The Influence of Life-and-Death Views on the Well-Being of Chinese Tujia Ethnic Adolescents

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to evaluate how a person’s view of life and death might influence various aspects of well-being. Similar studies have been conducted with adolescents in different cultures, but not with Chinese Tujia ethnic adolescents. Tujia adolescents (N = 309) completed the Meaning in Life Questionnaire (MLQ), the Death Attitude Profile (DAP), the Satisfaction with Life Scale (SWLS) and the Happiness Inventory (HI). Results indicated that Chinese Tujia ethnic adolescents maintain a relatively positive life-and-death view and overall well-being. Meaning in life and death attitude both corresponded with overall well-being. A dominance analysis indicated that meaning in life can predict the well-being of a person better than a death attitude. Limitations and future directions are discussed.

Keywords

meaning of life death attitude well-being Chinese Tujia ethnic adolescents dominance analysis

Get full access to this article

View all access options for this article.

References

Aikawa

Fujii

(2011). Using the implicit association test (IAT) to measure implicit shyness. Shinrigaku Kenkyu: The Japanese Journal of Psychology, 82(1), 41–48.

Aires

(1976). Western attitude toward death. Penguin Books Ltd

Bradley

(2009). Well-being and death. Oxford University Press.

Budescu

D. V.

(1993). Dominance analysis: A new approach to the problem of relative importance of predictors in multiple regression. Psychological Bulletin, 114(3), 542–551.

Cao

J. M.

Liu

Z. H.

(2017). The moderating effect of school well-being on middle school students’ academic stress and learning input. Special Education in China, 6, 86–90.

Chen

Y. D.

(2013). Origin of the life consciousness in traditional culture of Tujia people. The Border Economy and Culture, 11, 74–75.

Chongqing C.P.P.C.C. (the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference). (2009a). Mysterious Qianjiang. Chongqing Press.

Chongqing C.P.P.C.C. (the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference). (2009b). Green Shizhu. Chongqing Press.

Dariusz

(2018). When is meaning in life most beneficial to young people? Styles of meaning in life and well-being among late adolescents. Journal of Adult Development, 25, 96–106.

10.

Deng

L. Y.

B. H.

Y. X.

(2015). Attachment and well-being of junior high school students: Mediating role of self-esteem. Psychological Development and Education, 31(2), 230–238.

11.

Deng

(2018). Women’s participation breaks taboos: An analysis of the evolution in the inheritance of “funeral song. Journal of Chongqing University of Arts and Sciences (Social Science), 37(6), 6–10.

12.

Diener

(1984). Subjective well-being. Psychological Bulletin, 95(3), 542–575.

13.

Diener

(1995). Factors predicting the subjective well-being of nations. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 69(5), 851–864.

14.

Dong

W. X.

(2002). Study on the influence of life and death education curriculum on life significance of nursing students in vocational schools. University of South China Press.

15.

Douglas

(1966). Purity and danger. Routledge and Kegan Paul.

16.

Chi

Zhao

(2017). Meaning in life, resilience, and psychological well-being among children affected by parental HIV. Aids Care, 29(11), 1410–1417.

17.

Echa

J. U.

(2015). Role of cumulative trauma and meaning in life on psychological wellbeing of adolescent orphans in Western Nigeria. University of Nigeria.

18.

Elias

(1981). The loneliness of the dying. University College Dublin Press.

19.

Fang

L. M.

(2007). Study on the death attitude and life education needs of Malaysian Chinese high school students. University of South China.

20.

Frankl

V. E.

(2017). Man’s search for meaning (4th ed.). Beacon Press.

21.

Fujii

Sawaumi

Aikawa

(2013). Test-retest reliability and criterion-related validity of the implicit association test for measuring shyness. IEICE Transactions on Fundamentals of Electronics, Communications and Computer Sciences, 96(8), 1768–1777.

22.

Huo

J. Y.

Wenger

J. L.

(2019). Evaluating implicit emotions of Chinese university students with different levels of social adjustment: Implicit measurement based on the go/no-go association task. Psychological Reports, 122(3), 899–915.

23.

Gesser

Wong

P. T. R.

Reker

G. T.

(1988). Death attitudes across the life-span: The development and validation of the death attitude profile (DAP). Omega—Journal of Death and Dying, 18(2), 113–128.

