Conservatism,Locus of Control and Life Satisfaction: A Person/Environment Fit Analysis

Pettigrew's (1958) hypothesis that quality of psychological adjustment is partly a function of the fit between a person's political values and those of the surrounding social milieu was tested using student samples from Queensland and South Australia. The measures of psychological adjustment were two factors of locus of control (political and general) and general life satisfaction. As predicted, in the Queensland sample conservatism was positively associated with higher general life satisfaction while this correlation was reversed for the South Australian sample. Results for the locus of control measures failed to support the hypothesis. The results provided support for the general Person/Environment fit model and indicated the feasibility and value of studying regional differences in Australia.