Exploring interests: A pathway to ikigai and eudaimonic well-being among people with serious mental illness

Ikigai is a Japanese concept of a life worth living and related to eudaimonic well-being. Supporting the pursuit of ikigai is of central importance to recovery-oriented psychiatric rehabilitation for people with serious mental illnesses (SMI). While research suggests that work, leisure, and social relationships are potential sources of ikigai, people with SMI have restricted access to these as they encounter systemic barriers to participating in such activities. This study investigated how people with SMI in Japan pursued sources of ikigai in the face of barriers.

A total of 21 community-living individuals who had SMI and were recruited from community psychiatric rehabilitation service providers in Japan participated in the study. Photo-elicitation interviews were conducted, and the interview transcripts were analyzed using reflexive thematic analysis.

Three themes were generated: (a) self-determination as a key to ikigai, (b) explorations needed to identify sources of ikigai, and (c) navigating the challenges to engage in the explorations. It was found that a self-determined activity tends to be a source of ikigai. However, participants had to grapple with challenges because identifying a source of ikigai involved the exploration of their personal interests, and the exploration could not be continued without managing the stigma of mental illness.

Results suggest that ikigai cannot be achieved instantly. To achieve eudaimonic well-being outcomes, psychiatric rehabilitation professionals should allow consumers to choose activities based on their personal interests and encourage them to try out various activities while they provide continued support to overcome stigma. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2025 APA, all rights reserved).