Understanding Your (Human) Happiness

In Joy: Expanding Human Awareness, American psychologist, William C Schutz describes man as a “biological, psychological, and social” being whose joy arises from these sources (17). 

    Your foundation for happiness comes from a strong body that functions without strain: a body in which “breathing is deep and full, food is digested well, the sexual apparatus is in good order, and the nervous system works effectively” (17). This is why health is one of our 3 goal areas.

     Schutz theorizes that man requires inclusion, control, and affection.  Inclusion refers to man achieving balance between being with others and being with one’s self.  Control means that one has a reasonable amount of control over the happenings and the trajectory of their life. Affection can from from family, friendship and romance. All three are best but you can get along fine with 2 of 3 as long as one of the two includes romance.

    Joy can be experienced when we can acknowledge all that we are without feeling shame or guilt (20). This is to say: be yourself. There is great peace and happiness in being yourself. And, in being proud of yourself. The underlying lesson is to make yourself someone you are proud to be. This does not remove the value of appreciating who you are today as you grow.

Happiness does not coexist with fear: fear of punishment, fear of failure, fear of success or fear of retribution—all of it must go.    Go forward like a fearless lunatic. A joyful, fearless lunatic.

    Joy is what we feel when we are our most capable.  To increase the quality and amount of our joy we must release “guilt, shame, embarrassment, fear of punishment, success, and retribution” (20).  We ought not release all guilt and shame but only that irrationally motivated guilt and shame for which we have no logical reason to suffer.