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Reflections on unspoken problems and potential solutions for the well-being juggernaut in positive psychology
The Journal of Positive Psychology
Abstract
In an earlier paper (Goodman et al., 2018), we found that two models of subjective well-being
demonstrated substantial overlap, with correlations between .85-.98. We concluded that these two
models do not capture distinct types of well-being – a conclusion consistent with a growing list of
studies that have found high correlations between various models of well-being. In response to our
work, the developer of one well-being model wrote a commentary offering an alternative conclusion
(Seligman, 2018). In this paper, we continue this important discussion by delineating areas of
disagreement and common ground. We present our new hierarchical framework of well-being and
illustrate how it can resolve long-standing points of contention in well-being measurement.
... Our discussion of challenges is not exhaustive, and our decisions are not meant to be prescriptive. However, we believe there remain unanswered measurement questions about wellbeing (Goodman et al., 2020), and specifically about the utility of the MHC-SF with clinical samples. Iasiello et al. (2022), for example, identified four clinical samples, constituting 1.8% of the participants included in their metaanalysis. ...
... We suggest that this neglect of discriminant validity is perhaps most noticeable in the presentation of the internal structure evidence for a measure, with the implication that use of subscale scores in the absence of sufficient evidence of discriminant validity is questionable (Hoyt et al., 2006). Concern about the lack of attention to discriminant validity has recently been expressed in a surge of applications of the jangle fallacy (e.g., Gonzalez et al., 2021;Goodman et al., 2020;Lilienfeld & Strother, 2020). The jangle fallacy occurs when researchers erroneously assume that scales or subscales assess different constructs simply because "they bear different names" (Lilienfeld & Strother, 2020, p. 282). ...
... We liked the metaphor of lenses (Iasiello et al., 2022), which seems particularly apt for clinical work. Lenses bring fuzzy details into greater clarity, and the lenses of enjoyment and fulfillment (Goodman et al., 2020) can help identify content areas for clinical focus. For example, reflecting with clients on item level responses can guide conversations about characteristics of wellbeing that may be most relevant to their current life situation. ...
... The current population of Lithuania, a country in the Baltic region of Europe, is 2,700,200, based on Worldometer elaboration of the latest United Nations data and is equivalent to 0.03% of the total world population. The population density in Lithuania is 43 per Km 2 (112 people per mi 2 ), the total land area is 62,674 Km 2 (24,199 sq. miles). ...
... While being concerned about the problems of suicides and life satisfaction levels in Lithuania, this study applies a positive psychology framework signifying the importance of accurate evaluation, promoting, and consolidation of both people's individual and social resources and strengths to improve psychological wellbeing at individual, national, and cross-national levels [24]. ...
... As mentioned above, this study applies a positive psychology framework focused on an approach based on keywords such as flourishing, growth, flow, enrichment, flexible change, and suggesting significance of precise evaluation and consolidation of individual and social resources and strengths [75] to improve psychological wellbeing [24], including emotional, social, and existential well-being [76] at individual, national, or cross-national levels. ...
This study aimed to explore psychometric properties of satisfaction with life scale (SWLS) and psychological capital questionnaire (PCQ-24) in the Lithuanian representative sample (n = 2003, M = 50.67, SD = 17.46). It was significant to validate instruments concerning the fact that Lithuanians’ life satisfaction surveys demonstrated divergent results depending on the assessment tools they used. This study applied the SWLS, created by Diener et al. (1985), and the PCQ-24, created by Luthans et al. (2007). The findings demonstrated the internal consistency of the SWLS instrument, evidencing it as an adequate measure to evaluate satisfaction with life (α = 0.893; TLI = 0.988; NFI = 0.997; RMSEA = 0.059 [0.033–0.088]; CFI = 0.998; SRMR = 0.0077; AVE = 0.764; CR = 0.886). The Lith-PCQ-21 analysis demonstrated the internal consistency of the instrument (α = 0.957) and good fit of the factorial structure (χ2 = 2305.383; DF = 185; TLI = 0.915; NFI = 0.920; RMSEA = 0.077 [0.075–0.080]; CFI = 0.925; SRMR = 0.0450; AVE = 0.814; CR = 0.946), evidencing the instrument as an adequate measure to evaluate psychological capital. This research confirmed that both instruments (SWLS and Lith-PCQ-21) not only have an acceptable validity, including construct validity, but they are also interrelated (χ2 = 3088.762; DF = 294; TLI = 0.913; NFI = 0.914; RMSEA = 0.070 [0.068–0.073]; CFI = 0.922; SRMR = 0.0469), and can be considered appropriate for monitoring life satisfaction and psychological capital of the Lithuanian population.
... Conceptual clarity has seemingly lagged behind the proliferation of measurement instruments, with test construction often occurring within researcher-specific theoretical models (Gonzalez et al., 2021). Recent applications of Kelley's (1927) jingle-jangle fallacies have drawn greater attention to the need for construct validation (Gonzalez et al., 2021), with concerns raised about the measurement of a number of constructs (e.g., [religiousness/spirituality] Hanfstingl et al., 2021;[specific virtues] Schnitker et al., 2020;[well-being] Goodman et al., 2020). The jingle fallacy "describes the use of a common label for measures that assess different constructs," whereas the jangle fallacy "describes labeling two measures differently when they assess the same construct" (Gonzalez et al., 2021, p. 3). ...
... Research on the structure of well-being parallels that of the virtues. Goodman et al. (2020), for example, found a hierarchical structure to well-being, with a single higher order factor labeled general wellbeing, "defined as perceived enjoyment and fulfillment with one's life as a whole" (p. 3). ...
Religious/spiritual commitment tends to show positive associations with well-being, and yet, questions remain about the mechanisms for the association. Some have recently proposed that virtues may mediate the religious/spiritual commitment – well-being association. However, empirical support for this mediating role stems largely from cross-sectional studies. Further, scholars have increasingly drawn attention to validity concerns when studying religiousness/spirituality, virtues, and well-being. As such, we explored associations among religious/spiritual commitment, virtues, and well-being, prior to and after conducting factor analysis. Our sample consisted of graduate students attending 18 seminaries across North America (N = 580; Mage = 31.50; SD = 11.12; 47.3% female; 62.9% White). Patterns of associations initially showed evidence of construct overlap among two pairs of virtues, which was confirmed by factor analytic findings, the latter which suggested a five-factor first-order structure of the virtues. Latent variable modeling showed cross-sectional associations between greater religious/spiritual commitment and greater well-being through greater blessedness and forgiveness. Longitudinal associations did not replicate the cross-sectional findings, but did show associations between prior levels of greater humility and later levels of greater eudaimonic well-being, and between greater hedonic well-being at time 1 and greater blessedness at time 3 through greater eudaimonic well-being at time 2. Greater religious/spiritual commitment at time 1 also predicted greater well-being at time 3, through a synchronous mediation process involving blessedness at time 2. Findings highlight the importance of attending closely to potential construct overlap in the measurement of religiousness/spirituality, virtues, and well-being.
... Исследования выявили связь удовлетворенности супружескими отношениями с благополучием личности в плане стабильности, низкого уровня депрессии, высокой самооценки, оптимизма и субъективным благополучием как интегральным показателем удовлетворенности жизнью и преобладания позитивных эмоций, а в последние годы начинается изучение взаимосвязи с психологическим благополучием Позняков, Поддубный, 2023). Отличительной чертой психологического или эвдемонического благополучия психологи считают активность, принятие жизненных вызовов, готовность к самоизменениям (Goodman et al., 2020;Гришина, 2022). В концепции К. Рифф психологическое благополучие, помимо самопринятия, компетентности, позитивных отношений с людьми, содержит компоненты, отражающие процесс индивидуации: автономность, жизненные цели и направленность на личностный рост. ...
Married couples are attracting attention of psychologists. Generally, feelings of love are studied as a predictor, and psychological wellbeing as an effect of relationship satisfaction. Since feelings of love change in time, the purpose of this research is to study gender and age differences and identify predictors of love for spouse. Although relationship satisfaction probably is the strongest predictor of love, the psychological wellbeing and subjective loneliness also matters. 387 couples with marriage duration from six months to 50 years were studied. Methods: Rubin’s love and liking scale; Psychological wellbeing scale (Ryff), Loneliness scale (Russell et al.); self-report of relationship satisfaction with cognitive (satisfaction, desire to maintain marriage, divorce) and emotional (negative feelings, tension, fear of parting) issues. Dispersion, correlation, factorial and regression analysis were used. Results: Men’s love is stronger than women’s one and more stable throughout marriage. The lowest relationship satisfaction and the most pronounced love were found in 3–7 years of marriage. Common predictors of love for a partner are relationship satisfaction and the partner’s psychological wellbeing; a specific predictor for men is a low level of subjective loneliness, and for women it is the husband’s love for her, his subjective loneliness and her fear of parting. Spouses who express a desire to divorce are characterized by weak love for a partner, men are not satisfied with the relationship and both spouses have a reduced level of psychological wellbeing: women are not competent enough, men have difficulty setting life goals, and both partners have low self-acceptance.
