mellor-lifequality-2012.pdf (2.86 MB)
Life quality and wealth : a qualitative and quantitative comparison of affluent and poor people
journal contribution
posted on 2012-12-01, 00:00 authored by David MellorDavid Mellor, Robert CumminsRobert Cummins, T LoquetIt is well-documented that auent people, on average, have higher subjective wellbeing (SWB) than do poor people. is phenomenon has been explained using SWB homeostasis theory. However, a more precise understanding of the dierences in personal experience that lead to homeostatic failure remains to be documented. We sought such understanding through qualitative interviews and a quantitative examination of SWB domains. Twenty auent people and 20 people dependent on social welfare completed an interview and the Personal Wellbeing Index. As expected, the two groups diered signicantly in SWB. Moreover, the poor group reported a preponderance of negative life experiences while the auent group concentrated on the positive events in their lives. Most telling was the nding that both the qualitative and quantitative methods identied the area of ‘relationships’ as representing the greatest degree of divergence between the two groups. is life domain is especially relevant in the maintenance of normative levels of SWB.
History
Journal
Journal of social research and policyVolume
3Issue
2Pagination
7 - 18Publisher
Editura Universitatii din OradeaLocation
Oradea, RomaniaISSN
2067-2640eISSN
2068-9861Language
engPublication classification
C1 Refereed article in a scholarly journalCopyright notice
2012, Editura Universitatii din OradeaUsage metrics
Categories
No categories selectedLicence
Exports
RefWorks
BibTeX
Ref. manager
Endnote
DataCite
NLM
DC