An Expanded Life Satisfaction Model: A Component of Subjective Well-Being

Abstract

The current investigation uses latent variable modeling to investigate Subjective Well-Being (SWB). Previous research has suggested that Subjective Well-Being is made up of a tripartite model consisting of life satisfaction, positive affect, and negative affect. However, recently, extant research has suggested that the tripartite model of SWB comes short of considering nuances of SWB, specifically relationship outcomes and general life challenges. This investigation presents multiple hierarchical models of SWB, including a third-order factor structure of SWB to explain satisfaction with life, subjective happiness, resiliency, and assessment of the relationship. Subjective Well-Being is an individual's cognitive and affective evaluation of his or her life. Diener's (1984) formulation of subjective well-being (SWB) consists of a cognitive component concerning one's overall level of life satisfaction (LS) and satisfaction with life domains-both positive affect (PA) and negative affect (NA). These three are separable and capture three components that Diener theorized as the different aspects of happiness and unhappiness. Evaluations of these three components depend on individuals' subjective views of their own lives and often their recent experiences (Busseri & Sadava, 2011). SWB falls mostly within hedonic well-being psychology, which attempts to address the degree to which individuals assess their lives as satisfying and enjoyable. In a recent evaluation of this tripartite formulation, Busseri and Sadava identified five theoretical models of SWB: (1) SWB as three separate components to distinguish the components as unique constructs; (2) SWB as a Hierarchical Construct in which the three components are first-order factors of SWB; (3) SWB as a causal system in which life satisfaction was impacted by both positive affect and negative affect; (4) SWB was considered as a composite of life satisfaction, positive affect, and negative affect; and (5) SWB as a configuration of components in which the system of life satisfaction, positive effect, and negative effect were distinctively organized on an individual level. All the models tested by Busseri and Sadava included all