DOI QR코드

DOI QR Code

Examination of the moderating effect of age on the relationship between regulatory focus and happiness

조절초점과 행복감 간의 관계에 대한 연령의 조절효과 분석

  • Kwak, Yun Jung (Department of Counseling Psychology, Sejong Cyber University)
  • 곽윤정 (세종사이버대학교 상담심리학과)
  • Received : 2016.04.05
  • Accepted : 2017.05.12
  • Published : 2017.05.31

Abstract

People's interest in how to lead a happy life when they get older is increasing because of the extension of life span due to thedevelopment of medical technology. Factors that can affect happiness or the strength of the influence of those factors may vary according to age. Previous studies, have found that individuals with promotion focus are more likely to experience happiness than those with prevention focus. However, whether this effect of regulatory focus on happiness is consistent regardless of age has not been sufficiently investigated. Therefore, 1,250 Korean adults from each age group and residence were randomly selected as thesample, and the moderating effect of age on the relationship between regulatory focus and subjective well-being was examined. The results indicated that promotion focus and age have a significant interaction effect on subjective well-being, while the interaction effect of prevention focus and age was not significant. More concretely, the positive effects of promotion focus on life satisfaction and affective balance grew stronger with increasing age. This finding implies that it is especially important for old adults to use promotion focus by actively setting challenging goals and motivating themselves to gain a sense of accomplishment to experience subjective well-being. In addition, social support is proposed as being especially important to activate their promotion focus.

의료 기술의 발달로 수명이 연장됨으로써 노년기에 어떻게 행복한 생활을 영위할 수 있는지에 대한 관심이 커지고 있다. 그런데 연령대에 따라 행복감에 영향을 미치는 변인의 유형이나 행복에 대한 변인의 영향력이 변화할 수 있기 때문에 이에 대해 실증적으로 조사하는 연구가 필요하다. 선행연구를 통해 조절초점 중 '향상초점'을 활용하는 개인이 '방어초점'을 활용하는 개인보다 대체로 행복할 가능성이 높다는 것이 발견되었다. 그러나 이와 같은 조절초점의 영향이 사람의 전생애동안 모든 연령대에 걸쳐서 유효한 것인지에 대해서는 아직 조사가 제대로 이루어지지 않았다. 따라서 본 연구에서는 거주지역과 연령대별로 성인 1250명을 무작위로 선정하여 표집을 구성하고 연령이 조절초점과 주관적 행복감 간의 관계에 대해 유의한 조절효과를 가지는지 검증하였다. 분석 결과, 향상초점과 연령은 주관적 행복감에 대해 유의한 상호작용 효과를 가진 것이 발견되었으나, 방어초점과 연령은 유의한 상호작용을 보이지 않는 것으로 나타났다. 보다 더 구체적으로 연령이 높아질수록 향상초점이 삶의 만족도와 정서균형에 미치는 정적 영향이 더 강해지는 것이 발견되었다. 본 연구결과는 노년기에 능동적으로 도전적인 목표를 설정하고, 자발적으로 동기를 부여하며 성취감을 느끼는 등 향상초점을 활용하는 것이 주관적 행복감을 경험하는 데 더 중요한 역할을 한다는 것을 시사한다. 또한 본 연구에서는 사회적 지원체제의 구축을 통해 노인의 향상초점을 활성화할 것을 제안한다.

