Philosophy and its Psychological Correlates

Stoicism is a philosophy that aims to remove unnecessary suffering and improve meaning in life by perfecting human rationality. The differences between Stoicism, the ancient Greek philosophy, and stoicism, the psychological measure, are yet to be sufficiently understood. The Liverpool Stoicism Scale (LSS) has been associated with negative psychological outcomes but has poor conceptual validity for measuring Stoic philosophy. The Pathak-Wieten Stoicism Ideology Scale (PW-SIS) is an improved method of assessment of Stoic philosophy and was used in this study to assess the possible interactions between stoicism, gender, satisfaction with life and age. During the month of May 2023, 772 participants (women = 79%, M Age = 47.37, SD Age = 12.53), 18 years or older, answered demographic questions, the PW-SIS, and the Satisfaction With Life Scale. An omnibus model multiple regression revealed: a weak, negative, and significant relationship between stoicism and satisfaction with life; a weak, positive, and significant relationship between stoicism and gender; and no significant relationship between stoicism and age. Exploratory analyses revealed different associations between facets of Stoicism, mean stoicism, and satisfaction with life. This study used the PW-SIS, to provide conclusions with an improved conceptual validity than that made using the LSS. Facet level analyses affords conclusions that can distinguish differential effects of Stoic philosophy and thereby improve the ability to apply particular beneficial components in psychological interventions.