Effect of Age and Gender on Subjective Vitality of Adults

Description

Page: 214-218

Surjeet Singh¹, Arjun Sharma², and Rekha Rani³ (Department of Psychology, Chaudhary Bansi Lal Government College for Women, Tosham, Bhiwani, Haryana¹, Department of Psychology, Government College, Mandi Hariya, Charkhi Dadri, Haryana², and Department of Psychology, IGNOU New Delhi³)

Subjective vitality refers to a state characterized by high positive mental energy in which a person experiences vigor and cheerfulness; he/she enjoys his life with liveliness and energy (Ryan & Frederick, 1997). A vital person has the competence to make use of his own Functional abilities, is ready to take responsibility; has the knowledge and skills to do the tasks effectively, and ultimately the gift to enjoy the results (Ryan & Deci, 2000). Besides many things which determine one’s vigor and aliveness (indicator of health & well-being) age and gender during a person’s whole life also influence their feeling of aliveness and energy. The present study was conducted to examine the effect of age and gender on subjective vitality of adults. A 3 x 2 factorial research design was framed in the current research Subjective Vitality Scale (Ryan & Frederick, 1997) and consent forms with demographic details were used to fulfill the purpose of the study. The study sample consisted of 300 adults of both genders, with a mean age 49.42 years, selected on the basis of availability. Hypotheses have been tested through ANOVA and post hoc analysis procedures to study the effect of age and gender on the subjective vitality of adults. The findings of the study revealed that age and gender have a significant effect on subjective vitality among adult participants. Older adults were low in subjective vitality as compared to middle and young adults; female participants report low feelings of aliveness and energy as compared to male participants. Analysis of variance also showed a significant interaction effect of age x gender on subjective vitality (feeling of vigor & aliveness). The strategies to drive vitality among adults were also suggested in present study.