Holistic wellness in the life of Angela Merkel: a call to revise the wheel of wellness in the light of new positive psychology movements and socio-cultural changes

Abstract

Holistic wellness theories conceptualise wellness as a multidimensional and synergistic construct. The term wellness refers to a way of life oriented towards optimal health and wellbeing in which body, mind, and spirit are integrated by the individual to live life fully within the human and natural community. The proposed Wheel of Wellness Model incorporate five life tasks that are influenced by seven life forces that are, in turn, influenced by global events. In this study, the model is employed to explore the life of Angela Merkel from a psychobiographical and holistic wellness perspective. Merkel was purposively selected as an extraordinary leader who demonstrated exceptional coping abilities and wellness. Findings show that Merkel’s wellness is particularly strong in terms of spirituality and self-direction. Suggestions are proposed how to expand the WoW in the context of latest positive psychology developments and with regard to socio-cultural changes within contemporary societies.

Keywords:

• Angela Merkel
• chancellor
• life-span development
• politician
• positive psychology
• psychobiography
• Wheel of Wellness

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).