Making friends or money? Life-goals and life satisfaction

  • Krystyna Skarżyńska Szkoła Wyższa Psychologii Społecznej, Warszawa
Keywords: intrinsic goals; extrinsic goals; life satisfaction; interpersonal trust; subjective somatic health

Abstract

The aim of the two studies was to assess relations between the type of preferred life-goals (extrinsic goals, including material success, power, achievement and career vs. intrinsic goals, including love and friendship, family, being useful for others and obeying rules of religion), interpersonal trust, level of subjective somatic health and level of general life-satisfaction. The data was collected by means of standardised interviews conducted in a representative random sample of adult inhabitants of Warsaw (= 1004) and by e-mail – in a sample of students (= 112). The results of multiple regression analyses showed that extrinsic life-goals were not a significant predictor of the level of general life-satisfaction. Preferences for intrinsic life-goals were a significant predictor of general life-satisfaction level: those persons who strongly accepted intrinsic life-goals had higher level of life-satisfaction, even when levels of interpersonal trust, subjective somatic health, educational level and age of respondents were controlled. The results are consistent with research conducted by Kasser and Ahuvia (2002) and by Skarżyńska (2002), suggesting that some types of values (or life-goals) may be associated with well-being.

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Published
2019-03-26
Section
Articles