THE ROLE OF KEY PSYCHOSOCIAL RESOURCES IN SUBJECTIVE WELL-BEING AMONG ROMANIAN PROFESSIONALLY ACTIVE ADULTS ACROSS DIFFERENT AGE GROUPS

Objectives. This research investigates the role of key psychosocial resources in well-being among professionally active adults. The present work aims to identify essential psychosocial resources for achieving personal goals across different age groups and examine how these resources predict subjective well-being. Material and methods. Two studies were conducted. Study 1 involved 213 adults aged 18-65, divided into four age groups. Participants evaluated 204 personal goals and assessed the utility of 93 resources, based on checklists. Study 2 included 514 adults and used the Positive Psychological Functioning Scale to measure key psychological resources, the Multidimensional Scale of Perceived Social Support to measure social support, and the Satisfaction with Life Scale to measure subjective well-being. The psychometric properties of these instruments were validated for the Romanian population. Results. Psychosocial resources appreciated essential for successfully achieving personal goals vary in importance as individuals age and progress through different stages of adulthood. Priorities and valued resources adapt to the specific needs of each period of adult life. The influence of psychological resources on well-being varies with age. Psychological resources, central for well-being, fully (or partially) mediate the influence of other psychological resources, as well as social support. Conclusions. Age functions more than a fragmentation variable; it shapes the opportunities and constraints faced by professionally active adults, thereby necessitating different resources for the successful achievement of personal goals. Furthermore, key psychological resources, deemed essential for personal goals, not only predict well-being but also mediate the influence of other resources, including social support, on subjective well-being. Keywords: psychosocial resources, subjective well-being, personal goals, age differences, professionally active adults.