scholarly journals Education as a Positional Good? Evidence from the German Socio-Economic Panel

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alessa K. Durst
Keyword(s):  
Life Satisfaction ◽  
Good Evidence ◽  
Empirical Literature ◽  
Occupational Prestige ◽  
Life Domains ◽  
Positional Concerns ◽  
Positional Good ◽  
The Relationship ◽  
Relative Standing

AbstractPeople care about their relative standing in society and therefore compare themselves to relevant others. Empirical findings suggest that there are concerns for relative standing for different goods and life domains such as income, cars, attractiveness, and supervisor’s praise. Even education has been mentioned as having a (partially) positional character. However, there has been only small consideration of education as a positional good in the empirical literature so far. Based on the literature on positional concerns and the role of education on relative position, I use German panel data to investigate the relationship between education and life satisfaction beyond the effect education might have through other variables such as income, health, or occupational prestige. Additionally, I consider the possibility that the consumption of education is subject to positional concerns. I discover a positive relationship between education and life satisfaction, indicating that education has a consumption component. Moreover, the relationship depends on the distribution of particular levels of education, suggesting that education has a positional character.

scholarly journals The Mediating Role of Engagement on the Achievement and Quality of Life of University Students

2021 ◽  
Vol 18 (12) ◽  
pp. 6586
Author(s):  
Inmaculada García-Martínez ◽  
José María Augusto Landa ◽  
Samuel P. León
Keyword(s):  
Quality Of Life ◽  
Academic Achievement ◽  
Life Satisfaction ◽  
Emotional Intelligence ◽  
Academic Performance ◽  
University Students ◽  
Mediational Role ◽  
The Relationship

(1) Background: Academic engagement has been reported in the literature as an important factor in the academic achievement of university students. Other factors such as emotional intelligence (EI) and resilience have also been related to students’ performance and quality of life. The present study has two clearly delimited and interrelated objectives. First, to study the mediational role that engagement plays in the relationship between EI and resilience on quality of life. Secondly, and similarly, to study the mediational role of engagement in the relationship between EI and resilience, but in this case on academic achievement. (2) Methods: For this purpose, four scales frequently used in the literature to measure emotional intelligence, resilience, academic engagement and quality of life were administered to 427 students of the University of Jaén undertaking education degrees. In addition, students were asked to indicate their current average mark as a measure of academic performance. Two mediational models based on structural equations were proposed to analyse the relationships between the proposed variables. (3) Results: The results obtained showed that emotional intelligence and resilience directly predicted students’ life satisfaction, but this direct relationship did not result in academic performance. In addition, and assuming a finding not found so far, engagement was shown to exert an indirect mediational role for both life satisfaction and academic performance of students. (4) Conclusions: The findings of the study support the importance of engagement in the design and development of instructional processes, as well as in the implementation of any initiative.

scholarly journals Satisfaction with Life: Mediating Role in the Relationship between Depressive Symptoms and Coping Mechanisms

Healthcare ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 9 (7) ◽  
pp. 787
Author(s):  
Daniela Almeida ◽  
Diogo Monteiro ◽  
Filipe Rodrigues
Keyword(s):  
Life Satisfaction ◽  
Depressive Symptoms ◽  
Coping Strategies ◽  
Satisfaction With Life ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Coping Mechanisms ◽  
Significant Positive Association ◽  
Mediating Role ◽  
The Relationship

The purpose of this study was to analyze the mediating role of life satisfaction in the relationship between fourteen coping strategies and depressive symptoms in the Portuguese population. To undertake this work, 313 Portuguese adults aged 18 to 70 years (M = 30.73; SD = 10.79) were invited to participate in this study. Their participation was completely voluntary, and participants granted and signed informed consent previously to the filling of the validated Portuguese questionnaires. These questionnaires measured depressive symptoms, coping, and life satisfaction. The results revealed that life satisfaction displayed a mediating role in the relationship between adaptive coping mechanisms, specifically between active coping, planning, reinterpretation, and acceptance and depressive symptoms, showing a negative and significant indirect effect. Maladaptive coping mechanisms of self-blame, denial, self-distraction, disengagement, and substance use had a significant positive association with depressive symptoms, considering the mediating role of satisfaction with life. Current investigation provides initial evidence of how each coping mechanism is associated with satisfaction with life and depressive symptoms. This study clearly demonstrates that not all coping strategies are capable of influencing well-being indicators and that health professionals should focus on endorsing those that are significantly associated with lowering depressive symptoms and increasing overall satisfaction with life.

