What is well-being?
Well-being is multidimensional. It is the experience of ourselves in the dimensions of: autonomy, personal growth, environmental mastery, purpose in life, positive relations and self-acceptance. A good life is balanced and whole, engaging each of the different aspects of well-being instead of being narrowly focused on just happiness or positive emotions. Professor Carol Ryff has been one of the pioneers in developing a model of well-being that has undergone rigorous research.
Ryff defines these 6 dimensions as:
• Self-Acceptance: You possess a positive attitude toward yourself; acknowledge and accept multiple aspects of yourself including both good and bad qualities; and feel positive about your past life.
• Personal Growth: You have a feeling of continued development; see yourself as growing and expanding; are open to new experiences; have the sense of realising your potential; see improvement in yourself and behaviour over time; are changing in ways that reflect more self-knowledge and effectiveness.
• Purpose in Life: You have goals in life and a sense of directedness; feel there is meaning to your present and past life; hold beliefs that give life purpose; and have aims and objectives for living.
• Strong Positive Relations: You have warm, satisfying, trusting relationships with others; are concerned about the welfare of others; are capable of strong empathy, affection, and intimacy; and understand the give and take of human relationships.
• Environmental Mastery: You have a sense of mastery and competence in managing the environment; control complex array of external activities; make effective use of surrounding opportunities; and are able to choose or create contexts suitable to your personal needs and values.
• High Autonomy: You are self-determining and independent; are able to resist social pressures to think and act in certain ways; regulate behaviour from within; and evaluate yourself by personal standards.