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Beyond the Search for Meaning: A Contemporary Science of the Experience of Meaning in Life
Abstract
Recent advances in the science of meaning in life have taught us a great deal about the nature of the experience of meaning in life, its antecedents and consequences, and its potential functions. Conclusions based on self-report measures of meaning in life indicate that, as might be expected, it is associated with many aspects of positive functioning. However, this research also indicates that the experience of meaning in life may come from unexpectedly quotidian sources, including positive mood and coherent life experiences. Moreover, the experience of meaning in life may be quite a bit more commonplace than is often portrayed. Attending to the emerging science of meaning in life suggests not only potentially surprising conclusions but new directions for research on this important aspect of well-being.
... Meaning and purpose are often used interchangeably, but according to Steger (2012), meaning contains two dimensions: comprehension-to make sense of and understand one's life-and purpose-to have long-term aspirations. King, Heintzelman, and Ward (2016) argue that there are three central components in a meaningful life: purpose, significance, and coherence. Purpose refers to having goals in life, significance refers to a life of value or importance, and coherence refers to an individual's everyday sensemaking routines. ...
... Emotional engagement refers to students' emotional reactions to their school, teachers, and schoolmates (Goodenow, 1993). Positive emotions fuel positive resonance between people (Fredrickson, 2013(Fredrickson, , 2014 affecting the emotional engagement in interactions Exploration A sense of belonging in class and in groups makes it safe to start explorations (Baumeister & Leary, 1995) Explanation HQCs between teachers and students can be supported by focusing on the cognitive element other-awareness and the behavioural elements respect and task-enabling (Dutton et al., 2003 HQCs between students can be supported by focusing on cognitive, emotional, and behavioural elements to promote relations (Dutton et al., 2003 Formative or summative evaluations should be based on respect for the student and for the work performed by the student (Dutton et al., 2003(Dutton et al., , 2012 An important aspect of a meaningful life is social relationships and the feelings of relatedness, belonging, support, and closeness to others (King et al., 2016). When we experience meaning, we feel part of, or connected to, something bigger than ourselves (Peterson & Seligman, 2004) and we are inclined to contribute in a positive way to communities and the lives of others (Fredrickson, 2013). ...
... Every day, we construct hundreds of meanings in relation to the small meaning-but the small meaning is in constant interaction with the big meaning and at the same time, the big meaning becomes the reference framework in which the small meaning is created. King et al. (2016) argue that the "strongest predictor of a day's being considered meaningful is the amount of positive mood experienced that day" (p. 213). ...
In a world of educational crisis, students who lack engagement and feel bored at school might not pursue further education when given opportunities to leave school. In the twenty-first century, there is a need for lifelong learners and it is therefore essential to focus on optimising education. How do we support deep learning and application of knowledge? How do we support student motivation for learning? How do we engage students in learning activities? How do we make students thrive in schools and learning activities? This chapter offers possible answers to these questions. The chapter starts by introducing important elements of learning and a framework for optimising education and engaging the students. Next, the PERMA model for optimising wellbeing for students is presented, and finally the two frameworks are combined to create thriving learners by focusing on active, involving, and engaging learning in combination with a focus on wellbeing.
... 531). King, Heintzelman, and Ward (2016) also recapitulate the King, Hicks, Krull, and De Gaiso definition and identify therein three central components of meaning [that] are highlighted in this definition and throughout the literature on this topic: purpose, significance, and coherence. Purpose refers to having goals and direction in life. ...
... With increased conceptual clarity it is now possible to devise a measure that more successfully captures key aspects of meaning. As King et al. (2016) point out, although the tripartite definition, or indeed any definition "may not capture every possible nuance of meaning in life, it is an approximation that allows us to view this experience through the lens of science. It is a workable conceptual definition that permits measurement" (p. ...
... This expresses well the distinction we are making between global and individual coherence. This aspect of the CMM's design is directly responsive to a challenge for future research laid out by King et al. (2016), who observe that while "relations among and potential distinctiveness of these three facets of meaning remain an important area for research, psychometric studies have suggested that these facets of meaning in life may occupy a lower level in a hierarchy, with 'global meaning' at the top" (p. 212). ...
Psychological researchers have advanced several instruments to measure meaning. Philosophers have debated the objective versus subjective status of meaning in life and on the global versus individual or personal aspects of meaning. In this chapter, the authors make use of an emerging consensus in the psychology literature concerning a tripartite structure of meaning as cognitive coherence , affective significance , and motivational direction . They enrich this understanding with important philosophical distinctions to distinguish subdomains within this tripartite understanding. The authors use relevant philosophical distinctions to classify existing measurement items into a seven-fold structure intended to more comprehensively assess an individual’s sense of meaning. The proposed measure, with three items in each subdomain drawn from previous scales, constitutes what is put forward as the Comprehensive Measure of Meaning to hopefully enrich the empirical research on the assessment of, and on the causes and effects of, having a sense of meaning.
... The meaning of life refers to how people give meaning to their lives, such as the daily pursuit of goals, and implies the ability to strive for happiness [1][2][3]. In addition, this construct is a cognitive process that allows us to understand life, oneself, and others comprehensively and consistently [4][5][6]. ...
... The Questionnaire was developed in the United States by Steger et al. [6] and adapted to Spanish in Argentina by Góngora et al. [28]. This scale comprises ten items that measure two dimensions: the presence of meaning (1,4,5,6,9) and the search for meaning (2,3,7,8,10). In addition, the items present seven Likert-type response categories: (1) Absolutely false, (2) Mostly false, (3) Somewhat false, (4) Neither true nor false, (5) Somewhat true, (6) Mostly true, and (7) Absolutely true. ...
... This scale comprises ten items that measure two dimensions: the presence of meaning (1,4,5,6,9) and the search for meaning (2,3,7,8,10). In addition, the items present seven Likert-type response categories: (1) Absolutely false, (2) Mostly false, (3) Somewhat false, (4) Neither true nor false, (5) Somewhat true, (6) Mostly true, and (7) Absolutely true. Concerning the psychometric properties, in the study by Góngora et al. [28], the scale has validity based on the internal structure (CFI = 0.95, TLI = 0.92, RMSEA = 0.09). ...
Background
The study of the meaning of life is essential since it plays a protective role in the mental health of university students. However, no studies have shown the adequate psychometric functioning of the MLQ in Latin American university students. For this reason, this research aims to evaluate the internal structure using CTT models, obtain evidence of validity based on the relationship with other variables, perform factorial invariance according to gender, and estimate the reliability of the MLQ.
Methods
A sample of 581 Peruvian undergraduate students of both sexes (29.5% men and 70.5% women) between the ages of 18 and 35 (M = 22.6; SD = 3.3) was collected. Along with the MLQ, other instruments were applied to measure satisfaction with life (SWLS), subjective well-being (WBI), and depression (PHQ-9).
Results
In the present study was evidenced that the model of two related factors of nine items presents better adjustment indices (RMSEA = .075; SRMR = .059; CFI = .97; TLI = .96) compared to other models. Also, it was shown that the factorial structure of the MLQ is strictly invariant for the group of men and women. It was also shown that the presence of meaning was positively related to satisfaction with life (.63) and well-being (.60) and negatively to depression (− .56). In contrast, the search for meaning was not significantly related to life satisfaction (− .05) and well-being (− .07); but yes, to depression (.19).
Conclusion
It is concluded that the MLQ from the perspective of CTT has shown adequate evidence of reliability and validity. Therefore, it could be used in future studies and evaluation and intervention processes. In addition, the study provides the first evidence of the psychometric functioning of the scale in university students from Latin America.
... There are two influential perspectives when it comes to the psychological study of meaning. King et al. (2016) emphasize the role of mundane life experiences in providing meaning, including relationships and even one's mood (Hicks & King, 2008;King et al., 2006King et al., , 2016King & Hicks, 2021). Religion may be one way-but by no means the primary way-to generate meaning through these more mundane mechanisms. ...
... There are two influential perspectives when it comes to the psychological study of meaning. King et al. (2016) emphasize the role of mundane life experiences in providing meaning, including relationships and even one's mood (Hicks & King, 2008;King et al., 2006King et al., , 2016King & Hicks, 2021). Religion may be one way-but by no means the primary way-to generate meaning through these more mundane mechanisms. ...
... To claim that religion is uniquely able to promote meaning, researchers would need to solve several problems. First, it is not clear that religion is among the most important or robust predictors of meaning in life-indeed, it seems that a positive mood is the most robust predictor of meaning in life, and can compensate for a lack of religious belief (King et al., 2016). Key studies in this area will compare religious meaning with other sources to test hypotheses of specialness. ...
Religion makes unique claims (e.g., the existence of supernatural agents) not found in other belief systems, but is religion itself psychologically special? Furthermore, religion is related to many domains of psychological interest, such as morality, health and well-being, self-control, meaning, and death anxiety. Does religion act on these domains via special mechanisms that are unlike secular mechanisms? These could include mechanisms such as beliefs in supernatural agents, providing ultimate meaning, and providing literal immortality. We apply a critical eye to these questions of specialness and conclude that although it is clear that religion is psychologically important, there is not yet strong evidence that it is psychologically special, with the possible exception of its effects on health. We highlight what would be required of future research aimed at convincingly demonstrating that religion is indeed psychologically special, including careful definitions of religion and careful attention to experimental design and causal inference.
... There are two influential perspectives when it comes to the psychological study of meaning. King et al. (2016) emphasize the role of mundane life experiences in providing meaning, including relationships and even one's mood (Hicks & King, 2008;King et al., 2006King et al., , 2016King & Hicks, 2021). Religion may be one way-but by no means the primary way-to generate meaning through these more mundane mechanisms. ...
... There are two influential perspectives when it comes to the psychological study of meaning. King et al. (2016) emphasize the role of mundane life experiences in providing meaning, including relationships and even one's mood (Hicks & King, 2008;King et al., 2006King et al., , 2016King & Hicks, 2021). Religion may be one way-but by no means the primary way-to generate meaning through these more mundane mechanisms. ...
... To claim that religion is uniquely able to promote meaning, researchers would need to solve several problems. First, it is not clear that religion is among the most important or robust predictors of meaning in life-indeed, it seems that a positive mood is the most robust predictor of meaning in life, and can compensate for a lack of religious belief (King et al., 2016). Key studies in this area will compare religious meaning with other sources to test hypotheses of specialness. ...
Religion makes unique claims (such as in the existence of supernatural agents) not found in other belief systems, but is religion itself psychologically special? Furthermore, religion is related to many domains of psychological interest, like morality, health and well-being, self-control, meaning, and death anxiety. Does religion act on these domains via special mechanisms that are unlike secular mechanisms? These could include mechanisms like beliefs in supernatural agents, providing ultimate meaning, and providing literal immortality. We apply a critical eye to these questions of specialness. We conclude that, while it is clear that religion is psychologically important, there is not yet strong evidence that it is psychologically special, with the possible exception of its effects on health. We highlight what would be required of future research aimed at convincingly demonstrating that religion is indeed psychologically special, including careful definitions of religion, and careful attention to experimental design and causal inference.
... Nostalgia, "a sentimental longing or wistful affection for the past" (The New Oxford Dictionary of English, 1998English, , p. 1266, promotes self-continuity (a sense of connection between one's past and present self; Sedikides et al., 2008) and meaning in life (a sense of purpose, significance, and coherence; King et al., 2016). Scholars have loosely speculated that nostalgia is also linked to spirituality, "the quality of being concerned with the human spirit or soul as opposed to material or physical things" (The New Oxford Dictionary of English, 1998English, , p. 1794. ...