Keywords

References

  1. Lyubomirsky, S., King, L., & Diener, E, The benefits of frequent positive affect: Does happiness lead to success? Psychological Bulletin, vol. 131, pp. 803-855, 2005. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1037/0033-2909.131.6.803
  2. Higgins, E. T, Beyond pleasure and pain. American Psychologist, vol. 52, pp. 1280-1300, 1997. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1037/0003-066X.52.12.1280
  3. Higgins, E. T, Promotion and Prevention: Regulatory focus as a motivational principle. Advances in Experimental Social Psychology, vol. 30, pp. 1-46, 1998. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/S0065-2601(08)60381-0
  4. Roese, N. J., Hur, T., & Pennington, G. L, Counterfactual thinking and regulatory focus: Implications for action versus inaction and sufficiency versus necessity, Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, vol. 77, pp. 1109-1120, 1999. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1037/0022-3514.77.6.1109
  5. Johnson, P. & Wallace, C, Increasing individual and team performance in an organizational setting through the situational adaptation of regulatory focus. Consulting Psychology Journal: Practice and Research, vol. 63, pp. 190-201, 2001. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1037/a0025622
  6. Brendl, C. M., Higgins, E. T., & Lemm, K. M, Sensitivity to varying gains and losses: The role of self-discrepancies and event framing, Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, vol. 69, pp. 1028-1051, 1995. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1037/0022-3514.69.6.1028
  7. Higgins, E. T., Shah, J., & Friedman, R, Emotional responses to goal attainment: Strength of regulatory focus as moderator, Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, vol. 72, pp. 515-525, 1997. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1037/0022-3514.72.3.515
  8. Elliot, A. J., & Thrash, T. M, Approach-avoidance motivation in personality: Approach and avoidance temperaments and goals, Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, vol. 82, pp. 804-818, 2002. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1037/0022-3514.82.5.804
  9. Scholer, A. A., Zou, X., Fujita, K., Stroessner, S. J., & Higgins, E. T, When risk seeking becomes a motivational necessity, Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, vol. 99, pp. 215-231, 2010. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1037/a0019715
  10. Shah, J., Higgins, E. T., & Friedman, R. S, Performance incentives and means: How regulatory focus influences goal attainment, Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, vol. 74, pp. 285-293, 1998. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1037/0022-3514.74.2.285
  11. G. S. Han, The relationship between self-efficacy and college life satisfaction: Moderating effect of leisure sport participation level, Journal of the Korean Academia-Industrial cooperation Society, vol. 16, no. 4, pp. 2478-2485, 2015. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.5762/KAIS.2015.16.4.2478
  12. Diener, E., Sandvik, E., & Pavot, W, Happiness is the frequency, not the intensity, of positive versus negative affect. In F. Strack, M. Argyle, & N. Schwartz (Eds.), Subjective well-being: An interdisciplinary perspective, pp. 119-139, Oxford, England: Pergamon Press, 1991.
  13. Aaker, L. J., Melanie, R., & Moligilner, C, If money does not make you happy, consider time, Journal of Consumer Psychology, vol. 21, pp. 126-130, 2011. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jcps.2011.01.004
  14. Delle fave, A., Brdar, I., Freire, T., Vella-Brodrick, D., & Wissing, M. P, The eudaimonic and hedonic components of happiness: Qualitative and quantitative findings. Social indicators Research, vol. 100, pp. 185-207, 2011. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jcps.2011.01.004
  15. Demir, M., & Weitkamp, L. A, I am so happy 'cause today I found my friend: Friendship and personality as predictors of happiness, Journal of Happiness Studies, vol. 8, pp. 181-211, 2007. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10902-006-9012-7
  16. Fowler, J., & Christakis, N, Dynamic spread of happiness in a large social network: Longitudinal analysis over 20 years in the Framingham Heart Study. British Medical Jounral, vol. 337, 2008. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10902-006-9034-1
  17. Hui, C. M., Molden, D. C., & Finkel, E. J, Loving freedom: Concerns with promotion or prevention and the role of autonomy in relationship well-being, Journal of Personality and Social Psychology. Advance online publication, 2013. DOI: http://doi.org/10.1037/a0032503
  18. Winterheld, H. A., & Simpson, J. A, Seeking security or growth: A regulatory focus perspective on motivations in romantic relationship, Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, vol. 101, pp. 935-954, 2011. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1037/a0025012
