Skip to main content

Individual Differences

  • Chapter
  • First Online:
Happiness in Children

Part of the book series: SpringerBriefs in Well-Being and Quality of Life Research ((BRIEFSWELLBEING))

  • 1580 Accesses

Abstract

It is important to recognize that there is likely no “one size fits all” approach to enhancing well-being in children. Quite likely interventions that promote well-being for select children drawn from one narrow population may be less effective for children from different cultures (e.g., collectivistic vs individualistic) or for children with different temperaments. Much additional research is required to understand individual differences in children as related to positive well-being. This understanding will lead to more refined approaches to promoting the well-being of children on a more individual level.

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

Access this chapter

Chapter
USD 29.95
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
eBook
USD 44.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as EPUB and PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
Softcover Book
USD 59.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Compact, lightweight edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info

Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout

Purchases are for personal use only

Institutional subscriptions

References

  • Aaker, J., Benet-Martinez, V., & Garolera, J. (2001). Consumption symbols as carriers of culture: a study of Japanese and Spanish brand personality constructs. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 81, 249–264.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Allik, J., & McCrae, R. R. (2004). Toward a geography of personality traits: patterns of profiles across 36 cultures. Journal of Cross-Cultural Psychology, 35, 13–28.

    Google Scholar 

  • Bennencourt, B. A., & Dorr, N. (1997). Collective self esteem as a mediator of the relationship between allocentrism and subjective well being. Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, 23, 955–964.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Buss, A. H., & Plomin, R. (1984). Temperament: Early developing personality traits. Hillsdale: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates.

    Google Scholar 

  • Church, A. T. (2000). Culture and personality: toward an integrated cultural trait psychology. Journal of Personality, 68, 651–703.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Demir, M., & Weitekamp, L. A. (2006). I am so happy cause today I found my friend: friendship and personality and predictors of happiness. Journal of Happiness Studies, 8, 181–211.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • DeNeve, K. M., & Cooper, H. (1998). The happy personality: a meta-analysis of 137 personality traits and subjective well-being. Psychological Bulletin, 124, 197–229.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Diener, E., & Suh, E. M. (1999). National differences in subjective well being. In D. Kahneman, E. Diener, & N. Schwarz (Eds.), Well being: The foundations of hedonic psychology (pp. 434–450). New York: Russell Sage Foundation.

    Google Scholar 

  • Diener, E., Diener, M., & Diener, C. (1995). Factors predicting the subjective well being of nations. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 69, 851–864.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Grimm, S. D., Church, A. T., Katigbak, M. S., & Reyes, J. A. S. (1999). Self described trait, values and moods associated with individualism and collectivism (I-C): testing I-C theory in an individualistic (U.S.) and a collectivist (Philippines) culture. Journal of Cross-Cultural Psychology, 30, 466–500.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Holder, M. D., & Klassen, A. (2010). Temperament and happiness in children. Journal of Happiness Studies, 11, 419–439.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Holder, M. D., Coleman, B., & Wallace, J. M. (2010). Spirituality, religiousness, and happiness in children aged 8–12 years. Journal of Happiness Studies, 11, 131–150.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Holder, M. D., Coleman, B., & Singh, K. (in press). Temperament and happiness in children in India. Journal of Happiness Studies.

    Google Scholar 

  • Huebner, E. S. (1991). Correlates of life satisfaction in children. School Psychology Quarterly, 6, 103–111.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Kitayama, S., & Markus, H. R. (2000). The pursuit of happiness and the realization of sympathy: cultural patterns of self, social relations, and well-being. In: Ed Diener & Eunkook M. Suh (Eds.), Culture and subjective well-being (pp. 113–161). Cambridge, MA, US: The MIT Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Lu, L., & Shih, J. B. (1997). Personality and happiness: Is mental health a mediator? Personality and Individual Differences, 22, 249–256.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Markus, H., & Kitayama, S. (1998). The cultural psychology of personality. Journal of Cross Cultural Psychology, 29, 119–149.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Matsumoto, D. (2000). Culture and psychology: people around the world (2nd ed.). Belmont CA: Wadsworth/Thomson Learning.

