Each person defines the feeling state of happiness differently. Some people are most happy and content when controlling problems around them with family, friends and co-workers. They enjoy difficult and challenging tasks to solve. Mastering these gives them the heady emotion of happiness for they have bestowed satisfaction to others and been “responsible.” Self-gratification is not their overriding concern.
Yet other people feel happiest with freedom from responsibility, especially to others. These people feel giddy with happiness at being in a cocoon of total protection supplied by other people. They relish others catering to them at all times.
What has been your experience with what makes you and others happy?
This interests me – greatly. From your ideas, or research, have you only identified these two categories? If so, it would appear that the bottom category would be individuals who, possibly, would “feed” or “latch onto” the top category. And, my gosh, those could be very unhealthy relationships. So interesting!!
Thank you for your comment and insight. I agree and did find that the two types of people often latch onto one another and have unhealthy relationships. The degree of unhealthiness depends on the severity of each person’s functioning. It is indeed very interesting. This idea will be discussed in the upcoming book that I am co-author of, “Living on Automatic: How Emotional Conditioning Shapes Our Lives and Relationships.”