Description
Abstract
Purpose: Positive thinking and positive orientation towards crises have wide implications in appraisal and recovery from stressful events as well as in one’s reactions to everyday experiences. Positive life orientation, a comparatively newer concept, is defined as a disposition about a positive outlook on various life domains as well as on mental and physical well-being. The present study is an attempt to find out whether positive life orientation moderates the relationship between self-esteem and happiness among young adults.
Approach: The present quantitatively tries to ascertain the moderating effect of positive life orientation on the relationship between self-esteem and happiness. This study was conducted on 745 (400 males and 345 females) young adults (aged 20-24 years) studying in a private university of Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh.
Findings: Results revealed significant gender differences on self-esteem and positive life orientation of the respondents. Young adult females are found to have better feelings of worth and positive orientation towards life than males. Results also indicated that positive life orientation moderated the relationship between self-esteem and happiness for both genders indicating that when positive life orientation is high, the strength of the relationship between self-esteem and happiness is stronger as compared to the strength when positive life orientation is low.
Value: The research brings to fore the need for studying positive life orientation in conjunction with other constructs like experiencing flow at work, flourishing, etc.
Keywords: Positive life orientation, Self-esteem, Happiness, Young adults
