Fifteenth International Conference on Interdisciplinary Social Sciences

Abstract

Derailment is a novel construct that focuses on one’s change in self and self-direction. It occurs when an individual has difficulty reconciling their past and present selves. In the present study, the researchers aimed to investigate derailment and exposure to social media as predictors for life satisfaction. The study consisted of 117 valid responses from adults whose ages ranged from 19 to 40 years old. While utilizing a survey design, the researchers gathered the data through an online questionnaire that was distributed and posted online to qualified participants. A simple multiple regression analysis was conducted to test the hypothesis. Results show that the regression model is statistically significant, indicating its goodness of fit. The model significantly predicted the variance in life satisfaction. The regression coefficient of derailment was significantly different from zero, indicating that high feelings of derailment are associated with lower life satisfaction. However, the regression coefficient for social media exposure was not significantly different from zero. The results of the present study exhibit consistency with existing literature as highly derailed individuals tend to have negative psychological consequences, including low life satisfaction. On the other hand, social media exposure may not have a significant difference on its own, rather, maladaptive emotion regulation strategies such as rumination may still play a role in its relationship with derailment. Although still in its infancy, further research about derailment should be conducted given its possible implications in the psychological well-being of a person.