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Understanding the Search for Meaning in Life: Personality, Cognitive Style, and the Dynamic Between Seeking and Experiencing Meaning
Abstract
Although several theories assert that understanding the search for meaning in life is important, empirical research on this construct is sparse. Three studies provide the first extensive effort to understand the correlates of the search for meaning in a multistudy research program. Assessed were relations between search for meaning and well-being, cognitive style, and the Big Five, Big Three, Approach/Avoidance, and Interest models of personality, with a particular emphasis on understanding the correlates of search for meaning that are independent of presence of meaning. Conceptual models of the relation between search and presence were tested. Findings suggest that people lacking meaning search for it; the search for meaning did not appear to lead to its presence. Study 3 found that basic motive dispositions moderated relations between search for meaning and its presence. Results highlight the importance of basic personality dispositions in understanding the search for meaning and its correlates.
... Conversely, the search for meaning is positively associated with depression, anxiety, emotional distress, suicidal ideation, and lower psychological well-being [9,11]. For instance, in a study of 18-year-olds, those who perceived life as meaningless were more likely to experience anxiety, have lower levels of physical health, and have higher intentions to seek meaning than those who perceived life as meaningful [12]. ...
... Furthermore, it is important to recognize that adolescents' perceptions and thoughts about meaning in life are not limited to the search for meaning and the presence of meaning [12]. Research has consistently shown a strong relationship between self-identity development and meaning in life, suggesting that the latter should follow a similar developmental structure [13]. ...
... Therefore, the search for meaning is a crucial stage in youths' formation of meaning in life. Furthermore, Steger argues that it is healthy for adults to have high levels of presence of meaning, whereas adults who search for meaning are more likely to experience depression and anxiety [12]. Conversely, research suggests that searching for and creating meaning during adolescence can have positive outcomes. ...
Background: Meaning in life, purpose orientations, and attitudes toward life have a significant impact on youths’ well-being. The purpose of this study is to investigate the developmental trends of youths’ meaning in life, purpose orientations, and attitudes toward life. Methods: The sample consisted of 94,219 students aged 13 to 23 years (M = 16.67, SD = 2.70). Person-centered analysis, MANOVA, and an independent sample t-test were used to analyze the data. Results: Most youths were in the “search” or “presence” type in terms of meaning in life status. Fewer students were identified as being in the “ruminative exploration” or “diffusion” type. Very few were in the “precontemplation” or “foreclosure” stages. The status of the sense of meaning did not change significantly with age. Second, in terms of purpose orientations, Chinese youths consider family well-being and personal growth to be the most important goals, whereas personal well-being and social promotion are less important. Third, in terms of attitudes toward life, most young people take an active, accepting, and optimistic view of their lives, seeing life as an experience or process, rather than a good or bad result. Fourthly, the age of 16 was found to be a significant turning point. More emerging adults were in the “presence” state than adolescents, but their attitudes toward life were not as positive as those of adolescents. Conclusions: This study reveals that Chinese youth consider the question of meaning in life as early as age 13. Most of them were in the state of “searching for meaning”. Therefore, education about meaning in life should be integrated into the primary school context. Family well-being is emphasized by Chinese youth because of the collectivist culture. Family well-being and personal growth should be recognized, and social promotion should be enhanced in guidance of Chinese youth’s meaning acquisition.
... In contrast to the absence of meaning, studies prove that the search for meaning can be an adaptive indicator (Davis et al., 1998;King et al., 2016;Mascaro & Rosen, 2005). Despite the widely accepted notion that the search for meaning can be regarded as simply the absence of meaning (Klinger, 1998), Steger et al., (2008aSteger et al., ( , 2008b) reviewed factor-analytic and multitrait-multimethod matrix (MTMM) evidence that indicates they should be differentiated. In the current chapter, we build on the aforementioned views and differentiate the two constructs. ...
... According to Steger et al. (2008a), the construct of search for meaning is a complex one, both conceptually and empirically. The search for meaning is understood as the process of striving for one's understanding concerning "the meaning, significance, and purpose" of his or her life (Steger et al., 2008a(Steger et al., , 2008b. ...
... According to Steger et al. (2008a), the construct of search for meaning is a complex one, both conceptually and empirically. The search for meaning is understood as the process of striving for one's understanding concerning "the meaning, significance, and purpose" of his or her life (Steger et al., 2008a(Steger et al., , 2008b. The search for meaning in life involves identity formulation and therefore ranks among the most significant evolving issues for individuals (Ho et al., 2010;Kiang & Fuligni, 2010). ...
At its heart, the leadership literature suggests that alongside influencing individuals towards organizational objectives, one of the fundamental role of leaders involves creating meaning at work for organizational members. Similarly, the job design literature prescribes steps organizations can take to enhance individuals’ perceptions of meaning at work. With more individuals pursuing meaning at work, more organizations have begun to recognize the importance of fostering work that can be personally significant and meaningful to organizations members. While a number of studies have focused on the sources of meaning at work and the subsequent outcomes of fostering meaning at work, few studies have investigated the implications of the absence or the drive to find meaning at work. In the current chapter, we provide an overview of the meaning at work literature and shed light on the implications of the three dimensions of meaning at work, that is the presence, absence and quest for meaning at work. These implications are arguably critical to understand how organization members view, perceive and interpret their work and themselves. We conclude with recommendations on how not only organizations and leaders, but also individuals themselves can enhance the meaning at work.
Keywords: meaning at work, presence of meaning at work, absence of meaning at work, search for meaning at work
... It is important to note that both searching for meaning (a process capturing efforts to establish meaning) and experiencing presence of meaning (an outcome) are important. More positive associations with well-being and mental health have been found for presence of meaning than for search for meaning (e.g., Dezutter et al., 2014;Martela & Steger, 2016;Steger et al., 2008), but the interaction is complex. For example, when young people actively search for meaning, they experience life satisfaction and other positive outcomes if they already have achieved some presence of meaning as well (Krok, 2018;Shin & Steger, 2016;Steger et al., 2006;Zambelli & Tagliabue, 2022). ...
... On the one hand, high levels of search for meaning among shy young people may indicate that they are motivated for meaning making SOCIAL WITHDRAWAL, SOLITUDE, AND EXISTENTIAL CONCERNS 21 (Heintzelman & King, 2014). On the other hand, it may also indicate difficulties in the meaning-making process because high levels of searching for meaning may reflect a sense that one's life lacks meaning (for similar results, see Steger et al. [2008]). The latter possibility may be correct given that existing data (Cohen & Kairns, 2012;Steger et al., 2006;Steger et al., 2008) show that positive outcomes such as life satisfaction emerge when the search for meaning is accompanied by high presence of meaning-in this study high presence of meaning was not evident for individuals high in shyness. ...
... On the other hand, it may also indicate difficulties in the meaning-making process because high levels of searching for meaning may reflect a sense that one's life lacks meaning (for similar results, see Steger et al. [2008]). The latter possibility may be correct given that existing data (Cohen & Kairns, 2012;Steger et al., 2006;Steger et al., 2008) show that positive outcomes such as life satisfaction emerge when the search for meaning is accompanied by high presence of meaning-in this study high presence of meaning was not evident for individuals high in shyness. Similarly, shy youth have been found to have problems in constructive coping (Eisenberg et al., 1995), and they tend to experience less identity commitment (Barry et al., 2013). ...
This study aimed to investigate the ways subtypes of social withdrawal and dimensions of solitude are related to existential concerns in emerging adulthood. The links between social withdrawal/solitude and existential well-being are a highly neglected research issue. Participants were 774 emerging adults (50.4% males) aged 18–25 (M = 20.07) from Greece. They completed measures on social withdrawal, solitude, authenticity, meaning in life, existential anxiety, and existential loneliness. We used structural equation modeling to analyze the data. Results indicated that shyness, avoidance, and isolation were associated with more existential concerns, whereas unsociability was associated with less existential concerns. The solitude dimensions—enlightenment, freedom, intimacy, and loneliness—were differentially associated with existential concerns, with enlightenment exhibiting the most existential benefits. Findings showed that existential well-being is dependent on emerging adults’ quality of withdrawal experiences and ability to make constructive use of solitude.
... The Presence of Meaning subscale measures how full people feel their lives are of meaning. The Search for Meaning refers to the strength, intensity, and activity of people's efforts to establish or increase their understanding of the meaning and purpose of their lives (Steger, Kashdan, Sullivan, & Lorentz, 2008). ...
... The kind of search for meaning might however differ, depending on the degree of presence of meaning. When meaning is less present this search for meaning can have more negative reasons (Steger, Kashdan, Sullivan, & Lorentz, 2008). The search for meaning can also contain a thoughtful openness to ideas about life, suggesting that it can emerge in more or less healthy ways, depending on who is searching (Steger, Kashdan, Sullivan, & Lorentz, 2008). ...
... When meaning is less present this search for meaning can have more negative reasons (Steger, Kashdan, Sullivan, & Lorentz, 2008). The search for meaning can also contain a thoughtful openness to ideas about life, suggesting that it can emerge in more or less healthy ways, depending on who is searching (Steger, Kashdan, Sullivan, & Lorentz, 2008). ...
