Abstract
With the PERMA theory, Seligman (2011) postulates that well-being consists of five independently measurable factors: Positive Emotions (P), Engagement (E), Positive Relationships (R), Meaning (M) and Accomplishment (A). The PERMA-Profiler provides the first questionnaire, which measures all five well-being domains in an economical and reliable way. In order to test the validity of the questionnaire in German speaking countries, a German version of the PERMA-Profiler was developed and evaluated in a large sample (N = 854). The results provide evidence for acceptable reliability, very good construct validity (factorial and convergent) and first indications for measurement invariance, for both gender and nationality. Compared to three theoretically competing models, the inter-correlated Five-Factor Model turned out to be the most appropriate statistical model to describe the collected data. It revealed the best trade-off between model fit, parsimony and theoretical interpretability. Our results support the hypothesis of a multidimensional PERMA theory, which gives a closer insight in at least some of the building blocks of well-being. Therefore, the PERMA theory can be seen as a useful extension to a unidimensional subjective well-being approach. Like the English original, the German version of the PERMA-Profiler allows to measure well-being economically across multiple well-being domains. Therefore, the PERMA-Profiler can be recommended as a valid well-being screening instrument for the German speaking adult population.
Highlights
With the PERMA theory, Seligman (2011) postulates that well-being consists of five independently measurable factors: Positive Emotions (P), Engagement (E), Positive Relationships (R), Meaning (M) and Accomplishment (A)
A multifactorial approach to measure well-being, which relies on an eudaimonic background is the theory of psychological wellbeing (PWB) and the corresponding questionnaire, the Psychological Well-Being-Scale (PWBS), of Ryff and Keyes (1995) which postulates that well-being consists of six fundamental factors (Autonomy, Environmental Mastery, Personal Growth, Positive Relations with Others, Purpose in Life and Self-Acceptance)
Because of inconsistencies considering the empirical data relating to the PERMA theory, the study aimed to test which of four theoretically competing models describes best the collected data in German speaking countries and whether PERMA is a uni- or multidimensional construct
Summary
With the PERMA theory, Seligman (2011) postulates that well-being consists of five independently measurable factors: Positive Emotions (P), Engagement (E), Positive Relationships (R), Meaning (M) and Accomplishment (A). The research on the measurement of subjective well-being goes back to the beginning of the twentieth century At this time, the first self-report scales were developed in order to assess different facets and dimensions of subjective well-being (SWB). A multifactorial approach to measure well-being, which relies on an eudaimonic background is the theory of psychological wellbeing (PWB) and the corresponding questionnaire, the Psychological Well-Being-Scale (PWBS), of Ryff and Keyes (1995) which postulates that well-being consists of six fundamental factors (Autonomy, Environmental Mastery, Personal Growth, Positive Relations with Others, Purpose in Life and Self-Acceptance). Seligman (2002) theorized, if people scored high on those three dimensions, their life satisfaction should be high as well or that they would experience happiness With this approach, Seligman manages to incorporate both, a hedonic and eudaimonic view of well-being into his theory (Henderson and Knight 2012).
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