LIFESTYLE is a term that has multiple meanings, depending on the cultural and sociocultural context in which it is used. For some, the meaning of LIFESTYLE is a family of related events, activities, and states of mind that bring about happiness, fulfillment, and well being. According to this school of thought, the definition of LIFESTYLE includes all the important elements of a happy and healthy life. According to this school, one’s LIFESTYLE experiences and choices have lasting impact on his or her level of happiness and well being for life.

LIFESTYLE is also known as Fractional Happiness, because the components of a good lifestyle are shaped and shared through fractional experiences, such as volunteering, taking action, collaborating, communicating, and living in communities. The term came from the work of Austrian psychologists Alfred Adler and Gunild Keetman, with the literal meaning of “a typical individual’s basic nature as established at early childhood”. The key aspects of the model were illustrated in the works of psychological pioneers such as Sigmund Freud and Carl Jung, who explored human behavior and revealed the subconscious structure of human behavior. In their model, each person has a unique combination of essential personality elements, which combine to create a unique LIFESTYLE.

In LIFESTYLE, the goal of developing the individual’s innate strengths and capabilities is conceived of as a quest for the universal human potential. According to modern, non-linguistic, psychoanalytic perspectives, all the components of a good lifestyle are rooted in an inner necessity to express and share the wholeness of our being through behavior. For example, according to Weber, the concept of LIFESTYLE is the key to understand people’s motivation, especially their need to be a good participator and a good manager. It also provides a practical guideline for making friends and influencing others. Moreover, according to Weber, the way people organize their lives in terms of structure and contentment are the keys to understanding their motivation, since structure and contentment are the basis for all the achievements and strengths that people enjoy in their lives. Lastly, the model of LIFESTYLE is used to understand how people change and adapt to prevailing social and cultural conditions, thus enabling an individual to plan his or her future accordingly.

Following the work of Weber and others, the field of LIFESTYLE became a popular one and was further developed into two main areas: personal style or Lifestyle Content and Lifestyle Architecture. In personal style, the main elements are clothing, accessories, hair style, and behavior. Meanwhile, in Lifestyle architecture, the focus is on structure, which includes performance and organizational aspects of the home or office.

However, even today, LIFESTYLE remains controversial. Critics believe it to have too much editorial criteria in defining what constitutes “good” or “bad.” The LIFESTYLE website claims that in the hands of a non-expert, LIFESTYLE can be a powerful and effective tool in designing a good and bad lifestyle for yourself. This is despite the fact that the methodology of Weber and other experts who developed LIFESTYLE does not exactly address the social media or the digital sphere.

Many experts in the field agree that LIFESTYLE has the power to influence people’s lives more than other lifestyle choices, including both good and bad. And yet, despite this power, the LIFESTYLE website still lacks some of the elements needed to truly become mainstream and popular. Perhaps it will, in the coming years.