Meaning-in-Life might be associated with self-direction for patients with personality disorder (PD) but also with depressive symptoms or existential factors such as self-transcendence and spiritual/religious worldviews. PD patients (n = 125) and a control group (n = 69) completed the following: Meaning-in-Life Questionnaire (MLQ-Presence and MLQ-Search), General-Assessment-of-personality-disorder subscale Lack-of-Meaning-Purpose-Direction (GAPD-LMPD), Symptom-Checklist-Depression (SCL-90-Depression), Temperament-and-Character-Inventory scale Self-Transcendence (TCI-ST) and a worldview-questionnaire. PD patients showed less meaning in life, but religious and spiritual/non-religious worldviews mattered. Results emphasize that PD, beyond depressive symptoms, possesses a unique association with meaning-in-life and suggest exploring spiritual/religious worldviews as possible sources for meaning-in-life. MLQ-Presence and GAPD-LMPD seem to assess no identical constructs.
... Meaning in Life (MiL) includes goals and purposes (Lent, 2013), and has been related to several variables of personal growth and well-being, such as coherence in life, autonomy, and self-actualization, among others (e.g., Wong, 2016). From Frankl's initial conceptualization of MiL, Steger, Kashdan, et al. (2008a) distinguished between Presence of Meaning and Search for Meaning as two dimensions of MiL. These authors defined people's Presence of Meaning experience "when they comprehend themselves and the world, understand their unique fit in the world, and identify what they are trying to accomplish in their lives", whereas Search for Meaning is "the strength, intensity, and activity of people's desire and efforts to establish and/ or augment their understanding of the meaning, significance, and purpose of their lives (Steger, Kashdan, et al., 2008a, 200). ...
... Results suggested that the model that received greater support was the Presence-to-Search, and this is the model that has been taken into consideration in the present work. Steger, Kashdan, et al. (2008a) results suggest that Presence of Meaning is positively correlated with oneself understanding, one's world around understanding, and one's fit within the world (e.g. positive relationships; Cfr. ...
... The ger, Frazier, et al., 2006), ranging from r = −.16 (non-significant) to r = −.20 (p < .05). Our results support the Presence-to-Search model hypothesized by Steger, Kashdan, et al. (2008a), suggesting that Presence and Search are inversely related. ...
The feeling that one's life has meaning is important throughout the human lifespan, and it is considered a factor related to optimal psychological functioning. The purpose of the present study was to analyze the relationship between the Presence and/or Search for Meaning and several positive psychological functioning variables in emerging adults, and analyze the differences associated with gender. Due to the transitional nature of emerging adulthood, it is important to know the relationships between meaning in life and variables of personal well-being, as well as the differences related to gender in emerging adults, in order to carry out educational and/or clinical interventions to improve their satisfaction with life, self-esteem, and happiness, among other personal well-being variables. The study involved 349 Spanish emerging adults (224 women, 64.20%, and 125 men, 35.80%) with ages ranging between 18 and 26 years, M = 20.81, SD = 2.17. Spanish adaptations of the Purpose-In-Life Test-10 Items, Seeking Of Noetic Goals-8 Items, Satisfaction With Life Scale, Rosenberg's Self-esteem Scale, Oxford Happiness Questionnaire, and Psychological Well-Being Scales were used. Descriptive statistics, t tests for differences between women and men, correlation analyses, and simple linear regression analyses were carried out. Presence of Meaning and Search for Meaning showed a negative correlationship. Presence of Meaning had a negative significant correlation with negative self-esteem, and a positive significant correlation with satisfaction with life, positive self-esteem, happiness, and psychological well-being. Search for Meaning had a negative significant correlation with satisfaction with life, positive self-esteem, happiness, and psychological well-being, and a positive significant correlation with negative self-esteem. Women obtained higher scores on Presence of Meaning, whereas men had higher scores on self-esteem. The experience of meaning in life (MiL) is a factor in optimal psychological functioning in emerging adulthood. Feeling that life has meaning is related to greater psychological well-being, life satisfaction, and happiness, and it is a significant predictor of positive psychological functioning. By contrast, Search for Meaning is associated with greater life dissatisfaction, less happiness , and lower well-being. The relationship between MiL and positive psychological functioning suggests the importance of providing resources to promote psychological well-being during emerging adulthood.
... The former measures the subjective experience of meaning in life, whereas the latter measures the process of finding and looking for meaning in life. Of note, studies have found positive associations between psychological well-being and meaning in life when it was measured as one holistic construct [5,6]; however, more divergent effects have been reported, with positive associations with the presence of meaning in life and a negative correlation with its search [7]. Steger and his colleagues proposed that the negative correlation might be explained by uncertainties towards one's life during the search for meaning in life [7]. ...
... Of note, studies have found positive associations between psychological well-being and meaning in life when it was measured as one holistic construct [5,6]; however, more divergent effects have been reported, with positive associations with the presence of meaning in life and a negative correlation with its search [7]. Steger and his colleagues proposed that the negative correlation might be explained by uncertainties towards one's life during the search for meaning in life [7]. ...
Social unrest, coupled with the outbreak of COVID-19, was a double-hit for Hong Kong in early 2020. Those stressful societal situations not only trigger negative emotions, such as anxiety and/or depression, but also consolidate a person’s belief towards oneself (i.e., meaning in life) and society (i.e., social axioms). The study included 2031 participants from the Formation and Transformation of Beliefs in Chinese (FTBC) project dataset. The data were collected in Hong Kong from February 2020 to March 2020 (double-hit). Path analysis and multiple regression were used to examine the mediating and moderating effects of the presence subscale (P) of the Meaning in Life Questionnaire (MLQ) on the relations between social axioms and negative emotions. Results showed that low MLQ-P mediated the associations between cynicism and negative emotions and between low religiosity and negative emotions and moderated the relation between social cynicism and emotional outcomes. Exploratory analyses showed that MLQ-Search (S) mediated the relations between reward for application and negative emotions, between social complexity and negative emotions, and between fate control and negative emotions, and moderated the relation between religiosity and stress. As far as we know, this study reported the first evidence of the role of meaning in life in explaining and modifying the associations between social axioms and mood states. The presence of and search for meaning in life seem to work differently with respect to the relations between social axioms and negative emotions, with important implications for understanding the dynamics of social and personal beliefs in affecting mental health in times of large-scale public crisis.
... Among established meaning in life research models, Steger et al. (2006) model separates meaning in life into two factors: the search for meaning and the presence of meaning. Searching for meaning refers to the degree to which individuals strive to establish or supplement an understanding of meaning in their lives ( Steger et al., 2008 ). Conversely, presence of meaning conveys the extent to which individuals experience their lives as presently imbued with meaning ( Steger et al., 2008 ). ...
... Searching for meaning refers to the degree to which individuals strive to establish or supplement an understanding of meaning in their lives ( Steger et al., 2008 ). Conversely, presence of meaning conveys the extent to which individuals experience their lives as presently imbued with meaning ( Steger et al., 2008 ). ...
Background: Although studies have reported a significant inverse association between meaning in life and psychological distress, little is known about this association, specifically among men, or its potential underlying mechanisms. Accordingly, this study investigated prospective pathways connecting meaning in life to men's psychological distress through the serial mediation effects of resilience and loneliness. Methods: In total, 364 male respondents provided demographic data and completed an online survey to assess meaning in life, resilience, loneliness, and psychological distress. Simple and serial mediation models were tested to examine whether resilience and loneliness mediated the association between meaning in life and men's psychological distress, both separately and jointly. Results: Direct and indirect effects of meaning in life on men's psychological distress were found. As predicted, both resilience and loneliness independently mediated the association between meaning in life and men's psychological distress. In addition, serial mediation analysis indicated that resilience and loneliness mediated the association between meaning in life and men's psychological distress via a sequential process. Conclusions: The findings advance knowledge concerning the influence of meaning in life on men's psychological distress and two critical underlying mechanisms in this relationship. Clinical interventions for men that enhance meaning in life may help bolster resilience and reduce loneliness, diminishing psychological distress.
... The idea of meaning refers to people's life being cognizant, significant, and taken care of and to a grasping inclination towards life (Schnell, 2009). Steger et al. (2008) clarify this meaning in life that how people view their lives as being meaningful and significant; their struggle or wish to have a drive throughout life, to figure out and support that drive. Meaning in life denotes the worth and motivation behind life and significant life goals (Jim et al., 2006). ...
... It signifies the importance of presence of meaning in life and that having meaningful lives leads to more life satisfaction. Hence, meaning in life is present so search for further meaning is linked to well-being greater life satisfaction (Steger et al., 2008). The presence of meaning in life optimizes the teachers' satisfaction in teaching profession and it is considered to be essential for general and special education teaching profession. ...
Education develops human personality, refine thoughts, teach how to deal with others, and prepare better human beings for life. Teachers are the pivotal element of education system as they have to inculcate the purpose of education in individuals. This research aimed to explore the relationship between two elements of psychological functioning i.e. meaning in life and life satisfaction in teachers working in different educational settings. Purposive sampling technique was used to recruit N=140 teachers; n =70 from general and n =70 from special educational settings. A cross-sectional research design was employed. Meaning in Life Questionnaire, Satisfaction with Life Scale, and Demographic Information Sheet were used to collect the responses of school teachers. Results showed that teachers working in the special education setting reported high search for meaning in life as compared to teachers working in the general education setting. Furthermore, male teachers reported high search of meaning in life compared to female teachers. It was also revealed that there was a significant positive relationship between presence of meaning in life and satisfaction with life in teachers. Moreover, presence of meaning in life positively predicted life satisfaction. This research will lead the administration of the education system to introduce healthy reforms to improve psychological functioning of teachers and prepare them for upcoming challenges in the educational field.
