The relation between personal values and flourishing in adolescence: The moderating role of religiosity

According to positive psychology, flourishing is a state of well-being in which both the hedonic (pleasure related to both positive emotions and sensations) and eudaimonic (development and realization of potentialities) components are considered. As such, it represents the optimal functioning individuals may achieve, and for this reason, it is an important adjustment index, especially for adolescents, who, during this critical life period, have to deal with many developmental tasks. This study focused on some possible individual predictors of flourishing, such as religiosity and personal values. It took into account the direct path between values, operationalized according to Schwartz's Theory of Universal Values, and flourishing in a group of 240 Italian adolescents (66.5% girls, Mage = 17.22, DSage = 1.47), with the aim to analyze whether and how this relationship is moderated by the level of religiosity. The results showed a significant and positive relationship between the values of openness to change and conservation with flourishing. Moreover, results pointed out a moderating effect of religiosity: at high levels of religiosity, the link between self-transcendence and flourishing is also significant. Thus, values, in general, and self-transcendence in the case of interaction with religiosity, contribute to adolescents' well-being. The theoretical and practical implications of the results are discussed.