Is Life Dissatisfaction the Opposite of Life Satisfaction

1
Is Life Dissatisfaction the Opposite of Life
Satisfaction

• Melanie Davern Robert A. Cummins
• School of Psychology, Deakin University

2
Australian Unity Wellbeing Index

• Quarterly surveys since April 2001 of 2000
  Australians
• All participants invited to remain involved in a
  longitudinal study
• Data collected in November 2002 from Survey 4 of
  the Index

3
Australian Unity Wellbeing Index

• Personal Wellbeing is the average level of
  satisfaction across 7 domains
• Standard of living
• Health
• Achievements in life
• Personal relationships
• Community connectedness
• Safety
• Future security
• Additional global life satisfaction item

4
The Assessment of Satisfaction and Dissatisfaction

• Satisfaction and Dissatisfaction ratings of all
  PWB and global
• Life as a whole items
• Total sample of 518 split into 2 samples
  according to response scales
• Unipolar and bipolar response scales

5
Satisfaction Response Scales

• BIPOLAR
• 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
• Completely Completely
• Dissatisfied Satisfied
• UNIPOLAR
• 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
• Not at All Completely
• Satisfied Satisfied

6
Dissatisfaction Response Scales

• BIPOLAR
• 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
• Completely Completely
• Dissatisfied Satisfied
• UNIPOLAR
• 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
• Not at All Completely
• Dissatisfied Dissatisfied

7
Circumplex Theory of Affect
ACTIVATED
High PA
High NA
Activation
Valence
PLEASANT
UNPLEASANT
Low PA
Low NA
Russell (1980)
DEACTIVATED
8
Unipolar Response ScaleBipolar Relationship
Completely Satisfied
r -1.00

Not at all Satisfied
Not all Dissatisfied
Completely Dissatisfied
9
Unipolar Response ScaleBipolar Continuum
Mutually Exclusive
Completely Satisfied
r -.47

Not at all Satisfied
Not all Dissatisfied
Completely Dissatisfied
10
UNIPOLAR DATA (N297)
11
BIPOLAR DATA (N221)
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Correlations - Unipolar

13
Unipolar Response Scale
Satisfaction
Dissatisfaction
14
Correlations - Bipolar
15
Bipolar Response Scale
Satisfaction
Dissatisfaction
16
Balance between Satisfaction
DissatisfactionUsing a Unipolar Scale
17
Conclusions

• Use of unipolar response scales in affect theory
  research
• Inverse relationship between life satisfaction
  and dissatisfaction