Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Commitment beyond self and adolescence: The issue of happiness

  • Published:
Social Indicators Research Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Is there a link between adolescents' experience of joy and fulfillment and their increased openness and commitment to the world and other human beings? A series of comparative studies was conducted investigating different adolescent samples according to cultural background (American Christians, Israeli Jews, Israeli Arabs), socio-economic status (low, high, disadvantaged), religiosity (observant, secular), and exceptionality (hearing impaired) and at different stages of prosocial involvement (non-involved, registered, and involved volunteers). Over and above group differences, the findings from all samples demonstrated that adolescents who realize positive experiences in greater depth and intensity, are also differentiated by a stronger desire to contribute to society and/or to be devoted to some aim beyond self. Implications for educators in fostering the social responsibility and self-fulfillment of young people from different backgrounds were discussed.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  • Ackrill, J. L.: 1973, Aristotle's Ethics (Faber and Faber, London).

    Google Scholar 

  • Adler, A.: 1964, Social Interest: A Challenge to Mankind (Capricorn, New York).

    Google Scholar 

  • Antonovsky, A.: 1987, Unravelling the Mystery of Health (Jossey-Bass, San Francisco).

    Google Scholar 

  • Aristotle: 1985, Nichomachean Ethics (T. Irwin, Trans.). Hackett, Indianapolis, IN (Original work—4th century B.C.).

    Google Scholar 

  • Aron, A. and E. N., Aron: 1986, Love and the Expansion of Self (Hemisphere, New York).

    Google Scholar 

  • Bar-Tal, D.: 1982, ‘Segmental development of helping behavior: A cognitive learning model’, Development Review 2, pp. 101–124.

    Google Scholar 

  • Batson, C. D.: 1990, ‘How social an animal? The human capacity for caring’, American Psychologist 45, pp. 336–346.

    Google Scholar 

  • Batson, C. D., J. L., Dyck, J. R., Brandt, J. G., Batson, A. L., Powell, M. R., McMaster, and C., Griffitt: 1988, ‘Five studies testing two new egoistic alternatives to the empathy-altruism hypothesis’, Journal of Personality and Social Psychology 55, pp. 52–77.

    Google Scholar 

  • Batson, C. D. and L. L., Shaw: 1991, ‘Evidence for altruism: Toward a pluralism of prosocial motives’, Psychological Inquiry 2, pp. 107–122.

    Google Scholar 

  • Blos, P.: 1979, The Adolescent Passage: Developmental Issues (International Universities Press, New York).

    Google Scholar 

  • Buber, M.: 1961, Between Man and Man (Collins, London).

    Google Scholar 

  • Buber, M.: 1965, The Knowledge of Man: A Philosophy of the Interhuman (M., Friedman, Trans. and Ed.) (Allen and Unwin, London).

    Google Scholar 

  • Cattell, R. B. and M. D. L., Cattell: 1975, Handbook for the High School Personality Questionnaire: HSPQ (Institute of Personality and Ability Testing, Champaign, IL).

    Google Scholar 

  • Cohen, A., M., Schmida, and I., Ferman: 1985, ‘The personal involvement project: Differences between volunteering and non-volunteering high school pupils’, Megamot Behavioral Sciences Quarterly 29, pp. 216–222 (in Hebrew).

    Google Scholar 

  • Conger, J. J. and A. C., Petersen: 1984, Adolescence and Youth (Harper and Row, New York).

    Google Scholar 

  • Diener, E.: 1990, ‘Happiness is the frequency not the intensity of positive versus negative affect’, in F., Strak, M., Argyle, and M., Schwartz (eds.), Subjective Well-Being: An Interdisciplinary Perspective (Pergamon, New York), pp. 119–136.

    Google Scholar 

  • Diener, E.: 1994, ‘Assessing subjective well-being: Progress and opportunities’, Social Indicators Research 31, pp. 103–157.

    Google Scholar 

  • Diener, E., E. M., Suh, H., Smith, and L., Shao: 1995, ‘National differences in reported subjective well-being: Why do they occur?’, Social Indicators Research 34, pp. 7–32.

    Google Scholar 

  • Eisenberg, N., R. A., Fabes, P. A., Miller, J., Fultz, R., Shell, R. M., Mathy, and R. R., Reno: 1989, ‘Relation of sympathy and personal distress to prosocial behavior: A multimethod study’, Journal of Personality and Social Psychology 57, pp. 55–66.

    Google Scholar 

  • Eisenberg, N. and P. A., Miller: 1987, ‘The relation of empathy to prosocial and related behavior’, Psychological Bulletin 101, pp. 91–119.

