Relationships between job satisfaction and life satisfaction: Test of a causal model

Review of theory and research on the relationship between job satisfaction and life satisfaction suggests the prediction that causal effects flow in only one direction: that is, that job satisfaction causes life satisfaction but that life satisfaction does not cause job satisfaction. Cross-lag correlation analysis and path analysis of longitudinal survey data so not support this prediction. Indeed, job satisfaction does not predict life satisfaction when the effects of other variables are controlled, not does life satisfaction predict job satisfaction. In light of this finding, various models of work and non-work are discussed.     

Predicting overall life satisfaction: The role of life cycle and social psychological antecedents

Assessments of subjective well-being have been guided by a diversity of assumptions about overall life satisfaction's antecedents. Need hierarchy, affect, discrepancies between aspiration and attainment, and feelings of personal efficacy have all been suggested to be important predictors of satisfaction. But social psychological antecedents of satisfaction, such as indices of alienation, have heretofore not been considered, despite their link to the sociological tradition. These analyses suggest that for 1423 rural Wisconsinites, feelings of alienation are important predictors of overall life satisfaction. However, the impact of each of the two dimensions of alienation considered here varies with the respondent's position in the life cycle. Implications of these findings for research on life satisfaction are noted.     

Job satisfaction and life satisfaction: A profile analysis

The form of the relationship between job satisfaction and life satisfaction was examined through a profile analysis of subgroups of respondents. Survey respondents were classified as high on job satisfaction and life satisfaction, low on job satisfaction and life satisfaction or in two intermediate categories (low on one, high on the other). Results of discriminant analysis indicated that the four subgroups could be systematically characterized by different profiles. Prediction of the subgroup in which an individual would be classified, based on the profile, was not highly reliable, however.     

Relationships between period and cohort life expectancy: gaps and lags

This paper offers an empirical and analytic foundation for regarding period life expectancy as a lagged indicator of the experience of real cohorts in populations experiencing steady improvement in mortality. We find that current period life expectancy in the industrialized world applies to cohorts born some 40-50 years ago. Lags track an average age at which future years of life are being gained, in a sense that we make precise. Our findings augment Ryder's classic results on period-cohort translation.     

Relationships between period and cohort life expectancy: Gaps and lags

This paper offers an empirical and analytic foundation for regarding period life expectancy as a lagged indicator of the experience of real cohorts in populations experiencing steady improvement in mortality. We find that current period life expectancy in the industrialized world applies to cohorts born some 40–50 years ago. Lags track an average age at which future years of life are being gained, in a sense that we make precise. Our findings augment Ryder's classic results on period–cohort translation.     

Life change,health status and life satisfaction: A reconsideration

Recent research has suggested that life changes may be unrelated to health status indices and to overall satisfaction with life. Yet research has also reported that life changes appear to be related to measures of psychological distress. To attend further to clarification of the role of life change as a predictor of health status and life satisfaction, this paper examines the relationship between negative life change self-reports and indices of health status and life satisfaction. The data come from a survey of 1423 Northwestern Wisconsinites interviewed in 1974 by the Wisconsin Survey Research Laboratory. The findings indicate that self-reports of negative life changes were related to overall life satisfaction, controlling for health status, feelings of alienation/attachment, and personal disruption. Implications of the findings are discussed in conclusion.     

The relationship between leisure and life satisfaction: application of activity and need theory

The purpose of this study was to better understand the complex relationship between leisure and life satisfaction. Components of two distinct, but potentially integrative, theoretical frameworks (i.e., activity theory and need theory) predicting the relationship between leisure and life satisfaction were tested with a sample of residents from a Midwestern community (n = 633). Findings provided support for both theoretical perspectives, but stronger relationships were found between satisfied needs than with participated activities. In spite of these findings, the various inconsistencies within the two theoretical frameworks suggest that future research is needed.     

Body image,satisfaction with sexual life,self-esteem,and anxiodepressive symptoms: A comparative study between premenopausal,perimenopausal, and postmenopausal women

Menopause is an important life transition in women, and it is associated with significant physical and psychological changes. This study aimed at examining how the menopausal transition influences body image and satisfaction with sexual life. To this aim, body image dissatisfaction, sexual dissatisfaction, and self-esteem were compared in three groups of women with distinct menopausal status (premenopausal n = 142, perimenopausal n = 66, or postmenopausal n = 149), while controlling for depressive and anxiety symptoms and BMI. Using ANOVA between these three groups, we observed that dissatisfaction with body image was significantly higher in the perimenopausal sample compared with its premenopausal counterpart. In the postmenopausal sample, body image improved, as this group displayed body image scores close to the premenopausal level. In addition, sexual dissatisfaction was significantly increased in the perimenopausal and postmenopausal samples, which is compatible with the concept that higher body appreciation positively predicted sexual function. We conclude that body image dissatisfaction reaches a maximum during the perimenopausal phase, before returning to a level nearly identical between the premenopausal and the postmenopausal phases.     

