PERMA model
Five measurable building blocks of human flourishing.
What it means
PERMA is a framework from positive psychology proposing that well-being is best understood not as a single thing but as five distinct, measurable, and intrinsically pursued elements: Positive emotion, Engagement (flow-like absorption), Relationships (positive social connection), Meaning (belonging to and serving something larger than oneself), and Accomplishment (achievement and mastery). Each element contributes to flourishing, can be measured independently, and is pursued for its own sake rather than only as a means to the others. The model broadens earlier hedonic accounts focused on life satisfaction by incorporating eudaimonic components such as meaning and engagement. It has been criticized for overlap among elements and for limited evidence that it outperforms simpler well-being measures. It matters as an applied blueprint for designing interventions, organizations, and policies aimed at flourishing rather than merely reducing distress.
Examples
A coaching program targets all five PERMA elements — cultivating positive emotion, flow at work, strong relationships, a sense of meaning, and concrete accomplishments.
A well-paid analyst scores high on accomplishment and relationships but near zero on meaning and engagement; the breakdown explains why 'I have a great job' and 'I feel empty' are both true.
A school measuring pupil well-being finds its meaning and engagement scores move almost in lockstep — the sort of overlap critics point to when asking whether five elements are really five.
First described in Martin Seligman (2011).