    Google Scholar 

  • Erikson, E. H.: 1969, Identity, Youth, and Crisis (Holt, Reinhart and Winston, New York).

    Google Scholar 

  • Fox, D. J.: 1969, The Research Process in Education (Holt, Reinhart and Winston, New York).

    Google Scholar 

  • Frankl, V.: 1985, Psychotherapy and Existentialism (Washington Square Press, New York).

    Google Scholar 

  • Frick, W.: 1983, ‘The symbolic growth experience’, Journal of Humanistic Psychology 22, pp. 108–125.

    Google Scholar 

  • Headey, B., E., Holmstrom, and A., Wearing: 1984, ‘The impact of life events and changes in domain satisfaction on well-being’, Social Indicators Research 15, pp. 203–227.

    Google Scholar 

  • Headey, B. and A., Wearing: 1989, ‘Personality, life events and subjective well-being’, Journal of Personality and Social Psychology 57, pp. 731–739.

    Google Scholar 

  • Isen, A. M., K. A., Daubman, and G. P., Nowicki: 1987, ‘Positive affect facilitates creative problem solving’, Journal of Personality and Social Psychology 52, pp. 1122–1131.

    Google Scholar 

  • Isen, A. M. and P. E., Levin: 1972, ‘The effect of feeling on good helping cookies and kindness’, Journal of Personality and Social Psychology 21, pp. 384–388.

    Google Scholar 

  • Jourard, S. M. and T., Landsman: 1980, Healthy Personality: An Approach from the Viewpoint of Humanistic Psychology (MacMillan, New York).

    Google Scholar 

  • Kant, I.: 1949, Fundamental Principles of the Metaphysics of Morals (Liberal Arts Press, New York).

    Google Scholar 

  • Klein, G.: 1972, ‘Fostering commitment in today's world’, Humanities 8, pp. 37–54.

    Google Scholar 

  • Kohlberg, L.: 1971, ‘The adolescent as a philosopher’, Journal of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, Fall, pp. 1051–1086.

  • Kraut, R.: 1979, ‘Two conceptions of happiness’, Philosophical Review 87, pp. 167–196.

    Google Scholar 

  • Landsman, T.: 1969, ‘The beautiful person’, Futurist 3, pp. 41–42.

    Google Scholar 

  • Landsman, T.: 1977, ‘Psychology as the science of behavior and experiences’, in D. Q., Nevill (ed.), Humanistic Psychology: New Frontiers (Gardner, New York), pp. 21–34.

    Google Scholar 

  • Magen, Z.: 1982, ‘The pertinence of joy’, The Humanist 42, pp. 22–26.

    Google Scholar 

  • Magen, Z.: 1983a, ‘Re-forming the boundaries: A trans-cultural comparison of positive experiences among adolescent males and females’, Adolescence 18, pp. 851–858.

    Google Scholar 

  • Magen, Z.: 1983b, ‘Transpersonal commitments in adolescence: A cross-cultural perspective’, Journal of Humanistic Psychology 23, pp. 96–112.

    Google Scholar 

  • Magen, Z.: 1985, ‘Cross-cultural personality correlates of intensity and content category of positive experience’, Journal of Personality and Social Psychology 49, pp. 1631–1642.

    Google Scholar 

  • Magen, Z.: 1990a, ‘Positive experiences and life aspirations among adolescents with and without hearing impairments’, International Journal of Disability, Development and Education 37, pp. 57–69.

    Google Scholar 

  • Magen, Z.: 1990b, Prosocial commitments of Jewish and Arab adolescents in Israel: A follow-up study (Unpublished manuscript, School of Education, Tel Aviv University).

  • Magen, Z. and R., Aharoni: 1991, ‘Adolescents' contributing toward others: Relationship to positive experiences and transpersonal commitment’, Journal of Humanistic Psychology 31, pp. 126–143.

    Google Scholar 

  • Magen, Z., M., Birenbaum, and T., Ilovich: 1992, ‘Adolescents from disadvantaged neighborhoods: Personality characteristics as related to volunteer involvement’, International Journal for the Advancement of Counseling 15, pp. 47–59.

    Google Scholar 

  • Magen, Z. and V. Offek: 1993, February, Personal commitment in high schools: A comparison of voluntary versus mandatory involvement (Paper presented at the annual conference of the Israel Educational Research Association (AYALA), Haifa (In Hebrew)).

  • Magen, Z. and D. Pery: 1990, August, Positive and negative experiences of adolescents and young adults (Paper presented at the annual conference of the American Psychological Association, Boston).

  • Maslow, A. H.: 1970, Motivation and Personality, 2nd ed. (Harper and Row, New York).

