Wellbeing is conceptualised through three interdependent dimensions—material, relational, and subjective—which collectively form a dynamic and contextually grounded understanding of human flourishing. The material domain includes tangible elements such as income, education, health, and access to resources, while the relational dimension addresses social ties, institutional engagement, power relations, and identity. The subjective component encompasses individual perceptions, cultural values, aspirations, and the moral frameworks within which people make sense of their lives. These dimensions are not isolated but co-constitutive, meaning each informs and shapes the others through processes unfolding across time and space. The approach critiques the dominant focus on negative indicators like poverty or exclusion by proposing a positive, holistic, and person-centred lens, while also resisting individualistic and Western-centric assumptions that often frame psychological wellbeing. Drawing on empirical research from diverse global contexts, the analysis underscores the cultural and relational embeddedness of wellbeing, highlighting how collective norms and social positioning mediate individual experiences. Wellbeing is not treated as a static state to be measured or attained but as a process of becoming, intrinsically political and shaped by structural forces, historical legacies, and social dynamics. This framework also points to the importance of community-level engagement, where participatory methods can surface local aspirations, inequalities, and potential for collective action. Ultimately, the wellbeing perspective proposed here invites a reconfiguration of policy and development practice, aligning interventions with the lived realities, moral economies, and relational ecologies that constitute everyday life.
White, S.C., 2008. But what is Wellbeing? A framework for analysis in social and development policy and practice. University of Bath
