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The Relation of Intrinsic and Extrinsic Aspirations to Adolescent Life Satisfaction

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The Human Pursuit of Well-Being

Abstract

The current study examined the importance of aspirations and their associations with life satisfaction. The sample included 468 high school students. The participants completed scales that measured their global life satisfaction, satisfaction with life domains, and the importance of intrinsic and extrinsic aspirations. The results showed that students placed more importance on intrinsic than on extrinsic life goals. Multiple regression analyses indicated that adolescent global life satisfaction was significantly predicted by aspirations for health and attractive appearance. Satisfaction with friends was related to students’ orientation toward affiliation. Satisfaction with school could be best explained by higher orientation to community contribution and lower importance of financial success. Placing more importance on community feeling was associated with higher satisfaction with family.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Ivo Pilar Institute of Social Sciences, Zagreb, Croatia

    Marina Merkaš & Zora Raboteg-Šarić

  2. Faculty of Teacher Education, University of Zagreb, Zagreb, Croatia

    Dubravka Miljković

Authors
  1. Marina Merkaš
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  2. Zora Raboteg-Šarić
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  3. Dubravka Miljković
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Correspondence to Marina Merkaš .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Fac. Arts & Sciences, University of Rijeka, Slavka Krautzeka bb, Rijeka, 51000, Croatia

    Ingrid Brdar

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Merkaš, M., Raboteg-Šarić, Z., Miljković, D. (2011). The Relation of Intrinsic and Extrinsic Aspirations to Adolescent Life Satisfaction. In: Brdar, I. (eds) The Human Pursuit of Well-Being. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-007-1375-8_10

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