Well being

“Well-being” is a buzz word applied to everything from kale smoothies to lifestyle holidays. But what does it really mean? Long before it was fashionable, Professor Carol Ryff, Hillsdale Professor of Psychology at the University of Wisconsin-Madison created one of the first systematic models of Psychological Well-Being.

“Well-being is not just about immediate happiness, or positive emotions”, she says. “It’s about leading a good life which is balanced and whole.” Professor Ryff established six categories of well-being:

1.    Self-Acceptance: You have a positive attitude toward yourself, acknowledging and accepting both your good and bad qualities; and you feel generally positive about your past life.

2.    Personal Growth: You have a feeling of continued development, seeing yourself as growing and developing; open to new experiences; realizing your potential; and changing in ways that reflect greater self-knowledge and effectiveness.

3.    Purpose in Life: You have goals in life and a sense of directedness; a strong sense that there is meaning to your present and past life; hold beliefs that give life purpose; and have aims and objectives for living.

4.    Positive Relations with Others: You have warm, satisfying, trusting relationships with others; you are capable of strong empathy, affection and intimacy; and understand the give and take of human relationships.

5.    Environmental Mastery: You have a sense of mastery and competence in managing your environment; making ethical use of surrounding opportunities; and are able to choose and create contexts suitable to your personal needs and values.

6.    Autonomy: You are self-determining and independent, able to resist social pressures to think and act in certain ways; you regulate behaviour from within; and evaluate yourself by personal standards.

These six factors have been supported by countless studies across multiple cultures. Many studies have also established a positive relationship between well-being and disease outcomes. In fact, your well-being score turns out to be a pretty good indicator of your longevity.

If you feel out of balance in your life, then knowing which of the six factors might need attention is a good place to start.

How did you rate yourself?