The PERMA model makes up WBT, where each dimension works in concert to give rise to a higher order construct that predicts the flourishing of groups, communities, organizations, and nations (Forgeard, Jayawickreme, Kern, & Seligman, 2011). These five elements or components (PERMA Seligman, 2012) are These elements are pursued for their own sake and are defined and measured independently of each other (Seligman, 2012).Īdditionally, the five components include both eudaimonic and hedonic components, setting WBT apart from other theories of wellbeing. In developing a theory to address this, Seligman (2012) selected five components that people pursue because they are intrinsically motivating and they contribute to wellbeing. From this point in time, theories and research examined positive psychology interventions that help make life worth living and how to define, quantify, and create wellbeing (Rusk & Waters, 2015). Martin Seligman used his inaugural address as the incoming president of the American Psychological Association to shift the focus from mental illness and pathology to studying what is good and positive in life. The description of self-actualization is a foreshadowing of the PERMA model, which outlines the characteristics of a flourishing individual and Wellbeing Theory (WBT). ’s Relevant ResourcesĪbraham Maslow (1962) was one of the first in the field of psychology to describe “wellbeing,” with his characteristics of a self-actualized person.4 Helpful Questionnaires and Questions to Ask.These science-based exercises will explore fundamental aspects of positive psychology including strengths, values, and self-compassion, and will give you the tools to enhance the wellbeing of your clients, students, or employees. This article will outline the PERMA+ model and the theory of wellbeing, and provide practical ways to apply its components in your private practice or personal life.īefore you continue, we thought you might like to download our three Positive Psychology Exercises for free. Positive psychology takes you through the countryside of pleasure and gratification, up into the high country of strength and virtue, and finally to the peaks of lasting fulfillment, meaning and purpose. Is it possible to experience any of these in the middle of a chaotic world and negative circumstances? Can we learn to grow or find skills that lead to this “good life?” Living the good life, flourishing, self-actualization, joy, and purpose are words that come to mind with happiness.

Yet the concept of “happiness” is often hard to accurately define. The pursuit of happiness is one that humans have been working toward since the beginning of time.

Hedonic motivation