... It is closely linked to happiness and the positive evaluation of one's life conditions. Different authors may emphasize specific aspects or historical origins of this concept, but it generally centers on understanding the positive conditions and evaluations of individuals' lives [71]. ...
Amid the backdrop of the COVID-19 pandemic, the living conditions of the population were dramatically altered, with social distancing measures and the looming threat to public health leaving a profound impact on people’s lives. This study aims to assess the influence of COVID-19 on subjective well-being and overall quality of life in Mexico. A structural model with latent variables was used. Data were extracted from the National Self-Reported Well-being Survey (SWLS) from October 2020 and January 2021, featuring a robust sample size of 3615 residents from urban areas in Mexico, all aged 18 and above. Findings revealed that around 38% of the variance in overall life satisfaction in October 2020 and January 2021 could be attributed to Personal well-being (0.231), Personal satisfaction (0.320), Satisfaction with the environment (0.076), and Negative emotional states (−0.116). In comparison, October 2019 to January 2020 saw a lower 20% explained variance, primarily associated with Personal well-being (0.184), Personal satisfaction (0.270), and Satisfaction with the environment (0.052). Reliability assessments, including Cronbach’s Alpha coefficients, Rho_a, and Composite Reliability, all surpassed 0.70 for each subscale. In addition, our study confirmed convergent validity, as the Average Variance Extracted (AVE) consistently exceeded 0.50 across all subscales, while the discriminant coefficient exceeded 0.70.
... Others argue that purpose is not an element of well-being but instead an attribute when present that influences well-being (George & Park, 2016;Martela & Steger, 2016). We adopt this latter perspective and define well-being as perceived enjoyment and fulfillment with one's life as a whole (Goodman et al., 2021). In this framework, purpose is a potential cause of well-being, whereas the psychological benefits from pursuing a purpose are elements of well-being. ...
Theoretically, purpose serves as a basic dimension of healthy psychological functioning and an important protective factor from psychopathology. Theory alone, however, is insufficient to answer critical questions about human behavior and functioning; we require empirical evidence that explores the parameters of purpose with respect to measurement, prediction, and modification. Here, we provide empirically supported insights about how purpose can operate as a beneficial outcome (e.g., marker of well-being), a predictor or mechanism that accounts for benefits that a person derives (such as from an intervention), or a moderator that offers insight into when benefits arise. Advancing the study of purpose requires careful consideration of how purpose is conceptualized, manipulated, and measured across the lifespan. Our aim is to help scientists understand, specify, and conduct high-quality studies of purpose in life.
... During the development of individuals, people can develop relatively stable psychological characteristics and qualities through educational means and their own efforts, and these psychological factors will constitute psychological qualities. Therefore, in modern education, colleges and universities are very concerned about the cultivation of students' good psychological quality (Goodman, Disabato & Kashdan 2021). In particular, college students who are in adolescence have more or less mental health problems of varying degrees, which have a negative impact on the cultivation of students' personal psychological quality. ...
Ideological and political education in universities focuses on cultivating people’s good psychological qualities and regards positive psychology as an important entry point for the construction of ideological and political culture. This will provide new ideas for the reform and innovation of modern education. This study selected 300 students from six universities as the research subjects and analysed the impact of ideological and political cultural construction on students’ psychological quality from the perspective of positive psychology. The Psychological Scale (SAS) is used to reflect the impact of ideological, political, and cultural construction on students’ psychological activities. The results indicate that from the perspective of positive psychology, the construction of ideological and political culture among college students has a significant improvement effect on various psychological indicators of students.
Contribution: The construction of ideological and political culture in colleges and universities faces social factors, teaching factors and personal factors, which have an adverse impact on the formation of students’ psychological quality. This study in order to better evaluate the improvement of psychological indicators, take positive psychology as an entry point, and take necessary teaching measures to promote the formation of students’ good psychological quality. This research represents data that can be used by scholars in the field of religious education and public theology.
... Wellbeing might be broadly defined as what is good for a person, or as psychological health defined without reference to concepts of illness. There are several concepts of wellbeing in the current literature, and there are ongoing conceptual debates [for recent examples see [31][32][33] and attempts to resolve the issues [e.g. 34,35]. ...
Background and objectives: Wellbeing among university students is associated with better academic outcomes and diminished harm from mental illness. This study systematically reviews and meta-analyses longitudinal studies of the antecedents and consequences of wellbeing within this population, providing an overview which establishes a ‘natural history’ of wellbeing to form a background for intervention and policy. Method: This study was a systematic review and meta-analysis of the peer-reviewed literature, based on a broad range of search terms across four journal databases in psychology, medicine and education. Studies were organised by the domain of their study variables (i.e., Self, Relationships, or Institutional Context) and variables relating to wellbeing were extracted. The incremental effect of study variables measured at baseline upon prospective wellbeing was calculated with semipartial correlation coefficients which controlled for baseline wellbeing. Meta-regressions were used to examine the effect of follow-up interval on effect sizes. Results: Sixty-two longitudinal studies of university student cohorts were identified. In 57 studies, wellbeing was an outcome variable. Meta-analyses showed that effects were moderated by measurement interval between baseline and follow-up, becoming weaker with longer intervals, and that this was not an artifact of the measurement instrument. The study factors with the strongest positive effect sizes after controlling for baseline wellbeing were authenticity, self-esteem, self-support for autonomy, emotional repair, and ability to regulate distress and despondency; relationship commitment and group memberships; self-identification with the university and time pressure. Study factors with the strongest negative effect sizes were uncertainty regarding university, materialism, a belief in social complexity, depression, and stress. In five studies, wellbeing was an antecedent, showing positive associations with educational outcomes. Conclusion: This review identified several antecedents of student wellbeing which could be targeted for interventions. These included self-relationship, emotion regulation, and interventions to decrease mental illness. Universities might also make it easier to establish and maintain groups (e.g., study cohorts, interest groups). Many variables which affect wellbeing are not amenable to study with experimental methods, but their study and use in wellbeing interventions should not be neglected. Because the antecedents of wellbeing are numerous and diverse, further research in the area should take advantage of research methods which maximise the variety of data collected and minimise respondent burden, such as passively collected and linked data.
... For C3, 45 of 4069 participants did not answer the item assessing prior suicide 1 PWB is often represented by one factor with lower-level facets (Disabato et al., 2016;Goodman et al., 2018). While there is general consensus that PWB includes hedonic and eudaimonic elements, there is debate about whether these elements represent distinct types of well-being or are better conceptualized as lower-level facets of PWB (Goodman et al., 2018(Goodman et al., , 2020. attempts and were excluded, resulting in a final sample of 4042 (M age = 62.2; ...
Background
Most people who survive suicide attempts neither re-attempt suicide nor die by suicide. Research on suicide attempt survivors has primarily focused on negative endpoints (e.g., increased suicide risk) rather than positive outcomes. One important outcome is psychological well-being (PWB), defined as positive functioning across emotional, intrapersonal, and interpersonal domains. We compared PWB among US military veterans with (i.e., attempt survivors) and without (i.e., non-attempters) a history of suicide attempt(s) using data from three nationally representative cohorts.
Methods
Each US veteran cohort (Cohort1: N = 3148; Cohort2: N = 1474; Cohort3: N = 4042) completed measures of suicidality (e.g., attempt history), character strengths (e.g., curiosity, optimism), psychological symptoms (e.g., depression), and indicators of PWB (e.g., happiness). t-Tests were conducted to examine group differences in PWB; hierarchical regressions were conducted to examine suicide attempt status as a predictor of PWB controlling for symptoms and demographics. Multivariable regressions were conducted to identify predictors of PWB among attempt survivors.
Results
In each cohort, reported PWB was markedly lower among suicide attempt survivors than non-attempters (ds = 0.9–1.2), even after adjusting for mental health symptoms. Individual differences in PWB were observed, with a subset of suicide attempt survivors reporting higher PWB levels than non-attempters (1.4–7.4 %). Curiosity and optimism were positively associated with PWB among suicide attempt survivors (rs = 0.60–0.78).
Limitations
Data were cross-sectional, limiting inferences about causation and directionality of associations.
Conclusions
Findings highlight diminished PWB as an important and understudied concern among veteran attempt survivors. Collectively, our findings underscore the importance of considering PWB in the research, assessment, and treatment of suicidality.
... One way to interpret these results is to suggest that significance and mattering are two sub-facets of a more general dimension of significance/mattering. Following recent proposals for hierarchical models of well-being (Conway et al., 2019;Disabato et al., 2021;Goodman et al., 2021), and analogously to established hierarchical structures in personality (DeYoung et al., 2007) and intelligence (Carroll, 1993) literatures, one could thus propose that meaning in life consists of a single, higher-order concept of general MIL, currently divided to three dimensions of coherence, purpose, and significance/mattering, with the latter further being separated into two sub-facets of significance and mattering. Such a hierarchical structure would also fit with the fact that even the three dimensions of purpose, coherence, and significance/mattering are sometimes empirically quite close to each other, making their disentanglement difficult. ...