... Meaning in life may, in turn, increase spirituality. Meaning in life entails perceptions that life has more significance than the mundane (King et al., 2016). This sense of significance may transcend not only the mundane but also the physical world. ...
We investigated the relation between nostalgia and spirituality. We hypothesized that nostalgia is linked to greater spirituality through self-continuity and, in turn, meaning in life. In Study 1, we measured nostalgia and spirituality. Nostalgia predicted greater spirituality. In Study 2, we tested this relation in a nationally representative sample. Nostalgia again predicted greater spirituality, and this relation remained significant after controlling for key demographic variables and core personality traits. In Study 3, we manipulated nostalgia and measured self-continuity, meaning in life, and spirituality. Nostalgia predicted spirituality serially via self-continuity and meaning in life.
... Meaning in life has been identified as "a cornerstone of wellbeing and a central human motivation" (Heintzelman & King, 2014, p. 561). Vital sources of people's meaning in life include social relationships and religious and spiritual beliefs (King et al., 2016;Park, 2005). Specifically, people experience meaning in life when their need for relatedness is satisfied, when they have a sense of belonging, and when they feel close and supported by their family (King et al., 2016). ...
... Vital sources of people's meaning in life include social relationships and religious and spiritual beliefs (King et al., 2016;Park, 2005). Specifically, people experience meaning in life when their need for relatedness is satisfied, when they have a sense of belonging, and when they feel close and supported by their family (King et al., 2016). Religion and spirituality also provide people with meaning in life (Chan et al., 2019;Reynolds et al., 2020), particularly during extreme adversity and stressful events (Haynes et al., 2017;Park, 2005;Underwood & Vagnini, 2022). ...
The present study examines social, family, and romantic loneliness as mediators and satisfaction with social and intimate relationships as moderators in the link between daily spiritual experiences and purpose in life. This cross-sectional and longitudinal investigation involved 700 Polish adults at T1 (M = 39.83, SD = 9.24) and 236 at T2. Our cross-sectional analyses revealed that lower satisfaction with social relationships and higher daily spiritual experiences are related to lower family and social loneliness, whereas lower intimate relationship satisfaction and higher daily spiritual experiences are related to decreased social and romantic loneliness, which contribute to a greater purpose in life. The longitudinal data analyses did not support the concurrent moderated mediation model. The enhancing function of daily spiritual experiences for purpose in life concerns domain-specific loneliness and manifests amid decreased levels of satisfaction with social and intimate relationships.
... A literatura indica que há uma relação positiva entre estilos de apego seguro, autoaceitação, crescimento pessoal e percepção de sentido de vida, mediada pela autocompaixão, em diferentes públicos (Homan, 2018;Wu, Chi, Lin & Du, 2018), apontando, então, que uma relação agressiva pode afetar as dimensões psíquicas e dificultar o acesso do indivíduo à sua dimensão noética. Ademais, sabe-se que a experiência de circunstâncias sociais estressantes, envolvendo exclusão e violência, pode trazer prejuízos ao sentido da vida de um indivíduo (King, Heintzelman & Ward, 2016). Conclui-se que as relações de afeto influenciam a maneira pela qual a pessoa lida consigo, trazendo repercussões para o funcionamento emocional e de expressão noética do indivíduo, indicando que a interação com o outro é uma fonte para construção de respostas autocompassivas e de uma vida mais significativa. ...
Esta revisão tem, por finalidade, descrever e examinar os resultados dos estudos sobre autocompaixão e sentido de vida. Os repositórios de dados acessados para o levantamento das evidências foram: Embase, Medline, Periódico CAPES, PsycInfo, Scopus (Elsevier) e Web of Science. Os resultados indicaram que uma associação positiva entre sentido de vida e autocompaixão possibilita o bem-estar subjetivo e desfechos positivos em saúde mental. As respostas autocompassivas estão relacionadas à qualidade das relações e afeto, que trazem consequências para o funcionamento psíquico e a expressão noética. Os achados do EXMIND identificaram uma predição de níveis prévios de autocompaixão e sentido de vida dos participantes, nos resultados da bondade consigo. Sugere-se que os próximos estudos sobre autocompaixão, sentido de vida e atenção plena avaliem como a interação entre autocuidado, estilo de apego, autocompaixão e o sentido de vida influenciam a entrada, permanência e resultados obtidos pelos participantes com as práticas de mindfulness.
... Meaning in life is a critical component of well-being and mental/physical health (Boyle et al., 2010;Hill & Turiano, 2014;Kim et al., 2019;King et al., 2016;Steger, 2012;Yıldırım et al., 2021). Although its conceptualization varies across studies, there is a scholarly consensus that people experience a sense of meaning in life when they feel that they have (1) comprehension, (2) purpose, and (3) existential mattering in their lives beyond daily experiences (King & Hicks, 2021;King et al., 2006;Steger, 2012). ...
This study examined the relationships between positive/negative spirituality and meaning in life at two religious sites in Japan. Participants reported greater sadness and less meaning in life at Koyasan Okunoin, a temple with graves surrounded by nature, than at Nachi Kumano Taisha, a shrine with a waterfall. However, greater feelings of happiness protected meaning in life in the presence of sadness at Koyasan. Additionally, participants who felt a sense of awe reported greater meaning in life through self-liberation, regardless of the sites. The results provide new insights into meaning in life from the two sides of spirituality.
... rated from 1 = not at all to 10 = completely). The notion that a worthwhile life is a reflection of psychological or eudaimonic wellbeing is supported by research by King and colleagues (King et al., 2016) that shows significance (i.e., a worthwhile life) is a key component of meaning. Finally, social wellbeing was assessed using a 7-point scale measuring sense of belonging (i.e., "Sense of belonging to community" rated from 1 = very weak to 7 = very strong). ...
The relationship between leisure and wellbeing is of great interest in the field of leisure studies. Keyes (2002) developed a typology of flourishing vs. languishing that encompasses subjective, psychological, and social wellbeing and is linked with physical health and functioning. However, little research has been done to show how participation in various forms of leisure might be associated with this flourishing typology. Drawing on data from community data with over 5,000 adult participants, we assessed how leisure is associated with a flourishing typology. For the present analyses, we focus on scales that assessed social leisure (e.g., socializing with friends), cultural leisure (e.g., festival attendance), home-based leisure (e.g., reading books for pleasure), physically active leisure (e.g., moderate or vigorous), and media-based leisure (e.g., time spent playing computer games or watching TV). A flourishing typology was constructed from single-item ratings on life satisfaction (subjective wellbeing), psychological well-being (self-perceptions that one's life activities are worthwhile), and social wellbeing (sense of belonging). Flourishing was linked to greater participation in cultural, social, home-based, and physically active leisure. Greater time spent playing computer games and watching TV was associated with languishing. Thus, certain forms of leisure reflect flourishing and others are linked with languishing. The nature of these associations remains to be explored, in particular, whether leisure contributes to flourishing or if flourishing facilitates certain forms of leisure participation.
... In line with other approaches, Dweck (2017) placed them at the apex of human motivation, and suggested that self-coherence serves as a "master sensor" to monitor the joint fulfillment of all the other needs. In the GAM, mood mechanisms serve a similar kind of integrative function; incidentally, this may be relevant to the fact that positive mood is one of the strongest predictors of perceived self-coherence and meaning in life (King & Hicks, 2021;King et al., 2016). At present, it is not clear if meaning and self-coherence are best understood as bona fide motives analogous to feeding and mating, or rather as emergent outcomes of other motivational and cognitive processes (see Baumeister & von Hippel, 2020 and commentaries;King & Hicks, 2021); regardless, we still lack a mechanistic understanding of how they work, and they remain poorly integrated within current evolutionary models of motivation (e.g., Kenrick et al., 2010). ...
In this chapter, I present an emerging evolutionary framework for motivation, emotion, and personality. The framework is composed of three "layers", each building on the previous ones: (1) a theory of motivational systems; (2) an extended coordination approach to emotion, which describes a hierarchy of coordination mechanisms, from emotions to motivational systems to moods; and (3) the General Architecture of Motivation (GAM)--an abstract model of the mechanisms that underlie motivation and their functional relations, designed to serve as a conceptual foundation for models of human and animal personality. As I describe the main features and assumptions of the framework, I compare and contrast it with Carol Dweck's alternative proposal for unification, which is similar in scope and direction but based on partially different premises. A coherent, realistic model of motivation is an invaluable asset, not only in basic research but also in clinical psychology and psychotherapy. I believe that an evolutionary synthesis is within reach, and hope that the approach presented in this chapter will foster integration across disciplines and research traditions.
... Secondly, a sense of purpose-which involves the motivation to pursue valued life goals (Kasser and Ryan, 1993;McGregor and Little, 1998;Rijavec et al., 2011). Lastly, a sense of significance or mattering refers to the feeling that one's life is worth living and that one's existence is important and of value in the world (George and Park, 2014;King et al., 2016). ...
Current work on meaning-making has primarily focused on major negative life events such as trauma and loss, leaving common daily adversities unexplored. This study aimed to examine how utilizing meaning-making strategies such as positive reappraisal and self-distancing (in isolation or in combination) can facilitate an adaptive processing of these daily negative experiences. Overall meaning and facets of meaning (coherence, purpose, and significance/mattering) were assessed at both global and situational levels. Results suggested that positive reappraisal was generally effective for enhancing situational meaning but not under all conditions. Specifically, when negative experiences were high on emotional intensity, reflecting on the experience from a distanced (third-person) perspective enhanced coherence and existential mattering more than engaging in positive reappraisal. However, when negative experiences were low on intensity, distanced reflection led to less coherence and mattering than positive reappraisal. The findings of this study elucidated the importance of examining the multidimensional construct of meaning at the facet level and highlighted the importance of applying different coping strategies to effectively make meaning out of daily negative experiences.
... Others have argued that MIL is the sense that one's life is coherent, or makes sense (e.g., King et al., 2006;Reker & Wong, 1988). Still others have sidestepped the question of what meaning is and instead focused on what meaning does, by simply asking people whether their lives are meaningful, whatever that means to them, and examining its outcomes (see King et al., 2016, andSteger, 2012, for reviews). The current scholarly consensus, however, is that meaning of life is multidimensional (Costin & Vignoles, 2020;King & Hicks, 2021;Martela & Steger, 2016;Steger, 2012). ...
We test the hypothesis that the perception of stability in one's self-concept (i.e., future self-continuity) enables the experience of meaning in life because perceiving a stable sense of self confers a sense of certainty to the self-concept. Study 1 provided initial evidence of the influence of future self-continuity on feelings of meaning in life (MIL) in a nationally representative sample. In Studies 2a and 2b, we manipulated future self-continuity by varying the expectedness of one's future self, demonstrating the causal influence of future self-continuity on self-certainty and feelings of MIL. Study 3 again manipulated future self-continuity, finding an indirect effect on feelings of meaning in life via self-certainty. Our findings thus suggest the experience of meaning in life arises from the perception of a stable sense of self. We discuss the implications for the antecedents and conceptualization of MIL as well as the nature of the self-concept.
... Meaning in life (MIL) has been described as a multidimensional experience (Heintzelman & King, 2014;King et al., 2016;Martela & Steger, 2016), consisting of (a) a sense of purpose and direction in life, (b) the belief that one's life is significant and important, and (iii) the feeling that life is coherent and predictable. Not only is MIL an indicator of psychological well-being, an abundance of research suggests that MIL relates to higher levels of a wide variety of indicators of both mental and physical health (Czekierda et al., 2017;Li et al., 2021). ...
