Values as goals for happiness: An analysis of value structure and well-being

The relationship between values, well-being, and fit is incompletely understood. This study explored the structure of values as motivational goals for happiness and compared this structure with Schwartz’s general value structure. Furthermore, we examined whether or not congruence between endorsement of values in general and endorsement of values as goals for happiness increases individual hedonic/eudaimonic well-being. Undergraduate students (N=343) completed the Schwartz Values Survey, the Portrait Values Questionnaire, and measures of eudaimonic (Meaning in Life Questionnaire; Flourishing Scale) and hedonic well-being (Satisfaction with Life Scale; Subjective Happiness Scale). Multidimensional scaling was implemented to map value structures, which were subsequently compared using Procrustes rotation. Our congruence hypothesis was tested using response surface analysis. The results show that the structure of general values and the structure of values as goals for happiness were highly similar (ΦVTG = 0.93, ΦVGH = 0.95), implying that Schwartz’s Value Theory applies to values as goals for happiness and supporting our conceptualisation of values as motivational goals for happiness. Congruence hypothesis models contradicted our congruence hypothesis, indicating that factors other than reduced motivational conflict have bearing on the relationship between values and well-being. Implications of these findings and future directions are discussed.