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Personality and Subjective Well-Being: What Hides Behind Global Analyses?

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Abstract

The relation between personality and subjective well-being (SWB) remains involved in a considerable ambiguity and the numerous studies conducted have neglected an approach at a more detailed level of analysis. This study explores the idea that neuroticism, extraversion and conscientiousness facets predict differentially each SWB component. A battery of self-report questionnaires was used to assess personality and SWB in 398 teachers of primary and high schools. Findings of a cross-sectional study showed that neuroticism, extraversion and conscientiousness facets contributed to significantly explain the variance in positive affect, negative affect and life satisfaction. Moreover, these facets predicted differentially each of the three SWB components. At same time, this study corroborates two important premises: the specificity of facets as discrete traits and the independence of the three SWB components.

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Correspondence to Isabel Albuquerque.

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Albuquerque, I., de Lima, M.P., Matos, M. et al. Personality and Subjective Well-Being: What Hides Behind Global Analyses?. Soc Indic Res 105, 447–460 (2012). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11205-010-9780-7

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