Are Life Satisfaction and Self-Esteem Distinct Constructs? A Black South African Perspective
Creator:
MarCon
Publisher:
SAG
Host:
As part of a longitudinal project on Quality of Life, a study was undertaken to extend the applicability of the 5-item Satisfaction With Life Scale, developed in the USA, in South Africa. Data on basic sociodemographic characteristics, the scale, and the 10-item Rosenberg Self-esteem scale were available for 360 Black South Africans (151 men and 209 women), ages 21 to 83 years ( M = 38.6 yr., SD = 10.3). Factor analysis applied to scale scores gave two factors, accounting for 71% of the variance. Factor I was loaded by 10 Self-esteem items and Factor II by four of the five Life Satisfaction items. Coefficient alpha was .77 for the Satisfaction With Life Scale and .97 for the Rosenberg Self-esteem Scale. Life Satisfaction was related to Self-esteem ( r = 17, p<.01). It was concluded that Life Satisfaction and Self-esteem appear to be distinct, unitary constructs, but responses to Item 5 on the Satisfaction With Life Scale require cautious interpretation and may contribute to the weak r, although so may the collectivist culture of Black South Africans.
Similar
Self‐esteem, motivation and school attendance among sub‐Saharan African girls: A self‐determination theory perspectiveAre we slaves to DSM? A South African perspectiveBody Image Satisfaction Among a Sample of Black Female South African StudentsInvestigating the self-employed: the South African perspectivePathogenesis of type 2 diabetes risk in black Africans: a South African perspectiveDimensions of Job Satisfaction Identified Among South African Black Middle-level Managers: A Qualitative Investigation