Do supernatural attributions to God and the devil relate to a sense of meaning in life? We investigated this question by conducting a three-week experience sampling study (N = 75), in which we measured daily causal attributions for both positive and negative events and assessed daily meaning (n = 1,425 total daily reports). Correlational and multilevel path analyses revealed several reliable between-person associations. People who made more attributions to God (particularly for positive events) had higher meaning, and people with stronger religious worldviews who made more attributions to the devil/demons (particularly for negative events) had higher meaning. These findings were largely robust when controlling for relevant meaning and religious/spiritual covariates. We did not find evidence for within-person associations; daily changes in attributions and meaning were not related. Consistent and enduring attributions to God and the devil/demons may be particularly meaningful ways of understanding the world.
... There is a range of scholars who have elaborated on "meaning" in-depth: On the wording itself, the multiple facets it comprises, and how it "plays out" within a human's work and life experiences (Bailey, Lips-Wiersma, et al., 2019;Baumeister et al., 2013;Huta & Waterman, 2014;King et al., 2016;Lips-Wiersma & Wright, 2012;Newman et al., 2014;Park, 2010;Schnell, 2018aSchnell, , 2018bSteger et al., 2012;Wrzesniewski et al., 2013). It is argued-implicitly or explicitly-that pursuing a meaningful life, perceiving a purpose and an answer to the question "why," and making sense of what happens in life is fundamental to human existence (Iwasaki, 2017). ...
... Having an existence with a feeling of a meaning that an individual's existence has worth, importance with motives is a salient feature of wellness [59]. A sense of meaning might have constructive upshots on particular's wellbeing over the lifetime [60]. ...
Background
People diagnosed with EUPD also known as borderline personality disorder (BPD) experience different challenges in their lives. These challenges include compulsive behavior, irritability, depression, sadness, guilt, shame, loneliness, grandiosity, and feeling of worthlessness. It is noteworthy that such challenges trigger among them a self-destructive behaviour, in addition to social isolation, and impaired social relationships. It is also found to significantly impact their physical, mental, and social wellbeing. This study is a humble attempt to examine the role of perceived social support in improving the social wellbeing of BPD outpatients. Through the purposive sampling technique, 100 BPD outpatients were selected for the study. The mean age of the participant was 25 years.
Results
It was found that perceived social support (family, friends, and significant others) plays a vital role in the wellbeing of these participants. The correlation between the two is positive as well as statistically significant. This means higher the support these patients experience from their relatives, the better is their social wellbeing.
Conclusions
This study has practical implications for counselors, clinical psychologists, and psychiatrists working in the field.
... Both in philosophy and in psychology, various scholars state that meaning in life is crucial for human beings (King et al. 2016;Steger 2012). An increasing body of literature addresses the role of meaning in life in the context of psychotherapy (Huguelet et al. 2016). ...
Persons with a diagnosis of personality disorder struggle to experience meaning in life. This article explores how meaning in life of patients with personality disorder changes during intensive psychotherapy. In a qualitative study, life stories of nineteen Dutch patients receiving intensive psychotherapy, written both before and after treatment, were analyzed using holistic content analysis. Here, meaning in life was understood and operationalized in terms of the concept of orientation towards visions of the good by philosopher Charles Taylor. The findings suggest that patients experience both positive and negative shifts concerning meaning in life. On the one hand, in comparison to the first life stories, there is more awareness and insight about the way the ‘good’ is missing in the second life stories. On the other hand, there are more descriptions about being vulnerable, guilty or ashamed, whereas particular sources of meaning are missing.
... Sebagaimana dikemukakan oleh King et al bahwa kapasitas untuk merasakan makna dalam hidup merupakan aspek penting dari kesejahteraan psikologis, aspek yang sangat menonjol bagi dewasa muda saat mereka bertransisi ke peran baru dan membangun masa depan pribadi mereka sebagai orang dewasa. Makna dalam hidup melibatkan pemahaman tentang seseorang terutama bagaimana arah dan nilai yang dimiliki oleh seseorang dalam hidupnya (King et al., 2016;Zhong et al., 2019). Lebih lanjut Steger et al membedakan dua komponen makna dalam hidup (M. ...
Pandemi covid-19 memberikan banyak dampak bagi kehidupan secara fisik maupun psikologis dalam jangka waktu yang berkepanjangan, khususnya terhadap orang yang sembuh dari covid-19. Penelitian ini dilakukan dengan metode kualitatif melalui pendekatan analisis deskriptif yang bertujuan untuk menganalisis meaning of life orang yang sembuh covid-19. Subyek dalam penelitian ini adalah orang yang sembuh dari covid-19 yaitu berjumlah 4 orang yaitu 1 orang perempuan berusia 23 tahun, dan 3 orang laki-laki berusia 23 tahun, 25 tahun serta 22. Instrumen yang digunakan adalah wawancara dan observasi, yang mana data dianalisis secara kualitatif. Adapun hasil penelitian ini menunjukkan bahwa orang yang sembuh dari covid-19 mengalami gangguan secara psikologis, seperti stress, adanya kekhawatiran dan rasa takut yang berlebihan serta merasa buruk dalam kehidupan maupun secara fisik, seperti tidak mau makan. Namun demikian, dengan adanya dukungan sosial dari keluarga, teman, maupun lingkungan sekitar yang telah peduli, membuat subyek merasa bahwa kehidupannya lebih bermakna terutama setelah dinyatakan sembuh dari covid-19 sehingga subyek tetap semangat dan semakin termotivasi untuk dapat hidup dalam keadaan normal seperti sebelumnya.Selain itu, orang yang sembuh dari covid-19 menyadari tentang pentingnya makna hidup untuk menjalankan hidup normal tanpa melanggar aturan-aturan yang berlaku terkhusus kesehatan dan ajaran agama. Oleh sebab itu, partisipasi dari semua komponen masyarakat sangat dibutuhkan, seperti peran orangtua,keluarga, dan konselor serta lembaga masyarakat lainnya.
... Thus, it adds to the existing crosscultural examinations of SDT's three needs as predictors of well-being (e.g., Chen et al., 2015) and expands the generalizability of these results by examining them in the European context, and by including a broader set of well-being indicators than previously examined. The present results are also important for research on meaning in life (see King et al., 2016;Martela et al., 2018), as predictors of meaning have been rarely examined cross-culturally. ...
In the quest to identify the key sources of subjective well-being, self-determination theory (SDT) has proposed that three basic psychological needs—autonomy, competence, and relatedness—are fundamental to well-being across cultures. To understand their influence on well-being, we analyzed data from European Social Survey on 27 European countries ( n = 48,550) using structural equation modeling with alignment invariance that allowed us to get comparable indicators across the countries. Both across Europe, and within each of the 27 countries, SDT’s basic psychological needs—both when examined alone and when examined together—were strongly related to key indicators of well-being (happiness, life satisfaction, and meaning in life) and a key indicator of ill-being (symptoms of depression), even controlling for demographic factors and socio-economic position. Moreover, basic needs substantially and sometimes fully mediated the effects of socio-economic position on well-being, underscoring their status as crucial to human well-being.
... From other theoretical perspectives, the cognitive impulses that give meaning to personal experiences are important (Heintzelman & King, 2014a;Proulx & Inzlicht, 2012;Waytz et al., 2015). Similarly, importance is given to the emotional aspects of the meaning of life King et al., 2016). Others suggest that meaning is part of a system of social relations (Lambert et al., 2013;Klein, 2017). ...
The aim was to test the cross-cultural measurement invariance of the PIL-SF in a sample of people from seven Latin American countries. Additionally, the characteristics of the PIL-SF items were evaluated and to assess the relationship between purpose in life, as measured by the PIL-SF, and fear of COVID-19. A total of 4306 people from seven Latin American countries participated in the study. The results indicated that the PIL-SF is invariant in the seven participating countries and, therefore, there is evidence that the items reflect the purpose of life in the same way in all countries. This allows comparisons of purpose in life between countries that are free of bias, reflecting the true differences in how countries respond to items. From IRT, the discrimination parameters are adequate and indicate that the items cover a wide range of the purpose in life construct. The difficulty parameters are adequate and increase monotonically. This indicates that people would need a higher level of purpose in life to respond to the higher response categories. Thus, the PIL-SF items would be useful in determining people with a relatively high degree of purpose in life. Identifying people with different levels of purpose in life would allow them to be part of intervention programs, either to support those with low levels or to maintain and reinforce their purpose in life. The evidence of cross-country measurement invariance of the PIL-SF provides a measure to be used in cross-cultural studies about the meaning of life.
... Each individual is unique. Individuals can always change along with the changing process of space and time (King et al., 2016), such as the identity transformation experienced when an individual is involved in the Muslim communities of Moluccas Immanuel Church. ...
This study focuses on the phenomenon that arose from the involvement of the Muslim community in the pela gandong ritual communication on December 2, 2018. Religious symbols were used to celebrate the first Advent held in Immanuel Church, Moluccas Islands, Indonesia. Symbols included chanting the call to prayer, lafadz Rawi barzanji, and the call to worship, singing hymns of praise, and lighting Advent candles. Using qualitative methods and subjective interpretive paradigms with data collected through interviews, observations were made from a phenomenological perspective, especially ritual, social transformation, social identity negotiation, and symbolic interactionism theory. The results showed that the involvement of the Muslim community in communication rituals has beliefs and values as central principles of kindred equivalence and social-community concerns. In addition, implementing cross-religious kinship in the subjective experience impacts proof of self-identity, human kinship, relationship creation, treatment acceptance, and joint worship labels. The last leads to a developed case of civic pluralism in the pre-conflict era that had been shattered by the conflict. It is likely that cross-religious civic pluralism is a necessary precondition for efforts to build theological pluralism. This article contributes to understanding Muslim communities’ subjective experience regarding cross-religious pela gandong ritual communication and encourages further research in this area.
... The governmental, economic and social difficulties, destitution and social ills bedevilling Zimbabwe have been conducive for the bourgeoning of the Zimbabwean religious market (Biri 2013;Dodo et al. 2014). As suggested by Krause (2003), Stroope et al. (2013) and King et al. (2016), religion spurs individuals to seek meaning in life. In Zimbabwe, the multiplicity of churches has been growing in recent years, thereby creating a highly competitive church market. ...
Electronic marketing has transformed marketing practices. However, the acceptance of e-marketing applications and principles in churches has been moderate. This study examined the predictors of e-marketing adoption among Zimbabwean churches. The study was quantitative in nature, and a positivist orientation was adopted. Two hundred and fifty self-administered questionnaires were distributed to clergymen from various churches in Zimbabwe. Structural equation modelling using Smart PLS software was employed during the data analysis phase. Both descriptive and inferential statistics were manipulated in this study. The results indicate that marketing orientation, marketing innovation, church youth marketing, competitive intensity, and dynamic marketing capabilities have a significant influence on e-marketing orientation among Zimbabwean churches. Lastly, e-marketing orientation spurs an increase in religiosity and spirituality of church members.
... To understand this definition of meaning in life, it is important to know that, although life has meaning in all situations and circumstances, it has to be experienced as meaningful (King et al., 2016). Therefore, when the search for meaning in a person's life is constantly hampered, it can be psychologically damaging. ...
Introduction
Positive psychological variables, such as meaning in life and the capacity for enjoyment, are important resilience factors against negative behaviors and symptoms. These constructs are related to better emotional regulation strategies, a greater perception of control over one’s life, and better mental health in general. Adjustment disorder (AjD) is a prevalent condition defined as the failure to adapt to a stressful event.
Objective
This study presents secondary analysis data on the effect of an Internet-delivered cognitive-behavioral therapy intervention (iCBT) for AjD on meaning in life and capacity for enjoyment, compared to a control group.
