Nurturing PERMA (The Pillars of Well-Being) in Education
- Kristijan Musek Lešnik
- Nov 18, 2025
- 3 min read
Updated: 3 days ago
The PERMA model captures the foundations of a flourishing life. Each pillar matters, and together they form a balanced path to resilience, motivation, and fulfillment. In education, this shift is transformative: when students feel safe, valued, and purposeful, attention improves, curiosity deepens, and academic growth accelerates.
Dr. Martin Seligman, one of the founders of Positive Psychology, believes that our psychological well-being rests on five key pillars. Together, these form what he calls the PERMA model, which describes the main elements of a flourishing, fulfilling life:
P – Positive Emotions → experiencing joy, gratitude, love, curiosity, and hope,
E – Engagement → being deeply absorbed in activities that use our strengths and stretch our skills,
R – Relationships → building supportive, trusting, and loving connections with others,
M – Meaning → feeling that our life and actions have purpose and contribute to something greater,
A – Accomplishment → striving for and achieving goals that bring pride and satisfaction
The Core of a Flourishing Life
The PERMA model offers a simple but powerful way to understand what helps people thrive. Rather than focusing on a single path to happiness, it highlights essential elements that work together to support a fulfilling, resilient, and meaningful life. When any one of these areas is neglected, our sense of well-being naturally weakens. But when they are all present, they create a strong foundation for flourishing.
Although relationships are often seen as one of the strongest contributors to well-being, no single pillar stands above the rest. Each plays a unique role, and their importance can shift throughout our lives. A child may find joy mostly through play and engagement, while an adult might draw it from meaning or close relationships.
Taken together, these PERMA elements form a balanced, flexible framework that helps us understand what it means to live well — at any age and in any stage of life.
A Universal Framework for Growth
The beauty of the PERMA model lies in its simplicity and universality. It offers a practical foundation for developing strategies, programs, and tools that strengthen life skills, nurture resilience, and enhance psychological well-being — in schools, workplaces, and communities alike. By focusing on what helps people thrive, rather than simply preventing problems, the PERMA model guides us toward positive, proactive development.
From Performance to Well-Being in Education
In education, focusing on the emotional well-being of children and students is not a luxury — it’s a necessity. Research consistently shows that well-being and academic success are deeply connected. Children who feel safe, valued, and emotionally balanced are more motivated, creative, and capable of long-term learning.
That’s why the PERMA model provides such a meaningful framework for schools and preschools seeking to shift from performance-only education toward a more holistic approach — one that also cares for the well-being of both children and adults.
And this doesn’t come at the expense of academic achievement. Quite the opposite — it’s often the very path that leads to it.
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