Measuring well-being: A comparison of subjective well-being and PERMA. Issue 4 (4th July 2018)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Goodman, Fallon R.; Disabato, David J.; Kashdan, Todd B.; Kauffman, Scott Barry
• Is Part Of: Journal of positive psychology. Volume 13:Issue 4(2018)
• Page Start: 321
• Page End: 332
• Publication Date: 2018-07-04
• Subjects: Well-being -- happiness -- flourish -- character strengths -- positive psychology; Positive psychology -- Periodicals; Quality of life -- Psychological aspects -- Periodicals; Happiness -- Psychological aspects -- Periodicals; 158
• DOI: 10.1080/17439760.2017.1388434
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 1743-9760

Abstract

Abstract: 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.