Method
The sample consisted of 68 participants with AjD. 34 in the iCBT condition and 34 in the control group). Meaning in life was assessed by the Purpose-in-Life Test-10, and the Environmental Rewards Observation Scale was used to assess the capacity for enjoyment. The iCBT intervention focused on acceptance and processing of the stressful event. Intent-to-treat mixed-model analyses without any ad hoc imputations and using Cohen’s d effect comparisons were conducted.
Results
The results revealed a significant main effect of time and a significant group x time interaction in all the measures. Significantly higher pre-post score differences were found in the treatment condition.
Discussion
Meaning in life and capacity for enjoyment can change after an iCBT intervention for AjD. Therapeutic implications of the results and future lines of research about the role of meaning in life in AjD are discussed.
... This may suggest the relevance of casual and enjoyable leisure to student's ikigai. Although ikigai is primarily associated with eudaimonic characteristics (Kumano 2018), research suggests that hedonic and eudaimonic dimensions of wellbeing are interrelated; indeed, positive affectthe central quality of hedonic pursuitis a robust predictor of MIL (King, Heintzelman, and Ward 2016; see also Ebersole 1998;Fegg et al. 2008;Reker 1996). Leisure studies have also found that meaning and EWB follow enjoyable leisure experiences (e.g. ...
Many studies have examined the relationships between leisure and subjective well-being. However, eudaimonic (e.g. meaning) and non-Western perspectives are lacking. Moreover, comparing leisure with other life domains could clarify leisure's unique roles in the pursuit of well-being. This study explores leisure's relationships with ikigai, a Japanese eudaimonic well-being concept. A purposeful sample of 27 Japanese university students provided 247 pictures of ikigai which they categorized into leisure and non-leisure groups. Photographic data were analysed via content analysis. The majority of ikigai pictures were associated with leisure. Compared with non-leisure pictures, leisure photographs were more frequently coded with 'hobby/ leisure' and 'nature', while less frequently coded with 'relationships', 'organizational activities', 'education', and 'values'. Leisure's unique roles in student's pursuit of ikigai relate to providing casual and enjoyable experiences, private time and space, and nature-based experiences. Our findings are discussed in relation to leisure studies, ikigai studies, and research on meaning in life. ARTICLE HISTORY
... Meaning in life refers to the subjective perception that one's existence is significant (i.e., has worth), purposeful (i.e., has direction), and coherent (i.e., has predictability; King et al., 2016). Nostalgic narratives invoke momentous events from one's life (e.g., anniversaries, graduations; Wildschut et al., 2006) or cultural life scripts (e.g., festival celebrations, Sunday lunches; Berntsen & Rubin, 2004). ...
Nostalgia, a sentimental longing for one's past, has been garnering keen empirical attention in the psychological literature over the last two decades. After providing a historical overview, we place the emotion in cross-cultural context. Laypeople in many cultures conceptualize nostalgia similarly: as a past-oriented, social, self-relevant, and bittersweet emotion, but more sweet (positively toned) than bitter (negatively toned). That is, the nostalgizer reflects on a fond and personally important event—often their childhood or valued relationships—relives the event through rose-colored glasses, yearns for that time or relationship, and may even wish to return briefly to the past. Also, triggers of nostalgia (e.g., adverts, food, cold temperatures, loneliness) are similar across cultures. Moreover, across cultures nostalgia serves three key functions: it elevates social connectedness (a sense of belongingness or acceptance), meaning in life (a sense that one's life is significant, purposeful, and coherent), and self-continuity (a sense of connection between one's past and present self). Further, nostalgia acts as a buffer against discomforting psychological states (e.g., loneliness) similarly in varied cultural contexts. For example, (1) loneliness is positively related to, or intensifies, nostalgia; (2) loneliness is related to, or intensifies, adverse outcomes such as unhappiness or perceived lack of social support; and (3) nostalgia suppresses the relation between loneliness and adverse outcomes. Additionally, nostalgia facilitates one's acculturation to a host culture. Specifically, (1) nostalgia (vs. control) elicits a positive acculturation orientation toward a host culture; (2) nostalgia (vs. control) amplifies bicultural identity integration; and (3) positive acculturation orientation mediates the effect of host-culture nostalgia on bicultural identity integration. We conclude by identifying lacunae in the literature and calling for follow-up research.
... Happiness, also referred to as subjective well-being, is commonly defined as feeling more positive affect than negative affect and evaluating one's life overall as satisfying (Diener et al., 2017;Lyubomirsky et al., 2005). Meaning, on the other hand, is the experience of one's life as having value, purpose, and coherence (Baumeister et al., 2013;King et al., 2016;Steger, 2012). ...
Do financial resources relate to how important meaning is for one's happiness? Across three large-scale data sets spanning more than 500,000 individuals across 123 countries, we examined the relationship between meaning and happiness for individuals who vary in financial resources. Whether based on actual income level (Studies 1 and 2) or subjective assessments of socioeconomic status (Study 3), the results reveal that meaning is a weaker predictor of happiness for individuals with greater (vs. lesser) financial resources. Collectively, these studies suggest that having greater financial resources weakens the link between meaning and happiness. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2022 APA, all rights reserved).
... For years, MIL was considered to "exist in the eye of the beholder", and studies often broadly asked people if they felt their life had meaning and purpose (e.g., Steger, et al., 2006). However, more recent definitions specify that meaning involves believing that life has a direction (or purpose), is coherent (it makes sense), and is significant (it matters; George & Park, 2016;King et al., 2016;Martela & Steger, 2016). This tripartite view provides researchers and participants alike with a clearer understanding of what it means to have MIL. ...
Over the past decade, support for the relationship between mindfulness and happiness has increased dramatically. The consensus is that people who are mindful also experience greater happiness. However, little is still known about how and why greater mindfulness leads one to be happier. The current research calls on recent theorizing to help understand the process by which this occurs. In particular, we studied the indirect effects of both self-connection and meaning in life on the relationship between mindfulness and subjective well-being. To this end, we compiled data collected in our lab over the past 3 years. A total of 2,929 participants provided cross-sectional data while 465 participated in longitudinal studies. Across both samples, the data supported our proposed model. Self-connection and meaning in life combined to mediate the relationship between mindfulness and the various aspects of subjective well-being. In all, it is clear that, although mindfulness is important, self-connection and meaning in life play key roles in one’s subjective well-being. This suggests that more research and interventions should focus on ways to increase self-connection and meaning in life as ways to help people experience greater happiness.
... Living life with a sense of meaning-that one's life has value, significance, and purpose-is an important aspect of wellbeing (King et al., 2016;. Moreover, Frankl defined meaning as a construct to be answered by the individual for his/her own life through responsibility (Frankl et al., 2006). ...
Individuals with features of borderline personality disorder (BPD) may have difficulty sustaining a sense of meaning in life. Although problematic interpersonal behaviours may account for the link between BPD features and meaning, few studies have examined this possibility. The present study examined the mediating role of interpersonal problems in the association between borderline personality features and presence of meaning in life. A sample of Canadian community members completed the Borderline Symptom List, a brief version of the Inventory of Interpersonal Problems, and the presence subscale of the Meaning in Life Questionnaire. Testing of indirect effects using bootstrap 95% confidence intervals found that interpersonal problems significantly mediated the relationship between borderline personality features and presence of meaning in life. This mediation effect remained significant after controlling for severity of general psychological distress. Thus, severity of interpersonal problems is a significant factor in explaining the link between BPD features and diminished meaning in life. The findings of this study suggest possibilities for further research regarding interpersonal dysfunction and meaning, and point to interpersonal problems as targets for helping to enhance meaning in life among individuals with features of BPD. © 2022 The Author(s). This open access article is distributed under a Creative Commons Attribution (CC-BY) 4.0 license.
... Additionally, research has yet to examine the impact of social media use on MIL. MIL is a key aspect of psychological well-being and is associated with a multitude of health benefits (see King et al., 2016 for a review), and while adverse experiences lower perceptions of MIL, finding meaning during such times predicts better well-being (Edwards & Van Tongeren, 2019). During a pandemic, maintaining a sense of MIL can be important for protecting against psychological consequences from the pandemic (Lin, 2021). ...
Stay-at-home orders issued to combat the growing number of infections during the coronavirus pandemic in 2020 had many psychological consequences for people including elevated stress, anxiety, and difficulty maintaining meaning in their lives. The present studies utilized cross-sectional designs and were conducted to better understand how social media usage related to people’s subjective isolation (i.e., social loneliness, emotional loneliness, and existential isolation) and meaning in life (MIL) during the early months of the pandemic within the United States. Study 1 found that general social media use indirectly predicted higher MIL via lower existential isolation and social isolation. Study 2 replicated these patterns and found that social media use also predicted lower MIL via higher emotional loneliness, and that the aforementioned effects occurred with active, but not passive, social media use. Findings suggest social media use may be a viable means to validate one’s experiences (i.e., reduce existential isolation) during the pandemic but may also lead to intensified feelings concerning missing others (i.e., increased emotional loneliness). This research also helps to identify potential divergent effects of social media on MIL and helps to clarify the relationships among varying types of subjective isolation.
... A number of theoretical perspectives have asserted that humans have a strong need to attain and maintain a sense of meaning in life (e.g., Frankl, 1959;Yalom, 1980;Ryff & Singer, 1998). Meaning in life reflects the sense that one's existence and life experience is coherent, significant, and purposeful (King, Heintzelman, & Ward, 2016). Numerous studies have documented that meaning in life is an important component of overall psychological wellbeing (Heintzelman & King, 2014;Steger & Frazier, 2005). ...
Entrepreneurs play a vital role in creating and sustaining the type of dynamic and competitive marketplace that supports consumer satisfaction and broader wellbeing. However, wellbeing may also play an important role in promoting a culture of entrepreneurship. In the current study (N = 1,269), we focus specifically on existential wellbeing and explore the potential for existential wellbeing to positively influence attitudes about entrepreneurship. Entrepreneurship involves agentic, goal-direction action. Meaning in life is an indicator of existential wellbeing and has been shown to support agentic thinking and goal-pursuit. Thus, meaning in life may promote the type of agentic mindset that encourages people to have positive attitudes about the role of entrepreneurs in society. We tested this proposal by measuring perceptions of meaning in life, feelings of agency associated with meaning (existential agency), and attitudes about entrepreneurs. We found support for a model linking meaning in life to positive attitudes about entrepreneurs via existential agency.
... Hedonic and eudemonic well-being are strongly correlated with each other (Disabato et al., 2016;Joshanloo, 2016;Linley et al., 2009;Longo et al., 2016) and may have a bidirectional causal relationship. Leading a meaningful life, for example, can be a source of positive emotions, but positive emotions can also make life feel more meaningful (King et al., 2016). In sum, one need not choose between hedonic and eudemonic well-being, and strongly favoring one or the other might be a philosophical rather than empirical matter. ...
Research on well-being has exploded in recent years, with over 55,000 relevant publications annually, making it difficult for psychologists—including key communicators such as textbook authors—to stay current with this field. Moreover, well-being is a daily concern among policymakers and members of the general public. It is relevant to the lives of students—illustrating the diverse methods used in the behavioral sciences, presenting highly-replicated findings, and demonstrating the diversity of individuals and cultures. Therefore, five experts present eight major findings that teachers and authors should seriously consider in their coverage of this field. These topics range from processes such as adaptation, to influences such as income, to the benefits of well-being, to cultural and societal diversity in well-being and its causes. We also examined how much these topics were covered in fifteen of the most popular introductory psychology textbooks. Although some topics such as social relationships and well-being were discussed in nearly all textbooks, others were less frequently covered including the validity of self-reported well-being, the effects of spending on happiness, and the impact of culture and society on well-being. We aim to ensure more complete coverage of this important area in psychology courses.