Francophone life satisfaction and civic culture: A meta-analysis of the Canadian case

Inglehart's notion that variation in civic culture accounts for cross-national differences in life satisfaction is tested for the case of Canadian Francophones. The data base is 15 national level surveys, containing in total 96 satisfaction questions asked between 1963 and 1991. It is contended that Quebec, the home of the majority of Canada's Francophones, historically has had a comparatively weak civic culture, which from Inglehart's hypothesis would predict low satisfaction. Using graphical analysis of general life satisfaction data this prediction is upheld, with the exception of a brief interval in the late 1970s. The same conclusion is reached using all 96 data points in a weighted least squares meta regression analysis, containing variables to denote five separate domains of satisfaction     

The nature of the connection between life course and satisfaction with community services

Research on satisfaction with community services has used both age and life cycle stage as predictors of satisfaction. As both age and life cycle stage are indicators of life course, their relative advantages in service satisfaction research need to be assessed. The authors correlated both age and life cycle stage with twenty service satisfaction items and with item non-response (a measure of the salience of a service). Results were: (1) associations with service satisfaction were linear, (2) some associations with salience were markedly curvilinear, and (3) as predictors of service satisfaction, age and life cycle performed similarly. The choice between age and life cycle as predictors of service satisfaction appears to involve conceptual as well as empirical issues.     

A new look at life and job satisfaction with sunbelt MBA's

Work and extra-work correlates of life and job satisfaction for a sample of MBA graduates (N=1495) are compared to those for a probability sample from the general public using the Rice, Near, Hunt model for analysis. For both groups, the unique relationship between life and job satisfaction is quite weak, however, predictability of job satisfaction is significantly different for MBA's.¹     

Life satisfaction and regional development: A case study of Oklahoma

This paper analyzes the relation between regional development and perceived life satisfaction measures. Using Oklahoma it is identified that people in less developed regions tend to be equally (or more) satisfied in almost every aspect of their lives. This leads to the conclusion that aspirations, in addition to the attainment of aspirations, depend on the level of development.     

The extended satisfaction with life scale: Development and psychometric properties

The development and psychometric properties of the Extended Satisfaction With Life Scale (ESWLS) are described in detail. The ESWLS is a 50-item self-report scale that measures satisfaction with life in nine domains. It can be completed by most people in under 20 minutes and can be used by researchers and clinicians. The readability of the ESWLS was estimated to be between the seventh and tenth grade levels. Internal consistency, estimated by coefficient α, ranged from 0.81 to 0.96 for the individual subscales. Two-week test-retest reliability coefficients ranged from 0.74 to 0.87. Results of exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses strongly supported the factor structure of the ESWLS. Preliminary evidence of convergent and discriminant validity is provided as well as preliminary norms.     

A life satisfaction measure: Additional validational data for the Congruity Life Satisfaction measure

Meadowet al. (1992) have developed a measure of life satisfaction based on judgment theory, referred to as Congruity Life Satisfaction (CLS). This paper reports the results of a major study involving six samples from different countries testing the construct validity of the CLS measure. The results of these studies provide additional validational support for the CLS measure.     

The construct validity of the life satisfaction index a and affect balance scales: A serendipitous analysis

This paper addresses the problem of construct validity in measures of life satisfaction and well-being through an analysis of unsolicited comments made by respondents during face-to-face interviews. This serendipitous examination focuses on two established indicators: The Life Satisfaction Index A and the Affect Balance Scale. The observations volunteered by respondents cast doubt upon the construct validity of a number of the items in each of the scales as measures of the subjective states they purport to index. The findings indicate avenues for improving existing scales but the author concludes that greater use of qualitative approaches may be the most constructive solution.     

Life satisfaction: A study based on the organization of personal projects

A methodology about personal project was used to understand perceived life satisfaction. Variables derived from the Personal Project Matrix were shown to explain variability in reported life satisfaction in two separate studies (university and professional samples). The results indicated that personal projects of students had been organized in systems and these systems' properties had meaningful effects on life satisfaction. A cross-validation analysis revealed that professionals' projects did not show the same systemic feature which students' projects had. But some variables such as projects performed in general places, stress, and amount of reported obstacles discriminated life satisfaction scores meaningfully.     

Intrinsic satisfaction derived from office recycling behavior: A case study in Taiwan

Despite the fact that more and more researchers have devoted themselves to recycling studies in varied settings, virtually no research has been conducted to study the causal relationships between intrinsic satisfaction and individual recycling behavior in office settings. In addition, little research has tried to explore whether there is only one index of intrinsic satisfaction or several distinct indices. This paper examines the dimensionality of intrinsic satisfaction. It also explores the causal relationships between intrinsic satisfaction and office recycling behavior. Data from field surveys conducted in 32 different organizations in Taiwan were analyzed. The findings indicate that there are at least two distinct factors regarding intrinsic satisfaction — participation and frugality. These data suggest that intrinsic satisfaction can be derived from office recycling activities, not only being predictors of office recycling behavior.     

Predictors of satisfaction with housing and neighbourhood: A nationwide study in the Republic of Ireland

The present paper reports results from a nationwide study, based on a representative sample in the Republic of Ireland. It is part of a harmonised study of subjective social indicators which has been carried out in eight member countries of the European Community. The data, which were obtained by survey techniques, are largely subjective or perceptual in nature. However, objective data were also obtained, thus permitting direct comparisons, in many cases, between objective conditions and subjective measures related to housing and neighbourhood to determine which characteristics were most highly predictive of overall satisfaction with housing and overall satisfaction with neighbourhood. In addition, the relationships between housing and neighbourhood variables and more global attitudinal variables (i.e., life satisfaction and anomia) were explored.