Correlation Between Psychological Well-Being and Indicators of Optimism

Introduction The research is based on the theory that a high level of optimism of an individual correlates with the indicators of subjective well-being. Aim of the Study To test two problem issues. The first one was: is there any statistically significant correlation between the indicators of psychological well-being and a high level of optimism? The second was: did the respondents with higher levels of income also have higher indicators of psychological well-being? Materials and Methods Ryff''s Scales of Psychological Well-Being and Seligman's Attributional Style Questionnaire. The statistical method for the analysis of correlation was done with the help of Pearson's correlation coefficient. Results No statistically significant correlation was found between the indicators of the personality's positive sense of self and high level of optimisms, but it could be related to the low indicator of inner validity in Seligman's test (Cronbah's alpha: .3). As the test has not been standardised in Latvia, it could be the reasons for its low validity. Nevertheless, the analysis of the qualitative data obtained in the research showed that on the level of tendencies there is a correlation between the level of optimism and separate indicators of psychological and subjective well-being: personal development, sense of significance of one's life, relationships with other people. To test the second problem issue of the research, Ryff's Scales of Psychological Well-Being was used, and the results were correlated to the level of monthly income stated by the respondents. The statistical method for finding a correlation between two attribute features was done by using the criterion of chi-square. Conclusions The results confirmed that there is a statistically significant correlation between the level of a respondent's income and his/her psychological well-being.