arbetsglädje och sjukanmälan vid förkylning och låg feber, detta betyder att om arbetsglädjen ökar så ökar även attityden att det är okej att sjukskriva sig. / This study aims at investigating employees of Piteå municipality’s perceived happiness at work and possible areas of improvement to help increase perceived happiness. In addition, it investigates whether there are any differences in perceived happiness between different groups within the municipality of Piteå. In addition to this, it investigates if there is any correlation between the experienced happiness of the employee and the employee’s attitude towards sickness absence. Additionally, it explores attitudes towards sickness absence between groups. Data was collected with a survey. A total of 865 employees participated. The perceived happiness at work within Piteå municipality is overall high. There are some differences in happiness between different administrations, occupations and positions. There are also some differences in attitudes towards sickness absence between occupations, part- and full-time employment and between positions. No relation was found between overall happiness at work and the total score for attitudes towards sickness absence.It did however show a weak negative correlation between happiness at work and reporting sick when denied leave, which means that if the perceived happiness at work increases, the attitude towards reporting sick decreases. Further, a weak positive correlation was found between happiness at work and reporting sick with a mild cold and low fever, which means that if perceived happiness at work increases so will the attitude towards reporting sick.