Influence of Parenting Styles and Peer Attachment on Life Satisfaction Among Adolescents: Mediating Role of Self-Esteem

2021 ◽  
pp. 106648072110098
Author(s):  
Mudasir Aziz ◽  
Waheeda Khan ◽  
Faseeh Amin ◽  
Mohammad Furqan Khan
Keyword(s):  
Life Satisfaction ◽  
Peer Relationships ◽  
Parenting Styles ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Self Esteem ◽  
Peer Attachment ◽  
Equation Modeling ◽  
Functional Responses ◽  
The Relationship

Both parenting and peer relationship are essential in the formation of self-esteem among the adolescents which lead to overall psychological development. Life satisfaction is another outcome that describes the subjective well-being of any person and the quality of one’s life. Literature has already suggested the importance of parenting and peer relationships in the development of self-esteem which may lead to life satisfaction among adolescents. However, the relationship between three styles of parenting as well as peer attachment and life satisfaction mediated by self-esteem seems to be missing from the literature. This work is an important attempt toward fulfilling this research gap with respect to adolescents. The data were collected from 500 respondents which resulted in 412 functional responses. Structural equation modeling method was used to test the relationship in the study. The results revealed that both authoritative and permissive parenting have a positive influence on self-esteem in comparison to the negative influence of authoritarian parenting. Peer attachment also has an affirmative impact on self-esteem. Self-esteem also positively influences life satisfaction. Mediation results revealed that self-esteem partially mediates the association between three parenting styles, peer attachment, and life satisfaction. This study may offer unique insights to family counselors, couple counselors, and family educators about the role of different parenting styles and peer attachment with respect to the development of children’s self-esteem and life satisfaction. These results are also important for psychologists, sociologists, and other specialists with respect to understanding these factors for the well-being of adolescents.

The effects of following celebrities’ lives via SNSs on life satisfaction: The palliative function of system justification and the moderating role of materialism

2018 ◽  
Vol 20 (9) ◽  
pp. 3479-3497 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mihye Seo ◽  
Ki Deuk Hyun
Keyword(s):  
Life Satisfaction ◽  
Social Networking Sites ◽  
Relative Deprivation ◽  
System Justification ◽  
Negative Consequences ◽  
Positive Effects ◽  
Related Information ◽  
Materialistic Values ◽  
The Relationship

Social media increases opportunities to glimpse celebrities’ glamorous lifestyles and to interact with celebrities. This study examines how the use of social networking sites (SNSs) for celebrity-related information and interactions influences users’ life satisfaction. Data analysis demonstrates that celebrity-related SNS activities decrease users’ life satisfaction by increasing relative deprivation through comparison with celebrities. However, the comparison also leads to system justification, serving a palliative function to cope with the potentially negative consequences of such comparisons, which in turn increases life satisfaction. Interestingly, materialism moderates the relationship such that the effects of comparison with celebrities on system justification are observed only among SNS users who hold high materialism values. Also, the direct positive effects of celebrity-related SNS use on life satisfaction are stronger for those with high materialistic values than for those with low materialistic values. The multifaceted functions of celebrity-related SNS activities for life satisfaction are discussed.

scholarly journals The Role of Psychological Well-Being and Life Satisfaction in Perception of Daily Stress

2018 ◽  
Vol 26 (4) ◽  
pp. 8-26
Author(s):  
L.A. Golovey ◽  
M.D. Petrash ◽  
O.Y. Strizhitskaya ◽  
S.S. Savenysheva ◽  
I.R. Murtazina
Keyword(s):  
Life Satisfaction ◽  
Perceived Stress ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Daily Hassles ◽  
Subjective Well Being ◽  
Life Domains ◽  
Financial Health ◽  
Satisfaction Scale ◽  
Psychological Well Being

The present paper considers daily hassles in different life domains, reveals their connections to the level of strain and perceived stress, investigates the role of psychological well-being and life satisfaction in the perception of the number of stressors and strain caused by stress. Methods: Inventory of daily stressors (Petrash et al.), Scale of perceived stress (Ababkov et al.), Psychological well-being scale (C. Ryff), Life satisfaction scale (E. Diener), a survey on satisfaction with different life domains. Sample: 334 adults aged 20—60 (118 males, 216 females). Results revealed hassles in all the life domains. Most pronounced hassles in women were those related to health, loneliness, competitiveness, job; most pronounced hassles in men were job-related, financial, health and family stressors. Perception of daily hassles was associated with an increase in the levels of stress overstrain and perceived stress. The number of stressors and the level of overstrain was higher in women. Psychological well-being, subjective well-being, and financial satisfaction were shown to be direct positive predictors of the number of perceived hassles and the level of overstrain.