... Stability was something that the youths continuously sought in their turbulent existence. Youths described needing a single purpose they could work towards; secure employment would give a sense of coherence in their lives (part of King et al.'s (2016) definition of meaningfulness). ...
Experiencing meaningfulness at work is important for employee engagement, individual performance, and personal fulfilment. However, research surrounding meaningful employment has predominantly focused upon the experiences of well-educated, adult professionals. To expand theoretical understanding of this concept, this paper investigates perceptions of meaningful employment among youths from Northern England (aged 16–18) with a history of involvement in crime. Interviews demonstrate that young offenders’ criteria for ‘meaningful work’ differ from existing research and is influenced by their self-concept and inherent values as youths from chaotic and impoverished backgrounds. This highlights the subjectivity of this concept. Nonetheless, the findings also indicate that there are instances where work itself makes a broader contribution in discovering meaning, and therefore, certain organisational practices are experienced as meaningful by both young offenders and adult professionals. Thus, this study demonstrates the importance of surveying diverse populations to reach a more comprehensive understanding of meaningful employment.
Objective:
A sense of meaning in life (MIL) is thought to help protect people against experiencing explicit anxiety about death. However, the experience of meaning is complex and subjective and may relate to death anxiety in nuanced ways. We examine how self-alienation-a feeling of not knowing/being disconnected from one's self-might moderate the relationship between MIL and death anxiety.
Method:
Across five studies, we tested the hypothesis that MIL would negatively predict death anxiety more strongly for people relatively low in self-alienation. These studies were similar in design and included exploratory, confirmatory, and pre-registered tests.
Results:
A meta-regression across our five studies (N = 2001) provided clear evidence that MIL was most strongly associated with lower death anxiety at low self-alienation. We also observed that MIL was positively associated with death anxiety at high self-alienation. These effects were consistent in direction but inconsistent in strength.
Conclusions:
We interpreted these results as evidence that MIL is existentially protective when experienced in combination with a relatively strong, clear, and connected sense of self. In contrast, MIL may be existentially problematic when people feel relatively unaware and disconnected from themselves. These findings align with aspects of terror management theory and highlight the potentially complex ways that MIL might relate to death anxiety.
This article explores existential meaning-making from work using the cognitive-experiential self-theory (CEST). To start with, we use the tenets of CEST to elaborate on how the cues from archetype work environments—a realization facilitating work environment (RfWE) and justification facilitating work environment (JfWE)—are interpreted by information-processing systems to imbue meaning in life (MiL) as internal or external manifestations of coherence, purpose, and significance. Next, we explain how individual differences in work centrality and proactive meaning-crafting ability moderate the impact of JfWE, but not of RfWE, on MiL. Finally, we create a nomological network of existential meaning states emerging from the simultaneous presence or absence of RfWE and JfWE. In summary, by applying the information-processing lens of CEST, we develop an integrated model that explains how work drives MiL, elucidates the resultant existential states, and assesses the role of individual differences in meaning-making.
يعتبر الرفاه النفسي حالة نفسية يشعر فيها الشخص بالارتياح و السعادة و بأن لوجوده في الحياة معنى و هدف ، لذلك يسعى لتحقيق ذاته بكل إمكانياته و طاقاته على مر الزمن و في مختلف المراحل التي يمر بها من خلال التطور المستمر ، و هي الحالة لتي ينبغي أن يعيشها العمال أثناء آدائهم لمهامهم لذلك تهدف الدراسة الحالية لتحديد أهم الأسس النظرية لمفهوم الرفاه النفسي بإتجاهيه (الأودايموني و الهيدوني)، كذلك استعراض مفهوم
و المقاربات النظرية للرفاه النفسي في العمل و كذا العوامل المرتبطة به و النماذج المفسرة له .
Creativity is usually seen as a good thing, but why? The Creativity Advantage first offers an overview of creativity studies with an emphasis on the little-discussed benefits of being creative. These include how creativity can lead to self-insight, help people heal, forge connections with others, inspire drive, and enable people to leave behind a meaningful legacy. Written in an engaging style and illustrated with interesting anecdotal material, this book offers a new perspective on creativity scholarship that can serve as an introduction to the field for newcomers or as a way to encourage new avenues for research.
The quest for finding meaning in life is central to human existence. Evidence supporting consumption as a source of meaning in life is scant and lies in discrete studies across multiple disciplines. We call consumption that engenders a sense of meaning in life ‘meaning‐oriented consumption’. In this paper we conduct a systematic literature review of 102 papers, using the Scientific procedures and rationales for systematic literature reviews (SPAR‐4‐SLR) (Paul et al. (2021). International Journal of Consumer Studies, 45(4)). We draw on the theory of meaning in life to arrive at a theoretically grounded conceptualization of meaning‐oriented consumption. We discuss the antecedents and consequences of meaning‐oriented consumption, categories and processes that make consumption meaningful. We gather insights into the relationship between hedonic and meaning‐oriented consumption. Finally, we identify knowledge gaps in theory, context, constructs and methodology. This review identifies several consumption contexts and situations that offer potential for marketers to design meaningful offerings.
The Cambridge Handbook of Creativity and Emotions provides a state-of-the-art review of research on the role of emotions in creativity. This volume presents the insights and perspectives of sixty creativity scholars from thirteen countries who span multiple disciplines, including developmental, social, and personality psychology; industrial and organizational psychology; neuroscience; education; art therapy, and sociology. It discusses affective processes – emotion states, traits, and emotion abilities – in relation to the creative process, person, and product, as well as two major contexts for expression of creativity: school, and work. It is a go-to source for scholars who need to enhance their understanding of a specific topic relating to creativity and emotion, and it provides students and researchers with a comprehensive introduction to creativity and emotion broadly.
Objectives:
The current research explored the interplay between intuition, meaning in life, and psychopathology. Specifically, we investigated whether experiential and reflective components of meaning in life are associated with depressive symptoms and personality pathology, whether intuition is related to the experience of meaning, and whether psychopathology has disruptive effects on intuition as well as on the link between intuition and the experience of meaning.
Methods:
We tested our preregistered hypotheses in two independent studies. In Study 1, N = 448 participants completed self-report instruments assessing the experiential and the reflective dimensions of meaning in life, depressive symptoms, and impairments in personality functioning. Intuition was operationalized as the ability to intuitively detect semantic coherence in an experimental task. Additionally, self-reported confidence in intuition was assessed. In Study 2, we aimed to replicate our findings and hypotheses that emerged from Study 1 with a new sample of N = 1189 participants.
Results:
In both studies, participants with more depressive symptoms or higher levels of personality pathology experienced life as less meaningful but reflected significantly more about meaning in life. The intuitive ability to discriminate between coherence and incoherence in the experimental task was neither related to the experience of meaning in life nor to psychopathology, but more confidence in intuition was associated with experiencing life as more meaningful and with less psychopathological symptoms. It was tentatively supported that the association between meaning in life and intuition was moderated by psychopathology.
Conclusion:
The findings are discussed in terms of their clinical implications and regarding the cognitive-affective processes potentially underlying people's experience of life being meaningful.
Three studies examined the association between physical attractiveness and meaning in life. Study 1 (N = 305 college students) showed that self-reported physical attractiveness positively correlated with meaning in life. Study 2 (N = 598 noncollege adults) replicated the association between self-reported physical attractiveness and meaning in life and extended those findings, demonstrating that outside perceptions of attractiveness are linked to outside perceptions of how meaningful a person’s life is. Study 3 (N = 331 targets, 97 raters) replicated these findings and probed the nuances of the relationships between outside ratings and self-reports of attractiveness and meaning in life. Across the studies, existential significance, or the feeling that one’s life matters, was the facet of meaning that primarily explained the link between attractiveness and meaning in life. In addition, a person’s view of their own attractiveness is more indicative of their well-being than outsider ratings. Implications for our understanding of meaning in life are discussed.
This study examined the career adaptability model of the career construction theory (CCT, Savickas, 2021) using data collected from two time points and measures that covered the inter-related domains of career and life planning. Participants were high school students (470 women and 338 men) from 14 secondary schools in Hong Kong. Students completed the adaptive readiness (interests and competence flexibility) and adaptability resources (Career Adapt-Ability Scale, CAAS) measures in their sophomore or junior year of study (Time 1), and the adapting responses (life-skills competencies) and adaptation results (presence of life purposes, career decision-making difficulties) measures at the end of their senior year (Time 2). Findings from SEMs suggested a good fit of the data with the career adaptability model. Interest and competence flexibility, adaptability resources from Time 1 contributed directly and indirectly to the prediction of life-skills competencies, the presence of life meaning, and decision-making preparedness in Time 2 as hypothesized. Interest and competence flexibility were instrumental in activating adaptability resources and maintaining movement through transitions, and the CAAS and life skill measures were mediating variables in the adaptability process. The SEM using the CAAS dimensions revealed that the concern and the confidence subscales were involved in the sequence of direct and indirect effects. Results demonstrated that the adaptability model could be used to understand the transition experience of high school students who were facing rapid social changes. Conceptual, practice, and research implications were discussed.
We examined the effects of postural intervention using a “risshin chair” (an upright support seat assisting a zazen-like posture) on posture maintenance, classroom time perception, implicit affect, mental health, and life meaningfulness in an actual high school setting. Twenty-seven second-grade high school students (15 girls and 12 boys; Mage = 16.93 years, SD = 0.27) sat on either a conventional chair or a risshin chair in A-B-A order for approximately four weeks in total. One-way ANOVA revealed that (a) mental health score was highest in the intervention period than in the pre- or post-intervention period (p < .001; p = .002), and that (b) the living in the present moment score was higher in the intervention period than in the pre-intervention period (p < .001). Twocondition within-participant serial mediation analysis also showed that the use of the risshin chair affected mental health and daily meaning in life through a higher level of postural improvement and a faster level of classroom time perception change (indirect effect = 0.27, 95% CI [0.02, 0.74]; 0.28, 95% CI [0.04, 0.66]). The need for examining the effectiveness of longer-term postural interventions was discussed.
İnsanlar yaşamlarının önemli bir kısmını işyerlerinde geçirmektedirler ve bu durum onların fiziksel, zihinsel ve psikolojik olarak yıpranmalarına neden olmaktadır. Bu çalışmanın temel amacı, işörenlerin zihinsel ve psikolojik yıpranma algılarını belirlemek amacıyla İşgören Yıpranma Ölçeğini (İYÖ) geliştirmektir. Ölçeğin geliştirilmesi sürecinde önce Dünya Sağlık Örgütünün zihinsel ve psikolojik sağlık koşullarını esas alarak zihinsel ve psikolojik yıpranma durumlarına uygun “aday ölçek” madde havuzu oluşturulmuştur. Daha sonra ölçeğin kapsam geçerliği için uzman görüşüne başvurulmuştur. Kapsam geçerliği çalışmasından sonra taslak ölçeğin pilot çalışması imalat işletmelerinde çalışan 145 işgörenin katılımıyla gerçekleştirilmiştir. Aday ölçek ile toplanan veriler önce Açımlayıcı Faktör Analizi (AFA) ile analiz edilmiştir. Açımlayıcı Faktör Analizi sonucunda ölçeğin dört faktörlü yapısı tespit edilmiştir. Ölçeğin ana uygulaması aynı örneklemin genişletilmesiyle tabakalı örnekleme yöntemiyle belirlenen 334 işgörenin katılımıyla gerçekleştirilmiştir. Ana uygulamada İşgören Yıpranma Ölçeğinin geçerliği Doğrulayıcı Faktör Analizi (DFA), güvenirliği Cronbach alfa katsayısı ile belirlenmiştir. Doğrulayıcı Faktör Analizi sonuçları pilot çalışma aşamasında geliştirilen dört boyutlu İşgören Yıpranma Ölçeğinin yapısını doğrulamıştır. Yapılan geçerlilik ve güvenirlik analizi sonuçları geliştirilen ölçeğin güvenilir ve geçerli bir veri toplama aracı olduğu sonucuna ulaşılmıştır.