Following calls for multidimensional conceptualizations of meaning in life, the tripartite view where meaning is seen to consist of significance, purpose, and coherence has gained in popularity. To operationalize it, we developed the Three Dimensional Meaning in Life Scale (3DM), confirming its factor structure, psychometric properties, and validity in Studies 1 (n = 301), 2 (n = 300), and 3 (n’s = 171 & 161). Study 4 (n = 241) was experimental inviting participants to read vignettes in three conditions, each emphasizing one dimension of meaning in life, demonstrating that people can discriminate between lives high on each specific dimension. Study 5 (n = 336) investigated the separateness of significance and mattering, finding both overlap and distinctiveness, suggesting that they could be sub-facets of the same overarching dimension. The results thus provide empirical and experimental support for the tripartite view of meaning in life, while providing new nuance to it.
... Wellbeing has been conceptualized and measured through different lenses, for example: subjective wellbeing, psychological wellbeing, and social wellbeing (Disabato et al., 2021). However, a number of studies have noted that measures of wellbeing tend to overlap; for example, self-report measures of subjective wellbeing and psychological wellbeing have shown a correlation of 0.96, and other measures of wellbeing based on models of emotional or social wellbeing also show large correlations (Goodman et al., 2020). A hierarchical model of wellbeing has been proposed where different lenses on wellbeing (such as subjective wellbeing) sit underneath general wellbeing, which is "defined as perceived enjoyment and fulfillment with one's life as a whole" (Goodman et al., 2020, p. 3 emphasis in original). ...
Wellbeing in schools is often focused at the individual level, exploring students’ or teachers’ individual traits, habits, or actions that influence wellbeing. However, studies rarely take a whole-school approach that includes staff wellbeing, and frequently ignore relational and organizational level variables. We take a systems informed positive psychology approach and argue that it is essential to build greater understanding about organizational and relational influences on wellbeing in order for schools to support educator wellbeing. Our study evaluated the relative contributions of individual, relational, and organizational factors to educator wellbeing. Our measure of wellbeing focused on the life satisfaction and flourishing of 559 educators in 12 New Zealand schools. We used a social network analysis approach to capture educators’ relational ties, and demographic data and psychometric scales to capture individual and organizational level variables. Results of hierarchical blockwise regressions showed that individual, relational, and organizational factors were all significantly associated with educator wellbeing; however, it was educators’ perceptions of trusting and collaborative school conditions that were most strongly associated with their wellbeing. The number of relational ties educators had explained the least amount of variance in wellbeing. Educators were more likely to experience high levels of support when their close contacts also experienced high levels of support. However, for many educators, there was a negative association between their most frequent relational ties and their reported levels of support. Our results suggest that attending to the organizational factors that influence wellbeing, through creating trusting and collaborative school conditions, may be one of the most influential approaches to enhancing educator wellbeing. We call for whole-school approaches to wellbeing that not only consider how to support and enhance the wellbeing of school staff as well as students, but also view the conditions created within a school as a key driver of wellbeing within schools.
... Given that our work was inspired by the tripartite model of MIL, it is worth considering how the current findings might inform that model. Following recent proposals for a hierarchical model of well-being 40 , we tend to view meaning as a single, higher-order concept of general MIL, which can then be divided into a number of theoretically separate lower-level facets of meaning in a similar way that intelligence literature includes both 'g' as a general construct at the top, and more domain-specific dimensions of intelligence below it. Understanding MIL as having a general higher-level construct, and a few key lower-level facets such as coherence, purpose and mattering, can address some of the definitional ambiguity of subjective MIL judgements and encourages the study of each facet of meaning separately. ...
A key research program within the meaning in life (MIL) literature aims to identify the key contributors to MIL. The experience of existential mattering, purpose in life and a sense of coherence are currently posited as three primary contributors to MIL. However, it is unclear whether they encompass all information people consider when judging MIL. Based on the ideas of classic and contemporary MIL scholars, the current research examines whether valuing one’s life experiences, or experiential appreciation, constitutes another unique contributor to MIL. Across seven studies, we find support for the idea that experiential appreciation uniquely predicts subjective judgements of MIL, even after accounting for the contribution of mattering, purpose and coherence to these types of evaluations. Overall, these findings support the hypothesis that valuing one’s experiences is uniquely tied to perceptions of meaning. Implications for the incorporation of experiential appreciation as a fundamental antecedent of MIL are discussed.
... Our hope is that people appreciate slow, methodical science based on carefully constructed questions and methods. No theory, measure, or scientific study is beyond scrutiny (even the ideas of iconic scientific figures can be questioned; Goodman et al., 2019Goodman et al., , 2020. Scrutinize inspiring work because of a motivation to build stronger, reliable, generalizable discoveries. ...
Much has been discovered about well-being since 1998, when positive psychology entered the lexicon. Among the wide range of areas in positive psychology, in this commentary we discuss recent discoveries on (1) distinctions between meaning in life, a sense of purpose, and happiness, (2) psychological or personality strengths and the benefits of particular combinations, and (3) resilience after exposure to adversity. We propose a series of questions about this literature with the hope that well-being researchers and practitioners continue to update their perspectives based on high-quality scientific findings and revise old views that rely on shaky empirical ground.
... Critically, the idea of self-care includes small acts of reflection and behavior modification, rather than major lifestyle changes such as completely altering one's vocation, peer-groups, exercise, or diet habits, none of which may seem feasible amidst the chaos of an academic term. The effectiveness of self-care for of subjective happiness and stress appraisals, as well as momentary positive and negative affect, in keeping with contemporary models (Diener et al., 1999;Busseri & Sadava, 2011;Goodman et al., 2020). The study focused on detecting well-being outcomes but also included exploratory measures of candidate mechanisms, such as mindfulness, self-compassion, and active coping tendency. ...
There is a limited research on the effects of self-care, specifically the importance of taking time to reflect on one’s self-care habits. Healthy undergraduate students (N = 95) were assigned to either a self-care intervention or passive control condition. The intervention group (N = 52) was prompted daily via email with questions about self-care habits and plans over three weeks, whereas the control group (N = 43) only completed baseline and post-assessments. Primary outcome variables included subjective happiness, positive and negative affect, and stress. Explanatory variables included mindfulness, self-compassion, and active coping tendency. Stress and negative affect decreased in the intervention group relative to the control group, but no interaction was observed for happiness and positive affect. There was no evidence that these effects were moderated by participant mindfulness, coping tendency, or self-compassion. These results suggest that even a very brief daily reflection on self-care can have powerful effects in promoting resilience against the accumulation of negative affect and stress over the term.
Project EXPLORE (PEX) is a nature-based learning (NBL) program designed by the North Carolina Arboretum to help North Carolina K-12 teachers implement citizen science-based curricula to reconnect youth with the natural environment. Initiatives supporting teacher confidence are critical to mainstream implementation of NBL. As there is scant literature on programs’ impact on teachers’ well-being, the purpose of this study is to explore how participating in PEX impacts teachers’ “well-being.” Informed by critical feminist theory, we used an amended two-part collective memory work design. Three former PEX participants created video narratives about a memory of the program’s impact on their well-being. They participated as co-researchers in a focus group to analyze the video diary entries for meanings around teaching well-being and PEX. The group discussed ways PEX supported self-actualization, relationships, and, most importantly, how PEX was a powerful tool for well-being within a neoliberal school context.
This systematic literature review summarises the research into interventions intended to improve the wellbeing of educators in the early childhood to secondary sectors. A search of articles published between 2000 and 2020 yielded 23 articles that met our inclusion criteria. Studies were included if they collected quantitative or qualitative data about educator wellbeing pre-intervention and post-intervention from the same group(s) of educators. We classified articles into five categories based on their content: multi-foci (several content areas included in a program), mindfulness, gratitude, professional development (classroom practice oriented), and physical environment. The articles revealed wide variations in: wellbeing theories underpinning interventions, the phenomena measured, and the effectiveness of the interventions. In some studies wellbeing was conceptualised as the absence of negative states (such as stress), in other studies to the presence of positive states (such as satisfaction), and in a few studies as the combination of both these approaches. Some of the gaps noted across the research include the lack of attention to the role of the school climate in determining the success of an intervention, and the lack of analysis to explore whether interventions work better for some individuals than others (for example, a lack of reporting of the characteristics of participants who drop out of the interventions). Overall, the multi-foci interventions show the most promise for improving educator wellbeing.