24.

Gillett-Swan

J. K.

(2017). You can’t have well-being if you’re dead … or can you?’ children’s realistic and logical approach to discussing life, death and wellbeing. Children & Society, 31(6), 497–509.

25.

Grumm

Collani

G. V.

(2007). Measuring big-five personality dimensions with the implicit association test: Implicit personality traits or self-esteem? Personality and Individual Differences, 43(8), 2205–2217.

26.

Halama

Medova

(2007). Meaning in life and hope as predictors of positive mental health: Do they explain residual variance not predicted by personality trait? Studia Psychologica, 49(3), 191–200.

27.

Z. F.

Luo

Z. H.

(2014). Relationship between ethnic identity and the satisfaction with life of Mulao ethnic adolescents. Journal of Research on Education for Ethnic Minorities, 25(4), 54–58.

28.

Hill

P. L.

Turiano

N. A.

(2014). Purpose in life as a predictor of mortality across adulthood. Psychological Science, 25(7), 1482–1486.

29.

M. Y.

Cheung

F. M.

Cheung

S. F.

(2010). The role of meaning in life and optimism in promoting well-being. Personality and Individual Differences, 48(5), 658–663.

30.

B. A.

(1999). Cultural spirit of the Tujia ethnic minority. Ethnic Publishing House.

31.

Huang

Y. J.

(2014). Life and ceremony: Funeral culture of the Tujia ethnic minority in Western Hunan from the perspective of educational anthropology. Tribune of Education Culture, 6(3), 123–127.

32.

Huebner

E. S.

(2000). Correlates of school satisfaction among adolescents. Journal of Educational Research, 93(5), 281–292.

33.

Huebner

E. S.

Drane

Valois

R. F.

(2000). Levels and demographic correlates of adolescent life satisfaction reports. School Psychology International, 21(3), 281–292.

34.

Huo

J. Y.

Wang

X. Q.

Steger

M. F.

Wang

Y. C.

Liu

M. F.

B. J.

(2020). Implicit meaning in life: The assessment and construct validity of implicit meaning in life and relations with explicit meaning in life and depression. The Journal of Positive Psychology, 15(4), 500–518. https://doi.org/10.1080/17439760.2019.163979

35.

Kashdan

T. B.

Biswas-Diener

King

L. A.

(2008). Reconsidering happiness: The costs of distinguishing between hedonics and eudemonia. The Journal of Positive Psychology, 3(4), 219–233.

36.

Kastenbaum

(1974). Childhood: The kingdom where creatures die. Journal of Clinical Child Psychology, 3(2), 11–14.

37.

Kubler-Ross

(1997). On death and dying. Scribner.

38.

Latha

K. S.

(2013). Factors related to life satisfaction, meaning of life, religiosity and death anxiety in health care staff and students: A cross-sectional study from India. Online Journal of Health and Allied Sciences, 12(2), 1–7. http://www.ojhas.org/issue46/2013-2-7.html

39.

Lester

(1967). Experimental and correlational studies of the fear of death. Psychological Bulletin, 67(1), 27–36.

40.

D. Y.

(2010). Happiness is the flower of life. Gold Wall Press.

41.

Y. T.

(2016). Research on the death attitude status of high school students and its relationship with adult attachment and social support. Hunan Normal University.

42.

Lin

Shek

D. T. L.

(2019). The influence of meaning in life on adolescents’ hedonic well-being and risk behavior: Implications for social work. The British Journal of Social Work, 49(1), 5–24.

43.

Liu

B. Q.

(2016). Basic characteristics of primitive religion of the Tujia ethnic minority. Journal of China Three Gorges University (Humanistic and Social Science), 38(3), 24.

44.

Liu

X. L.

(2017). Relationship between psychological capital and sense of well-being of Jiangsu youth: Analysis on mediating effect of sense of meaning in life. Modern Preventive Medicine, 44(19), 3567–3582.

45.

Mei

Y. Y.

(2014). Middle school students’ attitude to death and its relationship with attachment. Henan University.

46.

Middleton

W. C.

(1936). Some reactions toward death among college students. The Journal of Abnormal and Social Psychology, 31(2), 165–173.