  19. Zelinski, E. M., & Gilewski, M., J, Effects of demographic and health variables on Rasch Scaled Cognitive scores, Journal of Aging and Health, vol. 15, no. 3, pp. 435-464, 2003. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1177/0898264303253499
  20. Heidrich, S. M., & Ryff, C. D, Physical and mental health in later life: The self-system as mediator. Psychology and Aging, vol. 8, pp. 327-338, 1993. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1037/0882-7974.8.3.327
  21. Lockwood, P., Jordan, C. H., & Kunda, Z, Motivation by positive or negative role models: Regulatory focus determines who will best inspire you, Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, vol. 83, pp. 854-864, 2002. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1037/0022-3514.83.4.854
  22. Andrews, F. M., & McKennell, A. C, Measures of self-reported well-being: Their affective, cognitive, and other components. Social Indicators Research, vol. 8, pp. 127-155, 1980. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00286474
  23. Deiner, E., Emmons, R. A., Larsen, R. J., & Griffin, S, The Satisfaction with Life Scale, Journal of Personality Assessment, vol. 49, pp. 71-75, 1985. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1207/s15327752jpa4901_13
  24. Watson, D., Clark, L. A., & Tellegen, A, Development and validation of brief measures of positive and negative affect: The PANAS scales, Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, vol. 54, pp. 1063-1070, 1988. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1037/0022-3514.54.6.1063
  25. Bauer, D. J., & Curran, P. J, Probing interaction in fixed and multilevel regression: Inferential and graphical techniques. Multivariate Behavioral Research, vol. 40, no. 3, pp. 373-400, 2005. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1207/s15327906mbr4003_5
  26. Heckhausen, J, Developmental regulation across adulthood: Primary and secondary control of age-related challenges. Developmental Psychology, vol. 33, pp. 176-187, 1997. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1037/0012-1649.33.1.176
  27. Heckhausen, J., & Krueger, J, Developmental expectations for the self and most other people: Age grading in three functions of social comparison. Developmental Psychology, vol. 29, pp. 539-548, 1993. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1037/0012-1649.29.3.539
  28. Ogilvie, D. M., Rose, K. M., & Heppen, J. B, A comparison of personal project motives in three age groups, Basic and Applied Social Psychology, vol. 23, pp. 207-215, 2001. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1207/S15324834BASP2303_7
  29. Kotter-Grühn, D., & Smith, J, When time is running out: Changes in positive future perception and their relationships to changes in well-being in old age. Psychology and Aging, vol. 26, pp. 381-387, 2011. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1037/a0022223
  30. Elliot, A. J., Gable, S. L., & Mapes, R. R, Approach and avoidance motivation in the social domain. Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, vol. 32, pp. 378-391, 2006. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1177/0146167205282153
  31. Elliot, A. J., Sheldon, K. M., & Church, M. A, Avoidance personal goals and subjective well-being. Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, vol. 23, pp. 915-927, 1997. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1177/0146167297239001
  32. Liberman, N., Molden, D. C., Idson, L. C., & Higgins, E. T, Promotion and prevention focus on alternative hypotheses: Implications for attributional functions, Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, vol. 80, pp. 5-18, 2001. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1037/0022-3514.80.1.5
  33. Carver, C. S., & Scheier, M. F, Origins and functions of positive and negative affect: A control process view. Psychological Review, vol. 97, pp. 19-35, 2001. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1037/0033-295X.97.1.19
  34. Cantor, N., & Sanderson, C. A, Life task participation and well-being: The importance of taking part in daily life. In D. Kahneman, E. Diener, & N. Schwartz (Eds.), Well-being: The foundations of hedonic psychology p. 230-243, New York: Russell Sage Foundation, 1999.
  35. Y. H. Kim, T. S. Koh, Factors affecting on life satisfaction of university students : Focusing on the moderating effects of ego-resilience, Journal of the Korea Academia-Industrial cooperation Society, vol. 17, no. 10 pp. 481-489, 2016. DOI: http://doi.org/10.5762/KAIS.2016.17.10.481
  36. S. H. Park, S. Y. Kim, Prediction of emotion and effort behavior by competence and regulatory focus, Korean Journal of Sports Science, vol. 25, no. 3, pp. 485-498, 2016.
  37. Schmuck, P., Kasser, T., & Ryan, R. M, Intrinsic and extrinsic goals: Their structure and relationship to well-being in German and US college students. Social Indicators Research, vol. 50, no. 2, pp. 225-241, 2000. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1007084005278