scholarly journals Acculturation Attitudes and Psychological Well-Being of Russians in Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan: The Moderating Role of Perceived Security

2021 ◽  
Vol 17 (4) ◽  
pp. 34-45
Author(s):  
V.N. Galyapina
Keyword(s):  
Life Satisfaction ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Psychological Well Being ◽  
Integration Strategy ◽  
Central Asian ◽  
Perceived Security ◽  
Acculturation Attitudes ◽  
The Relationship ◽  
Moderating Role

More than 400 thousand Russians remain in Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan after the collapse of the USSR. They have to adapt to the changing conditions, and it is important to study the factors that determine their psychological well-being. This study focuses on the moderating role of perceived security in the relationship between acculturation attitudes and psychological well-being of the Russians in the two Central Asian countries. The sample included 578 respondents. In the study, we used scales from the MIRIPS questionnaire and carried out analysis using the moderation models 1 and 3. The results showed that for the Russians in both countries, when perceived security was low, separation attitudes promoted self-esteem, while assimilation attitudes decreased it. The study also revealed the role of the context: in Tajikistan (less favorable context for the Russians), assimilation attitudes contributed to life satisfaction in situations of high perceived security, while in Kyrgyzstan (more favorable context) it was integration attitudes that determined life satisfaction when perceived security was high or medium. We may conclude that the context determines the preference of acculturation strategy that provides the Russians with life satisfaction in the situation of perceived security: the assimilation strategy in Tajikistan, and the integration strategy in Kyrgyzstan.

Psychological capital and career commitment: the mediating effect of subjective well-being

2018 ◽  
Vol 56 (2) ◽  
pp. 458-473 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hansika Singhal ◽  
Renu Rastogi
Keyword(s):  
Life Satisfaction ◽  
Negative Affect ◽  
Positive Affect ◽  
Psychological Capital ◽  
Career Commitment ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Subjective Well Being ◽  
Content Type ◽  
The Relationship

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to discover the role of psychological capital (PsyCap) as a predictor of subjective well-being (SWB) and career commitment (CC). Further, it aims to analyze the mediating role of SWB in the relationship between PsyCap and CC in the Indian manufacturing sector. Design/methodology/approach A quantitative survey-based research design employing data from 300 employees in the National Capital Region (NCR) of India was used in the present research. Findings The results demonstrated that PsyCap acted as a predictor for SWB and CC. Additionally, SWB partially mediated the relationship between PsyCap and CC. Research limitations/implications The limitations of the present research would have to do with the purposive sample set chosen during the data collection. The sample consisted of middle- and upper-middle-class Indian employees working in the NCR having knowledge of English language and computer skills. Perhaps, future research works should take into account a wider sample in terms of the regions across India and not only the NCR. Although the findings showed that SWB reduced the relationship between PsyCap and CC, still that relationship was significant statistically. Further research studies might also explore various moderators while simultaneously studying SWB. In the research, SWB acted as a significant mediator of the relation between PsyCap and CC, yet at the same time, it may be the scenario that employees who are committed toward their career would be more inclined to espouse a greater sense of SWB (i.e. mediator is caused by the outcome). Hence, the authors duly recognize the need to test this substitute model. Since, SWB places chief emphasis on respondent’s own experiences and perspectives; it does not denote a consummate understanding of their mental health as people may have psychological disorders even if they experience happiness. Hence, the use of other measures in addition to SWB in comprehending a person’s psychological health is desirable (Diener et al., 1997). Practical implications This study suggests that in order for organizations to have a workforce committed to their career and hence, their profession, the supervisors will need to train the employees having a higher incidence of PsyCap to increase their SWB. Consequently, the supervisors will, in turn, need to recruit employees already having the four dimensions of PsyCap, i.e. hope, efficacy, resilience and optimism at the workplace in order for them to have a higher life satisfaction, positive affect, reduced negative affect (three components of SWB) and increased CC. Social implications Employees who develop within themselves a state of being hopeful, efficacious, resilient and optimistic will also be strongly oriented toward having greater life satisfaction, positive affect and lower levels of negative affect. This, in part, would help them achieve the required commitment toward their career and hence, help them in sticking with their jobs. Originality/value The present study advances the existing work on positive organizational behavior by exhibiting the noteworthy role of PsyCap in predicting SWB and CC. Further, it helps in demonstrating the inevitable role of SWB in partially mediating the relationship between PsyCap and CC.

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