Aspirations and life satisfaction in Japan: The big five personality makes clear

The present study investigated the relationship between two types of aspirations: intrinsic and extrinsic aspirations hypothesized by Self-determination Theory, and life satisfaction in Japan. A total of 474 Japanese undergraduates (286 males, 184 females, and 4 unknown; Mage = 18.88, SD = 1.10) participated in a survey. Confirmatory factor analysis showed that the Aspiration Index had the same hypothesized factor structure as that found in previous studies. Path analysis by structural equation modeling showed that intrinsic aspirations were positively correlated with life satisfaction, while extrinsic aspirations were negatively related. In addition, controlling for the effects of the Big Five personality traits provided a clearer relationship between aspirations, particularly extrinsic aspirations, and life satisfaction. Discussion describes concerning method to evaluate the relationship between aspirations and subjective well-being more accurately.