Ryff Psychological Well-Being Scales
Psychology: Mental HealthReliability: alphas 0.82–0.90 across 6 dimensions3 sample items
About this scale
A 42-item (or 18- and 84-item versions) measure of six dimensions of eudaimonic well-being: autonomy, environmental mastery, personal growth, positive relations with others, purpose in life, and self-acceptance.
Sample item(s)
“I am not afraid to voice my opinions, even when they are in opposition to the opinions of most people (autonomy)”
“In general, I feel I am in charge of the situation in which I live (mastery)”
“For me, life has been a continuous process of learning, changing, and growth (growth)”
Reliability
Reported internal consistency: alphas 0.82–0.90 across 6 dimensions. As a rule of thumb, Cronbach’s α ≥ .70 is considered acceptable, ≥ .80 good, and ≥ .90 excellent for established measures.
Notes
Free for academic use; multiple validated versions exist.
Source & citation
Ryff, C. D. (1989): Happiness is everything, or is it? Explorations on the meaning of psychological well-being. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, Vol. 57, No. 6, pp. 1069–1081.
Ryff (1989): Psychological Well-Being scales. JPSP, 57(6), 1069–1081.
Source. Scale details are summarised from the publication cited above. Always consult the original source for the full item set, scoring, and permission to use.
Use it in your research
Need to check the reliability or psychometrics of this scale in your own data? Use the free DrAIStudio research tools:
Cronbach’s alpha calculator
All statistical calculators
Search the full Scale Atlas
Academic writing humanizer