... In the past few decades, attention to meaning in life grew considerably in clinical and well-being research, leading to the development of several conceptual models and operational definitions of the construct. One of the most frequently used models of meaning in life was developed by Steger and colleagues (Steger et al., 2006(Steger et al., , 2008b. It comprises two dimensions: the presence of meaning in life, representing the individual's perception of their life's meaning and purpose; and the search for meaning in life, that refers to the person's desire and efforts to attain and/or increase the purpose and meaning of life. ...
... In addition, the available literature concerning the cultural understanding and correlates of the two meaning in life facets has provided equivocal evidence. Some of the studies conducted on this topic suggested a recurrent negative association between presence and search for meaning in individualistic countries (Negri et al., 2020;Steger et al., 2006Steger et al., , 2008b, while in collectivistic ones positive or absent correlations emerged between the two dimensions (Kiang & Fuligni, 2010;Steger et al., 2008c). Other studies however provided less straightforward results, with negative associations between presence of and search for meaning detected in participants from collectivistic Turkey (Boyraz et al., 2013) and India (Singh et al., 2016), and in a multicultural sample form South Africa (Temane et al., 2014). ...
The Meaning in Life Questionnaire assesses presence of and search for meaning in life. Although the questionnaire has shown promising psychometric properties in samples from different countries, the scale’s measurement invariance across a large number of nations has yet to be assessed. This study is aimed at addressing this gap, providing insight into how meaning in life is constructed and experienced across countries and into the extent to which cross-country comparisons can be made. A total of 3867 adult participants from 17 countries, aged 30–60, balanced by gender, and with at least secondary education, completed the questionnaire as part of the Eudaimonic and Hedonic Happiness Investigation. Single sample confirmatory factor analysis, multigroup confirmatory factor analysis, and alignment optimization were applied to investigate the scale’s performance across the samples. Good psychometric properties and high levels of approximate measurement invariance emerged for the Presence subscale after removal of item 9, the only reverse-phrased item. Performance of the Search subscale varied more across samples, suggesting caution in interpreting related results supporting approximate measurement invariance. The conceptualization of presence of meaning operationalized in the corresponding subscale (without item 9) appears consistent across countries, whereas search for meaning seems to be less universally homogenous and requires further exploration. Moreover, the Meaning in Life Questionnaire does not reflect the conceptual distinction between “purpose” and “meaning” currently acknowledged by researchers. This issue should be further explored in studies addressing the scale’s performance across cultures.
... One of the most significant factors influencing people's beliefs, attitudes, and behaviours is the search for meaning, which is an effort to obtain accurate and consistent information. It is a force that creates new possibilities for people, encourages them to look for employment, and supports their drive to comprehend and categorize their unique experiences (Steger et al., 2008). Every person's significance in life is special and different since everyone has a responsibility to uphold (Frankl, 2013). ...
The purpose of this research is to study the relationship between meaning in life, exercise beliefs, and levels of bliss among university students. The research was carried out in descriptive and cross-sectional type. Approval for the research was obtained from the Scientific Research and Publication Ethics Committee of Muş Alparslan University (date and number: 30.12.2020-15709). The research was carried out between 05.01.2021 and 05.03.2021 with 490 students who were actively attending in the health services vocational school of a state university in Turkey. The data were collected by administering a personal information form, the Meaning in Life Questionnaire, Exercise Health Belief Model Scale, and the Oxford Happiness Scale. For analysing the data, number, mean, percentile distribution, Cronbach alpha coefficient, and Pearson Correlation analyses were used. The sense of life, happiness, and exercise of student belief levels were determined to be above average value. A statistically significant positive relationship between sense of life and happiness, sense of life and exercise beliefs, and happiness and exercise beliefs was found. It was found that as the students' sense of life increased, their belief in exercise and their level of happiness also increased. In addition, it was determined that as the exercise belief scores increased, the happiness scores also increased. It is recommended to carry out activities related to artistic, cultural, and sportive activities in order to increase the meaning of life, exercise belief, and happiness levels in university students.
... One of the most significant factors influencing people's beliefs, attitudes, and behaviours is the search for meaning, which is an effort to obtain accurate and consistent information. It is a force that creates new possibilities for people, encourages them to look for employment, and supports their drive to comprehend and categorize their unique experiences (Steger et al., 2008). Every person's significance in life is special and different since everyone has a responsibility to uphold (Frankl, 2013). ...
... Previous research on the association of search for meaning in life and wellbeing has been inconsistent. Some researchers have found a negative association between SML and depression or mental health outcome (Chen et al., 2021;Steger et al., 2008Steger et al., , 2011Wang et al., 2016), others have reported a positive association between SML and poor mental health including suicide behaviour Li et al., 2019;Costanza et al., 2019), whereas some others reported no significant association (Hedayati & Khazaei, 2014). ...
There is robust evidence supporting the protective effect of social support from negative psychological consequences, but the mechanism through which social support performs this function is not clear. The present study explored the mediating role of meaning in life (presence of meaning in life: PML, and search for meaning in life: SML) in the relationship between social support, depression, and suicide behaviour among undergraduate medical students. Using a cross-sectional design, undergraduate medical students (N = 240, M age = 22.38, SD = 2.16) were randomly selected from the faculty of medical sciences, University of Nigeria, Enugu Campus. Participants completed relevant measures. Results indicated that social support was negatively associated with depression (B = − 0.20, p = .002), and suicide behaviour (B = − 0.05, p = .004). PML mediated the association between social support and depression [95CI: − 0.12, − 0.03], and the association between social support and suicide behaviour [95%CI: 0.12, 0.04]. The mediating role of SML on the association between social support and depression [95%CI: − 0.04, 0.01], and between social support and suicide behaviour [95%CI: − 0.06, 0.01] were not significant. The findings of this study suggest that the presence of meaning in life is the pathway through which social support alleviates depressive symptoms, and suicide behavioral tendencies, and could therefore serve as an intervention target to decrease such negative psychological outcomes in medical students.
... Satisfying the basic psychological needs of individuals such as relatedness contributes to a richer meaning in life (Ryan & Deci, 2008;Weinstein et al., 2013). Researchers demonstrated that as the need for relatedness is satisfied, there is an increase in meaning and well-being in life (Bauer, King, & Steger, 2019;Ryan & Deci, 2000;Steger, Kashdan, Sullivan, & Lorentz, 2008). The present study examines the effects of nostalgic emotions on meaning in life and subjective well-being. ...
... One of the most significant factors influencing people's beliefs, attitudes, and behaviours is the search for meaning, which is an effort to obtain accurate and consistent information. It is a force that creates new possibilities for people, encourages them to look for employment, and supports their drive to comprehend and categorize their unique experiences (Steger et al., 2008). Every person's significance in life is special and different since everyone has a responsibility to uphold (Frankl, 2013). ...
The purpose of this research is to study the relationship between meaning in life, exercise beliefs, and levels of bliss among university students. The study is a cross-sectional type of research. The research was carried out between 05.01.2021 and 05.03.2021 with 251 students who were actively attending in the health services vocational school of a state university in Turkey. The data were collected by administering a personal information form, the Meaning in Life Questionnaire, Exercise Health Belief Model Scale, and the Oxford Happiness Scale. For analyzing the data, number, mean, percentile distribution, Cronbach alpha coefficient, and Pearson Correlation analyses were used. The sense of life, happiness and exercise of student belief levels were determined to be above average value. There was found to be a statistically significant positive relationship between sense of life and happiness, sense of life and exercise beliefs, and happiness and exercise beliefs. It was found that as the students' sense of life increased, their belief in exercise and their level of happiness also increased. Moreover, the findings showed that the scores regarding the participants’ happiness levels increased along with the ones of exercise beliefs.
... For example, self-determination theory which posits that well-being is derived from competence, autonomy, and relatedness (Ryan and Deci, 2000), has been linked to a feeling that things in the world are meaningful or devoid of meaning (Vansteenkiste et al., 2018). Others have considered meaning as a dynamic process which can be separated into presence vs. a search for meaning (Steger et al., 2008) using the framework of Frankl (1984). However, this line of research does not deeply engage with a definition of meaning either, instead focusing on the practical implications of their definitions of meaning. ...
The resurgence of psychedelic research explicitly targets treating mental health conditions largely through psychedelics-assisted psychotherapy. Current theories about mechanisms of change in psychedelics-assisted psychotherapy focus on mystical experiences as the main driver of symptom improvement. During these mystical experiences, participants report an enhanced sense of salience, connectedness, and meaning. Simultaneously, a growing psychedelic culture is also cultivating the use of psychedelics as medicine for relieving symptoms of anxiety and depression and promoting cognitive functions. We argue that an integral part of the excitement around the resurgence in psychedelics is in response to a meaning and alienation crisis that correlates with rising rates of anxiety and depression. Framing the absence of meaning as neonihilism, a contemporary correlate to the 19 th-century phenomenon with unique features present in a neoliberal cultural context, we explore whether psychedelics combined with group therapy can provide answers to modern experiences of meaninglessness. Based on this exploration, we suggest concrete next steps both in the theory and practice of psychedelic psychotherapy toward what we are calling neonihilistic psychedelic group psychotherapy.
... Therefore, because the effects of experiencing a crisis during a pandemic on mental health can be significant [30], finding a sense of meaning in life can be an essential element in the mental recovery process [31]. Research also suggests that, first, people may need cues to make sense in a structured way [32], and second, individual characteristics, such as the age and gender of the subjects, should be considered. Some studies have confirmed gender differences, where women have a higher sense of meaning in life than men [12,33]. ...
