A Q-method investigation of individual value priorities in subjective well-being: understanding what makes well-being matter.

Objectives: The current investigation aimed to inform theory by exploring the question: How do individual value-priorities influence participants’ constructions of personal well-being? Design: The study employed Q Methodology, which assembles a comprehensive concourse of literature-informed viewpoints, operationalised as numbered qualitative statements for objective quantitative analysis. Q Method provided the ability to operationalise and integrate complex subjective values, facilitating subsequent interpretative analysis of how values influence subjective well-being. Methods: An opportunity sample of 30 participants (12 male, 18 female; 19-66 years), ranked 60 value statements according to subjective importance on a 13-point forced choice distribution grid ranging from -6 (most unimportant) to +6 (most important). Data were subjected to factor analysis and factor extraction using principle component analysis with Varimax rotation. Data sets loading on separate factors with an Eigenvalue of .06 or above were merged to form holistic factor arrays, each subjected to holistic interpretive analyses.
Results: Thirteen participants (8 male 5 female), loaded significantly on five factors, (factors 1,2 and 3; three loadings), (factors 4 and 5; two loadings), accounting for 53% of the sample variance. Holistic analyses identified five themes: Exploring Life through my Choices; Faith Family Acceptance and Balance; Keeping Family Close and Embracing Life; Finding Positive Meaning in the World; Being True to Myself and Defining my Boundaries. Conclusions: Findings demonstrate that individual values have a significant influence on subsequent development of subjective constructs of personal well-being. These constructs do not conform to components associated with one distinct domain of well-being, but incorporate dynamic, interactive components from multiple domains.