Life Satisfaction, and Who Has It
Kenny Cribb
Psychology of Adjustment
Darton College
ABSTRACT
Satisfaction with one’s life is the ultimate goal of us all, yet it seems to remain so elusive. But what is satisfaction? Is it the same for everyone, and what steps or accomplishments need to be obtained in order to realize this stage of life? People have, and continue to search for, satisfaction with their lives. This study was conducted to determine if the variables of gender, age, or income were related to life satisfaction among a group of 80 participants. The participants were chosen at random from a work environment, two classroom settings, faculty of a community college, and a senior adult social setting. The participants were told that they were completing a survey as part of a research assignment for a college Psychology class. They were asked to fill out an 18-question survey that would measure their general attitude with relation to Life Satisfaction. The survey was then graded and the scores were separated by the categories of age, gender, and income. The results suggest that we become more satisfied with our lives as we get older. This could be that as we age we come to realize that most of the important things in life are not for sale. Among these are work satisfaction, friendship, and pleasures of solitary thought, reading, and other forms of non-commercial leisure (Robert Lane, 1994).
INTRODUCTION
Life satisfaction is the ultimate goal that we as human beings are striving to achieve our entire lives. The label satisfaction is a concept that can mean many different things to different individuals. Webster's dictionary defines satisfaction as the fulfillment of a need or want. Life satisfaction is one of the oldest and most persistently investigated issues in the study of adulthood. In this context it is generally referenced as “an assessment of the overall conditions of existence as derived from a comparison of one’s aspirations to one’s actual achievements”. Although needs and wants are as diverse as the individuals, there are certain factors that are generally felt by our society to measure satisfaction. One is income. Many feel that all their problems would cease if they just had enough money to satisfy their needs. But, is this really true? Frank Andrews and Stephen Withey found that in a 1976 study there were very meager differences in satisfaction among different socioeconomic groups. (Robert Lane, 1994). Quality of life studies tend to divide sources of well being into two categories: external circumstances such as available community services or family life, and internal dispositions such as self-esteem or the sense that one controls one’s own fate. In one study it was found that the number of friends a person had was a better predictor of happiness than was income. (Robert Lane, 1994).
Another study suggests that the type of job we hold could have a major impact on life satisfaction. In general, it is assumed that job satisfaction brings about life satisfaction (Duncan Cramer, 1995). If this is so, then which is more important, family and friends or work? And if this theory holds true, how do we incorporate the working women of today’s society? Are they to forfeit motherhood and relationships for a career in order to have some degree of life satisfaction? According to Lewis & Borders (1995) the existing theories of adult development do not readily apply to single, middle-aged women with any children. As a result, researchers have little information about the key dimensions of these women’s experiences in the middle years.
In relation to age as a factor, several studies concluded that older populations tended to express a higher degree of satisfaction than younger populations. This could be due to living conditions as well as social integration of these individuals. It is my purpose to measure the life satisfaction of a random grouping of people and evaluate the three variables (age, gender, and income) and their correlation to life satisfaction.
METHOD
PARTICIPANTS
Data collected for Life Satisfaction came from two separate psychology classes and faculty at a South Georgia community college, employees of a local Pharmaceutical company, and members of an older class of a local religious gathering. The participants were told that they were providing information for a survey to evaluate the life satisfaction of the general public. A total of 80 people participated. Thirty-eight of the participants were male. Forty-two of the total respondents were female. Further breakdown of participants is furnished in Appendix C.
APPARATUS/MATERIALS
Surveys of eighteen questions were used as the tool for collecting the data to be captured. The survey is attached as Appendix A. The survey used was the Life Satisfaction Index-Z (LSIZ) developed by Neugarten, Havighurst, and Tobin. The original intent of their survey was to measure the psychological well being of the elderly.
PROCEDURE
The questionnaires were handed out at the various locations with a request for participation. Participants were asked to take their time and answer as honestly as possible. There were boxes on the form to check for age brackets, income brackets, and gender. The questionnaires were then collected and the data was analyzed.
RESULTS
The results were calculated using statistical analysis. A Pearson correlational coefficient (r) was determined for each of the variables presented. The first variable was gender. The results indicated that males scored an average of 11.29, whereas females scored an average of 10.38.
The second variable was income. Males scored an r = .33 females r = .10. The overall r = .84. It is interesting to note that although there is no significant difference between the male and female correlational coefficient, there is a drastic difference when one considers the overall. This results in a positively positioned r factor, suggesting that as a population income does influence life satisfaction.
The last variable examined was age. The males had an r = .05, females r = .63, and the overall r = .21. Here it would appear that females are more satisfied with older age than males.
DISCUSSION
This study pointed to the different ways in which males and females determine their values. Whereas the males tended to be happiest overall, they tended to show the greatest need to have a higher income to attain their happiness. The overall correlational coefficient for this variable showed a positive tendency that increased income was associated with increased life satisfaction.
The final variable studied in this survey was the factor of age. In this category males had an r = .05, the females had an r = .63, and the overall r = .21. These findings suggest that women tend to be more satisfied with life in later life than are men.
There were a few events during the course of this survey that were not originally anticipated. There were several questions from participants as to what was meant by certain questions on the survey. Some went so far as to question the true intentions of the survey. Many others were uneasy about checking the appropriate income box.
Future data could add much more information to this study by collecting more information on the differences between the way that males and females value different aspects of their lives. Why do they have these differences, are they cultural, or biological? Are they changing? These questions are waiting to be answered.
REFERENCES
Cramer, Duncan (1995). Life and job satisfaction: A two-wave panel study. Journal of Psychology, v129n3, 261-267.
Lane, Robert E (1994). Does money buy happiness? Current, n360, 27-31.
Mercier, C. & Peladeau, N. & Tempier, R (1998). Age, gender and quality of life. Community Mental Health Journal, v34n5, 487-500.
Lewis, V. & Borders, D. (1995). Life satisfaction of middle-aged professional women. Journal of Counseling & Development: JCD, v74n1, 94-100.
Neugarten, B. L., Havighurst, R. J., and Tobin, S. S. (1961). The Measurement of Life Satisfaction, Journal of Gerontology 16, 134-143.
APPENDIX A
Here are some statements about life in general that people feel differently about. Please read each statement on the list and indicate at the left the number that best describes how you feel about the statement.
1 = Agree
2 = Disagree
3 = Unsure
____ 1. As I grow older, things seem better than I thought they would be.
____ 2. I have gotten more of the breaks in life than most of the people I know.
____ 3. This is the dreariest time of my life.
____ 4. I am just as happy as when I was younger.
____ 5. My life could be happier than it is now.
____ 6. These are the best years of my life.
____ 7. Most of the things I am doing are boring and monotonous.
____ 8. I expect some interesting and pleasant things to happen to me in the future.
____ 9. The things I do are as interesting to me as they ever were.
___ 10.I feel old and somewhat tired.
___ 11. As I look back on my life, I am fairly well satisfied.
___ 12. I would not change my past life even if I could.
___ 13. Compared to other people my age, I make a good appearance.
___ 14. I have made plans for things that I’ll be doing in a month or a year from now.
___ 15. When I think back over my life, I didn’t get most of the important things I wanted.
___ 16. Compared with other people , I get down in the dumps too often.
___ 17. I’ve gotten pretty much what I expected out of life.
___ 18. In spite of what some people say, the lot of the average man is getting worse, not better.
APPENDIX B
APPENDIX C