Aim:
This study investigated whether gratitude and fear of COVID-19 mediated the relationship between crisis experience during the pandemic and purpose in life in men and women.
Methods:
Six hundred and five participants aged between 18 and 60 years (M = 25.6; SD = 8.39) completed the Gratitude, Resentment, and Appreciation Scale-Short Form (GRAT-S), Fear of COVID-19 Scale, and Purpose in Life Test (PIL). In addition, the respondents were questioned about life crises during the previous six months (e.g., the death of a loved one or illness).
Results:
Men and women differed in their endorsement of gratitude or fear of COVID-19 as a mediator. Women's experiences of the crisis related both directly and indirectly to purpose in life, with gratitude and fear of COVID-19 mediating this relationship. In men, only the indirect path, from crisis experience, through gratitude, to purpose in life, turned out to be significant.
Conclusion:
The results of this study suggest that coping styles differ in men and women and, as a consequence, that crisis interventions need to take gender into account.
... In other words, when people are convinced that their goals are worthy of achieving and worth the effort and sacrifices, then their Conscientiousness leads to more satisfaction with life than when they do not see much purpose in their activities. The meaning of life and particularly goals as a specific adaptation mediate the relation between Conscientiousness as a disposition 1 < 2 *** 1 < 3 *** 1 < 4 *** and subjective well-being, which is coherent with other research on relationships between personality, meaning in life and well-being (e.g., Ho, Cheung, & Cheung, 2010;Park, Park, & Peterson, 2010;Steger, Kashdan, Sullivan, & Lorentz, 2008). Life-engagement is also a mediator of satisfaction with life and Neuroticism, but only in couples with infertility problems. ...
... Life satisfaction is one of the main well-being indicators (Karataş et al., 2021) for presence of meaning in life. The other component is search for meaning in life and that has been referred to as "The strength, intensity, and activity of people's desire and efforts to establish and/or augment their understanding of the meaning, significance, and purpose of their lives" (Steger et al., 2008). ...
Previous research indicates that young adults experience an increase in life satisfaction when they have a meaning in life. The current study examined the association between meaning in life and satisfaction with life as well as the relationship between the search for meaning in life and life satisfaction. University undergraduates (N= 302) from Forman Christian College (A Chartered University-FCCU) filled out self-report measures. The analysis was conducted using demographical information, scores from Meaning in Life Questionnaire (MLQ) and Satisfaction with Life Scale (SWLS). Pearson Product Moment Correlation Co-efficient indicated that Satisfaction with life increased when there was presence of meaning in life. Additionally, search for meaning increased when satisfaction with life decreased. Lastly, an independent samples t-test indicated no significant gender differences in meaning in life. The research helps to understand the variables in a Pakistani context since the prevalence of meaning in life significantly differs across cultures. Future research may look into the sources of meaning in life, reasons for absence of meaning and other factors that affect life satisfaction in young adults.
... There is also some evidence to suggest that having MiL is negatively related with searching for it (Steger et al., 2008), such that people who lack MiL tend to actively seek it out to remedy their meaninglessness. This lends additional support for the proposed distinction between existential nihilism and MiL. ...
Existential nihilism is a worldview characterized by the belief that the totality of existence is meaningless and any attempt to change or rectify this, with the goal of establishing meaning, is futile. Despite the rich but often ambiguous philosophical and cultural history of existential nihilism, its impact on mental health and society remains largely unknown due to a gap in the scientific measurement literature. To address this gap, an 8-item scale measuring the proposed construct was rigorously developed and tested in accordance with psychometric theory and scale development guidelines. Two identical studies were conducted with an undergraduate sample (N = 329) and a community sample (N = 307) to evaluate the scale’s item quality, reliability, internal structure, convergent validity, concurrent validity, discriminant validity, and incremental validity. Evaluation of the Existential Nihilism Scale (ENS) provided evidence of strong psychometric properties. This new measure promises to contribute to future research examining the impact of existential nihilism on mental health, wellbeing, and social outcomes.
... Eric Klinger argues that meaning is one of the evolutionary mechanisms that allow humans to sustain and survive. When people lose their sense of meaning in life, they may experience psychological problems, including depression, substance abuse, suicidality, neuroticism, anxiety, anoxia (the inability to remember names of objects), post-traumatic stress disorder, and lower levels of well-being, psychological burnout, more sexual sensation seeking and uncommitted sex, and more consumption of pornography (Alfuqaha et al., 2021;Garfield, 1973;Glaw et al., 2020;Harlow et al., n.d.;Lifton, 1996;Moynihan et al., 2022;Owens et al., 2009;Pearson' & Sheffield, 1989;Reker et al., 1987;Steger et al., 2008;Volkert et al., 2014). ...
... The final component to happiness and well-being is meaning. Researchers have suggested that finding meaning in life is important to the well-being of a person (e.g., Frankl, 1992;Steger, Kashdan, Sullivan, & Lorentz, 2008). Meaning allows people to develop positive social relationships and connect to a purpose in their lives (Seligman, 2002). ...
... A link between meaning and purpose of life and maltreatment has also been documented in the relevant literature. People experience a greater sense of purpose when they are more self-conscious, aware of their surroundings, and able to adjust to it (Steger et al., 2008). Research underscored that meaning and purpose of life could buffer the effect of damaging psychological effects of stressful and traumatic experiences (e.g., Lightsey, 2006). ...
A growing body of evidence shows that emotional neglect may increase a young adult's susceptibility to substance misuse. Nevertheless, to our knowledge, no studies have examined how the meaning and purpose of life may explain the association between childhood emotional neglect and risks of substance misuse in adulthood. The current study seeks to examine whether the purpose and meaning of life may serve as a protective factor against the effects of emotional neglect and risks of substance misuse in the university students' sample. A total of 385 Turkish university students recruited by snowball sampling agreed to complete the Addiction Profile Index Risk Screening Scale, Childhood Trauma Questionnaire, and Meaning and Purpose of Life Scale. The results showed a significant positive relationship between the risk of substance misuse and emotional neglect. The meaning and purpose of life, however, was negatively and significantly related to emotional neglect. The findings suggested that the association between childhood emotional neglect and risks of substance misuse was mediated by the meaning and purpose of life. The findings suggest that meaning and purpose of life is an important mechanism explaining how childhood emotional neglect is associated with risks of substance misuse. When addressing the hazards of substance misuse among university students, future prevention and intervention programs may take life's meaning and purpose into account.
... People who lack meaning are more likely to be searching for it, and the search for meaning does not necessarily lead to finding it. Thus, presence of MIL is a more consistent correlate of MH (Steger et al., 2008;Roepke et al., 2014;Hooker et al., 2018), supporting the notion that PPTG reflects a search for meaning and that the presence of MIL may play an important mediational role in the linkage between PPTG and MH. However, to our knowledge, no study has tested whether MIL mediates the effects of PPTG on MH. ...
Meaning making efforts, such as perceiving posttraumatic growth (PPTG), may relate to mental health (MH), especially when creating meaning in life (MIL). We tested this assertion using media-tion analyses to see whether PPTG leads to subsequent MH through MIL and if PPTG leads to increased MIL, which predicts increased MH. 402 Post-9/11 military veterans were assessed at baseline, 6 months (T2), and 12 months (T3) later. PPTG predicted subsequent MH, effects entirely mediated by T2 MIL. PPTG also predicted increased T2 MIL but not increased T3 MH, although increased T2 MIL led to increased T3 MH. Findings suggest a stable association between PPTG and MH, an effect fully mediated by MIL. Further, PPTG relates to subsequent MH only when resulting in increased MIL. Future research examining meaning making in studies of PPTG is needed to better understand the conditions under which PPTG is adaptive.
... Its Presence of Meaning in Life Subscale (hereafter referred to as ML-Presence) measures the global subjective perception that one's life has meaning. Its Search for Meaning in Life Subscale (hereafter referred to as ML-Search) measures the degree of effort invested in establishing and developing life meaning (Steger, et al., 2008a). ...
Meaning in life contributes to psychological well-being. However, few studies have adopted an implicit theory approach to studying people's beliefs about the malleability of meaning in life. We propose the growth mindset of meaning in life (GMML) as the belief that meaning in life can be developed. In Study 1, we construct the Mindset of Meaning in Life Scale (MMLS) to measure GMML and demonstrate that GMML is distinct from growth mindset of intelligence and meaning in life. As predicted, GMML is positively associated with psychological well-being indicators, including life satisfaction and positive coping styles, and negatively correlated with ill-being measures such as depression and anxiety. In Study 2, tolerance of uncertainty was found to partially mediate the relationships between GMML and depression, anxiety, purpose in life, the presence of and search for meaning in life. Taken together, our findings suggest that GMML is a distinct construct relevant to individuals’ well-being and meaning in life.
... The cross-sectional and longitudinal data of previous research has indicated a moderate, negative relationship between the presence of and search for meaning in life (Steger et al., 2006). A significant negative correlation between these two dimensions was found, indicating that the search for meaning in life increased as the reported presence of meaning decreased, consistent with some of the previous research conducted in American (e.g., Steger et al., 2008a) and Turkish samples (e.g., Boyraz et al., 2013;Yarar, 2015). The finding can be explained by the fact that middle-aged women have various ways of making their lives meaningful (e.g., careers and marital satisfaction) and when such factors are taken into account, the need to search for meaning would be less likely. ...
... Previous research has emphasized the importance of including meaninglessness in the assessment of PDs (Steen et al., 2019). For example, individuals who lack it, usually aim to find it, whereas those with a sense of meaningfulness, often do not actively search for it (Steger et al., 2008). ...