    Google Scholar 

  • Maslow, A. H.: 1971, The Farther Reaches of Human Nature (Viking Press, New York).

    Google Scholar 

  • Mathes, E. W. and M. A., Jerom: 1982, ‘Peak experiences tendencies: Scale development and theory testing’, Journal of Humanistic Psychology 22, pp. 93–106.

    Google Scholar 

  • McDowell, J.: 1980, ‘The role of eudaimonia in Aristotle's ethics’, in A. O., Rorty (ed.), Essays on Aristotle's Ethics (University of California Press, Berkeley, CA), pp. 359–376.

    Google Scholar 

  • Michalos, A. C.: 1985, ‘Multiple discrepancies theory (MDT)’, Social Indicators Research 16, pp. 347–413.

    Google Scholar 

  • Patterson, J. M. and H. I., McCubbin: 1987, ‘Adolescent coping style and behaviors: Conceptualization and measurement’, Journal of Adolescence 10, pp. 163–180.

    Google Scholar 

  • Pazy, A.: 1985, ‘A developmental approach to variability in experience of self’, Journal of Humanistic Psychology 25, pp. 64–82.

    Google Scholar 

  • Portowitz, P.: 1983, ‘Al arachim umitnadvim [On values and volunteers]’, Bitaon Hamercaz Lesharautay Hitnadvut (Rep. No. 2) (Tel Aviv University, Ramat-Aviv, Israel).

    Google Scholar 

  • Privette, G. and T., Landsman: 1983, ‘Farther analysis of peak performance: The full use of potential’, Journal of Personality and Social Psychology 44, pp. 195–200.

    Google Scholar 

  • Reker, G. T.: 1994, ‘Logotheory and logotherapy: Challenges, opportunities and some empirical findings’, The International Forum for Logotherapy 17, pp. 47–55.

    Google Scholar 

  • Robin, B.: 1980, Happiness and Schooling (St. Martin's Press, New York).

    Google Scholar 

  • Rogers, C.: 1977, Carl Rogers on Personal Power (Delacorte, New York).

    Google Scholar 

  • Russell, B.: 1975, The Conquest of Happiness (Allen and Unwin, London).

    Google Scholar 

  • Smilansky, M.: 1991, Between Adolescents and Parents (Psychological and Educational Publishers, Gaithersburg, MD).

    Google Scholar 

  • Snyder, C. R., R. L., Higgins, and R. J., Stuckey: 1983, Excuse: Masquerades in Search of Grace (Wiley, New York).

    Google Scholar 

  • Stones, M. J. and A., Kozma: 1994, ‘The relationship of affect intensity to happiness’, Social Indicators Research 31, pp. 159–173.

    Google Scholar 

  • Tartarkiewicz, W.: 1976, Analysis of Happiness (Nijhoff, The Hague).

    Google Scholar 

  • Veenhoven, R.: 1991, ‘Is happiness relative?’, Social Indicators Research 24, pp. 1–34.

    Google Scholar 

  • Veenhoven, R.: 1995, ‘The cross-national pattern of happiness: Test of predictions implied in three theories of happiness’, Social Indicators Research 34, pp. 33–68.

    Google Scholar 

  • Waterman, A. S.: 1993, ‘Two conceptions of happiness: Contrasts of personal expressiveness (eudaimonia) and hedonic enjoyment’, Journal of Personality and Social Psychology 64, pp. 678–691.

    Google Scholar 

  • Williamson, G. M. and M. S., Clark: 1989, ‘Providing help and desired relationship type as determinants of changes in moods and self-evaluations’, Journal of Personality and Social Psychology 56, pp. 722–734.

    Google Scholar 

  • Wong, P. T. P. and G. T., Reker: 1984 ‘Psychological and physical well-being in the elderly: The perceived well-being scale’, Canadian Journal of Aging 3, pp. 23–32.

    Google Scholar 

  • Wright, B.: 1994, The Moral Animal: The New Science of Evolutionary Psychology (Pantheon Books, New York).

    Google Scholar 

  • Wuthnow, R.: 1978, ‘Peak experiences: Some empirical tests’, Journal of Humanistic Psychology 18, pp. 59–75.

    Google Scholar 

  • Ziv, A.: 1984, Hitbagrut [Adolescence] (Massada (In Hebrew.), Tel Aviv).

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Tel Aviv University, Israel

    Zipora Magen

Authors
  1. Zipora Magen
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Magen, Z. Commitment beyond self and adolescence: The issue of happiness. Soc Indic Res 37, 235–267 (1996). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00286233

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00286233

Keywords

Search

Navigation