The relationship between time perspective and life satisfaction: career adaptability as an intermediate variable¹

ABSTRACT

The purpose of the study was to test the applicability of the “Time Perspective Scale” for the emerging adult population in China. Participants were 725 young adults. The instruments included the “Time Perspective Scale”, “Life Satisfaction Scale” and “Career Adaptability Scale”. The results indicated: (1) The results of confirmatory factor analysis supported the four-factor structure of time perspective scale: future positive, future negative, adventure stimulus and fatalistic enjoyment; (2) Each dimension of time perspective was significantly correlated with the dimensions of career adaptability and life satisfaction; (3) Career adaptability were found to play a mediating role between time perspective and life satisfaction. Discussion and suggestions for future research were also provided..

KEYWORDS:

• Time perspective
• life satisfaction
• career adaptability
• intermediate effect

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Notes

1 Author Note

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Tian-Tian Li

Li Tiantian is an associate professor at the Shandong Normal University. She earned her doctorate at the University of Tianjin Normal University. She is the director of Shandong Yi Heng Psychological Institute, the vice president of Jinan Psychological Society, and once won the title of Jinan High-level Talent. Her research interests are career, emotion and adolescent psychological development.

Hsiu-Lan Shelley Tien

Hsiu-Lan Shelley Tien, PhD, Professor in the Department of Educational Psychology and Counseling at the National Taiwan Normal University, earned her doctorate at the University of Iowa and was a Fulbright scholar at the University of Maryland. She is now the Dean of the College of Education, and has served as Director of the Department of Educational Psychology and Counseling, Director of the Counseling Center and Vice Director of Student Personnel Services at the National Taiwan Normal University. She has served as president of Taiwan Career Development and Consultation Association, the Taipei Counseling Psychologist Association and the Asia Pacific Career Development Association. From the National Career Development Association she earned the award of International Career Practitioner in 2016 and received the Fellow award in 2020.