The Alternative DSM-5 Model for Personality Disorders (AMPD) consists of level of personality functioning (Criterion A) and maladaptive personality traits (Criterion B). The brief scale versions of these are understudied, while often being used by clinicians and researchers. In this study, we wanted to investigate the overlap and predictive validity of Criterion A and B. Participants (N = 253) were measured on level of personality functioning (LPFS-BF) and maladaptive personality traits (PID-5-BF), as well as internalizing outcomes such existential meaninglessness (EMS) and externalizing outcomes such as substance and behavioral addictions (SSAB). Data analysis was conducted with principal component analysis (PCA) and regression analyses. The results showed over 50% overlap between the brief versions of Criterion A and B, while Criterion B slightly outperformed Criterion A in outcomes of EMS and SSAB. We discuss the potential redundancy and usefulness of personality functioning and maladaptive personality traits.
... People differing in attachment security also differ in their perceptions of life's meaning and ways of coping with the threat of meaninglessness. For example, feelings of closeness and social support (which are core aspects of the sense of attachment security) are associated with a heightened sense of life's meaning (e.g., Hicks & King, 2009;Steger et al., 2008). Similarly, Lambert et al. (2010) reported that perceived closeness to family members and support from them was associated with greater meaning in life among young adults, even when self-esteem, feelings of autonomy and competence, and social desirability were statistically controlled. ...
... The college meaning condition was successful in promoting a sense of meaning in life but did not instigate search for meaning. This is not surprising since searching for meaning is most often, but not always, a response to a lack of meaning (Steger et al., 2008). ...
The purpose of the research was to test the impact of college meaning (i.e., deriving a sense of meaning in life from educational pursuits in college) on students’ academic self-efficacy. In Study 1, 378 undergraduate students completed measures of college meaning and academic self-efficacy. The study revealed that college meaning was positively associated with academic self-efficacy. Study 2 tested the impact of college meaning on academic self-efficacy using an experiment. In Study 2, 308 undergraduate students completed a college meaning or control manipulation, followed by an assessment of academic self-efficacy. It was found that students who completed a writing prompt that had them reflect on how college gives their life meaning reported stronger academic self-efficacy when compared to students who completed a control writing prompt. Getting students to consider the existential importance of college appears to be one way of inspiring positive beliefs about their ability to succeed in college.
... The scle showed excellent reliability (α = .82). However, given that existing research suggests that lifemeaning-pursuing is a dynamic set of cognitive and behavioural acts rather than personality strengths (Steger et al., 2008), this study employed the subscale of life-meaning experience to merely measure adolescents' levels of meaning in life. ...
Non-suicidal self-injury is an important public health problem, which is closely related to suicidal behavior and has attracted wide attention from researchers. This study recruited 1207 adolescents to systematically explore the relationship between cumulative risks and non-suicidal self-injuries using scales and questionnaires. It also compared the influences of various risk factors on self-injurious behaviour and researched the protective effect of personality strengths (mindfulness, hope, openness, grit, and meaning in life) as resilience factors. The results showed that the significant predictive effects of cumulative risks on adolescents’ non-suicidal self-injury and adverse childhood experiences are greater predictors of adolescents’ non-suicidal self-injury than negative life events. Mindfulness and meaning in life are two protectors co-moderating the effects of cumulative risk on adolescents’ non-suicidal self-injury. This study has important implications for a better understanding of resilience. And more intervention and prevention strategies based on personality strengths for individuals experiencing adversity and stress could be effective in improving their psychosocial functioning.
... There are benefits to both presence and search for university students-POM is positively associated with achievement (Steger et al., 2008) while SFM is linked with intrinsic aspirations, independence, ...
The present study aimed to investigate the effect of Meaning-Centered Group Psychotherapy (MCGP) on promoting meaning in the lives of individuals with spinal cord injury. This single-blind study was quasi-experimental with pre-test, post-test, follow-up, and experimental and control groups. Forty-three patients with poor meaning in life were selected by purposive sampling and randomly assigned to experimental and control groups. The experimental group received MCGP, while the control group received no intervention. The data were collected by the Meaning in Life Questionnaire and analyzed by multivariate analysis of covariance. The results revealed significant differences between the post-test and follow-up scores of the experimental and control groups regarding the presence of meaning in life and the search for meaning in life. Also, no significant difference was found between the post-test and follow-up scores of the experimental group, which demonstrated the stability of the treatment effects. In general, MCGP significantly improved the meaning in the lives of patients with spinal cord injury.
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.
Two areas that have scientifically erupted in the last two decades are the sciences of meaning and of character strengths, yet the integration of these areas has been minimal. Some studies have drawn significant connections between character strengths and meaning in life, however, the samples have been limited, the measures have not measured or separated the types of meaning, and/or the studies have not gathered data from participants on the nuances of meaning. We conducted a large-scale, mixed methods study with 23,641 participants, spanning more than 100 countries. We measured the 24 character strengths using the VIA Inventory of Strengths and the three components of meaning – coherence/comprehension, significance/mattering, and purpose using the Multidimensional Existential Meaning Scale. Participants shared their observations on how their chosen character strength was helpful for coherence, purpose, and significance. Meaning scales were significantly correlated with all character strengths. The strongest predictors of overall meaning were hope, spirituality, zest, curiosity and gratitude. We found gender differences for character strengths and types of meaning as well as age trends. Finally, we qualitatively analyzed the answers explaining the selections of character strengths, and assessed differences between gender and age. We discuss the findings within this intersection as well as ramifications for the scientific synergy of character strengths and meaning.
Purpose:
The present study investigated the effect of extrinsic motivation, amotivation, the presence of and search for purpose, and their interaction effects on the perceived positive outcomes of being a peer mentor in college.
Methods:
We tested a cross-sectional data using correlation design and moderation model. Participants were 232 undergraduate students who served as mentors for freshmen. Data was collected through an online survey.
Results:
Extrinsic motivation was positively, but amotivation not significantly, associated with perceiving the benefits of being a mentor. The presence of and search for purpose showed positive correlation with positive outcomes. Both the search for and presence of purpose moderated the relation between amotivation and the positive outcomes of being a mentor.
Conclusion:
The presence of purpose and the search for purpose moderates the relationship between amotivation and the positive outcomes of being a mentor.
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.
This doctoral thesis aims to open a reflection on how to measure dynamics of change of psychological processes by presenting an application of the complexity framework to the meaning-making process. The first chapter fronts the challenge of how to conceptualize the meaning-making process, by conducting a systematic review of the literature that led toward the formulation of a new integrated conceptual definition of meaning-making. The second chapter presents the development of a new self-report measure of meaning in life (SMILE; situational meaning in life evaluation) that has been validated in a national representative sample and in a sample of emerging and young adults. The third chapter deals with the challenge of how to investigate the dynamics of change of the meaning-making process in the daily life by applying two state-of-the-art data analysis approaches, the Dynamic Structural Equation Models (DSEM) and the Multilevel Network Psychometric approach. Data from emerging and young adults were collected with a measurement burst design made of two daily diary studies during the COVID-19 pandemic. The role of individual factors (transitive condition in love and work), situational factors (positive vs negative events), and contextual factors (pandemic) as activators of the meaning-making process has also been investigated.
Öz İnsan, yaşamı boyunca bir anlam arayışı içindedir. Ruhsal sağlığı için kendisinin ve diğerleriyle olan ilişkisinin konumunu belirlemek, bu konumu anlamlandırmak durumundadır. Yapılan birçok araştırmaya göre yaşamda anlam ile öznel iyi oluş, umut, yaşam doyumu, mutluluk gibi olumlu duygularla pozitif yönlü; depresyon, bağımlılık, kaygı, intihar gibi olumsuz duygularla negatif yönlü ilişkili olduğu görülmektedir. Psiko-somatik, psiko-nevrotik birçok hastalığın sebeplerinin büyük ölçüde stres ve sıkıntı kaynaklı olduğunu düşünürsek yaşamda anlam çağımızın en önemli konularından biridir diyebiliriz. Bu araştırmada ergenlerde yaşamda anlam, maneviyat, kişilik arasındaki ilişki, maneviyat ve kişiliğin yaşamda anlam üzerinde yordayıcı etkisi incelenmiştir. Araştırmanın örneklemi lise eğitimi gören 15-18 yaş aralığında 582 öğrenciden oluşmaktadır. Araştırma verileri Yaşamda Anlam Ölçeği, Maneviyat Ölçeği ve On-Maddeli Kişilik Ölçeği kullanılarak elde edilmiştir. Verilerin analizi için SPSS Statistics 26 programı kullanılmıştır. Analiz sonuçlarına göre anlam varlığının maneviyat ölçeğinin tüm boyutları, kişilik alt boyutlarından “yumuşak başlılık” ile pozitif yönlü anlamlı ilişkili olduğu ve maneviyat alt boyutlarından “anlam”, “manevi hoşnutluk”, “manevi başa çıkma” değişkenlerinin anlam varlığını pozitif yönde yordadığı bulgularına ulaşılmıştır. Anahtar Kelimeler Yaşamda anlam, Maneviyat, Anlam varlığı, Anlam arayışı, Kişilik
Purpose
This study aims to create a more humane and responsible workplace, individuals’ gratitude and meaningfulness seem of utmost importance. This study is an effort to understand the role of gratitude intent of potential managers.
