Predicting job satisfaction from life satisfaction: is there a general satisfaction factor?

Job satisfaction has been shown to be related to a number of individual and organizational effectiveness variables. Consequently, it is suggested that attempts to select individuals with inclinations towards satisfaction would be of theoretical and practical importance. For five samples of individuals representing a wide variety of occupations, regression analyses were used to assess the usefulness of life satisfaction in the prediction of subsequent job satisfaction, while statistically controlling various demographic variables, pay, tenure, and perceptions of task characteristics. In a sixth sample of workers eligible for retirement, the hypothesis that life satisfaction can be predicted from job satisfaction was also examined. The results showed that in three of the first five samples, life satisfaction was a significant predictor of job satisfaction. In the sample of retirees, significant results were also obtained using job satisfaction to predict subsequent life satisfaction. It is suggested that satisfaction may be a relatively stable and general aspect of certain individuals which is a function of particular personality characteristics and/or an inclination towards interpreting various situations in a favorable manner.