Association Between Self-Esteem and Happiness Among Adolescents in Malaysia: The Mediating Role of Motivation
Adolescence is the developmental process of becoming an adult. This journey of physical and psychological maturation is filled with challenges and hormonal chaos, and teenagers experience unhappiness at times. From a psychological perspective, this study aimed to examine the association between mot...
| Main Authors: | , , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
Sage
2021
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| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | http://eprints.sunway.edu.my/1712/ http://eprints.sunway.edu.my/1712/1/Yap%20ChinChoo%20Association%20between%20self%20esteem.pdf |
| Summary: | Adolescence is the developmental process of becoming an adult. This journey of physical and psychological maturation is filled with challenges and hormonal chaos,
and teenagers experience unhappiness at times. From a psychological perspective, this study aimed to examine the association between motivation, self-esteem and
happiness; and to explore the mediating role of motivation in the association between self-esteem and happiness among adolescents in Malaysia. 480 secondary school students were recruited using a multistage cluster sampling method and
answered the Malay versions of the Subjective Happiness, Brief Motivation and Rosenberg Self-esteem scales. Both self-esteem and motivation were found positively correlated to happiness. The hypothetical mediating role of motivation
on the association between self-esteem and happiness was also supported, indicating that individuals with higher self-esteem have higher motivation which may result in
greater happiness. Since the direct association between self-esteem and happiness remained significant, a partial mediation of adolescents’ motivation between self-esteem and happiness is indicated. The results showed that perceived self-esteem plays a role in predicting happiness and the presence of motivation enhances happiness, providing an insight to nurture happier adolescents for parents and educators in Malaysia. |
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