Design/methodology/approach
This study examines the psychological characteristic of business students in India. The researchers surveyed 333 Indian students as future managers. The collected data has been analysed with the Smart PLS 3 version to assess the formative-reflective scale by comparing model fit, measurement model and structural modelling.
Findings
The results establish that gratitude significantly affects the life satisfaction of future managers. Findings also show that materialism is negatively related to life satisfaction and meaningfulness. The importance–performance map analysis finding suggests that meaningfulness in life is a potential indicator of life satisfaction for the population studied.
Originality/value
Due to the limited research available on the psychological underpinnings in the Indian context, there is a massive value in examining how materialism and gratitude concurrently and distinctively predict meaning in life and the life satisfaction of future managers. This paper gives a formative explanation of the model consisted gratitude, materialism and meaningfulness in life on the life satisfaction of future managers. This study establishes the importance of meaningfulness of life in attaining life satisfaction for young managers.
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to examine meaning in life as an important resource during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Design/methodology/approach
This paper summarized key research establishing links between meaning in life and mental health and well-being variables, reviewed the literature on meaning as a protective factor and meaning-making as a coping mechanism amidst the COVID-19 pandemic, as well as provided focal points in cultivating meaning in life.
Findings
Studies strongly support the notion that meaning in life is essential for health and well-being. Research also suggests that meaning protects against worsening mental health, and that engaging in meaning-making is a coping process that ultimately leads to improved adjustment despite the stressors of the COVID-19 pandemic. Eight themes are also identified in cultivating skills to build meaning during adverse times.
Practical implications
Integrating what research has found about meaning, resilience and coping can help individuals develop practical strategies to cultivate meaning in their lives to support themselves and their communities during stressful times.
Originality/value
Understanding the ways in which meaning can support individuals’ health and well-being is critical during a global upheaval such as that of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Bu çalışmada, yüzyıllardır Müslüman-Türk kültüründe değer atfedilen hafızlık ritüelinin bireylerin yaşamındaki rolü ele alınmıştır. Hafızlığa yönelme nedenlerini, hafızlığın yaşama kattığı anlamı, eğitim sürecinde yaşananları ve hafızlığın yaşama etkilerini açığa çıkarmaya çalışan bu araştırmada nitel araştırma yöntemi kullanılmıştır. Nitel araştırma tekniklerinden de durum çalışmasına başvurulmuştur. Yarı-yapılandırılmış görüşmelerin kullanıldığı bu araştırmada, hafız olmaya hak kazanmış 20 kişiyle ev, iş yeri veya topluma açık alanlarda yüz yüze ya da online görüşmeler yapılmıştır. Elde edilen verilere içerik analizi uygulanmıştır. Bulgular 7 ana temada sınıflandırılmıştır. Bu temalar hafız olmaya yönelmede etkili olan faktörler, hafızlığın anlamlandırılması, yaşanan sıkıntılar, hafızlığın başa çıkmayla ilişkisi, hafızlığın yaşam tarzını şekillendirmedeki rolü, Tanrı tasavvuru ve hafızlığın bireye etkileridir. Sonuç itibariyle denilebilir ki, hafızlık eğitimi ve hafızlık kişilerin yaşamında çok boyutlu bir etki alanına sahiptir. Yaşamda amaçlar belirlemek ve yaşama anlam kazandırmakta bir referans kaynağıdır. Bunun yanında, kişilerin yaşamlarını şekillendirme fonksiyonuna sahiptir ve Tanrı tasavvurlarının oluşumunu etkilemektedir. Ayrıca hafızlık eğitimi çeşitli zorlukları barından bir süreçtir ve başa çıkmayla yakından ilişkilidir. İlerleyen süreçlerde ise hafızlık başlı başına bir başa çıkma stratejisine dönüşebilmektedir. Hafızlık eğitiminin bireyin tutum ve davranışlarında birtakım etkilere ve değişimlere yol açtığı da tespit edilen bir diğer önemli bulgudur. Hafızlık bağlamında din psikolojisi bakış açısıyla yapılacak nitel ve nicel araştırmaların önem taşıyacağı düşülmektedir.
Introduction:
Despite much cross-sectional research linking prosocial behavior and meaning in life, few studies have investigated the longitudinal relationship between these two constructs. The article examines the bidirectional longitudinal association between prosocial behavior and meaning in life among junior high school students.
Methods:
A prospective design was adopted, incorporating three measurement occasions (with approximately 6-month intervals, from 2020 to 2021). Data were collected from 764 students (mean age = 12.46, SD = 0.64 years, and 51.4% girls). All participants responded to a questionnaire survey that included the Chinese Meaning in Life Questionnaire (MLQ-C) and Prosocial Tendencies Measure (PTM-C). Cross-lagged panel models were used to analyze the data.
Results:
(1) Prosocial behavior predicted positively the presence of meaning over time and vice-versa. (2) There was no bidirectional association between the search for meaning and prosocial behavior. (3) There was no gender difference in the bidirectional relationship between meaning in life and prosocial behavior.
Conclusions:
These findings suggest that educators should highlight the presence of meaning in adolescent life education from a long-term perspective and encourage students to engage in more prosocial activities.
The aim of this article is to explore whether COVID-19 aroused an awareness of death, inflamed death anxiety, and affected mental health and to assess the degree that meaning in life played in the relationship between death anxiety and general mental health. A total of 197 participants were recruited using convenience sampling and were divided into an experimental group ( n = 100) and a control group ( n = 97). All participants completed the Death Anxiety Scale (DA), the Meaning in Life Questionnaire (MLQ), and the General Health Questionnaire (GHQ-12). Death anxiety had a significant positive predictive effect on general mental health and meaning in life. When death anxiety and meaning in life were included in the regression equation, death anxiety still had a significant positive predictive effect on general mental health, and meaning in life had a significant positive predictive effect on general mental health. These results indicated that meaning in life played a partially mediating role in the influence of death anxiety on general mental health. In the COVID-19 context, death information was found to arouse awareness of death and death anxiety, which adversely affected mental health, and it was also confirmed that meaning in life played a partially mediating role between death anxiety and general mental health, which suggested that mental health problems could be alleviated in the future by helping people find meaning and value in their lives and cope more positively with death.
Resumo A Inteligência emocional é frequentemente associada ao bem-estar, assim como fulcral para um funcionamento humano ótimo. Na presente investigação pretendeu-se analisar as relações entre a Inteligência emocional (IE), o Significado na vida (SNV) e a Satisfação com a vida (SCV) em pessoas saudáveis e em doentes oncológicos. Para testar este modelo realizaram-se análises de mediação estrutural nas duas amostras independentes. Em 214 participantes da população em geral sem doença crónica (nhomem=41, nmulher=173; Midade = 53), e em 202 doentes oncológicos (nhomem=40, nmulher=162; Midade=58.65). Em primeiro lugar, a AFC suporta o ajustamento do modelo de medida. Em segundo, os coeficientes de ligação para cada modelo indicam que as relações propostas diferem significativamente de acordo com os grupos. Os resultados alcançados revelam que as capacidades percebidas de IE relacionam-se mais com a SCV e com o SNV nos doentes oncológicos do que na população sem doença crónica, especificamente a compreensão e a regulação emocional. A relação entre SNV e a SCV é significativamente maior nos doentes oncológicos do que na população em geral. Sugere-se assim, que a IE e o SNV são componentes primordiais na promoção de SCV em pessoas saudáveis e principalmente em doentes oncológicos. Palavras-chave: inteligência emocional; significado na vida; satisfação com a vida; doença oncológica.
In this article, we attempt to distinguish between the properties of moderator and mediator variables at a number of levels. First, we seek to make theorists and researchers aware of the importance of not using the terms moderator and mediator interchangeably by carefully elaborating, both conceptually and strategically, the many ways in which moderators and mediators differ. We then go beyond this largely pedagogical function and delineate the conceptual and strategic implications of making use of such distinctions with regard to a wide range of phenomena, including control and stress, attitudes, and personality traits. We also provide a specific compendium of analytic procedures appropriate for making the most effective use of the moderator and mediator distinction, both separately and in terms of a broader causal system that includes both moderators and mediators. (46 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2012 APA, all rights reserved)
Several literatures converge on the idea that approach and positive affect related to goal pursuit are managed by one self-regulatory system and that avoidance (or withdrawal) and negative affect related to threats are managed by a second self-regulatory system. After briefly reviewing these literatures, the authors consider the relation of these themes to the broader domain of personality. In particular, they map individual differences in the responsivity of the approach system onto the personality dimension of extraversion and map individual differences in the responsivity of the withdrawal system onto the dimension of neuroticism. This mapping requires a slight refocusing of current conceptions of extraversion and neuroticism. However, such a refocusing brings a gain as well as a cost: In particular, it would embed these dimensions more explicitly in a process-oriented conceptualization of action control.
Meaning in life is thought to be important to well-being throughout the human life span. We assessed the structure, levels, and correlates of the presence of meaning in life, and the search for meaning, within four life stage groups: emerging adulthood, young adulthood, middle-age adulthood, and older adulthood. Results from a sample of Internet users (N = 8756) demonstrated the structural invariance of the meaning measure used across life stages. Those at later life stages generally reported a greater presence of meaning in their lives, whereas those at earlier life stages reported higher levels of searching for meaning. Correlations revealed that the presence of meaning has similar relations to well-being across life stages, whereas searching for meaning is more strongly associated with well-being deficits at later life stages.
