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Psychological Mechanism of Subjective Well-Being: A Stable Trait or Situational Variability

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  • Zhihua Li
  • Xiayun Yin
  • Sha Jiang
  • Mengcheng Wang
  • Taisheng Cai

Abstract

In order to explore the stability and variation of the indicators of subjective well-being (SWB), the classic Latent State-Trait (LST), Trait-State-Occasion (TSO), and Indicator-Specific Trait (IT) models were employed to evaluate the stability and variability of life satisfaction, positive emotions, and negative emotions. The study was conducted based on a 1-year and three-wave longitudinal study with a sample of 360 college students. The results show the suitability of the IT model. The consistency coefficients (CO) of all variables are significantly higher than occasion-specificity coefficients (OSpe) in this model, indicating that stability is a remarkable feature of SWB. Moreover, the consistency coefficients of positive affection and negative affection are much higher than that of life satisfaction, suggesting that the positive and negative emotions of individuals are more stable than life satisfaction. Copyright Springer Science+Business Media Dordrecht 2014

Suggested Citation

  • Zhihua Li & Xiayun Yin & Sha Jiang & Mengcheng Wang & Taisheng Cai, 2014. "Psychological Mechanism of Subjective Well-Being: A Stable Trait or Situational Variability," Social Indicators Research: An International and Interdisciplinary Journal for Quality-of-Life Measurement, Springer, vol. 118(2), pages 523-534, September.
    • Handle: RePEc:spr:soinre:v:118:y:2014:i:2:p:523-534
    DOI: 10.1007/s11205-013-0449-x
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Robert Cummins, 2000. "Personal Income and Subjective Well-being: A Review," Journal of Happiness Studies, Springer, vol. 1(2), pages 133-158, June.
    2. Ulrich Schimmack & Peter Krause & Gert Wagner & Jürgen Schupp, 2010. "Stability and Change of Well Being: An Experimentally Enhanced Latent State-Trait-Error Analysis," Social Indicators Research: An International and Interdisciplinary Journal for Quality-of-Life Measurement, Springer, vol. 95(1), pages 19-31, January.
    3. Melanie Davern & Robert Cummins & Mark Stokes, 2007. "Subjective Wellbeing as an Affective-Cognitive Construct," Journal of Happiness Studies, Springer, vol. 8(4), pages 429-449, December.
    4. Angner, Erik, 2010. "Subjective well-being," Journal of Behavioral and Experimental Economics (formerly The Journal of Socio-Economics), Elsevier, vol. 39(3), pages 361-368, June.
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    6. Michael Eid & Ed Diener, 2004. "Global Judgments of Subjective Well-Being: Situational Variability and Long-Term Stability," Social Indicators Research: An International and Interdisciplinary Journal for Quality-of-Life Measurement, Springer, vol. 65(3), pages 245-277, February.
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