In psychology, attention to the study of human well-being has increased. The question is how psychological well-being transmitted from mother to daughter, if it is. Aim: to study the relation between the psychological well-being and parental attitudes of mothers with the psychological well-being of adult daughters. Hypothesis: psychological well-being is transmitted from mother to daughter both directly and through the mother’s parental attitudes, with the specificity in periods of adulthood. The sample of 111 dyad mother — daughters from Russia included two groups. The first group consisted of daughters 20–25 years (M=22) and mothers 39–50 years (M=45), the second — daughters 26–40 years (M=33) and mothers 51– 65 years (M=56). Methods: Psychological Well-being Scale (Ryff), Satisfaction with Life Scale (Diener), Fordyce Emotions Questionnaire, Rosenberg Self-esteem Scale, Parental Attitude Research Instrument (Schaefer, Bell). Correlation and factor analysis was conducted. Results: in general, the psychological well-being is transmitted from mother to adult daughter directly and through the mother’s parental attitudes towards equality, independence, and acceptance. However, the mother with high components of “life goal” and “positive relationships with others” has a more pronounced authoritarian control over the early-adult daughter. In daughters, this leads to a decrease of the psychological well-being, but to an increase in happiness. The psychological well-being of middle-adult daughter is correlated with that of the mother, both directly and through the mother’s attitudes towards acceptance and independence. The high psychological well-being of the late-adult mother serves as a buffer when faced with her daughter’s separation, allowing finding new aspirations.
Enhancing wellbeing in educational settings is a challenging endeavour as wellbeing education is inherently complex. This interdisciplinary conceptual paper aims to bridge the gap between psychological interventions and educational contexts by adopting a complexity lens to consider the puzzle of wellbeing in educational settings. We draw on the fields of positive psychology, educational theory, complexity thinking, and indigenous worldviews to conceptualise wellbeing education and illustrate the need to weave approaches together. Embracing a complexity lens, we offer ways of prompting emergent wellbeing change: incorporating diverse perspectives, trialling nudges, and attending to interactions across the system. We argue that complexity-informed approaches to wellbeing education have the potential to create emergent change in and across complex educational systems.
V monografiji avtorice predstavljajo ugotovitve več raziskav, ki so jih izvedle v zadnjih desetih letih, in jih umestijo na področje pozitivne psihologije, ki se je kot znanstvena disciplina uveljavila po letu 2000. Kot teoretični okvir v prvem poglavju predstavijo raziskave laičnega pojmovanja sreče in teoretične modele subjektivnega blagostanja. Poudarek na znanstveni ustreznosti merskih instrumentov v pozitivni psihologiji je spodbudil interes za konstrukt subjektivnega blagostanja tudi na drugih področjih psihologije.
The concept of eudaimonia originates in Aristotelian philosophy, which posits that people must live up to their fullest potential to promote a sense of flourishing. In recent decades, psychological scientists have sought to operationalize and empirically investigate the causes and consequences of eudaimonia. To date, many psychological definitions and measures of eudaimonia exist. Most commonly, eudaimonia (i.e., living in accordance with one's potentials and upholding virtue) is evaluated in contrast to hedonia (i.e., the pursuit of pleasure and avoidance of pain); however, the distinction between eudaimonia and hedonia is hotly debated. Nevertheless, evidence indicates that eudaimonia is associated with better mental and physical health, suggesting that eudaimonia is an important component of living a happy and healthy life.
Optimal functioning after psychopathology is understudied. We report the prevalence of optimal well-being (OWB) following recovery after depression, suicidal ideation, generalized anxiety disorder, bipolar disorder, and substance use disorders. Using a national Canadian sample ( N = 23,491), we operationalized OWB as absence of 12-month psychopathology, coupled with scoring above the 25th national percentile on psychological well-being and below the 25th percentile on disability measures. Compared with 24.1% of participants without a history of psychopathology, 9.8% of participants with a lifetime history of psychopathology met OWB. Adults with a history of substance use disorders (10.2%) and depression (7.1%) were the most likely to report OWB. Persons with anxiety (5.7%), suicidal ideation (5.0%), bipolar I (3.3%), and bipolar II (3.2%) were less likely to report OWB. Having a lifetime history of just one disorder increased the odds of OWB by a factor of 4.2 relative to having a lifetime history of multiple disorders. Although psychopathology substantially reduces the probability of OWB, many individuals with psychopathology attain OWB.
Optimal functioning after psychopathology is understudied. We report the prevalence of optimal well-being (OWB) following recovery after depression, suicidal ideation, generalized anxiety disorder, bipolar disorder, and substance use disorders. Using a national Canadian sample (N = 23,491), we operationalized OWB as absence of 12-month psychopathology and scoring above the 25th national percentile on psychological well-being and functioning measures. Compared with 24.1% of participants without a history of psychopathology, 9.8% of participants with a lifetime history of psychopathology met OWB. Adults with a history of substance use disorders (10.2%) and depression (7.1%) were the most likely to report OWB. Persons with anxiety (5.7%), suicidal ideation (5.0%), bipolar 1 (3.3%), and bipolar 2 (3.2%) were less likely to report OWB. Having just one lifetime disorder increased the odds of OWB by 4.2 times relative to multiple lifetime disorders. While psychopathology substantially reduces the probability of OWB, many individuals with psychopathology attain OWB.
A growing body of empirical evidence suggests that positive emotions, engagement, relationships, meaning, and accomplishments (PERMA) may be a robust framework for the measurement, management and development of wellbeing. While the original PERMA framework made great headway in the past decade, its empirical and theoretical limitations were recently identified and critiqued. In response, Seligman clarified the value of PERMA as a framework for and not a theory of wellbeing and called for further research to expand the construct. To expand the framework into organizational contexts, recent meta-analyses and systematic literature reviews showed that physical health, mindset, physical work environments and economic security could be seen as essential contextually relevant building blocks for work-related wellbeing and are therefore prime candidates to expand the PERMA framework for use within organizational contexts. Through expanding the original PERMA framework with these four factors, a new holistic approach to work-related wellbeing and work performance was born: the PERMA+4. As such, the purpose of this brief perspective paper is to provide a conceptual overview of PERMA+4 as holistic framework for work-related wellbeing and work performance which extends beyond the predominant componential thinking of the discipline. Specifically, we aim to do so by providing: (1) a brief historical overview of the development of PERMA as a theory for wellbeing, (2) a conceptual overview of PERMA+4 as a holistic framework for work-related wellbeing and work performance, (3) empirical evidence supporting the usefulness of PERMA+4, and (4) charting a course for the second wave of positive organizational psychological research.
This mixed methods study explored grit and well-being among South African first-year university students (N = 405, female = 57.10%; mean age = 20.59, SD = 1.65 years). The students self-reported their grit and well-being. A small subsample of the students (n = 18, females = 61%) completed individual interviews on how their sense of grit related to their subjective well-being. Regression analysis indicated higher self-reported grit scores predicted higher well-being. Thematic analysis of the interview data indicated that students who reported higher grit statuses also reported greater academic engagement, self-worth, and better self-perceived problem-solving strategies. Student development programs should seek to promote grit as a personal resource in student populations.
The authors compared the Big 5 factors of personality with the facets or traits of personality that constitute those factors on their ability to predict 40 behavior criteria. Both the broad factors and the narrow facets predicted substantial numbers of criteria, but the latter did noticeably better in that regard, even when the number of facet predictors was limited to the number of factor predictors. Moreover, the criterion variance accounted for by the personality facets often included large portions not predicted by the personality factors. The narrow facets, therefore, were able to substantially increase the maximum prediction achieved by the broad factors. The results of this study are interpreted as supporting a more detailed approach to personality assessment, one that goes beyond the measurement of the Big 5 factors alone.
The Mental Health Continuum–Short Form (MHC-SF) is a widely used scale aimed at assessing three components of well-being: emotional, social, and psychological. The factor structure of the MHC-SF has been under debate over the past 10 years. The main goal of the present study was to examine the dimensionality of the MHC-SF. Confirmatory factor analyses (CFA), bifactor CFA, exploratory structural equation modeling (ESEM), and bifactor ESEM were used to evaluate competing models of the MHC-SF structure. The total sample consisted of 7,521 participants from four countries: The Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, and Serbia. The results indicated that the three CFA factors were very highly related, and that a bifactor ESEM model provided the best fit to the data in all samples. Our findings provided support for the bifactor structure of well-being with a strong general factor explaining most of the variance in the items.
Objective
Investigators within many disciplines are using measures of well-being, but it is not always clear what they are measuring, or which instruments may best meet their objectives. The aims of this review were to: systematically identify well-being instruments, explore the variety of well-being dimensions within instruments and describe how the production of instruments has developed over time.
Design
Systematic searches, thematic analysis and narrative synthesis were undertaken.
Data sources
MEDLINE, EMBASE, EconLit, PsycINFO, Cochrane Library and CINAHL from 1993 to 2014 complemented by web searches and expert consultations through 2015.
Eligibility criteria
Instruments were selected for review if they were designed for adults (≥18 years old), generic (ie, non-disease or context specific) and available in an English version.
