The relationship between conservatism and psychological well-being in adolescents

This study investigated the extent to which adolescents' levels of conservatism, their gender and home language can predict their psychological well-being. Conservatism is described as a social attitude, characterised by an internalisation of the dominant values of the social environment within which the individual functions. Psychological well-being is described as a state that is characterised by aspects such as a sense of coherence, satisfaction with life, fortitude, coping, hardiness, self-actualisation, potency and psychological resilience. The sample consisted of 1238 adolescents in the Eastern Cape and Gauteng provinces. Six attitude groupings of conservatism were identified, namely religious fundamentalism, anti-hedonism, conforming attitude towards authority, teenage behaviour, ethnocentrism and insistence on strict rules or punishment. The results of this study indicate that adolescents with high levels of conservatism in terms of religious fundamentalism, anti-hedonism, conforming attitude towards authority and teenage behaviour may also experience high levels of psychological well-being.