Impact of self orientations on well-being during adulthood: The mediating roles of meaning in life, attitudes towards death and religious outlook

ZUHAL YENİÇERİ

Impact of self orientations on well-being during adulthood: The mediating roles of meaning in life, attitudes towards death and religious outlook

Tezin Türü: Doktora

Tezin Yürütüldüğü Kurum: Orta Doğu Teknik Üniversitesi, Sosyal Bilimler Enstitüsü, Türkiye

Tezin Onay Tarihi: 2013

Öğrenci: ZUHAL YENİÇERİ

Danışman: EMİNE OLCAY İMAMOĞLU

Açık Arşiv Koleksiyonu: AVESİS Açık Erişim Koleksiyonu

Özet:

The first aim of the present study was to explore the impact of relational and individuational self orientations proposed by Balanced Integration Differentiation (BID) Model (İmamoğlu, 1998; 2003) on adults’ subjective (SWB) and psychological well-being (PWB). Secondly, it was aimed to test a structural model which shows the possible associations between self orientations, meaning in life (presence of and search for meaning in life) and well-being. Lastly, attitudes towards death (death transcendence and death as an end) and religious outlook (religiosity and religious quest) were included in this study, along with self orientations and meaning in life, to explore their influence on well-being. Seven-hundred-thirty-seven individuals (458 females and 276 males) from different cities of Turkey participated in the study. Results showed that relational self orientation directly predicted both SWB and PWB, whereas individuational orientation directly predicted PWB. Furthermore, the presence of meaning in life partially mediated the effects of relational and individuational self orientations on both SWB and PWB. Search for meaning in life partially (negatively) mediated only the effect of relational orientation on both types of well-being. Results also indicated that relational and individuational self orientations, death transcendence, religiosity (positively) and religious quest (negatively) predicted presence of meaning in life and in turn it predicted both SWB and PWB. Furthermore, relational self orientation (negatively), death as an end and religious quest (positively) predicted search for meaning and in turn it (negatively) predicted both types of well-being. The theoretical and practical implications are discussed along with the suggestions for future research.