Results
A total of 99 measures of well-being were included, and 196 dimensions of well-being were identified within them. Dimensions clustered around 6 key thematic domains: mental well-being, social well-being, physical well-being, spiritual well-being, activities and functioning, and personal circumstances. Authors were rarely explicit about how existing theories had influenced the design of their tools; however, the 2 most referenced theories were Diener's model of subjective well-being and the WHO definition of health. The period between 1990 and 1999 produced the greatest number of newly developed well-being instruments (n=27). An illustration of the dimensions identified and the instruments that measure them is provided within a thematic framework of well-being.
Conclusions
This review provides researchers with an organised toolkit of instruments, dimensions and an accompanying glossary. The striking variability between instruments supports the need to pay close attention to what is being assessed under the umbrella of ‘well-being’ measurement.
Recent decades have seen rapid growth in the science of subjective well-being (SWB), with 14,000 publications a year now broaching the topic. The insights of this growing scholarly literature can be helpful to psychologists working both in research and applied areas. We describe five sets of recent findings on SWB: (1) the multidimensionality of SWB; (2) circumstances that influence long-term SWB; (3) cultural differences in SWB; (4) the beneficial effects of SWB on health and social relationships; and (5) interventions to increase SWB.
Additionally, we outline the implications of these findings for the helping professions, organizational psychology, and for researchers. Finally, we describe current developments in national accounts of well-being, which capture the quality of life in societies beyond economic indicators and point toward policies that can enhance societal well-being.
Well-being is typically defined as positive feeling (e.g. happiness), positive functioning (e.g. competence, meaning) or a combination of the two. Recent evidence indicates that well-being indicators belonging to different categories can be explained by single “general” factor of well-being (e.g. Jovanovic, 2015). We further test this hypothesis using a recent well-being scale, which includes indicators of positive feeling and positive functioning (Huppert & So, 2013). While the authors of the scale originally identified a two-factor structure, in view of recent evidence, we hypothesize that the two-factor solution may be due to a method effect of different items being measured with different rating scales. In study 1, we use data from the European Social Survey round 3 (n = 41,461) and find that two factors have poor discriminant validity and, after using a bifactor model to account for different rating scales, only the general factor is reliable. In study 2, we eliminate method effects by using the same rating scale across items, recruit a new sample (n = 507), and find that a one-factor model fits the data well. The results support the hypothesis that well-being indicators, typically categorized as “positive feeling” and “positive functioning,” reflect a single general factor.
Background
The assessment of 'general health and well-being' in public mental health research stimulates debates around relative merits of questionnaire instruments and their items. Little evidence regarding alignment or differential advantages of instruments or items has appeared to date.AimsPopulation-based psychometric study of items employed in public mental health narratives.Method
Multidimensional item response theory was applied to General Health Questionnaire (GHQ-12), Warwick-Edinburgh Mental Well-being Scale (WEMWBS) and EQ-5D items (Health Survey for England, 2010-2012; n = 19 290).ResultsA bifactor model provided the best account of the data and showed that the GHQ-12 and WEMWBS items assess mainly the same construct. Only one item of the EQ-5D showed relevant overlap with this dimension (anxiety/depression). Findings were corroborated by comparisons with alternative models and cross-validation analyses.Conclusions
The consequences of this lack of differentiation (GHQ-12 v. WEMWBS) for mental health and well-being narratives deserves discussion to enrich debates on priorities in public mental health and its assessment.
Ree, Carretta, and Teachout (2015) outlined a compelling argument for the pervasiveness of dominant general factors (DGFs) in psychological measurement. We agree that DGFs are important and that they are found for various constructs (e.g., cognitive abilities, work withdrawal), especially when an “unrotated principal components” analysis is conducted (Ree et al., p. 8). When studying hierarchical constructs, however, a narrow emphasis on uncovering DGFs would be incomplete at best and detrimental at worst. This commentary largely echoes the arguments made by Wee, Newman, and Joseph (2014), and Schneider and Newman (2015), who provided reasons for considering second-stratum cognitive abilities. We believe these same arguments in favor of second-stratum factors in the ability domain can be applied to hierarchical constructs more generally.
A large international sample was used to test whether hedonia (the experience of positive emotional states and satisfaction of desires) and eudaimonia (the presence of meaning and development of one's potentials) represent 1 overarching well-being construct or 2 related dimensions. A latent correlation of .96 presents negligible evidence for the discriminant validity between Diener's (1984) subjective well-being model of hedonia and Ryff's (1989) psychological well-being model of eudaimonia. When compared with known correlates of well-being (e.g., curiosity, gratitude), eudaimonia and hedonia showed very similar relationships, save goal-directed will and ways (i.e., hope), a meaning orientation to happiness, and grit. Identical analyses in subsamples of 7 geographical world regions revealed similar results around the globe. A single overarching construct more accurately reflects hedonia and eudaimonia when measured as self-reported subjective and psychological well-being. Nevertheless, measures of eudaimonia may contain aspects of meaningful goal-directedness unique from hedonia. (PsycINFO Database Record
Well-being theory (WBT) proposes five indicators of well-being [i.e., positive emotion, engagement, relationships, meaning, achievement (PERMA)] that are, independently , empirically supported predictors of flourishing (i.e., an optimal level of well-being; Seligman in Flourish: a visionary new understanding of happiness and well-being. Free Press, NY, 2011). However, there is limited empirical support for the multidimensional model suggested by WBT. Two studies sought to test and validate the higher-order factor structure of the five components of PERMA and PERMA's ability to predict concurrent and prospective flourishing outcomes (e.g., physical health, college success). In Study 1, a longitudinal examination of college students, participants completed measures of well-being (including four of the five PERMA indicators), physical health, and college success at the end of their sophomore, junior, and senior years. In Study 2, a larger, cross-sectional study was conducted online to further validate the PERMA model with a broader sample and all five PERMA indicators. Participants completed measures similar to those administered at Study 1 and other measures used to validate Study 1 measures. Results from Study 2 further validated the PERMA model by comparing Study 1 measures to established measures and by adding meaning to the model. Study 1 and Study 2 PERMA models predicted markers of well-being (e.g., vitality, life satisfaction) and flourishing (e.g., physical health). The two studies reported here provide cross-sectional and longitudinal support that WBT is useful for predicting flourishing.
Reviews the literature since 1967 on subjective well-being (SWB [including happiness, life satisfaction, and positive affect]) in 3 areas: measurement, causal factors, and theory. Most measures of SWB correlate moderately with each other and have adequate temporal reliability and internal consistency; the global concept of happiness is being replaced with more specific and well-defined concepts, and measuring instruments are being developed with theoretical advances; multi-item scales are promising but need adequate testing. SWB is probably determined by a large number of factors that can be conceptualized at several levels of analysis, and it may be unrealistic to hope that a few variables will be of overwhelming importance. Several psychological theories related to happiness have been proposed; they include telic, pleasure and pain, activity, top–down vs bottom–up, associanistic, and judgment theories. It is suggested that there is a great need to more closely connect theory and research. (7 p ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)
In recent years, well-being researchers have distinguished between eudaimonic happiness (e.g., meaning and purpose; taking part in activities that allow for the actualization of one's skills, talents, and potential) and hedonic happiness (e.g., high frequencies of positive affect, low frequencies of negative affect, and evaluating life as satisfying). Unfortunately, this distinction (rooted in philosophy) does not necessarily translate well to science. Among the problems of drawing too sharp a line between ‘types of happiness’ is the fact that eudaimonia is not well-defined and lacks consistent measurement. Moreover, empirical evidence currently suggests that hedonic and eudaimonic well-being overlap conceptually, and may represent psychological mechanisms that operate together. In this article, we outline the problems and costs of distinguishing between two types of happiness, and provide detailed recommendations for a research program on well-being with greater scientific precision.The purpose of life is to be happy. The Dalai LamaYou will never be happy if you continue to search for what happiness consists of. Albert CamusAnd they all lived happily ever after. The Brothers Grimm
W. Wilson's (1967) review of the area of subjective well-being (SWB) advanced several conclusions regarding those who report high levels of "happiness." A number of his conclusions have been overturned: youth and modest aspirations no longer are seen as prerequisites of SWB. E. Diener's (1984) review placed greater emphasis on theories that stressed psychological factors. In the current article, the authors review current evidence for Wilson's conclusions and discuss modern theories of SWB that stress dispositional influences, adaptation, goals, and coping strategies. The next steps in the evolution of the field are to comprehend the interaction of psychological factors with life circumstances in producing SWB, to understand the causal pathways leading to happiness, understand the processes underlying adaptation to events, and develop theories that explain why certain variables differentially influence the different components of SWB (life satisfaction, pleasant affect, and unpleasant affect). (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2012 APA, all rights reserved)
Reigning measures of psychological well-being have little theoretical grounding, despite an extensive literature on the contours of positive functioning. Aspects of well-being derived from this literature (i.e., self-acceptance, positive relations with others, autonomy, environmental mastery, purpose in life, and personal growth) were operationalized. Three hundred and twenty-one men and women, divided among young, middle-aged, and older adults, rated themselves on these measures along with six instruments prominent in earlier studies (i.e., affect balance, life satisfaction, self-esteem, morale, locus of control, depression). Results revealed that positive relations with others, autonomy, purpose in life, and personal growth were not strongly tied to prior assessment indexes, thereby supporting the claim that key aspects of positive functioning have not been represented in the empirical arena. Furthermore, age profiles revealed a more differentiated pattern of well-being than is evident in prior research. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2012 APA, all rights reserved)
Bifactor and second-order factor models are two alternative approaches for repre-senting general constructs comprised of several highly related domains. Bifactor and second-order models were compared using a quality of life data set (N = 403). The bifactor model identified three, rather than the hypothesized four, domain specific factors beyond the general factor. The bifactor model fit the data significantly better than the second-order model. The bifactor model allowed for easier interpretation of the relationship between the domain specific factors and external variables, over and above the general factor. Contrary to the literature, sufficient power existed to distin-guish between bifactor and corresponding second-order models in one actual and one simulated example, given reasonable sample sizes. Advantages of bifactor models over second-order models are discussed. Researchers interested in assessing a construct often hypothesize that several highly related domains comprise the general construct of interest. In the motivat-ing example, which is the focus of this article, Stewart and Ware (1992) proposed measures of health-related quality of life. They hypothesized that this general con-struct was comprised of at least four highly related domain specific factors (cogni-tion, vitality, mental health, and disease worry)., these authors se-lected 17-items to represent the four domains that were hypothesized to comprise the general construct. Other researchers have also hypothesized general constructs MULTIVARIATE BEHAVIORAL RESEARCH, 41(2), 189–225 Copyright © 2006, Lawrence Erlbaum Associates, Inc.