The aim of this preregistered study was to identify dispositional predictors of podcast listening and examine the associations between aspects of podcast listening, dispositional predictors, and psychological outcomes. Three hundred and six adults from a range of countries completed an online questionnaire that assessed individual difference predictors (the Big Five personality factors, curiosity, need for cognition, need to belong, age, and gender), aspects of podcast listening (amount, format, setting, device, and social aspects), and potential outcomes (autonomy, competence, relatedness, meaning, mindfulness, and smartphone addiction). As predicted, openness to experience, interest-based curiosity, and need for cognition positively predicted podcast listening. Contrary to predictions, need to belong negatively predicted podcast listening, and time spent listening to podcasts was not associated with autonomy, competence, relatedness, meaning, mindfulness, or smartphone addiction. However, certain aspects of podcast listening (e.g., parasocial relationships and social engagement) were related to positive outcomes and to our predictor variables. Furthermore, neuroticism negatively predicted podcast listening. Overall, the findings support the idea that informational motives can play a role in podcast listening, and that some aspects of listening are associated with positive outcomes.
Narcissists are prone to conspicuous consumption, that is, preference for luxury over mundane products. We analyze four reasons for their conspicuous consumption: positive distinctiveness (individuation and status), meaning in life, materialism, and sexual signaling. Empirical support for these reasons ranges from good to preliminary. We then discuss directions that this nascent literature could take. These include a consideration of different forms of narcissism (grandiose vs. vulnerable, agentic vs. communal, admirative vs. rivalrous), the value of experimentation in clarifying the causal flow from narcisissm to conspicuous consumption and also from conspicuous consumption to state narcissism, as well as the (mostly negative) consequences of conspicuous consumptions for narcisissm and society.
The aim of the research was to examine the moderating role of search for meaning in the relationship between loneliness and presence of meaning. The authors hypothesized that loneliness would be negatively associated with presence of meaning and that with an increase in search for meaning this relationship would weaken. To test these predictions adults from Poland were invited to participate in three cross-sectional studies: one paper-and-pencil study (Study 1, N = 563) and two online studies (Study 2, N = 306; Study 2, N = 206). In Studies 1 and 2 the moderating effect of search for meaning manifested itself in the case of general loneliness, and in Study 3 in the case of each of the three domains of loneliness (i.e., social, romantic, and family). The studies add to the large body of research on the interpersonal sources of meaning in life and provide preliminary evidence of the moderating role of motivation to seek meaning in the relationship between loneliness and presence of meaning. The results suggest that actively striving to augment one's sense of meaning may prevent the loss of meaning as a result of subjectively perceived social isolation.
The aim of the present study is to investigate the effectiveness of Cognitive Developmental Hypnotherapy (CDH) on Differentiation of Self, Meaning in Life and Marital Conflicts in married women. The method is quasi-experimental pretest and posttest with a control group. The statistical population of this study includes married women who came to FUM Counseling and Psychological Services Center to receive psychological services. The sample of this study included 40 married women who were selected by targeted sampling method and randomly assigned to two experimental and control groups. Participants in the pretest and posttest study answered the Differentiation of Self Inventory, the Marital Conflicts questionnaire by Sanaei, and the Meaning in Life questionnaire. The research data were analyzed using ANCOVA and MANCOVA with SPSS-21. The findings showed CDH led to an increase in Differentiation of Self and Meaning in life, and a reduction in Marital Conflicts in women. Accordingly, CDH through using techniques such as induction and empowerment of the Ego is effective in marital conflicts of married women. Therefore, using it as a means to improve the quality of married women’s lives is recommended.
This study aims to explore the influence of family rituals on college students' well-being and its mechanism. Family rituals refer to specific, repeated special events that involve two or more family members. These events constitute symbolic acts that are developed throughout the family history; they are imbued with meanings that are constructed and perceived by all of the family members, which promote the family members’ sense of belonging, interpersonal communication, and shared memories. Nowadays, in the process of social transformation and family transformation in China, many family rituals disappear and many family rituals are born (for example, during the Spring Festival, the custom of setting off firecrackers in every family is banned along with the requirement of environmental protection). Under this background, we hope to encourage the education sector and families in general to pay attention to the role of family rituals in promoting adolescent development for maintaining and strengthening the family structure and reducing social risks in the period of social transformation. In order to explore the help of family rituals on adolescent mental health and social adaptation under the Chinese culture, as well as to popularize and develop the concept of family rituals in China, this study used questionnaire method to investigate the Chinese college students.
Chinese version of the Family Ritual Questionnaire (FRQ-CV) is introduced in this study, the fitting index, the consistency reliability, criterion-related validity and test-retest reliability of the scale were established. And the FRQ-CV, Social Connectedness Scale, Self-control Scale and Index of Well-being were used to measure 671 college students, 315 males and 356 females. The study used SPSS 24 to perform correlation analysis, and with reference to Hayes (2018) on multiple intermediary inspection method, used SPSS 24 Process plug-in for intermediary structure model analysis and bootstrap path effect analysis, for building the structure of variables: family rituals promote adolescents' well-being, social connectedness and self-control as a chain mediation mechanism, means family rituals promote social connectedness, then promote self-control, finally improve adolescents' well-being.
The results show that (1) Family rituals have a significant predictive effect on well-being (95%CI [0.029, 0.085]). (2) Self-control can play as a mediating role for family rituals to promote well-being (95%CI [0.003, 0.014]). (3) Social connectedness can play as a mediating role for family rituals to promote well-being (95%CI [0.069, 0.110]). (4) Family rituals promote well-being through a chain mechanism of social connectedness and self-control (95%CI [0.003, 0.013]).
The current study suggests the mechanism of family rituals in promoting well-being of college students, enriches the research on the mechanism of family rituals and shows the important role of family rituals. In terms of theory, this study reveals the chain mediating role of social connection and self-control in the relationship between family rituals and well-being, and further explores the mechanism by which family rituals influence individuals' well-being. In terms of applications, this study empirically reveals the positive effects of family rituals on college students' social connectedness, self-control and well-being, and provides a reference for the development and promotion of family rituals in China.
Despite growing interest in meaning in life, many have voiced their concern over the conceptual refinement of the construct itself. Researchers seem to have two main ways to understand what meaning in life means: coherence and purpose, with a third way, significance, gaining increasing attention. Coherence means a sense of comprehensibility and one’s life making sense. Purpose means a sense of core goals, aims, and direction in life. Significance is about a sense of life’s inherent value and having a life worth living. Although some researchers have already noted this trichotomy, the present article provides the first comprehensible theoretical overview that aims to define and pinpoint the differences and connections between these three facets of meaning. By arguing that the time is ripe to move from indiscriminate understanding of meaning into looking at these three facets separately, the article points toward a new future for research on meaning in life.
Theory and research on meaning has proliferated in recent years, focusing on both global meaning and processes of making meaning from difficult life events such as trauma and serious illness. However, the measurement of meaning constructs lags behind theoretical conceptualizations, hindering empirical progress. In this paper, we first delineate a meaning-making framework that integrates current theorizing about meaning and meaning making. From the vantage of this framework, we then describe and evaluate current approaches to assessing meaning-related phenomena, including global meaning and situational meaning constructs. We conclude with suggestions for an integrative approach to assessing meaning-related constructs in future research.
Growing popular interest in positive psychology may have important implications for the measurement of well-being. Five studies tested the prediction that well-being ratings are influenced by desirability bias. In Study 1, participants (N = 176) instructed to fake good endorsed higher well-being; those instructed to fake bad endorsed lower well-being, compared to controls. In Studies 2 and 3 (N’s = 111, 121), control participants endorsed higher levels of well-being compared to those attached to a bogus pipeline. These differences were mediated by desirability bias. In Study 4 (N = 417), instruction manipulations did not affect well-being levels, but presenting a desirability measure prior to well-being measures attenuated the correlations between them. In Study 5 (N = 391), however, this order effect did not replicate. We discuss the importance of continued vigilance for desirability bias in well-being research as a ready solution to this clear problem remains elusive.
Having a purpose in life has been cited consistently as an indicator of healthy aging for several reasons, including its potential for reducing mortality risk. In the current study, we sought to extend previous findings by examining whether purpose in life promotes longevity across the adult years, using data from the longitudinal Midlife in the United States (MIDUS) sample. Proportional-hazards models demonstrated that purposeful individuals lived longer than their counterparts did during the 14 years after the baseline assessment, even when controlling for other markers of psychological and affective well-being. Moreover, these longevity benefits did not appear to be conditional on the participants' age, how long they lived during the follow-up period, or whether they had retired from the workforce. In other words, having a purpose in life appears to widely buffer against mortality risk across the adult years.
The desire for meaning is recognized as a central human motive. Yet, knowing that people want meaning does not explain its function. What adaptive problem does this experience solve? Drawing on the feelings-as-information hypothesis, we propose that the feeling of meaning provides information about the presence of reliable patterns and coherence in the environment, information that is not provided by affect. We review research demonstrating that manipulations of stimulus coherence influence subjective reports of meaning in life but not affect. We demonstrate that manipulations that foster an associative mindset enhance meaning. The meaning-as-information perspective embeds meaning in a network of foundational functions including associative learning, perception, cognition, and neural processing. This approach challenges assumptions about meaning, including its motivational appeal, the roles of expectancies and novelty in this experience, and the notion that meaning is inherently constructed. Implications for constructed meaning and existential meanings are discussed.
The human experience of meaning in life is widely viewed as a cornerstone of well-being and a central human motivation. Self-reports of meaning in life relate to a host of important functional outcomes. Psychologists have portrayed meaning in life as simultaneously chronically lacking in human life as well as playing an important role in survival. Examining the growing literature on meaning in life, we address the question, "How meaningful is life, in general?" We review possible answers from various psychological sources, some of which anticipate that meaning in life should be low, and others high. Summaries of epidemiological data and research using two self-report measures of meaning in life suggest that life is pretty meaningful. Diverse samples rate themselves significantly above the midpoint on self-reports of meaning in life. We suggest that if meaning in life plays a role in adaptation, it must be commonplace, as our analysis suggests.
The experience of meaning is often conceptualized as involving reliable pattern or coherence. However, research has not addressed whether exposure to pattern or coherence influences the phenomenological experience of meaning in life. Four studies tested the prediction that exposure to objective coherence (vs. incoherence) would lead to higher reports of meaning in life. In Studies 1 and 2 (combined N = 214), adults rated photographs of trees presented in patterns (organized around their seasonal content) or randomly. Participants in the pattern conditions reported higher meaning in life than those in the random conditions. Studies 3 and 4 (combined N = 229) yielded similar results when participants read coherent, as opposed to incoherent, linguistic triads. The manipulations did not influence explicit or implicit affect. Implications for understanding the human experience of meaning, the processes that support that experience, and its potential role in adaptation are discussed.
