INTRODUCTION

General laws explain what repeats, but miss what in every

phenomenon is singular. For too long the psychological research

originates from a medical and naturalistic vision of health and well-

being, with the ultimate goal of analyzing the regularities and

relationships according to objective criteria, but finishing with the

treat her subjects as "data" (Armezzani, 1999).

The ideal of this research, with a view to change, is investigating the

positive experience of "well-being", in its unrepeatable historical

concreteness, sharing the constructivist and constructionist

perspective "where social well-being is not recognized as a mere

consequence of causative factors, but as a personal mission-

sensitive meaning to events and to the intrinsic individual

experiences, considered in its authentic" global unity "physical,

mental, and social and environmental (ibidem). This change has

been encouraged repeatedly by the World Health Organization by

repeated indications, and supported by the results of numerous

searches (Diener, Suh, Lucas & Smith, 1999; Csikszentmihlyi, 1999).

To achieve this we used a qualitative survey tool ", or the"

Questionnaire on the meanings of "subjective well-being". Through

factor analysis Univariate and we set out to analyze the

interrelationships that exist between health-related variables

253/malaise, and to explain the latter in terms of common factors

below. A further objective was to locate, using the technique of

"cluster analysis", homogeneous groupings structures within them,

in order to highlight topics differenziatisi profiles significantly in

relation to the perception of well-being.

In the first part of this study are then presented a brief historical

framework on psycho-social importance of "subjective well-being"

(Subjective well-being, SWB) and "quality of life" (Quality of Life

QoL), together with their definition, and also a brief recapitulation

of the auto-completed scales for measuring wellbeing developed in

recent decades and some issues relating to these methods.

In the second part are instead shown the methodology and the

analysis conducted on sample taken into observation, followed by

the description of the results obtained.

In conclusion you have further thoughts on the results, drawing in

nuce the methodological and epistemological concepts

underpinning structure of this research.

Quality of life and subjective well-being

Authentic individuality or character of an individual, is not a mere

consequence of causative factors and you can't figure out based on

these factors, but it is an understandable unit itself that expresses

itself in every event, and so on can be understood on the basis of

each of these.

(Dilthey)

1.1 A historical framework

The psychosocial significance of "subjective well-being" (Subjective

well-being, SWB) and quality of life (QoL, Quality of Life) are

connected to the great transformations of reference frames of

cultural-historical people conduct their lives. At the end of the 60 's

in the United States and Europe has spread gradually, increasingly

social strata amp, greater sensitivity to human needs whose

satisfaction was increasingly perceived as a right rather than a gift of

life (Sibilia, 2004). This is necessary as such. rest and leisure,

accessibility to higher education, participation in community life,

which go beyond those basics, associated namely with a

comfortable and dignified survival, and whose legitimacy was

already enshrined in the Charter of human rights was signed in Paris

on December 10, 1948 and which will be claimed in the decade from

' 65 to ' 75 by student protests and workers in our country. The

United States developed the so-called "social indicators movement"

(MIS), with the aim of providing an estimate of the distribution of

social welfare, in order to allow the Administration to make the best

choices in those sectors of society where it was necessary to

improve welfare standards (Department of Health, Education and

Welfare, 1969). In the years ' 70 has introduced a new term,

"Quality of life" (QoL), to indicate a new trend of studies, different

from the approach of MIS, which stems from criticism of the

dominant values of industrial civilization. The QoL is presented as a

demand for excellence, improvement of State intervention in the

economic field but also social in the sense of maximizing the

production of goods and extend even to the poorest groups of the

population, while preventing ecological damage and negative

effects. This idea later moved slowly inside of life and comes the

need to make a social and health policy to promote health. This is

also the frontier of new medicine becomes increasingly wide in

those years (Berlinguer, 1968).

From the 70 's onwards, the living environment and social relations

began to be considered a scope that includes both determinants in

the genesis of diseases, both in the recovery, in maintaining or

improving health. Among the claims there is also the one that refers

to the "fourth group of harmful factors, i.e. factors that generate

psychic pathology (G.F. Goldwurm, 1972). Among these factors are

monotonous, parceling, excessive saturation of rhythms,

repetitiveness, difficult positions, heavy shifts and working hours,

but also authoritarian relationships, systematic frustrations,

alienating work, professional disqualification, the economic

insecurity (Goldwurm, 1971). In the years ' 60 and ' 70, therefore,

the concept of QoL assumed a challenging value compared to a

capitalist society and consumerist all projected towards the tangible

existence (according to the logic of the Welfare State), not

respectful of nature and collective health, deaf to the values of

human solidarity (& Pesenti, Goldworm 1994). In the crisis of the

Welfare State are emerging needs and spiritual and ethical values,

participation and solidarity, more respectful of human needs "more

radical" (Heller, 1977). It is noted as the prospect of participation

and the perception of having a social weight in the democratic

decisions of their communities is factor of subjective well-being and

happiness (Butler & Ranney, 1994; Frey & Stutzer, 2000, 2002;

Veenhoven, 2001). Also in the area of Psychiatry since the early 60 's

with Babu developed anti-institutional movement, which aimed to

remove the mentally ill from asylums, "ristoricizzarli", before making

them attend meetings with the life of the psychiatric hospital, then

reinserendoli in their families and assisting them in their territory,

and at the same time letting them regain dignity and power of

citizens (Basaglia, 1968; Goldwurm & Damani, 1976; Goldwurm &

Alberti, 1978). All of this has contributed to the new dimensions of

psychological well-being they need these people (Stein & .1980 Test;

