Values and Activities of Middle-Aged Adults: Its Implication to their Subjective Well-being

Abstract

This study on the values and happiness of middle-aged public school elementary teachers in Metro Manila was conducted to examine the relation between values orientation, activities and subjective well-being of individuals in the middle adulthood. The questionnaire used consisted of four parts as follows: (I.) Socio-demographic Profile, (II.) Schwartz Value Survey, (III.) Satisfying Activity Scale (IV) Subjective Happiness Scale. A one-on-one interview was also conducted to the 10% of the respondents who agreed to participate in that endeavor. It was found that the motivational values of benevolence, conformity and security were those which middle-aged public school teachers gave high importance while values they regarded as least significant were hedonism, stimulation and power. However, while they preferred activities related to their priority values and found these activities to be satisfying, activities and values ranked in the middle of these two extremes (highly valued and least valued) did not correspond to each other. Middle-aged teachers actually preferred activities related to achievement, power and stimulation more highly than they expressed on their values. Moreover, while they said they valued universalism which is defined as “understanding, appreciation, tolerance and protection for the welfare of all people and for nature” (Schwartz & Bardi, 2001), they do not find activities related to this value as satisfying as those activities related to achievement, power and stimulation.