Any action can be identified in myriad ways, from a sequence of movements to the expression of goals, values, and self-concepts. Despite the uncertainty of action, people routinely identify their actions at a level that both enables effective performance and provides a foundation for higher-level meaning. Action identification theory holds that this is possible because of the interplay of two principles-one reflecting a desire for higher-level action understanding, the other reflecting the need to focus on lower-level details in order to perform the action. Over time and experience, the tension between these principles establishes an optimal level of identification-high level enough to provide meaning but low level enough to provide the details necessary for action implementation. Action experience and factors in the action context can upset this dynamic equilibrium, promoting recalibration of the optimal identification level. Meaning in life is thus not a static state, but rather a dynamic process. © 2013 Springer Science+Business Media Dordrecht. All rights reserved.
Objective:
To determine whether purpose in life is associated with reduced stroke incidence among older adults after adjusting for relevant sociodemographic, behavioral, biological, and psychosocial factors.
Methods:
We used prospective data from the Health and Retirement Study, a nationally representative panel study of American adults over the age of 50. 6739 adults who were stroke-free at baseline were examined. A multiple imputation technique was used to account for missing data. Purpose in life was measured using a validated adaptation of Ryff and Keyes' Scales of Psychological Well-Being. After controlling for a comprehensive list of covariates, we assessed the odds of stroke incidence over a four-year period. We used psychological and covariate data collected in 2006, along with occurrences of stroke reported in 2008, 2010, and during exit interviews. Covariates included sociodemographic factors (age, gender, race/ethnicity, marital status, education level, total wealth, functional status), health behaviors (smoking, exercise, alcohol use), biological factors (hypertension, diabetes, systolic blood pressure, diastolic blood pressure, BMI, heart disease), negative psychological factors (depression, anxiety, cynical hostility, negative affect), and positive psychological factors (optimism, positive affect, and social participation).
Results:
Greater baseline purpose in life was associated with a reduced likelihood of stroke during the four-year follow-up. In a model that adjusted for age, gender, race/ethnicity, marital status, education level, total wealth, and functional status, each standard deviation increase in purpose was associated with a multivariate-adjusted odds ratio of 0.78 for stroke (95% CI, 0.67-0.91, p=.002). Purpose remained significantly associated with a reduced likelihood of stroke after adjusting for several additional covariates including: health behaviors, biological factors, and psychological factors.
Conclusion:
Among older American adults, greater purpose in life is linked with a lower risk of stroke.
Research indicates that meaning in life is an important correlate of health and well-being. However, relatively little is known about the way a sense of meaning may change over time. The purpose of this study is to explore two ways of assessing change in meaning within a second-order confirmatory factor analysis framework. First, tests are conducted to see if the first and second-order factor loadings and measurement error terms are invariant over time. Second, a largely overlooked technique is used to assess change and stability in meaning at the second-order level. Findings from a nationwide survey reveal that the first and second-order factor loadings are invariant of time. Moreover, the second-order measurement error terms, but not the first-order measurement error terms, are invariant, as well. The results further reveal that standard ways of assessing stability mask significant change in meaning that is due largely to regression to the mean.
The endorsement and deployment of character strengths in occupational contexts are two promising components for understanding how people create well-being. In this study, a model integrating character strengths, satisfaction with occupational activities, and meaning and well-being was proposed and tested in two samples of volunteers and a sample of working adults. The model fit the data well in all three samples. Results demonstrated that deploying strengths at work provided key links to satisfaction with voluntary and paid occupational activities and to meaning among both young and middle-aged volunteers, and adult working women. Among adult volunteers and paid workers, endorsing strengths was related to meaning, while both endorsing and deploying strengths were related to well-being. Together, these studies provide a model for understanding how strengths may play a role in how both volunteer and paid workers find meaning, well-being, and satisfaction.
As with other measures of subjective well-being, self-reports of meaning in life (MIL) can be influenced by transient, contextual factors. Further, the sources of information used in judging MIL can vary depending on their relevance and cognitive accessibility. This study examined the effects of differing instructions on the sources of information used to judge MIL. Participants (N = 103) completed measures of positive affect (PA), religious commitment, and the satisfaction of the needs for competency, autonomy, and relatedness and then were randomly assigned to complete a measure of MIL rapidly, thoughtfully, or using typical instructions. Results showed that condition moderated reliance on PA, autonomy and social relatedness need satisfaction: PA was a stronger predictor of MIL in the thoughtful condition while autonomy and relatedness were more strongly related to MIL in the rapid condition. Implications for our understanding of MIL and future directions are discussed.
Meaning in life has been identified as a potential mediator of the link between religiousness and psychological health. The authors tested this hypothesis in 2 studies, using multiple methods and measures of religiousness and well-being. In the studies, meaning in life mediated the relation between religiousness and life satisfaction (Study 1A), as well as self-esteem and optimism (Study 1B). In addition, using an experience sampling method, the authors found that meaning in life also mediated the relation between daily religious behaviors and well-being (Study 2). The authors discuss these findings and suggest that meaning in life may be an effective conduit through which counselors and clients can discuss "ultimate" matters, even when they do not share similar perspectives on religion. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2012 APA, all rights reserved)
Counseling psychologists often work with clients to increase their well-being as well as to decrease their distress. One important aspect of well-being, highlighted particularly in humanistic theories of the counseling process, is perceived meaning in life. However, poor measurement has hampered research on meaning in life. In 3 studies, evidence is provided for the internal consistency, temporal stability, factor structure, and validity of the Meaning in Life Questionnaire (MLQ), a new 10-item measure of the presence of, and the search for, meaning in life. A multitrait-multimethod matrix demonstrates the convergent and discriminant validity of the MLQ subscales across time and informants, in comparison with 2 other meaning scales. The MLQ offers several improvements over current meaning in life measures, including no item overlap with distress measures, a stable factor structure, better discriminant validity, a briefer format, and the ability to measure the search for meaning.
This article explores how religion, as a meaning system, influences coping with adversity. First, a model emphasizing the role of meaning making in coping is presented. Next, religion as a meaning system is defined, and theory and research on the role of religion in the coping process are summarized. Results from the author's study of 169 bereaved college students are then presented to illustrate some of the pathways through which religious meaning can influence the coping process in making meaning following loss. Findings indicate that associations between religion and adjustment vary across time since loss, and that these associations are mediated by meaning-making coping. Finally, implications for individual and societal well-being and suggestions for future research are discussed.
Discusses what people infer from their feelings and presents an overview of feelings-as-information theory based on work conducted up to the end of 1987. For more recent reviews see Schwarz & Clore 1996, 2007 in Higgins & Kruglanski's "Social psychology" (1st and 2nd edition) and Schwarz 2012 in "Handbook of theories in social psychology" --all available on ResearchGate.
This study examined whether purpose in life was associated with myocardial infarction among a sample of older adults with coronary heart disease after adjusting for relevant sociodemographic, behavioral, biological, and psychological factors. Prospective data from the Health and Retirement Study-a nationally representative panel study of American adults over the age of 50-were used. Analyses were conducted on the subset of 1,546 individuals who had coronary heart disease at baseline. Greater baseline purpose in life was associated with lower odds of having a myocardial infarction during the 2-year follow-up period. On a six-point purpose in life measure, each unit increase was associated with a multivariate-adjusted odds ratio of 0.73 for myocardial infarction (95% CI, 0.57-0.93, P = .01). The association remained significant after controlling for coronary heart disease severity, self-rated health, and a comprehensive set of possible confounds. Higher purpose in life may play an important role in protecting against myocardial infarction among older American adults with coronary heart disease.
Four studies examined social relatedness and positive affect (PA) as alternate sources of information for judgments of meaning in life (MIL). In Studies 1 through 3 (total N = 282), priming loneliness increased reliance on PA and decreased reliance on social functioning in MIL judgments. In Study 4 (N = 138), daily assessments of PA, relatedness needs satisfaction (RNS), and MIL were obtained every 5 days over 20 days. Multilevel modeling showed that on days when RNS was low, PA was strongly related to MIL. Results suggest the dynamic ways that social relationships and PA inform judgments of MIL. Informational and motivational accounts of these results are discussed.
Emerging data suggest that psychological and experiential factors are associated with risk of Alzheimer disease (AD), but the association of purpose in life with incident AD is unknown.
To test the hypothesis that greater purpose in life is associated with a reduced risk of AD.
Prospective, longitudinal epidemiologic study of aging.
Senior housing facilities and residences across the greater Chicago metropolitan area.
More than 900 community-dwelling older persons without dementia from the Rush Memory and Aging Project.
Participants underwent baseline evaluations of purpose in life and up to 7 years of detailed annual follow-up clinical evaluations to document incident AD. In subsequent analyses, we examined the association of purpose in life with the precursor to AD, mild cognitive impairment (MCI), and the rate of change in cognitive function.
During up to 7 years of follow-up (mean, 4.0 years), 155 of 951 persons (16.3%) developed AD. In a proportional hazards model adjusted for age, sex, and education, greater purpose in life was associated with a substantially reduced risk of AD (hazard ratio, 0.48; 95% confidence interval, 0.33-0.69; P < .001). Thus, a person with a high score on the purpose in life measure (score = 4.2, 90th percentile) was approximately 2.4 times more likely to remain free of AD than was a person with a low score (score = 3.0, 10th percentile). This association did not vary along demographic lines and persisted after the addition of terms for depressive symptoms, neuroticism, social network size, and number of chronic medical conditions. In subsequent models, purpose in life also was associated with a reduced risk of MCI (hazard ratio, 0.71; 95% confidence interval, 0.53-0.95; P = .02) and a slower rate of cognitive decline (mean [SE] global cognition estimate, 0.03 [0.01], P < .01).
Greater purpose in life is associated with a reduced risk of AD and MCI in community-dwelling older persons.
Interest in meaning and meaning making in the context of stressful life events continues to grow, but research is hampered by conceptual and methodological limitations. Drawing on current theories, the author first presents an integrated model of meaning making. This model distinguishes between the constructs of global and situational meaning and between "meaning-making efforts" and "meaning made," and it elaborates subconstructs within these constructs. Using this model, the author reviews the empirical research regarding meaning in the context of adjustment to stressful events, outlining what has been established to date and evaluating the strengths and weaknesses of current empirical work. Results suggest that theory on meaning and meaning making has developed apace, but empirical research has failed to keep up with these developments, creating a significant gap between the rich but abstract theories and empirical tests of them. Given current empirical findings, some aspects of the meaning-making model appear to be well supported but others are not, and the quality of meaning-making efforts and meanings made may be at least as important as their quantity. This article concludes with specific suggestions for future research.
Six studies examined the role of positive affect (PA) in the experience of meaning in life (MIL). Study 1 showed strong relations between measures of mood, goal appraisals, and MIL. In multivariate analyses, PA was a stronger predictor of MIL than goal appraisals. In Study 2, the most consistent predictor of the experience of meaning in a day was the PA experienced that day. Later, global MIL was predicted by average daily PA, rather than average daily MIL. Study 3 demonstrated no prospective relations between measures of MIL and PA over 2 years. In Study 4, priming positive mood concepts enhanced MIL. In Study 5, manipulated positive mood enhanced ratings of MIL for those who were not given an attributional cue for their moods. In Study 6, PA was associated with a high level of distinction between meaningful and meaningless activities. Results indicate that positive moods may predispose individuals to feel that life is meaningful. In addition, positive moods may increase sensitivity to the meaning-relevance of a situation.
The meaning maintenance model (MMM) proposes that people have a need for meaning; that is, a need to perceive events through a prism of mental representations of expected relations that organizes their perceptions of the world. When people's sense of meaning is threatened, they reaffirm alternative representations as a way to regain meaning-a process termed fluid compensation. According to the model, people can reaffirm meaning in domains that are different from the domain in which the threat occurred. Evidence for fluid compensation can be observed following a variety of psychological threats, including most especially threats to the self, such as self-esteem threats, feelings of uncertainty, interpersonal rejection, and mortality salience. People respond to these diverse threats in highly similar ways, which suggests that a range of psychological motivations are expressions of a singular impulse to generate and maintain a sense of meaning.
