Incorporating wellness into considerations of health, healthcare, and social policy has reached an exciting point. Aristotle, Buddha, and other philosophers, sages, and religious leaders throughout history developed great insights into the topic, but only in recent decades has the construct of wellness been examined and clarified through systematic empirical research. There are still major debates regarding several aspects of the topic, but it is now widely considered a measurable construct that should play a role in healthcare and social policy. This volume represents another step forward in bringing wellness into the mainstream of health and healthcare.

Wellness often means different things to different people, and the causes of wellness and the components that comprise well-being continue to be vigorously debated. Philosophical and theological arguments dominated the debate for centuries, with little resolution on important aspects of the subject, and up until recently it was widely believed that too little was known to include considerations of wellness in healthcare practice or policy.