Eighty-three people in the slums of Calcutta, India were interviewed, and responded to several measures of subjective well-being.
The respondents came from one of three groups: Those living in slum housing, sex workers (prostitutes) residing in brothels,
and homeless individuals living on the streets. They responded to questions about life satisfaction and satisfaction with
various life domains, as well as to a memory recall measure of good and bad events in their lives. While the mean rating of
general life satisfaction was slightly negative, the mean ratings of satisfaction with specific domains were positive. The
conclusion is that the slum dwellers of Calcutta generally experience a lower sense of life satisfaction than more affluent
comparison groups, but are more satisfied than one might expect. This could be due, in part, to the strong emphasis on social
relationships and the satisfaction derived from them.
The nature and structure of well-being is a topic that has garnered increasing interest with the emergence of positive psychology. Limited research to date suggests two separate but related factors of subjective well-being and psychological well-being. Subjective well-being comprises an affective component of the balance between positive and negative affect, together with a cognitive component of judgments about one’s life satisfaction. Psychological well-being is conceptualised as having six components, including positive relations with others, autonomy, environmental mastery, self-acceptance, purpose in life and personal growth. In the current study, we used exploratory factor analysis and confirmatory factor analysis to examine the higher order factor structure of subjective and psychological well-being in a series of large UK samples. Analyses showed that subjective well-being and psychological well-being loaded separately onto two independent but related factors, consistent with previous research. Further, we demonstrated that these loadings did not vary according to gender, age or ethnicity, providing further support for the robustness of this higher order factor structure. The discussion locates these findings in context and explores future research directions on the associations between subjective and psychological well-being over time.
The terms 'quality-of-life', 'well-being' and 'happiness' denote different meanings; sometimes they are used as an umbrella term for all of value, and at other times to denote special merits. This paper is about the specific meanings of the terms. It proposes a classification based on two bi-partitions; between life 'chances' and life 'results', and between 'outer' and 'inner' qualities. Together these dichotomies imply four qualities of life: 1) livability of the environment, 2) life-ability of the individual, 3) external utility of life and 4) inner appreciation of life.
This fourfold matrix is applied in three ways: firstly to place related notions and alternative classifications, secondly to explore substantive meanings in various measures for quality of life and thirdly to find out whether quality-of-life can be measured comprehensively. This last question is answered in the negative. Current sum-scores make little sense. The most inclusive measure is still how long and happily people live.
Two data sources--self-reports and peer ratings--and two instruments--adjective factors and questionnaire scales--were used to assess the five-factor model of personality. As in a previous study of self-reports (McCrae & Costa, 1985b), adjective factors of neuroticism, extraversion, openness to experience, agreeableness-antagonism, and conscientiousness-undirectedness were identified in an analysis of 738 peer ratings of 275 adult subjects. Intraclass correlations among raters, ranging from .30 to .65, and correlations between mean peer ratings and self-reports, from .25 to .62, showed substantial cross-observer agreement on all five adjective factors. Similar results were seen in analyses of scales from the NEO Personality Inventory. Items from the adjective factors were used as guides in a discussion of the nature of the five factors. These data reinforce recent appeals for the adoption of the five-factor model in personality research and assessment.
DATA ON AVOWED HAPPINESS ARE SUMMARIZED UNDER THE HEADINGS OF (1) MEASUREMENT, RELIABILITY, AND VALIDITY; (2) DIMENSIONS; AND (3) CORRELATES. THE HAPPY PERSON EMERGES AS A YOUNG, HEALTHY, WELL-EDUCATED, WELL-PAID, EXTRAVERTED, OPTIMISTIC, WORRY-FREE, RELIGIOUS, MARRIED PERSON WITH HIGH SELF-ESTEEM, HIGH JOB MORALE, MODEST ASPIRATIONS, OF EITHER SEX, AND OF A WIDE RANGE OF INTELLIGENCE. (2 P. REF.)
Subjective well-being (SWB) is evaluation of life in terms of satisfaction and balance between positive and negative affect; psychological well-being (PWB) entails perception of engagement with existential challenges of life. The authors hypothesized that these research streams are conceptually related but empirically distinct and that combinations of them relate differentially to sociodemographics and personality. Data are from a national sample of 3,032 Americans aged 25-74. Factor analyses confirmed the related-but-distinct status of SWB and PWB. The probability of optimal well-being (high SWB and PWB) increased as age, education, extraversion, and conscientiousness increased and as neuroticism decreased. Compared with adults with higher SWB than PWB. adults with higher PWB than SWB were younger, had more education, and showed more openness to experience.
Use of the Revised NEO Personality Inventory (NEO-PI-R; Costa & McCrae, 1992) in adolescent samples has shown that a few respondents have difficulty with a subset of items. We identified 30 items that were not understood by at least 2% of adolescent respondents and 18 additional items with low item-total correlations, and we wrote 2 trial replacement items for each. We used self-report and observer rating data from 500 respondents aged 14 to 20 to select replacement items. The modified instrument retained the intended factor structure and showed slightly better internal consistency, cross-observer agreement, and readability (Flesch-Kincaid grade level = 5.3). The NEO-PI-3 appears to be useful in high school and college samples and may have wider applicability to adults as well.
This article reports the development and validation of a scale to measure global life satisfaction, the Satisfaction With Life Scale (SWLS). Among the various components of subjective well-being, the SWLS is narrowly focused to assess global life satisfaction and does not tap related constructs such as positive affect or loneliness. The SWLS is shown to have favorable psychometric properties, including high internal consistency and high temporal reliability. Scores on the SWLS correlate moderately to highly with other measures of subjective well-being, and correlate predictably with specific personality characteristics. It is noted that the SWLS is Suited for use with different age groups, and other potential uses of the scale are discussed.
In this article, we define questionable measurement practices (QMPs) as decisions researchers make that raise doubts about the validity of the measures, and ultimately the validity of study conclusions. Doubts arise for a host of reasons, including a lack of transparency, ignorance, negligence, or misrepresentation of the evidence. We describe the scope of the problem and focus on how transparency is a part of the solution. A lack of measurement transparency makes it impossible to evaluate potential threats to internal, external, statistical-conclusion, and construct validity. We demonstrate that psychology is plagued by a measurement schmeasurement attitude: QMPs are common, hide a stunning source of researcher degrees of freedom, and pose a serious threat to cumulative psychological science, but are largely ignored. We address these challenges by providing a set of questions that researchers and consumers of scientific research can consider to identify and avoid QMPs. Transparent answers to these measurement questions promote rigorous research, allow for thorough evaluations of a study’s inferences, and are necessary for meaningful replication studies.
Let 2020 be the year in which we value those who ensure that science is self-correcting. Let 2020 be the year in which we value those who ensure that science is self-correcting. “Scientific criticism must not be conflated with bullying.”
Seligman (2011) hypothesized that PERMA (Positive Emotion, Engagement, Relationships, Meaning, and Accomplishment) are the elements of well-being. Goodman, Disabato, Kashdan & Kaufmann (2017) reported strong evidence that subjective well-being is the final common path of such elements and their data are entirely consistent with Seligman’s hypothesis. They argued, incorrectly however, that he suggested that PERMA constituted a different kind of well-being rather than just its building blocks. The complicated issue, one that transcends psychometrics, of how to decide on elements of well-being is discussed.