Three studies demonstrate that income is positively associated with meaning in life (MIL) and that this relationship is moderated by positive affect (PA). Moreover, people’s forecasts about these associations resemble the actual data. Study 1 (N = 1,666) used a nationally representative sample to demonstrate that PA moderates the effect of income on MIL. At high levels of PA, income was unrelated to MIL, but at low PA, income was positively associated with MIL. Study 2 (N = 203) provided experimental support for the interaction between income and PA interaction using a PA induction. Although income predicted MIL in the control condition, it was unrelated to MIL following a PA induction. Study 3 (N = 277) demonstrated that people forecast their future lives will be more meaningful if they are wealthy versus poor, which was especially true among people who expect to be unhappy.
Three correlational studies and 2 experiments examined the association between meaning in life (MIL) and reliance on intuitive information processing. In Studies 1-3 (total N = 5,079), Faith in Intuition (FI) scale and MIL were correlated positively, controlling for religiosity, positive mood, self-esteem, basic need satisfaction, and need for cognition. Two experiments manipulated processing style. In Study 4 (N = 614), participants were randomly assigned to complete the Cognitive Reflection Task (CRT; Fredrick, 2005) either immediately before (reflective/low intuitive mindset condition) or immediately after (control condition) rating MIL. Condition did not affect MIL. However, low MIL rated before the CRT predicted superior performance and greater time spent on the task. The association between reflection and MIL was curvilinear, such that MIL was strongly negatively related to CRT performance particularly at low levels of MIL. In Study 5 (N = 804), intuitive or reflective mindsets were induced and FI and MIL were measured. Induced processing style study did not affect MIL. However, those high in MIL were more responsive to the intuitive mindset induction. The relationship between FI and MIL was curvilinear (in this and the correlational studies), with intuitive processing being strongly positively related to MIL particularly at higher levels of MIL. Although often considered in the context of conscious reflection, MIL shares a positive relationship with reliance on gut feelings, and high MIL may facilitate reliance on those feelings. (PsycINFO Database Record
(c) 2015 APA, all rights reserved).
A recurring observation of experimental psychologists is that people prefer, seek out, and even selectively "see" structure in their social and natural environments. Structure-seeking has been observed across a wide range of phenomena-from the detection of patterns in random arrays to affinities for order-providing political, religious, social, and scientific worldviews-and is exacerbated under psychological threat. Why are people motivated for structure? An intriguing, but untested, explanation holds that perceiving structure, even in domains unrelated to one's current behavioral context, can facilitate willingness to take goal-directed actions. Supporting this, in 5 studies, reminders of structure in nature or society increase willingness to engage in goal pursuit. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2013 APA, all rights reserved).
In four methodologically diverse studies (N = 644), we found correlational (Study 1), longitudinal (Study 2), and experimental (Studies 3 and 4) evidence that a sense of belonging predicts how meaningful life is perceived to be. In Study 1 (n = 126), we found a strong positive correlation between sense of belonging and meaningfulness. In Study 2 (n = 248), we found that initial levels of sense of belonging predicted perceived meaningfulness of life, obtained 3 weeks later. Furthermore, initial sense of belonging predicted independent evaluations of participants essays on meaning in life. In Studies 3 (n = 105) and 4 (n = 165), we primed participants with belongingness, social support, or social value and found that those primed with belongingness (Study 3) or who increased in belongingness (Study 4) reported the highest levels of perceived meaning. In Study 4, belonging mediated the relationship between experimental condition and meaning.
Two studies examined the role of religious commitment in moderating the relationship between positive affect (PA) and meaning in life. In Study 1, Sample 1, religiosity was found to moderate the relationship between naturally occurring PA and meaning in life, showing that high levels of religiosity attenuated the effects of PA on meaning in life. In Study 1, Sample 2, religiosity similarly moderated the effects of induced mood on meaning in life. In addition, this pattern of results was shown to be unique to meaning in life compared to another life domain (life satisfaction). In Study 2, subliminally priming Christians with positive religious words (e.g., “Heaven”) was further shown to weaken the association between PA and meaning in life, whereas subliminal primes of negative religious words (e.g., “hell”) weakened the association between religious commitment and meaning in life. A competition of cues model is proposed to account for these effects.
The authors report on data indicating that having a strong sense of meaning in life makes people more appealing social interactants. In Study 1, participants were videotaped while conversing with a friend, and the interactions were subsequently rated by independent evaluators. Participants who had reported a strong sense of meaning in life were rated as desirable friends. In Study 2, participants made 10-s videotaped introductions of themselves that were subsequently evaluated by independent raters. Those who reported a strong sense of meaning in life were rated as more likeable, better potential friends, and more desirable conversation partners. The effect of meaning in life was beyond that of several other variables, including self-esteem, happiness, extraversion, and agreeableness. Study 2 also found an interaction between physical attractiveness and meaning in life, with more meaning in life contributing to greater interpersonal appeal for those of low and average physical attractiveness.
Meaning in life is widely considered a cornerstone of human functioning, but relatively little is known about the factors that influence judgments of meaning in life. Four studies examined positive affect (PA) and social relatedness as sources of information for meaning in life judgments. Study 1 (N = 150) showed that relatedness need satisfaction (RNS) and PA each shared strong independent links to meaning in life. In Study 2 (N = 63), loneliness moderated the effects of a positive mood induction on meaning in life ratings. In Study 3 (N = 65), priming positive social relationships reduced the contribution of PA to subsequent judgments of meaning in life. In Study 4 (N = 95), relationship primes decreased reliance on PA and increased reliance on RNS compared to dessert primes. Results are discussed in terms of the value of integrating judgment processes in studies of meaning in life.
In 2008, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) supported testing of a number of well-being scales for potential use on public health surveillance systems. The purpose of this study was to examine the descriptive and psychometric properties of the scales (i.e. Satisfaction with Life, Meaning in Life, Positive and Negative Affect, Autonomy, Competence and Relatedness, and global and domain-specific life satisfaction) and to examine the distribution of well-being levels in a representative sample of community-dwelling US adults (N = 5,399) using a stratified analysis. The scales demonstrated acceptable psychometric properties. Responses were negatively skewed, with most respondents reporting mildly positive levels of subjective well-being. With the exception of autonomy, competence, and relatedness scales, all scales demonstrated good variability across socio-demographic subgroups. Older age and higher levels of education, and income, were associated with higher levels of subjective well-being. Most of the examined scales and related items merit consideration for continued testing in telephone surveys used in public health surveillance.
Five studies demonstrated the role of family relationships as an important source of perceived meaning in life. In Study 1 (n ¼ 50), 68% participants reported that their families were the single most significant contributor to personal meaning. Study 2 (n ¼ 231) participants ranked family above 12 likely sources of meaning. Studies 3 (n ¼ 87) and 4 (n ¼ 130) demonstrated that participants' reports of their closeness to family (Study 3) and support from family (Study 4) predicted perceived meaning in life, even when controlling for several competing variables. Study 5 (n ¼ 261) ruled out social desirability as an alternative explanation to the proposed relationship between family and meaning. We conclude that for young adults, family relationships are a primary source of meaning in life and they contribute to their sense of meaning.
Religion invests human existence with meaning by establishing goals and value systems that potentially pertain to all aspects of a persons' life. A goals approach provides a general unifying framework to capture the dynamic aspect of religion in people's lives. Empirical research on the measurement of spirituality and religion through personal goals is described. To illustrate the application of the goals framework, data from the author's research program on personal goals and quality of life in persons with neuromuscular diseases are described. Framing subjective quality-of-life outcomes in terms of goals can lead to new possibilities for understanding adaptation to physical disabilities and in particular, the understanding of the religious and spiritual dimensions of disability and rehabilitation.
This study examined the role of purpose in life and satisfaction with life in protecting against suicide ideation in a clinical psychiatric sample. Forty-nine psychiatric patients completed self-report measures of suicide ideation, purpose in life, satisfaction with life, neuroticism, depression, and social hopelessness. Zero-order correlations indicated significant associations between suicide ideation and the various predictors, in the hypothesized directions. Regression analyses illustrated that purpose in life and satisfaction with life accounted for significant additional variability in suicide ideation scores above and beyond that accounted for by the negative psychological factors alone. Purpose in life also mediated the relation between satisfaction with life and suicide ideation and moderated the relation between depression and suicide ideation. These findings demonstrate the potential value of attending to both resilience and pathology when building predictive models of suicide ideation and of attending to key existential themes when assessing and treating suicidal individuals.
Purpose in life is a defining feature of mental health. In old age, maintaining high levels of purpose in life may become
more difficult, due to increasing losses (e.g., widowhood, retirement). Meta-analysis was used to synthesize findings from
70 studies on purpose in life in middle age and old age. We found a small age-associated decline of purpose in life, which
was stronger in older age-groups. Purpose in life showed a strong association with social integration, and with relational
quality in particular. In addition, high purpose in life was related to better health, higher everyday competence, higher
socioeconomic status, being employed, and being married. Furthermore, strong associations with psychological well-being and
low levels of depressive symptoms were found. We conclude that relying on sources that have low or even no age-associated
decline, such as social integration and previous attainments, counteract strong declines of purpose in life in old age.
A motivational analysis of suicidal terrorism is outlined, anchored in the notion of significance quest. It is suggested that heterogeneous factors identified as personal causes of suicidal terrorism (e.g. trauma, humiliation, social exclusion), the various ideological reasons assumed to justify it (e.g. liberation from foreign occupation, defense of one’s nation or religion), and the social pressures brought upon candidates for suicidal terrorism may be profitably subsumed within an integrative framework that explains diverse instances of suicidal terrorism as attempts at significance restoration, significance gain, and prevention of significance loss. Research and policy implications of the present analysis are considered.
Previous research has demonstrated self-reports of lower levels of four fundamental needs as a result of short periods of face-to-face ostracism, as well as short periods of Internet ostracism (Cyberball), even when the ostracizing others are unseen, unknown, and not-to-be met. In an attempt to reduce the ostracism experience to a level that would no longer be aversive, we (in Study 1) convinced participants that they were playing Cyberball against a computer, yet still found comparable negative impact compared to when the participants thought they were being ostracized by real others. In Study 2, we took this a step further, and additionally manipulated whether the participants were told the computer or humans were scripted (or told) what to do in the game. Once again, even after removing all remnants of sinister attributions, ostracism was similarly aversive. We interpret these results as strong evidence for a very primitive and automatic adaptive sensitivity to even the slightest hint of social exclusion.
The construct of "meaning in life" (MiL) has raised the interest of clinicians working in psycho-oncology and end-of-life care. It has become a topic of scientific investigation where diverse assessment approaches have been applied. Aims: We present a comprehensive systematic review of existing MiL assessment instruments.
Electronic searches of articles published in English peer-reviewed journals were performed in Psycinfo, Medline, Embase and Cinahl. Instruments are appraised with regard to ten measurement properties.
In total, 59 nomothetic and idiographic MiL instruments were identified. Most instruments were developed in North America and meet basic psychometric criteria. They assess presence of and search for MiL, crisis and sources of MiL, meaning making, meaningful activity, MiL in the context of illness, breadth, depth, and other structural indicators. These aspects are largely consistent with existing MiL definitions. Nine out of 59 instruments included cancer populations in test development.
This overview of available instruments underscores the complexity of the construct and might assist researchers to select an appropriate instrument for their research needs. Finally, it points to the need for more integrative theorizing and research on MiL. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.