Positive Psychology helps explain how outdoor adventure education promotes well-being This article explored how the power of adventure education experiences might be explained in part by the PERMA framework of positive psychology. Rather than focusing on psychological problems and disorders, positive psychology studies well-being and promotes conditions that support human flourishing. The PERMA framework of positive psychology consists of five elements of well-being: Positive emotion, Engagement, Relationships, Meaning, and Accomplishment. This US-based research analyzed findings from an adventure education study using the PERMA constructs to consider the extent to which outdoor adventure experiences provided pathways to young people’s psychological well-being.
This qualitative study collected observational and interview data from three outdoor adventure contexts for youth (age 9-19): a backpacking expedition, challenge course, and multi-activity adventure program. The author coded field notes and interview transcripts according to the PERMA framework, identifying data excerpts that could be categorized as Positive emotion, Engagement, Relationships, Meaning, and Accomplishment.
This data analysis identified varying levels of overlap between the participants’ outdoor education experiences and the five PERMA constructs. The adventure experiences yielded an abundance of Positive emotion data. Participants at all three study sites referred regularly to positive emotions of happiness, joy, and fun, including positive emotions associated with overcoming challenges, witnessing beauty, social camaraderie, and gratitude for simple pleasures. The qualitative data also pointed to Engagement as a prominent feature of outdoor adventures. In particular, intense outdoor activities—such as climbing difficult mountains or running rapids—elicited participants’ undivided attention and led them to pursue new outdoor interests. Relationship data included mentions of strong personal connections, teamwork, social support, and unique forms of interaction within outdoor adventure experiences. The post-activity reflection times of outdoor adventures overlapped with the Meaning construct of PERMA. Some participants identified deeper meanings and moments of self-discovery through facing fears, overcoming challenges, and developing resilience through outdoor adventures; others made more conventional meanings out of shared outdoor experiences and reflections. Finally, the Accomplishment dimension of the PERMA framework overlapped considerably with participants’ experiences of personal goal setting, achieving physical goals, and building competence in outdoor disciplines, such as climbing, backpacking, and whitewater rafting. A pattern emerged from the data in which facing fears, embracing uncertainty, and struggling through challenges were gateways to celebrating individual and group achievements.
The PERMA lens showed several ways that these outdoor adventure education sites supported young people’s well-being. Each of the three outdoor adventure education contexts in this study were characterized by positive emotions, engagement, relationships, meaning, and accomplishment for youth. At the same time, the discussion of these results reiterated that the five components of PERMA were not mutually exclusive or equally supported by the qualitative data. On one hand, the PERMA lens can help outdoor educators identify and evaluate programmatic components that support positive psychological outcomes for youth. On the other hand, adventure education research points to the value of “negative” emotions, such as fear and pain, and also challenges the strong emphasis on positive environments within positive psychology. Overall, this study points to the benefits and limitations of the PERMA framework for re-conceptualizing outdoor education while documenting specific components of outdoor adventures that can support young people’s well-being, if not their flourishing.
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