The Collected Works of Ed Diener, in 3 volumes, present the major works of the leading research scientist studying happiness and well-being. Professor Diener has studied subjective well-being, people’s life satisfaction and positive emotions, for over a quarter of a century, and has published 200 works on the topic, many more than any other scholar. He has studied hundreds of thousands of people in over 140 nations of the world, and the Collected Works present the major findings from those studies. Diener has made many of the major discoveries about well-being, which are outlined in the chapters.
The first volume presents the major theory and review papers of Ed Diener. These publications give a broad overview of findings in the field, and the theories of well-being. As such, the first volume is an absolute must for beginning scholars in this area, and offers a clear tutorial to the history of the field and major findings. The second volume focuses on culture. This volume is most unique, and could sell on its own, as it should appeal to cultural psychologists and anthropologists. The findings in the culture area are mostly all derived from the Diener laboratory and his students. Thus, the papers in this volume represent most of the major publications on culture and well-being. Furthermore, this is the area that is least well-known by most scholars. The third volume on measurement is the most applied and practical one because it discusses all the measures used, and presents new measures. Even for those who do not want to study well-being per se, but want to use some well-being measures in their research, this volume will be of enormous help.
Volume 1: Gives a broad overview of findings and theories on subjective well-being.
Volume 2: Presents most of the major papers on well-being and culture, and the international differences in well-being
Volume 3: Presents discussions of measures of well-being and new measures of well-being, and is thus of great value to those who want to select measurement scales for their research
Endorsements
Over the past several decades Professor Diener has contributed more than any other psychologist to the rigorous research of subjective well-being. The collection of this work in this series is going to be of invaluable help to anyone interested in the study of happiness, life-satisfaction, and the emerging discipline of positive psychology. Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi, Professor of Psychology And Management, Claremont Graduate University
Ed Diener, the Jedi Master of the world's happiness researchers, has inspired and informed all of us who have studied and written about happiness. His life's work epitomizes a humanly significant psychological science. How wonderful to have his pioneering writings collected and preserved for future students of human well-being, and for practitioners and social policy makers who are working to promote human flourishing. David G. Myers, Hope College, and author, The Pursuit of Happiness.
Ed Diener's work on life satisfaction -- theory and research -- has been ground-breaking. Having his collected works available will be a great boon to psychologists and policy-makers alike. Christopher Peterson, Professor of Psychology, Univ. of Michigan
By looking at happiness and well-being in many different cultures and societies, from East to West, from New York City to Calcutta slums, and beyond, Ed Diener has forever transformed the field of culture in psychology. Filled with bold theoretical insights and rigorous and, yet, imaginative empirical studies, this volume will be absolutely indispensable for all social and behavioral scientists interested in transformative power of culture on human psychology. Shinobu Kitayama, Professor and Director of the Culture and Cognition Program, Univ. of Michigan
Ed Diener is one of the most productive psychologists in the world working in the field of perceived quality of life or, as he prefers, subjective wellbeing. He has served the profession as a researcher, writer, teacher, officer in professional organizations, editor of leading journals, a member of the editorial board of still more journals as well as a member of the board of the Social Indicators Research Book Series. As an admirer of his work and a good friend, I have learned a lot from him, from his students, his relatives and collaborators. The idea of producing a collection of his works came to me as a result of spending a great deal of time trying to keep up with his work. What a wonderful public and professional service it would be, I thought, as well as a time-saver for me, if we could get a substantial number of his works assembled in one collection. In these three volumes we have not only a fine selection of past works but a good number of new ones as well. So, it is with considerable delight that I write these lines to thank Ed and to lend my support to this important publication. Alex C. Michalos, Ph.D., F.R.S.C., Chancellor, Director, Institute for Social Research and Evaluation, Professor Emeritus, Political Science, Univ. of Northern British Columbia
We compared Seligman’s PERMA model of well-being with Diener’s model of subjective well-being (SWB) to determine if the newer PERMA captured a type of well-being unique from the older SWB. Participants were 517 adults who completed self-report measures of SWB, PERMA, and VIA character strengths. Results from four analytic techniques suggest the factor underlying PERMA is capturing the same type of well-being as SWB. Confirmatory factor analysis yielded a latent correlation of r = 0.98 between SWB and PERMA. Exploratory structural equation modeling found two highly related factors (r = 0.85) that did not map onto PERMA and SWB. SWB and PERMA factors showed similar relationships with 24 character strengths (average correlation difference = 0.02). Latent profile analyses yielded subgroups of people who merely scored high, low, or mid-range on well-being indicators. Our findings suggest that while lower-order indicators SWB and PERMA have unique features, they converge onto a single well-being factor.
Well-being is a central construct and outcome variable in positive psychology and yet there is considerable ambiguity in terms of its definition and operationalization, particularly with regard to its similarity and differences to concepts in the areas of humanistic/existential psychology and spirituality. In this chapter, the author provides a brief critical review of the current literature on well-being followed by his own latent trait analysis of several measures of well-being, spirituality, and existential functioning using a sample of 247 American university students. Findings indicate that well-being and spirituality but not existential functioning appear to be fairly unique construct domains. Existential functioning was observed to cut across both well-being and spirituality domains but to not constitute its own discrete domain. Specific to well-being, the results support the existence of two highly correlated but nevertheless distinct factors. Though these dimensions seem to reflect elements consistent with the well-known hedonic and eudaimonic forms of well-being, closer inspection reveals important differences. The author offers an alternative conceptualization of well-being based upon the results and concludes the chapter with recommendations for future research.
The present research has aimed to extend the previous research on the structure of subjective well-being (SWB) by applying the bifactor model. The Satisfaction with Life Scale (SWLS) and the Positive and Negative Affect Schedule (PANAS) were administered to two large samples of Serbian young adults (N 1 = 1669, N 2 = 1522). The bifactor model of SWB with one general and three specific factors (life satisfaction, positive affect, and negative affect) provided the best fit to the data and outperformed the original three-factor model and the higher-factor model in both samples. The results supported the multidimensional nature of SWB, with a strong general factor underlying the SWLS and PANAS. Bifactor modeling has shown that SWLS and PANAS reflect both common and specific variance in SWB, with about half of the reliable variance in life satisfaction, positive affect, and negative affect being independent of the general factor. The present findings imply that researchers should be careful when interpreting SWLS and PANAS scores and that general SWB factor should be taken into account. Implications for scale scoring and interpretation, and theoretical conceptualization of SWB are discussed.
Human resource management researchers typically treat cognitive ability as a unidimensional construct. The current paper reviews possible rationales for this choice, including practical convenience, the parsimony of Spearman's theory of general mental ability (g), positive manifold among cognitive tests, and empirical evidence of only modest incremental validity of specific cognitive abilities for predicting job and training performance over and above g. In contrast to HR researchers' dominant practice of treating cognitive ability as unidimensional, we recommend a renewed interest in narrower, second-stratum cognitive abilities. The renewed focus on multiple dimensions of intelligence is supported by several arguments, including superior empirical fit of hierarchical and oblique multifactor models over unidimensional models of cognitive test data, the Cattell–Horn–Carroll theoretical model and Carroll's large-scale empirical support for a hierarchical model of intelligence with several second-stratum factors (i.e., specific cognitive abilities), empirical evidence of modest incremental validity (typically at or above 2%) of specific cognitive abilities predicting job performance beyond g, the notion of a compatibility principle of the cognitive ability–job performance relationship in which specific abilities should predict specific criteria but not broad criteria, application of bifactor and relative importance methodologies to predict job performance via g and specific abilities simultaneously, evidence that adverse impact in hiring can be partly curtailed by differentially weighting specific cognitive abilities, and theoretical models of reciprocal causation among specific cognitive abilities which can explain positive manifold in the absence of g. After arguing for multidimensional models of intelligence, we review a variety of second-stratum cognitive abilities that have been described under the Cattell–Horn–Carroll model, highlighting similarities and differences among specific abilities.
We examined the structure, reliability, construct validity, and gender invariance
of the Italian version of the Mental Health Continuum–Short Form (Italian MHC–SF),
a self-report questionnaire for positive mental health assessment developed by Keyes. The
scale was administered to 1,438 Italian respondents, mainly from central and southern
Italy, between the ages of 18 and 89 years (m = 47.12; SD = 19.56). Confirmatory factor
analysis confirmed the three-factors solution (emotional, psychological, and social) and a
latent factor consisting of the three dimensions of well-being, and that the structure of the
scale was the same for males and females. Results revealed a high internal reliability and
moderate test–retest reliability. The subscales correlated positively with corresponding
aspects of well-being and functioning, showing convergent validity. The scale correlated
negatively and moderately with measures of mental illness, showing divergent validity.
