The PERMA Profiler: A brief multidimensional measure of flourishing
Abstract: In the book Flourish (2011) Seligman defined wellbeing in terms of five pillars: Positive emotion, Engagement, Relationships, Meaning, and Accomplishment, or PERMA. We developed the PERMA Profiler as a brief measure of PERMA. We first compiled hundreds of theoretically relevant items. Three studies N 7,188) reduced, tested, and refined items, resulting in a final set of 15 questions (three items per PERMA domain) Eight additional filler items were added, which assess overall wellbeing, negative emotion, loneliness, and physical health, resulting in a final 23 item measure. A series of eight additional studies N 31,966) were conducted to test the psychometrics of the measure. The PERMA Profiler demonstrates acceptable model fit, internal and cross time consistency, and evidence for content, convergent, and divergent validity. Scores are reported visually as a profile across domains, reflecting the multidimensional nature of flourishing. The PERMA Profiler adds to the toolbox of wellbeing measures, allowing individuals to monitor their wellbeing across multiple psychosocial domains.