Entrepreneurship, Eudaimonic Well-Being, and Entrepreneurial Identity: Exploring Well-Being after Occupational Change

Sammanfattning

Research questions: RQ1: How do entrepreneurs interpret changes in their eudaimonic well-being after transitioning from wage employment to entrepreneurship? RQ2: How does entrepreneurial identity emerge through entrepreneurs’ interpretations of changes in their eudaimonic well-being? Purpose: The study aims to deepen understanding of how entrepreneurship, compared to wage employment, relates to eudaimonic well-being (EWB), and to explain why differences might emerge by focusing on the concept of entrepreneurial identity (EI). In doing so, it also aims to shift the focus in entrepreneurship research from hedonic well-being (HWB) to EWB, a less explored perspective in the literature, and to offer an explanation of the limited understanding of why differences in EWB between entrepreneurship and employment might occur, while providing insights from underrepresented emerging and developing economy contexts. Method: The study adopts a qualitative approach based on semi-structured interviews with nine entrepreneurs from emerging and developing economies who transitioned from wage employment to entrepreneurship, focusing on their subjective interpretations of their experiences. Data were analyzed using thematic analysis guided by Ryff’s (1989b, 2019) EWB model and Caza et al.’s (2018) identity work dimensions, complemented by inductively developed themes to support and enrich the analytical explanation of the findings. Conclusion: In line with emerging literature, the findings suggest that transitioning into entrepreneurship is associated with enhanced EWB, with EI emerging as a significant explanatory mechanism. EI reflects entrepreneurs’ true self, the identity perceived as closest to who they are, while simultaneously functioning as a desired identity that entrepreneurs actively reinforce and express through ongoing identity work. This dual nature fosters conditions conducive to greater EWB and aligns with the philosophical notion of eudaimonia as living in accordance with one’s true nature. However, higher EWB should not be equated with higher HWB, as in entrepreneurship eudaimonic flourishing seems to coexist with, and may depend on, struggle and discomfort rather than immediate pleasure.