Exploratory factor analysis supported the hypothesis of two separate, but correlated, factors
for mental health and mental illness, showing discriminant validity and support for the twocontinua
model. A categorical diagnosis of the presence of mental health and the absence
of mental health was applied to the sample. The Italian MHC–SF is a reliable and valid
instrument to measure well-being and the positive aspects of mental health.
Associations of personality traits with psychological well-being (PWB) were analyzed across ages 33–50 as part of an ongoing Finnish longitudinal study (initial N = 369). Bivariate latent growth curve analyses indicated that a low initial level of neuroticism (.75) and high extraversion (.55) correlated strongly with a high level of PWB. Moreover, a high level of conscientiousness, openness, and agreeableness also correlated significantly with PWB. The change factor was significant only for openness: the higher the initial level of PWB, the higher the increase in openness from age 33–50. In comparison with emotional well-being, indicated by general life satisfaction, the associations of the personality traits with PWB were significantly stronger for neuroticism, extraversion, and openness.
Researchers often debate about whether there is a meaningful differentiation between psychological well-being and subjective well-being. One view argues that psychological and subjective well-being are distinct dimensions, whereas another view proposes that they are different perspectives on the same general construct and thus are more similar than different. The purpose of this investigation was to examine these two competing views by using a statistical approach, the bifactor model, that allows for an examination of the common variance shared by the two types of well-being and the unique variance specific to each. In one college sample and one nationally representative sample, the bifactor model revealed a strong general factor, which captures the common ground shared by the measures of psychological well-being and subjective well-being. The bifactor model also revealed four specific factors of psychological well-being and three specific factors of subjective well-being, after partialling out the general well-being factor. We further examined the relations of the specific factors of psychological and subjective well-being to external measures. The specific factors demonstrated incremental predictive power, independent of the general well-being factor. These results suggest that psychological well-being and subjective well-being are strongly related at the general construct level, but their individual components are distinct once their overlap with the general construct of well-being is partialled out. The findings thus indicate that both perspectives have merit, depending on the level of analysis.
This article introduces The Temporal Satisfaction With Life Scale (TSWLS), and reports data establishing its reliability and validity as a measure of life satisfaction. The addition of a temporal dimension allows the TSWLS to assess an individual's past, present, and future life satisfaction. Data relevant to reliability and validity of the TSWLS were gathered from three samples, including one college sample and two adult samples. Moderate to strong correlations with other self- and peer-reported measures of well-being and life satisfaction were observed. Factor analyses revealed a three-factor structure, with the factors corresponding to past, present, and future time frames. Measures of internal and temporal reliability show the TSWLS to be a highly consistent measure of global life satisfaction.
Subjective well-being, or what is popularly often called “happiness,” has been of intense interest throughout human history. We review research showing that it is not a single factor, but that subjective well-being is composed of a number of separable although somewhat related variables. For example, positive feelings, negative feelings, and life satisfaction are clearly separable. In understanding the various types of subjective well-being, it is important to remember that appraisals move from immediate situations to a later recall of feelings, and then to global evaluations of life. At each stage, from momentary feelings to large global life eval-uations, somewhat different processes are involved in what is called “happiness.” In order to understand how to measure subjective well-being, one must understand the time course and components of the phenomenon in question, and be clear about what is most important to assess. On-line feelings are very different from global evaluations of life, although both have been studied under the rubric of subjective well-being. Although debate has focused on which type of subjective well-being should be called “true happiness,” the goal of scientists is to understand each type, their relations with each other, and their causes. The future of the field depends on understanding the differences between various types of well-being, and the different and similar causes of each.
This commentary raises conceptual issues related to recent efforts to develop measures of subjective well-being (SWB). Specifically, Hills’ and Argyle's (2002) article on the development of the 29-item Oxford Happiness Questionnaire (OHQ), and its predecessor, the 20-item Oxford Happiness Inventory (Argyle, Martin & Crossland, 1989). Instead of assessing the structure of subjective well-being (SWB), items of the OHQ tap into self-esteem, sense of purpose, social interest and kindness, sense of humor, and aesthetic appreciation. The item content of the OHQ fails to differentiate the assessment of SWB from the predictors, correlates, and consequences of SWB. In contrast to published SWB findings with other measures, data are presented suggesting that the OHQ has artificially inflated correlations with those constructs tapped by the OHQ: self-esteem, sense of purpose, and social interest/extraversion. The operationalization of SWB by the OHQ is not based on relevant definition and theory and appears to invite nonrandom error into the study of SWB. The article concludes with an appeal for the use of more stringent conceptual and analytic approaches.
Five studies were conducted to examine the nature of life satisfaction judgments. When the category of “excitement” was made accessible experimentally, individuals based their life satisfaction judgments more heavily on the frequency of excitement, in comparison to a “peaceful” condition in Study 1 and to both “neutral priming” and “no-priming” conditions in Study 2. A 7-day diary study (Study 3) showed that as “excitement” became naturally more accessible on weekends, the correlations between excitement and daily satisfaction also increased significantly. Study 3 thus illustrated a systematic contextual shift in the bases of life satisfaction judgments. Study 4 showed that high sensation seekers, for whom “excitement” should be chronically accessible, based their life satisfaction judgments more heavily on the frequency of excitement than did low sensation seekers. Finally, Study 5 demonstrated that the chronic accessibility of “excitement” measured at Time 1 predicted the degree to which individuals based their life satisfaction judgments on the frequency of excitement at Time 2. Altogether, these five studies highlight the contextually sensitive, yet systematic nature of life satisfaction judgments.
This 1993 work surveys and summarizes the results of more than seventy years of investigation, by factor analysis, of a variety of cognitive abilities, with particular attention to language, thinking, memory, visual and auditory perception, creativity and the production of ideas, and the speed and accuracy of mental processing. The author describes his detailed findings resulting from reanalysis of more than 460 data sets from the factor-analytic literature, followed by a presentation of a hierarchical, three-stratum theory of cognitive ability and its implications for further research. A set of three computer disks (IBM 3-1/2" 1.4 megabytes, ASCII format) containing the numerical data sets and Dr. Carroll's statistical results is also available. Representing over 4 megabytes of data or roughly 2000 printed pages the disks are major resources for the interested researcher.
In this article, we examine subjective vitality, a positive feeling of aliveness and energy, in six studies. Subjective vitality is hypothesized to reflect organismic well-being and thus should covary with both psychological and somatic factors that impact the energy available to the self. Associations are shown between subjective vitality and several indexes of psychological well-being; somatic factors such as physical symptoms and perceived body functioning; and basic personality traits and affective dispositions. Subsequently, vitality is shown to be lower in people with chronic pain compared to matched controls, especially those who perceive their pain to be disabling or frightening. Subjective vitality is further associated with self-motivation and maintained weight loss among patients treated for obesity. Finally, subjective vitality is assessed in a diary study for its covariation with physical symptoms. Discussion focuses on the phenomenological salience of personal energy and its relations to physical and psychological well-being.
Direct reports of subjective well-being may have a useful role in the measurement of consumer preferences and social welfare, if they can be done in a credible way. Can well-being be measured by a subjective survey, even approximately? In this paper, we discuss research on how individuals' responses to subjective well-being questions vary with their circumstances and other factors. We will argue that it is fruitful to distinguish among different conceptions of utility rather than presume to measure a single, unifying concept that motivates all human choices and registers all relevant feelings and experiences. While various measures of well being are useful for some purposes, it is important to recognize that subjective well-being measures features of individuals' perceptions of their experiences, not their utility as economists typically conceive of it. Those perceptions are a more accurate gauge of actual feelings if they are reported closer to the time of, and in direct reference to, the actual experience. We conclude by proposing the U- index, a misery index of sorts, which measures the proportion of time that people spend in an unpleasant state, and has the virtue of not requiring a cardinal conception of individuals' feelings.
Assessing well-being
- E Diener
Diener, E. (2009). Assessing well-being: The collected works of Ed
Diener (Vol. 331). Springer.
A hierarchical framework for the measurement of well-being
- D J Disabato
- F R Goodman
- T B Kashdan
Disabato, D. J., Goodman, F. R., & Kashdan, T. B. (under review).
A hierarchical framework for the measurement of well-being.
Preprint. https://psyarxiv.com/5rhqj
Measuring well-being: A comparison of subjective well-being and PERMA
- F R Goodman
- D J Disabato
- T B Kashdan
- S B Kaufman
Goodman, F. R., Disabato, D. J., Kashdan, T. B., & Kaufman, S. B.
(2018). Measuring well-being: A comparison of subjective
well-being and PERMA. Journal of Positive Psychology, 13(4),
321-332.
A cross-cultural comparison of the PERMA model of well-being
- D Khaw
- M Kern
Khaw, D., & Kern, M. (2014). A cross-cultural comparison of the
PERMA model of well-being. Undergraduate Journal of
Psychology at Berkeley, University of California, 8(1), 10-23.
https://www.peggykern.org/uploads/5/6/6/7/56678211/
khaw___kern_2015_-_a_cross cultural_comparison_of_th-e_perma_model_of_well-being.pdf