The hierarchical framework of wellbeing (HiFWB)

Area of Science:

• Psychological Science
• Wellbeing Research

Background:

• Decades of wellbeing research have yielded numerous conceptual models.
• Divergent historical motivations have obscured the wellbeing measurement landscape.
• A synthesis is needed to advance the field and direct future studies.

Purpose of the Study:

• To synthesize 50 years of wellbeing measurement literature.
• To present The Hierarchical Framework of Wellbeing (HiFWB).
• To organize and integrate prior wellbeing models.

Main Methods:

• Literature synthesis covering the past 50 years.
• Development of the Hierarchical Framework of Wellbeing (HiFWB).
• Comparison with existing hierarchical structures in psychological science.

Main Results:

• Proposal of a general factor of wellbeing ('h' factor).
• Definition of general well-being as "the experience of personally valued fulfillment within one's life."
• Identification of four hierarchical levels: general, lenses, contents, and characteristics.

Conclusions:

• The HiFWB offers a flexible, encompassing, evidence-based framework.
• It aids in wellbeing conceptualization and measurement.
• Acknowledges limitations in generalizability from WEIRD populations.