The primary objectives of this article are (a) to put forth an explicit operational formulation of positive human health that goes beyond prevailing "absence of illness" criteria; (b) to clarify that positive human health does not derive from extant medical considerations, which are not about wellness, but necessarily require a base in philosophical accounts of the "goods" in life; (c) to provoke a change of emphasis from strong tendencies to construe human health as exclusively about the mind or the body toward an integrated and positive spiral of mind-body influences; (d) to delineate possible physiological substrates of human flourishing and offer future directions for understanding the biology of positive health; and (e) to discuss implications of positive health for diverse scientific agendas (e.g., stress, class and health, work and family life) and for practice in health fields (e.g., training, health examinations, psychotherapy, and wellness intervention programs).
Although theoretical and empirical work on topics related to meaning and meaning making proliferate, careful evaluation and integration of this area have not been carried out. Toward this end, this article has 3 goals: (a) to elaborate the critical dimensions of meaning as it relates to stressful life events and conditions, (b) to extend the transactional model of stress and coping to include these dimensions, and (c) to provide a framework for understanding current research and directions for future research within this extended model. First, the authors present a framework for understanding diverse conceptual and operational definitions of meaning by distinguishing 2 levels of meaning, termed
global meaning and
situational meaning. Second, the authors use this framework to review and synthesize the literature on the functions of meaning in the coping process and propose a definition of
meaning making that highlights the critical role of reappraisal. The authors specify the roles of attributions throughout the coping process and discuss implications for future research. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2012 APA, all rights reserved)
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)
J. A. Gray (1981, 1982) holds that 2 general motivational systems underlie behavior and affect: a behavioral inhibition system (BIS) and a behavioral activation system (BAS). Self-report scales to assess dispositional BIS and BAS sensitivities were created. Scale development (Study 1) and convergent and discriminant validity in the form of correlations with alternative measures are reported (Study 2). In Study 3, a situation in which Ss anticipated a punishment was created. Controlling for initial nervousness, Ss high in BIS sensitivity (assessed earlier) were more nervous than those low in BIS sensitivity. In Study 4, a situation in which Ss anticipated a reward was created. Controlling for initial happiness, Ss high in BAS sensitivity (Reward Responsiveness and Drive scales) were happier than those low in BAS sensitivity. In each case the new scales predicted better than an alternative measure. Discussion is focused on conceptual implications. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2012 APA, all rights reserved)
Time perspective (TP), a fundamental dimension in the construction of psychological time, emerges from cognitive processes partitioning human experience into past, present, and future temporal frames. The authors' research program proposes that TP is a pervasive and powerful yet largely unrecognized influence on much human behavior. Although TP variations are learned and modified by a variety of personal, social, and institutional influences, TP also functions as an individual-differences variable. Reported is a new measure assessing personal variations in TP profiles and specific TP "biases." The 5 factors of the Zimbardo Time Perspective Inventory were established through exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses and demonstrate acceptable internal and test-retest reliability. Convergent, divergent, discriminant, and predictive validity are shown by correlational and experimental research supplemented by case studies. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2012 APA, all rights reserved)
Developed and validated the Need for Cognition Scale (NCS). In Study 1, a pool of items was administered to 96 faculty members (high-need-for-cognition group) and assembly line workers (low-need-for-cognition group). Ambiguity, irrelevance, and internal consistency were used to select items for subsequent studies. Factor analysis yielded one major factor. In Study 2, the NCS and the Group Embedded Figures Test were administered to 419 undergraduates to validate the factor structure and to determine whether the NCS tapped a construct distinct from test anxiety and cognitive style. The factor structure was replicated, and responses to the NCS were weakly related to cognitive style and unrelated to test anxiety. In Study 3, 104 undergraduates completed the NCS, the Marlowe-Crowne Social Desirability Scale, and a dogmatism scale. Results indicate that need for cognition was related weakly and negatively to being closeminded, unrelated to social desirability, and positively correlated with general intelligence. Study 4 (97 undergraduates) furnished evidence of the predictive validity of the NCS. (32 ref) (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.
The purpose of the present study was to examine the factorial validity and the age and gender invariance of the Personal Meaning Index (PMI), a measure of the existential belief that life is meaningful. A combined sample of 2065 young (N=1152), middle-aged (N=483), and older (N=430) adults completed the purpose and coherence subscales of the Life Attitude Profile-Revised (Reker, 1992). Confirmatory factor analysis and multiple-groups confirmatory factor analysis was used to assess the factorial structure, age invariance, and gender invariance of the PMI. The results show that a one-factor congeneric measurement model best characterizes the underlying structure of the PMI for each age group and for both males and females. Differential item functioning across age for males and females was found for six PMI items; only two PMI items were found to be noninvariant across gender. Plausible explanations for the noninvariant PMI items are offered and the practical implications for the use of the PMI in multigroup comparisons are discussed.
Meaning in life and life satisfaction are both important variables in well-being research. Whereas an appreciable body of
work suggests that life satisfaction is fairly stable over long periods of time, little research has investigated the stability
of meaning in life ratings. In addition, it is unknown whether these highly correlated variables change independent of each
other over time. Eighty-two participants (mean age = 19.3 years, SD 1.4; 76% female; 84% European-American) completed measures
of the presence of meaning in life, the search for meaning in life, and life satisfaction an average of 13 months apart (SD = 2.3 months).
Moderate stability was found for presence of meaning in life, search for meaning in life, and life satisfaction. Multiple
regressions demonstrated specificity in predicting change among these measures. Support for validity and reliability of these
variables is discussed.
In this article, we attempt to distinguish between the properties of moderator and mediator variables at a number of levels. First, we seek to make theorists and researchers aware of the importance of not using the terms moderator and mediator interchangeably by carefully elaborating, both conceptually and strategically, the many ways in which moderators and mediators differ. We then go beyond this largely pedagogical function and delineate the conceptual and strategic implications of making use of such distinctions with regard to a wide range of phenomena, including control and stress, attitudes, and personality traits. We also provide a specific compendium of analytic procedures appropriate for making the most effective use of the moderator and mediator distinction, both separately and in terms of a broader causal system that includes both moderators and mediators.
Research on dispositional optimism as assessed by the Life Orientation Test (Scheier & Carver, 1985) has been challenged on the grounds that effects attributed to optimism are indistinguishable from those of unmeasured third variables, most notably, neuroticism. Data from 4,309 subjects show that associations between optimism and both depression and aspects of coping remain significant even when the effects of neuroticism, as well as the effects of trait anxiety, self-mastery, and self-esteem, are statistically controlled. Thus, the Life Orientation Test does appear to possess adequate predictive and discriminant validity. Examination of the scale on somewhat different grounds, however, does suggest that future applications can benefit from its revision. Thus, we also describe a minor modification to the Life Orientation Test, along with data bearing on the revised scale's psychometric properties.
The present research examined the role of approach and avoidance motivation in models of personality. Specifically, it examined the hypothesis that approach and avoidance temperaments represent the foundation of several basic dimensions espoused in the trait adjective, affective disposition, and motivational system approaches to personality. Factor analytic support for the hypothesis was obtained in Studies 1, 2, and 6; measures of extraversion, positive emotionality, and behavioral activation system loaded together on 1 factor (Approach Temperament) and measures of neuroticism, negative emotionality, and behavioral inhibition system loaded on another factor (Avoidance Temperament). This 2-factor structure was shown to be independent of response biases. In Studies 3-7, approach and avoidance temperaments were shown to be systematically linked to achievement goals (both nomothetic and idiographic). The findings are discussed in terms of an integrative approach to personality.
The Multidimensional Personality Questionnaire (MPQ; A. Tellegen, 1982, in press) provides for a comprehensive analysis of personality at both the lower order trait and broader structural levels. Its higher order dimensions of Positive Emotionality, Negative Emotionality, and Constraint embody affect and temperament constructs, which have been conceptualized in psychobiological terms. The MPQ thus holds considerable potential as a structural framework for investigating personality across varying levels of analysis, and this potential would be enhanced by the availability of an abbreviated version. This article describes efforts to develop and validate a brief (155-item) form, the MPQ-BF. Success was evidenced by uniformly high correlations between the brief- and full-form trait scales and consistency of higher order structures. The MPQ-BF is recommended as a tool for investigating the genetic, neurobiological, and psychological substrates of personality.
Terror management theory (TMT; J. Greenberg, T. Pyszczynski, & S. Solomon, 1986) posits that people are motivated to pursue positive self-evaluations because self-esteem provides a buffer against the omnipresent potential for anxiety engendered by the uniquely human awareness of mortality. Empirical evidence relevant to the theory is reviewed showing that high levels of self-esteem reduce anxiety and anxiety-related defensive behavior, reminders of one's mortality increase self-esteem striving and defense of self-esteem against threats in a variety of domains, high levels of self-esteem eliminate the effect of reminders of mortality on both self-esteem striving and the accessibility of death-related thoughts, and convincing people of the existence of an afterlife eliminates the effect of mortality salience on self-esteem striving. TMT is compared with other explanations for why people need self-esteem, and a critique of the most prominent of these, sociometer theory, is provided.
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.
Exploring personality through test construction: Development of the multidimensional personality questionnaire Construction of a self-report personality inventory can be a straightforward undertaking. We may take a ‘rational’ or ‘deductive’ approach (Burisch, 1984) and begin by formulating a construct from which to ‘deduce’ basic descriptors — in our case a set of construct-based self-report items. We might even draw on already developed constructs and start writing items immediately; Murray's (1938) carefully elaborated motivational trait constructs have served that function several times. Once enough items have been generated, scale construction, if purely deductive, is complete. A deductive orientation does not rule out the use of data to improve one's initial scales. Data-based deletion or addition of items can increase the internal consistency of a deductive scale. If our objective is to create a multi-scale inventory, we can also empirically enhance scale distinctiveness and independence. But even if deductive scale construction includes extensive ...
