Power, authenticity, and happiness: Evidence from Filipino college students

• Main Author: Datu, Jesus Alfonso D.
• Format: text
• Language: English
• Published: Animo Repository 2014
• Online Access: https://animorepository.dlsu.edu.ph/etd_masteral/4646
• Institution: De La Salle University

The present study aimed to investigate the impact of power on the subjective well being of Filipino college students using a sequential explanatory mixed methods research design. Three hundred and seventy five Filipino college students participated in the quantitative phase while 6 college students took part in the qualitative phase of the study. In the quantitative phase, results showed that: a.) power negatively predicted subjective well being b.) power positively predicted authenticity c.) authenticity negatively predicted subjective well being and d.) authenticity fully mediated the link between power and subjective well being. A more in-depth explanation of these relationships was explored using multiple case study. Member checking, peer debriefing, and inquiry auditing were also utilized to enhance the trustworthiness of the analyzed qualitative data. Findings of the qualitative phase revealed nine major themes that further elaborated the negative impact of power and authenticity on the subjective well being and the positive effect of power on the authenticity of Filipino college students. The themes that characterized the reasons on the beneficial consequence of power on authenticity include: a.) Power affords greater self-expression b.) Power heightens the ability to control others and c.) Power decreases sensitivity to others. On the other hand, the themes that described the reasons on the negative impact of authenticity on happiness include: a.) Authenticity elicits criticisms from others b.) Authenticity leads to relationship problems and c.) Authenticity leads to greater apprehensions. The themes that defined the reasons regarding the negative impact of power on happiness involve: a.) Power impairs relationship b.) Power evokes negative judgments from others and c.) Power comes with a great responsibility. The results of the quantitative and qualitative phases were integrated to generate explanations on why greater power may not always lead to happiness in a collectivist context based on the assumptions of the self-construal theory.