Do individuals describe differences in flourishing before and during the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic? : A qualitative study

The SARS COVID-19 pandemic and regulations imposed by the governments to protect the population could have counterproductive effects on individual’s mental well-being and, therefore, hinder individuals to flourish. The concept of human flourishing refers to the highest state of mental well-being combining hedonic and eudemonic well-being. It is associated with a variety of beneficial outcomes but there is no available qualitative literature in terms of how individuals describe flourishing. This study employed a qualitative between-subject design to generate a comparison of human flourishing before and during the beginning of the pandemic. Data of 124 German participants were collected and analysed. In total 12 codes were identified and distributed towards the three domains of well-being. The main results showed no differences in the description of flourishing. Individuals showed an increased connectedness towards society during the pandemic. Further studies should extend the research on flourishing during the pandemic.