The Relationship between Aspirations and Life Satisfaction with an Emphasis on Comparing the Islamic Model of the Function of Aspirations and Self-Determination Theory: A Conceptual and Field Survey

Document Type : Research Paper

Author

Assistant Professor, Department of Psychology, Faculty of Literature and Humanities, Lorestan University, Khoramabad, Iran

Abstract

The present study was conducted with the aim of investigating the relationship between aspirations and life satisfaction with an emphasis on comparing the Islamic model of the function of aspirations and self-determination theory in the field of aspirations. The research method was based on library and field data, and the sample included 250 students selected from the students of Allameh Tabataba'i University by the convenience sampling. The tools for collecting the data were the Islamic primary sources in the library section, and Aspiration Index (AI) scale (Grouzet et al., 2005) and life satisfaction questionnaire (Diener et al., 1985) in the field section. Reviewing the sources showed that there are at least three ideas about the relationship between aspirations and life satisfaction in the psychological sources: relationship, lack of relationship, and dual relationship based on the internal-external aspirations. According to self-determination theory, the internal aspirations have positive effect and the external ones have negative effect on life satisfaction. The Islamic model of the function of aspirations consists of two subsystems of reason-oriented approach and ignorance-oriented avoidance, and acts by three processes of the expansion of Amal, the shortage of Amal, and the length of Amal. The relationship between aspirations and life satisfaction is a dual process; in the first process, mediated by the construct of reason, aspirations have an increasing role in life satisfaction, and in the second process, mediated by the construct of ignorance, aspirations have a decreasing role in life satisfaction. In the field section, the results confirm the Islamic view on the relationship between aspirations and life satisfaction.

Keywords

References

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