Abstract:

Values can be defined as cognitive representations of human needs and as principles that sustain behaviors to attain personal, social, or general life goals. Although values are important to understand human choices and behaviors, their multicultural variability and psychosocial impact still needs to be more deepened investigated. Moreover, research in a number of fields, including Educational Sciences, has been mostly focused on western countries, whereby its expansion to eastern countries is needed to better address globalization and multiculturality. This study aimed to analyze the explaining role of values on the satisfaction with life of a Lebanese sample. A total of 236 Lebanese citizens (54.2% women; Mage = 30.14; 85.6% with a college degree) participated in this study. Participants completed the Lebanese Basic Values Survey and Satisfaction With Life Scale versions. Results from a statistically significant multiple linear regression model indicated that values explain 9.3% of the variance of satisfaction with life. Particularly, individuals scoring high on normative values are likely to present low satisfaction with life. These results might stimulate future studies to analyze the explanatory power of life values in consonance with other variables, such as cultural habits, as well as to examine variances for values and satisfaction with life for individualistic versus collectivistic cultures, western versus eastern countries. Hence, international research collaboration is needed to better address cultural communalities and differences and to globally foster individuals’ satisfaction with life. This study ultimately highlights that educational and social practices are central to foster life values, which in turn seem to impact individuals’ satisfaction with life. From a multicultural perspective, educational practices need to prepare individuals to live in diverse but inclusive societies, acknowledging each person and each culture’s values and its role in human life satisfaction.

Keywords:

Basic values, satisfaction with life, educational practices, multicultural education.