A Comparative Study of Psychological Distress, Life Satisfaction, Forgiveness and Happiness in Private Sector It Professionals: An Exploratory Study

Abstract

Working life of an individual takes up a major share of his/her life. The work environment has a pivotal role in the lifestyle of an individual. Hence, it should be nurturing and developing along with the productive standards. The pressures of high performance and monotony can cause negative views among the working people. In the present scenario, the working professionals in the private sectors experience higher levels of psychological distress due to burnout and increased competitiveness. Psychological distresses can consequent in unconstructive views of the environment, others and the self. The concept of life satisfaction, henceforth, comes into focus which in this case, is significantly hindered. Life satisfaction is the subjective assessment of the quality of one’s life. Along these lines, conclusive relationship has been established between satisfaction with life and happiness. Moreover, the person with significant levels of life contentment is likely to engage in the act of forgiveness. In Indian context, these hassles might be differing for both the genders. Despite the pressures of daily life and ever demanding role of Indian women in families and their workplace, equilibrium needs to be established where women can play the twin role without compromising on her mental and physical health. This indicates that gender might play a significant role in the experience of Psychological distress, Life Satisfaction, Forgiveness, and Happiness among Males and Females. Based on this premise, the present research attempts to investigate the magnitude of Psychological Distress, Life Satisfaction, Forgiveness, and Happiness among Private Sector IT Professionals. The sample has been segregated on the basis of gender, i.e., males and females. The research intends to find out the discrepancy in the aforesaid variables between the two groups. The sample of 100 IT professionals was surveyed in the ratio of 1:1. The research was accomplished using the following tools: General Health Questionnaire (GHQ-12) (Goldberg & Williams, 1988), The Satisfaction with Life Scale (SwLS) (Diener et al., 1985), Heartland Forgiveness Scale (Snyder, Thompson & Hoffman, 2005), and Oxford Happiness Questionnaire (Argyle & Hills, 1989).