engleski

Probability of Attaining Important Life Goals and Well-Being

Several lines of research (Kasser & Ryan, 1993, 1996, 2001) have shown that investment in, or success at, so-called intrinsic goals is associated with enhanced well-being. In addition to goal importance, probability of attaining them is also mentioned but rarely included in these studies. It can be assumed that greater hope in achieving important life goals in future will result in enhanced well-being especially in young people.The present study examined the relationship between the importance of intrinsic/extrinsic life goals, hope of attaining them in future and well-being. Three questionnaires, Aspiration Index (Kasser & Ryan, 1996), Subjective vitality scale (Ryan and Frederick, 1997), and The Satisfaction With Life Scale (Diener, 1985) were administered to 952 high-school and college students (from 19 to 21 years old). The Aspiration Index includes the extrinsic aspirations of wealth, fame, and image and the intrinsic aspirations of meaningful relationships, personal growth, and community contributions. Subjects were divided into four groups according to median: higher/lower importance of goals and higher/lower hope in attaining these goals. It must be mentioned that all subjects assessed intrinsic goals as very important and the difference between groups with higher and lower importance of goals was very small. Two-way analyses of variance were performed (importance x hope of attainment). Subjects who had higher hope in attaining intrinsic goals also had higher level of life satisfaction and vitality. The same effect was found for extrinsic goals but it was more pronounced for subjects who placed more importance on these goals.These findings suggest that hope of attaining important both intrinsic and extrinsic goals can significantly contribute to well-being.

intrinsic goals; extrinsic goals; hope; life satisfaction; vitality

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