47.

Peng

D. X.

(2018). Symbol and function: An analysis of life-and-death view in Tujia funeral ceremony. Journal of Qiannan Normal University for Nationalities, 38(3), 18–22.

48.

Peng

W. L.

(2012). Tujia ethnic group of China. Ningxia People’s Publishing House.

49.

Qin

Wang

X. Q.

Zhang

D. J.

(2013). Development characteristics of middle school students’ sense of meaning in life and its relationship with learning, motivation, and achievement. Journal of Southwest University (Natural Science), 35(10), 165–170.

50.

Qiu

Zheng

(2005). Structure of subjective well-being and its relationship with personality traits. Chinese Journal of Applied Psychology, 11(4), 330–335.

51.

Qiu

Z. Y.

(2005). Study on the relationship among sense of meaning in life, death attitude and self-harm of adolescents. National Taiwan Normal University.

52.

Z. L.

(2002). Tujia family relations and their evolution. Guizhou Ethnic Studies, 22(1), 88–92.

53.

Rathi

Rastogi

(2007). Meaning in life and psychological well-being in pre-adolescents and adolescents. Journal of the Indian Academy of Applied Psychology, 33(1), 31–38.

54.

Routledge

Ostafin

Juhl

Sedikides

Cathey

Liao

(2010). Adjusting to death: The effects of mortality salience and self-esteem on psychological well-being growth motivation, and maladaptive behavior. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 99(6), 897–891.

55.

Shek

D. T. L.

Liang

(2018). Psychosocial factors influencing individual well-being in Chinese adolescents in Hong Kong: A six-year longitudinal study. Applied Research in Quality of Life, 13(3), 561–584.

56.

Shen

H. G.

(2012). Analysis of life education factors in funeral ceremony of the Tujia ethnic minority in Western Hunan. Minzu Tribune, 9, 98–101.

57.

Shen

Q. Q.

Jiang

(2013). Sense of meaning in life and well-being of adolescents. Chinese Mental Health Journal, 27(8), 634–640.

58.

Singer

(1992). Meaning in life: The creation of value. Free Press.

59.

Song

Q. R.

(1992). Research on the meaning in life of adolescents. National Changhua University of Education.

60.

Steger

M. F.

(2012). Experiencing meaning in life: Optimal functioning at the nexus of spirituality, psychopathology, and well-being. In P. T. P. Wong & P. S. Fry (Eds.), The human quest for meaning (2nd ed.). Lawrence Erlbaum Associates.

61.

Steger

M. F.

Kashdan

T. B.

(2007). Stability and specificity of meaning in life and life satisfaction over one year. Journal of Happiness Studies, 8(2), 161–179.

62.

Steger

M. F.

Kashdan

T. B.

Sullivan

B. A.

Lorentz

(2008). Understanding the search for meaning in life: Personality, cognitive style, and the dynamic between seeking and experiencing meaning. Journal of Personality, 76(2), 199–228.

63.

Steger

M. F.

Oishi

Kesebir

(2011). Is a life without meaning satisfying? The moderating role of the search for meaning in satisfaction with life judgments. The Journal of Positive Psychology, 6(3), 173–180.

64.

Steger

M. F.

Shim

Rush

B. R.

Brueske

L. A.

Shin

J. Y.

Merriman

L. A.

(2013). The mind’s eye: A photographic method for understanding meaning in people’s lives. The Journal of Positive Psychology, 8(6), 530–542.

65.

Sun

C. Y.

S. Y.

Liu

C. L.

Zhang

X. M.

(2017). Correlation analysis of school happiness and academic burden attitude of junior high school students. Modern Preventive Medicine, 44(1), 69–72.

66.

Tan

Q. B.

Zeng

(2007). Satisfaction with class environment and life of 548 junior high school students. Chinese Mental Health Journal, 21(8), 544–547.

67.

Templer

D. I.

(1970). The construction and validation of the death anxiety scale. The Journal of General Psychology, 82(2d Half), 165–177.

68.

Thanhha

(2015). A comparative study of key concepts in Chinese and foreign cultures: The view of life and death in Chinese and Western cultures. Liaoning Education, 4, 78–79.

69.

