Keywords
Well-Being, Coping Strategies, Life Meaning
Abstract
The article outlines the effects of the proactive coping on well-being in a convenient sample comprising 350 Bulgarians, aged 18 – 55. Volunteers were administered self-assessment instruments, describing coping strategies, basic psychological needs, life purpose, resilience, conspiracy beliefs, happiness and life satisfaction. Results reveal that the proactive coping predicts life satisfaction and happiness, autonomy, competence and relatedness as basic needs. Presence of life meaning and search for meaning are confirmed to be quite opposite constructs. Presence of meaning is negatively related to coping strategies and well-being. For this sample adaptive and well-being promoter is search of meaning and less reliance on fixed commitments, expressed in the presence of meaning. This suggests that if person prefers to maintain commitments without further exploration, this prevents development and lowers the level of well-being.