As it can be said, one of the constant debates of scientists and thinkers throughout history has been the characteristics of a good life.

On the other hand, because of the difficulty of defining a good life, we can not put aside the discussion about it and think about the factors that make a good life.

Characteristics of a good life

As a rule, the better we know these factors, the easier it will be to improve the quality of our life.

Psychologists use several terms to describe the “good life,” one of which is well-being (this term is usually translated as well-being in formal and academic literature).

Just do a little research on Well-being to see that many scientists and thinkers have approached it in different ways.

One of the most well-known studies in this field has been done by Ryff & Singer.

They have tried to determine the characteristics of a good life by referring to the opinions of thinkers such as Aristotle, Gordon Allport, Viktor Frankl, Abraham Maslow, Carl Rogers, Yahuda, and Check and classify Jung.

Accordingly, they have designed a questionnaire to measure the PWB (Personal Well-being) index, which you can download here.

As we have mentioned many times, our primary goal at Planist is to help people balance work and life.

Six characteristics of a good life

After examining the theories of various thinkers and combining Reef and Singer, have finally proposed a six-part model for well-being:

We briefly describe each of these factors in a few sentences and then move on to the PWB questionnaire. A closer look at the questions in the questionnaire will also help to form a clearer picture of these six factors in your mind.

Self-Acceptance means knowing and understanding our actions, motivations, feelings, and more importantly, “accepting.”

The critical point is that self-acceptance also pays attention to weaknesses and negative aspects.

In this way, in addition to the achievements and successes and strengths, and positive characteristics, we accept that we also have harmful elements, weaknesses, and failures.

Our identity results from a combination of all these positive and negative factors.

Therefore, it can be said that accepting oneself here means coping with oneself, and it can be considered very close to the concept of self-esteem.

Positive Relationships with Others means the ability to build friendly, intimate, and deeply emotional relationships based on love and empathy.

Personal Growth does not need much explanation. Almost everything referred to today as “individual development” is a subset of this component.

We know that attention to personal development has a special place in the psychological literature and has been addressed by many psychologists.

One of these psychologists is Abraham Maslow, who places self-actualization at the top of the pyramid of human needs and describes it. Self-actualization:

One of the characteristics of self-fulfilling individuals is that they try to turn their potential into real capabilities.

Purpose in life is also one of the topics that most quality theorists have addressed.

The feeling that “my life has a meaning and a purpose” makes one strive to achieve that meaning and achieve the “mission he defines for himself.”

We have heard it said in various languages by elders and thinkers that human beings experience the depths of life when they strive for something greater than “themselves and their daily lives.”

This is why part of individual development programs is usually devoted to personal mission discovery.

Environmental Mastery means that one wants to design and design one’s environment (from place and lifestyle to friends and relatives) based on what one wants.

An essential part of this factor has an internal control center. The other part is that we should take the initiative and not take a passive position in the face of life situations.

Poor planning and personal discipline can also be one of the reasons for our decline in control of our environment and our lives.

Of course, not all of us are supposed to feel in control of the environment at all times.

Every human being may feel at times that he is not “riding on events” and that these are “events that are riding on him.”

But if our constant sense is that we have lost control of the environment, we have lost one of the foundations of a good life.

Autonomy refers to the fact that a person reaches a level of maturity where he no longer needs the approval of others and can live according to the principles and values that he likes and likes.

This autonomy helps each individual gradually experience the pleasure of “originality” and enjoy the joy of life free from the imposition of the environment.

Part of this autonomy goes back to cultural and environmental conditions and to what extent society’s custom likes and tolerates this “individuality.” But there is another part that has to do with one’s own characteristics. Does he have the right to think and live differently from the majority?