    Google Scholar 

  • McConatha, J. T., Rieser-Danner, L., Harmer, K., Hayta, V., & Polat, T. S. (2004). Life satisfaction in three countries. Psychological Reports, 94, 795–806.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • McCrae, R. R., & Allik, J. (Eds.). (2002). The five factor model of personality across cultures. New York: Kluwer Academic/Plenum Publishers.

    Google Scholar 

  • McCrae, R. R., & Costa, P. T. (1997). Personality trait structure as a human universal. American Psychologist, 52, 509–516.

    Google Scholar 

  • McCrae, R. R., & Terracciano, A. (2005). Personality profiles of cultures: aggregate personality traits. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 89, 407–425.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • McCrae, R. R., Yik, S. S. M., Trapnell, P. D., Bond, M. H., & Paulhus, D. L. (1998). Interpreting personality profiles across cultures: bilingual acculturation and peer ratings of Chinese undergraduates. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 74, 1041–1055.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • McKnight, C. G., Huebner, E. S., & Suldo, S. (2002). Relationships among stressful life events, temperament, problem behavior, and global life satisfaction in adolescents. Psychology in the Schools, 39, 677–687.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Oishi, S., Diener, E., Lucas, R. E., & Suh, E. (1999). Cross cultural variation in predictors of life satisfaction: perspectives from needs and values. Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, 25, 980–990.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Rice, T. W., & Steele, B. J. (2004). Subjective well being and culture across time and space. Journal of Cross Cultural Psychology, 35, 633–647.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Rozin, P. (1999). Preadaptation and the puzzles of pleasure. In D. Kahneman, E. Diener, & N. Schwarz (Eds.), Well being: The foundations of hedonic psychology (pp. 109–133). New York: Russell Sage Foundation.

    Google Scholar 

  • Schimmack, U., Radhakrishnan, P., Oishi, S., Dzokoto, V., & Ahadi, S. (2002). Culture, personality, and subjective well being: integrating process models of life satisfaction. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 82, 582–593.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Schmitt, D. P., Allik, J., Mccrae, R. R., & Benet-Martínez, V. (2007). The geographic distribution of big five personality traits: patterns and profiles of human self-description across 56 nations. Journal of Cross-Cultural Psychology, 38, 173–212.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Schyns, P. (1998). Cross national differences in happiness: economic and cultural factors explored. Social Indicators Research, 43, 3–26.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Shiner, R., & Caspi, A. (2003). Personality differences in childhood and adolescence: measurement, development and consequences. Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry, 44, 2–32.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Singh, K. (2007). Relationship between big five personality and constructs of Positive psychology. Sutra: The Journal for Research on Education, Psychology, Traditional Sciences & Systems, Health and Consciousness, 1, 129–137.

    Google Scholar 

  • Steel, P., Schmidt, J., & Shultz, J. (2008). Refining the relationship between personality and subjective well-being.Psychological Bulletin, 134, 138–161.

    Google Scholar 

  • Uchida, Y., & Kitayama, S. (2009). Happiness and unhappiness in east and west: themes and variations. Emotion, 9, 441–456.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Veenhoven, R. (1994). Is happiness and trait? Test of the theory that a better society does not make a person happy. Social Indicators Research, 32, 101–160.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Wu, K., Lindsted, K. D., Tsai, S., & Lee, J. W. (2008). Chinese NEO-PI-R in Taiwanese adolescents. Personality and Individual Differences, 44, 656–667.

    Article  Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

Authors

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

Copyright information

© 2012 The Author(s)

About this chapter

Cite this chapter

Holder, M.D. (2012). Individual Differences. In: Happiness in Children. SpringerBriefs in Well-Being and Quality of Life Research. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-007-4414-1_7

Download citation

Publish with us

Policies and ethics