Page No 29-39
Nandini Satija and Indrani Regon
University of Delhi, Delhi.
Work-life balance and job satisfaction are critical factors influencing the well-being and
effectiveness of mental health professionals, including psychologists. This study aimed
to investigate and compare the levels of job satisfaction and work-life balance between
organizational psychologists and independent psychologists in India, addressing a
significant gap in the existing literature. A sample of 60 practicing clinical and counselling
psychologists, with 30 from each group, participated in the study. Job satisfaction was
measured using the Minnesota Satisfaction Questionnaire (MSQ), while the Work-Life
Balance (WLB) Scale by J. Hayman was employed to assess work-life balance. Job
satisfaction was measured on three facets, intrinsic, extrinsic and total. The results
revealed no significant difference in job satisfaction levels between the two groups.
However, the study found significant differences in work-life balance between the two
groups. Independent psychologists reported better overall work-life balance, less work
interference with personal life, less interference of personal life with work and a better
work and personal life enhancementIndian perspective on personality is predominantly derived from the Samkhya philosophy.
It is a dualistic school of Indian philosophy that views Purusha and Prakriti as the two
independent elements that form reality. Prakriti is formed by three components of ‘Gunas’
namely Sattva, Rajas, and Tamas, that are interdependent (Chakraborty, 1987). In
psychological research understanding the factors influencing subjective well-being of
an individual is a central question. In previous researches different personality traits
have been examined as a predictor of life satisfaction but Indic personality structure
has rarely been used. Subjective well-being has been conceptualized as consisting of
affective and cognitive components (Diener, 1984). The cognitive component has also
been conceptualized as life satisfaction (Andrews & Withey, 1976). The term “life
satisfaction” relates to how much a person likes their life (Diener et al.,1998). Life
satisfaction is a cognitive and global assessment of one’s overall quality of life. Although
personality traits predict life satisfaction the mechanism through it occurs could include
social support systems. Present study explored the mediating role of perceived social
support in the relationship between tri-guna personality and life satisfaction. Perceived
social support can be defined as individual’s perception of availability and adequacy of
emotional and instrumental support from family, friends, and significant others. (Zimet
et al., 1988). Results revealed that sattva is positively associated with life satisfaction
whereas, rajas, and tamas were found to be negatively associated with life satisfaction.
Mediation analysis revealed that perceived social support partially mediates the
relationship between tri-guna personality and life satisfaction