Lehman, Laird & Hanker 1986; Cialdella, 1992; Sartorius, 2001). With

the development of prospects for the world of work (the rose, 1983)

there is a need to assess the qualitative aspects of the way we live

and work and not only quantitative and economic ones. However

the great ideals of the post-war welfare State, and becoming more

acute the breakup of the Welfare State, is to challenge a private

dimension, voluntary and individualistic social and institutional

relationships. It's what Wholesale (2003) calls "risk society" and that

overwhelms the new generations of the years ' 90, which despite its

well-being feel psychologically insecure and in need to acquire and

enhance their inner happiness, so to speak. Seligman (2003) in this

respect, calls into question the collapse of family values, religious

and state laws, which are associated with an increase in material

well-being but at the same time you highlight in these generations

individualism and social isolation. We try in private, "intimate

relations", the safety and the satisfaction that the globalized Society

in general there can more give.

Definition of "quality of life"

The term "quality of life" (QoL) lends itself to several possible

definitions and the high level of abstraction and complexity of

attribute "quality" of life and the different disciplines involved in

efforts to define and measure it, making it problematic to define it

unambiguously; It is not the opposite of "quantity" and that term is

used by those who believe incorrectly identify the univocally

progress with the welfare and economic development. In addition it

defines never with a content, but rather for what fights, which

opposes. As Durand (1982-1983): "the quality of life was first

defined negatively, as the absence or reduction of the harmfulness".

Since this is no longer the conquest of a QoL threatened by

civilization. The social importance that buy is the measure of the

perceived threat. "The criteria of QoL are nothing but elements

opposed than those who go to define the harmfulness: space, pure

water, air quality, food quality, and the calm" (ibidem).

The evolution of a vision of subjective well-being as psychological

positive experience and not as a mere absence of symptoms,

resulted in very recent times in recognition of positive psychology,

has occurred in recent years in venta North America thanks to the

work of Diener and Associates (Positive Psychology, see.Seligman,

2002; Seligman & Csikszentmihalyi, 2000). The objects of

investigation of this field of study are subjective experiences and the

positive traits, virtues, and also the institutions able to promote

personal and social well-being, as ultimate goal the prevention

rather than cure. You go so outlining a new perspective in which the

QoL is framed in a set of concepts that seek to get closer to the

essence of human well-being "(Szalai, 1980). For Gasperini (1985)

the QoL is the subjective assessment of one's life; This arises from

comparison between real life and that hold, namely the evaluation

of the distance between them. The QoL will be evaluated, i.e., when

the distance is reduced; low and unsatisfactory when the distance is

large. The reality is lifestyles function and the degree of adaptation

to the environment, or in other words of satisfaction or

dissatisfaction with the reality experienced (Gasperini, 1985).

Among the many available definitions, that of Campbell of 1976 has

the merit of highlighting that the QoL is a something subjective, tied

to the well-being of an individual, which must be taken into account

many factors, including only one of many dealing with health, a

"value" that is the only item of interest in medicine. In fact, the

medicine, as far as the definition of health by the who in 1948 offer

reminds us that health is something that goes beyond the presence

or absence of disease in an effort to measure "quantitatively"

"qualitative" aspects of life, has coined the term "health-related

QoL", content to take into account only those aspects of life that are

related to health and therefore relevant to its mission and modified

by his speeches.

Beyond the various theories and definitions has repeatedly

emphasised how the QoL not only by objective circumstances

(health, housing, education, etc.), but also and above all from the

experience that the individual lives during his lifetime and by the

needs of this emerging (Campbell & Converse, 1976; Rodgers, 1975).

Definition of subjective well-being and

psychological

In the context of health experience Psychology of subjective well-

being is considered one of the components of quality of life and

health, and then a starting point to guide the activities of

rehabilitation and health promotion (Low .2006 & Bean).

Ryan and Deci (2001) showed in their review two different research

directions in the study of well-being. The first direction of research

has focused on the analysis of the subjective experience of well-

being or "subjective well-being" (Diener, 1984) conceptualised as a

positive emotional experience (presence of suffering and absence of

unpleasant feelings) and presence of feelings of satisfaction with

one's life. The second direction of investigation has proposed a set

of criteria of "psychological well-being", meant as psychological

operations or "optimal positive mental health" (Ryff, 1989).

Both previous perspectives conceive the welfare as a phenomenon

strictly separate, and in the study of psychological factors that

contribute to determining it were reviewed by a interazionista

perspective, which, in other words, it means that despite the

subjective well-being is an individual experience, it can be

considered as the result of interaction between the individual and

the context, or the outcome of an optimal ratio ("fit") between the

subject and the environment. On the construction of psychological

well-being, come into play, according to the latter perspective,

goals, values and the needs of the person (development tasks and

possibility of using strategies that are compatible with their own

personality and with the environment), the personal and social

importance of the tasks that the individual faces and the skills

possessed by the subject to address them, the roles and social

relationships.

The two perspectives flow both in the field of study that is called

positive psychology, thanks to which the subjective well-being is

seen as positive psychological experience and not as a mere absence

of symptoms. (Positive Psychology, see. Seligman, 2002; Seligman &

Csikszentmihalyi, 2000).

Social Psychology and Health Psychology have proposed theoretical

constructs that can be used in the study and evaluation of the

condition of well-being, encouraging, theoretical and

methodological proposals (see. Zani, Chakma, 1999) a

multidimensional concept of wellness, in line with the provisions of

or O.M.S.

To be continued……and corrected!

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