Vecchione

Dentale

Alessandri

Barbaranelli

(2014). Fakability of implicit and explicit measures of the big five: Research findings from organizational settings. International Journal of Selection and Assessment, 22(2), 211–218.

70.

Wang

L. J.

(2010). Study on the death attitude of senior high school students and its relationship with attachment. East China Normal University.

71.

Wang

Gai

X. S.

Zhang

Y. Q.

Wang

G. X.

(2018). Influence of adolescents’ sense of well-being on academic development: Mediating effect of school input. Psychological Exploration, 38(3), 260–266.

72.

Wang

X. Q.

Zhang

D. J.

(2012). Development trend of junior high school students’ satisfaction with life and influence of the mental toughness: Two-year follow-up study. Psychological Development and Education, 28(1), 91–98.

73.

Wang

Y. F.

(2017). Relationship among social support, hope and meaning in life of junior high school students. Harbin Normal University.

74.

Wong

P. T. P.

Reker

G. T.

Gesser

(1994). The death attitude Profile-Revised (DAP- R): A multidimensional measure of attitudes toward death. In R. A. Neimeyer (Ed.), Death anxiety handbook: Research, instrumentation, and application. Taylor and Francis.

75.

S. H.

(2006). Study on the sense of meaning in life of adolescents. National Chiayi University.

76.

Xiao

H. E.

Zhang

W. Z.

(2015). Philosophy of the Tujia ethnic minority. World Publishing Guangdong Corporation.

77.

Xiong

M. X.

(2017). The life-and-death view influenced by Hunan’s culture and its modern inspiration. Seeker, 8, 74–79.

78.

Yang

S. C.

Chen

S. F.

(2006). Content analysis of free-response narratives to personal meanings of death among Chinese children and adolescents. Death Studies, 30(3), 217–241.

79.

Yang

S. C.

Chen

S. F.

(2009). The study of personal constructs of death and fear of death among Taiwanese adolescents. Death Studies, 33(10), 913–940.

80.

Yang

P. P.

X. Y.

Kou

(2017). Orientations to happiness and subjective well-being in Chinese adolescents: The roles of prosocial behavior and internet addictive behavior. Journal of Happiness Studies, 18(6), 1747–1762.

81.

X. M.

(2018). Ethical implications of the primitive religion of the Tujia ethnic minority. Religious Studies, 1, 123–128.

82.

Yin

J. Z.

(2011). The influence of natural environment on Tujia culture. Reform and Openness, 5, 198(.

83.

Zhang

S. Y.

Lin

Huang

(2013). Correlation of junior high school students’ meaning in life and subjective sense of well-being and suicidal tendency. Chinese Journal of School Health, 34(8), 927–931.

84.

Zhang

X. G.

(2005). Happiness and personality. Jinan University Press.

85.

Zhang

X. G.

L. G.

Zheng

(2004). Structure of adolescents’ satisfaction with life and preparation of scale. Psychological Science, 27(5), 1257–1260.

86.

Zheng

S. L.

(1995). Influence of death education curriculum on the death attitude of normal college students. National Taiwan Normal University.

87.

Zheng

(2007). Comprehension of life and death. Zhongzhou Ancient Books Publishing House.

88.

Zheng

X. J.

(1999). Good death and good end: Chinese view of death. Yunnan People’s Publishing House.

89.

Zheng

Yan

B. B.

Qiu

(2004). Psychology of happiness. Jinan University Press.

90.

Zheng

Y. J.

(2008). Life consciousness of the primitive religious culture of the Tujia ethnic minority and its modern inspiration. Religious Studies, 4, 93–101.

91.

Zhong

Yang

J. L.

Xia

X. Y.

(2007). Cross-cultural study on the satisfaction with life of Middle school students in ethnic minorities. Journal of Research on Education for Ethnic Minorities, 18(3), 99–104.

92.

Zhou

X. M.

Xiao

(2013). On basic characteristics of Tujia culture. Journal of Hubei Minzu University (Philosophy and Social Science), 31(5), 1–5.

93.

Zhu

J. J.

(2012). Analysis on the life-and-death view in funeral songs of the Tujia ethnic minority in Western Hunan. Journal of Chongqing University of Science and Technology (Social Science), 7, 151–153.