ABSTRACT
This chapter considers what a phenomenological perspective might contribute to research on well-being by examining two central phenomenological principles–human-immersion-in-world; and lived obliviousness. It focuses on the phenomenological concepts of lifeworld, natural attitude, homeworld and place to clarify what human-immersion-in-world and lived obliviousness might mean for research in well-being. Human-immersion-in-world refers to the phenomenological recognition that human beings are inescapably conjoined with and enmeshed in their world, which relates to the person or group's sphere of action, understanding and experience, both firsthand and vicarious. The chapter also considers how a phenomenological understanding of place might be useful for well-being research. Phenomenologically, place can be defined as any environmental locus that gathers together experiences, actions and meanings spatially and temporally. Because of lived obliviousness and immersion-in-place, an individual or group may not realize how changes in everyday actions or environmental modifications might improve their lifeworlds, homeworlds and well-being.
