Life Satisfaction among Indonesian Emerging Adults: The Impact of Perfectionism and Self-Esteem

Abstract

The emerging adulthood stage has now reached a period where individuals are ready to begin the search for a suitable profession, find a life partner, build a new family, and pursue their childhood aspirations. Conventional societal and personal expectations put pressure on emerging adults. When these expectations cannot be met, it creates distress and a sense of dissatisfaction among emerging adults. We made assumptions about the impact of perfectionism and self-esteem on the overall satisfaction experienced during the young adult phase. Therefore, the main objective of this study was to determine the correlation between perfectionism and self-esteem with the level of life satisfaction. This study utilized a quantitative methodology, using a non-probability sampling technique to recruit 175 individuals who met the criteria of being between 18 to 25 years old and Indonesian. The results of this study found that perfectionism and self-esteem are able to predict life satisfaction simultaneously. Self-esteem positively affects life satisfaction. Surprisingly, perfectionism also positively affects life satisfaction. However, the correlates of perfectionist aspects were found to be significantly positive to life satisfaction, namely parental expectation, personal standards, and organization. Future research is expected to provide a more complete picture in explaining the influence between these variables.