Core Self-Evaluation, Emotional Reactivity to Interpersonal Conflict, and Subjective Well-Being: The Moderating Role of Horizontal Collectivism

Sunyoung Oh

doi:10.3390/su14052515

Abstract

This study aims to examine a moderated mediation model wherein core self-evaluation (CSE) and horizontal collectivism (HC) interact to predict negative emotional reactivity to interpersonal conflict, and thus HC moderates the indirect effects of CSE on subjective well-being (SWB) through emotional reactivity. A short-term prospective study was conducted with 257 South Korean university students. Participants completed measures of CSE and HC, and then reported their experiences with interpersonal conflict and SWB in an online survey about two weeks later. We found that, among low HC participants, after controlling for the importance of conflict issues, individual differences in CSE predicted emotional reactivity to interpersonal conflict, and emotional reactivity was in turn negatively associated with SWB. By contrast, among high-HC participants, emotional reactivity to interpersonal conflict did not differ as a function of CSE, and the indirect effects of CSE on SWB were not significant. These findings highlight the importance of high CSE and HC values in fostering emerging adults’ resilience against the detrimental effects of interpersonal conflict in sustaining individuals’ SWB. Implications for conflict management interventions are discussed.

Highlights

The Moderating Role of HorizontalOver the past two decades or so, research in the field of positive psychology has accumulated considerable evidence emphasizing the importance of building individuals’well-being in various important life domains, such as mental health, longevity, and workrelated outcomes [1]
Subjective well-being (SWB), defined as “people’s evaluations of their lives, which can be judgments such as life satisfaction, evaluations based on feelings, including moods and emotions” [2] (p. 1), is an ultimate life goal, but it serves as a critical resource in promoting psychological wellness and sustainable living through upward spirals [3,4,5]
The results showed that core self-evaluation (CSE) was negatively associated with emotional reactivity after controlling for issue importance (b = −0.24, SE = 0.12, p < 0.05, 95%CI [−0.46, −0.004]) and that emotional reactivity was negatively related with SWB (b = −0.48, SE = 0.13, p < 0.01, 95%CI [−0.72, −0.23])

Summary

Introduction

The Moderating Role of HorizontalOver the past two decades or so, research in the field of positive psychology has accumulated considerable evidence emphasizing the importance of building individuals’well-being in various important life domains, such as mental health, longevity, and workrelated outcomes [1]. Researchers have sought to identify individual factors that enhance SWB and to promote resilience to stressful events that threaten SWB [6]. Following this line of approach, in this study, we identify young adults’ personal resources that guard against the detrimental effects of interpersonal conflict on SWB. Previous research has identified interpersonal conflict as one of the most common daily stressors, with the largest effects on SWB, including mental health and physical symptoms [7,8,9,10,11]. In an experience sampling study, Ilies et al [12] reported that the occurrence of interpersonal conflict was responsible for changes in employees’

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