Life Values Associated with Life Satisfaction in the Turkish University Sample

Abstract

The aim of this study is to display the life values that have a strong positive and significant relationship with life satisfaction in college students. In this context in Fall 2013-2014, Schwarz Values Scales and Life Satisfaction Scale were applied to 407 students from different departments of the Education Faculty in Mugla Sitki Kocman University. The results were studied in relation to the values, which had a meaningful relationship with life satisfaction, sex differences in preference of values, and with the priority of value preferences,. According to this, the priority order of the values of the Turkish college students is self-direction, universalism, security, benevolence, comformity, achievement, tradition, simulation, hedonism, and power. A preference order such as self-transcendence, conservatism, openness to change, and self-enhancement is the topic in terms of value clusters. Moreover, girls gave importance to universalism, conformity, and security, while power is more important for boys. Lastly, whereas benevolence, conformity, hedonism, security, achievement, tradition, universalism, and power were found to be connected to each other, a significant relationship between life satisfaction, stimulation and self-authorship was not found. The results were studied with literature findings.