Lithuanian Historical Heritage: Relation with Authority and Psychological Well-being

Abstract

Relation with authority has been a relevant problem in times of change characteristic of the post-Soviet countries. A number of studies have stressed the importance of relation with authority in interpersonal relationships, psychosocial adjustment and well-being. The purpose of the current study is to explore the links between psychological well-being and relation with authority in three Lithuanian generations: young adults, who were born in independent Lithuania (aged 19-26); the middle generation, who have lived both under the Soviet occupation and in independent Lithuania (aged 27-49), and elderly persons, who have lived longer under the Soviet occupation (aged 50-70), 405 participants in total. The study used the Relation with Authority Scale (Grigutyte Gudaite, 2015), the Well-Being Index (WHO, 1998) and the subjective ratings of how often the participants a) consumed alcohol, b) used antidepressants, c) had thoughts of suicide, d) turned to family members and friends or e) turned to mental health professionals for help. Results show that different aspects of internal and external relation with authority are important for higher psychological well-being in groups which vary in age and historical heritage. Psychological well-beingis affected by self-esteem and is higher if: a) elderly persons, who have lived longer under the Soviet occupation, have more authorities; b) the middle generation, who have lived under the Soviet occupation and in independent Lithuania, have a less resistant relation with authority; c) young adults, who were born in independent Lithuania, rely more on transpersonal powers and have a less troubled relation with authority.