On the Theory of Life Balance

In today's hectic world, managing the integration of life domains is a challenge most people face. We all often complain there is too much to do and we might feel that our life is "out of balance". We might feel unsatisfied with it but we often do not know how to behave in order to change it. What does in mean to hold our life in balance? Which personality factors facilitate it? In his book, Peter Gröpel focuses on the topic of life balance and discusses previous research that has been devoted to the individuals' ability to balance their activities across life domains. He criticizes the traditional - twodimensional-view of life balance that includes work and family domains only, and adopts Seiwert's multi-dimensional approach which reflects the multidimensionality of life. After introducing theoretical background, he provides pilot research on life balance as a multi-dimensional construct. The author's research includes (1) developing and validity testing of new life balance measures, (2) investigating basic personality mechanisms underlying life balance, (3) specifying why life balance is beneficial for peoples' wellbeing, and (4) identifying specific self-regulatory competences that affect life balance. The book is aimed at researchers and academics interested in research on work-life interface.