Gray (1981, 1982) holds that 2 general motivational systems underlie behavior and affect: a behavioral inhibition system (BIS) and a behavioral activation system (BAS). Self-report scales to assess dispositional BIS and BAS sensitivities were created. Scale development (Study 1) and convergent and discriminant validity in the form of correlations with alternative measures are reported (Study 2). In Study 3, a situation in which Ss anticipated a punishment was created. Controlling for initial nervousness, Ss high in BIS sensitivity (assessed earlier) were more nervous than those low. In Study 4, a situation in which Ss anticipated a reward was created. Controlling for initial happiness, Ss high in BAS sensitivity (Reward Responsiveness and Drive scales) were happier than those low. In each case the new scales predicted better than an alternative measure. Discussion is focused on conceptual implications.
A conceptual framework is presented for understanding what is meant by “finding meaning.” It is proposed that individuals have life schemes that provide a sense of order and purpose in one's life. A life scheme is a cognitive representation of one's life, much like a story, which organizes one's perspectives on the world and oneself, goals one wishes to attain, and events that are relevant to those goals. Severely negative events can challenge parts of the life scheme, disrupting one's sense of order and/or purpose. Finding meaning is a process of changing the life scheme or one's perception of the event, so that feelings of order and purpose are restored. Ways in which meaning is found, the role of attributions in the search for meaning, and the effects of finding meaning on future victimization are discussed within the life scheme framework.
Social-cognitive principles underlie people's learning about what matters in the social world. The benefits of these social-cognitive principles reveal essential aspects of what it means to be human. But these social-cognitive principles also have inherent costs, which highlight what it means to be ‘only human’. Social cognition is ‘social’ because what is learned concerns the social world, and where the learning takes place is in the social world. This paper reviews the benefits and costs of both sides of social cognition: (1) the cognition of social psychology principles of organization, explanation, knowledge activation and use; and (2) the social psychology of cognition principles of shared reality role enactment, social positions and identities and internal audiences. The fact that there are inherent costs of the same social-cognitive principles for which there are essential benefits affords a new perspective on social-cognitive costs that is different from either the classic ‘conflict’ perspective or the more current ‘limited capacity’ and ‘dual-process’ perspectives. This ‘trade-off’ perspective deepens both our understanding of the true nature of these principles and our appreciation of our common humanity. Copyright © 2000 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Examined the factor structure, construct validity, and reliability of the SONG and the PIL in a sample of 248 introductory psychology students. Ten interpretable independent dimensions of satisfaction with life were extracted, with 6 factors that loaded on the PIL and 4 that loaded on the SONG. These data support Crumbaugh's (1977) assertion that the SONG is a complementary scale to the PIL contributing factors that deal with the strength of motivation to find meaning and purpose in life. In addition, the SONG and the PIL were shown to be highly reliable and valid instruments. Further research that uses SONG-PIL factor scores and profile analysis is recommended.
This study investigated 3 broad classes of individual-differences variables (job-search motives, competencies, and constraints) as predictors of job-search intensity among 292 unemployed job seekers. Also assessed was the relationship between job-search intensity and reemployment success in a longitudinal context. Results show significant relationships between the predictors employment commitment, financial hardship, job-search self-efficacy, and motivation control and the outcome job-search intensity. Support was not found for a relationship between perceived job-search constraints and job-search intensity. Motivation control was highlighted as the only lagged predictor of job-search intensity over time for those who were continuously unemployed. Job-search intensity predicted Time 2 reemployment status for the sample as a whole, but not reemployment quality for those who found jobs over the study's duration. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2012 APA, all rights reserved)
Reigning measures of psychological well-being have little theoretical grounding, despite an extensive literature on the contours of positive functioning. Aspects of well-being derived from this literature (i.e., self-acceptance, positive relations with others, autonomy, environmental mastery, purpose in life, and personal growth) were operationalized. Three hundred and twenty-one men and women, divided among young, middle-aged, and older adults, rated themselves on these measures along with six instruments prominent in earlier studies (i.e., affect balance, life satisfaction, self-esteem, morale, locus of control, depression). Results revealed that positive relations with others, autonomy, purpose in life, and personal growth were not strongly tied to prior assessment indexes, thereby supporting the claim that key aspects of positive functioning have not been represented in the empirical arena. Furthermore, age profiles revealed a more differentiated pattern of well-being than is evident in prior research. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2012 APA, all rights reserved)
Cognitive-experiential self-theory (CEST) is a broadly integrative theory of personality that is compatible with psychodynamic theories of personality, learning theories, phenomenological theories, and modern cognitive views about information processing. It achieves its integrative power through two major assumptions: First, in addition to accepting the Freudian unconscious, it introduces a subconscious system--the experiential system--that is intimately associated with emotional experience and that automatically organizes experience and directs behavior. Second, it integrates the conflicting views on basic sources of motivation of other schools of psychology by assuming the existence of four basic sources of human motivation. In this chapter, the author reviews some of the assumptions of CEST, explores how the experiential system acquires and encodes the constructs in its system at two levels of complexity, and considers the implications of CEST for new directions in research, particularly in personality and developmental psychology. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2012 APA, all rights reserved)
Meaning in life is an important construct for psychological theory which has received little empirical investigation, partly because of uncertainty about measurement scales. This paper examines the factor structure of three scales to measure meaning in life, the purpose in life (PIL) test, the life regard index (LRI) and the sense of coherence (SOC) scale. Results suggest that meaning in life can be regarded as a multidimensional construct, with meaning able to be attained in several different ways. Oblique factor solutions were accepted, and higher-order analyses conducted for all three scales. A general second-order meaning in life dimension was identified only for PIL and it is suggested that this scale may be the best general measure of the construct. It is concluded that further work should be undertaken to explore the specific dimensions of meaning in life.
Recently bereaved men who evidenced more negative ruminative thoughts in free-response interviews showed greater psychological distress on several outcome measures both 1 month and 12 months after their loss and less increase in positive morale over this 12-month period. Men who engaged in more analysis of themselves and the meaning of their loss reported greater positive morale 1 month after their loss but showed more persistent depression and absence of positive states of mind over the 12 months following their loss. Finally, men who reported more social friction also evidenced more enduring depressive symptoms over the year than did men who reported less social friction. These results are generally consistent with other studies that have shown that self-reflective, ruminative coping with negative emotions and social friction are associated with longer and more severe periods of depressed mood following stressful events.
The study tested the validity of a new measure of dogmatism by examining university students' evaluations of the Bible. Those who believed that every word in the Bible came directly from God and that the Bible is free of any error, contradiction, or inconsistency scored much higher on this dogmatism measure than students who thought otherwise. Such "true believers" then read the 4 highly varying Gospel accounts of the resurrection of Jesus. The most dogmatic of them still insisted there were no contradictions or inconsistencies in the Bible. The less dogmatic acknowledged that contradictions and inconsistencies exist. These results reinforce those of 4 earlier studies that indicated that the new measure of dogmatism has empirical validity.
Despite the vast literature that has implicated asymmetric activation of the prefrontal cortex in approach-withdrawal motivation and emotion, no published reports have directly explored the neural correlates of well-being. Eighty-four right-handed adults (ages 57-60) completed self-report measures of eudaimonic well-being, hedonic well-being, and positive affect prior to resting electroencephalography. As hypothesized, greater left than right superior frontal activation was associated with higher levels of both forms of well-being. Hemisphere-specific analyses documented the importance of goal-directed approach tendencies beyond those captured by approach-related positive affect for eudaimonic but not for hedonic well-being. Appropriately engaging sources of appetitive motivation, characteristic of higher left than right baseline levels of prefrontal activation, may encourage the experience of well-being.
In an effort to expand research on curiosity, we elaborate on a theoretical model that informs research on the design of a new measure and the nomological network of curiosity. Curiosity was conceptualized as a positive emotional-motivational system associated with the recognition, pursuit, and self-regulation of novelty and challenge. Using 5 independent samples, we developed the Curiosity and Exploration Inventory (CEI) comprising 2 dimensions: exploration (appetitive strivings for novelty and challenge) and absorption (full engagement in specific activities). The CEI has good psychometric properties, is relatively unaffected by socially desirable responding, is relatively independent from positive affect, and has a nomological network consistent with our theoretical framework. Predicated on our personal growth facilitation model, we discuss the potential role of curiosity in advancing understanding of various psychological phenomena.
The authors confirmed that existential meaning has a unique relationship with and can prospectively predict levels of hope and depressive symptoms within a population of college students. Baseline measures of explicit meaning (i.e., an individual's self-reported experience of a sense of coherence and purpose in life) and implicit meaning (i.e., an individual's self-reported embodiment of the factors that are normatively viewed as comprising a meaningful life) explained significant amounts of variance in hope and depressive symptoms 2 months later beyond the variance explained by baseline levels of hope/depression, neuroticism, conscientiousness, agreeableness, openness to experience, extraversion, and social desirability. The authors discuss implications of these findings for the field of mental health treatment and suggest ways of influencing individuals' experience of existential meaning.
Making a life worth living Putting time in perspective: A valid, reliable individual-differences metric
- H L Urry
- J B Nitschke
- I Dolski
- D C Jackson
- K M Dalton
- C J Mueller
Urry, H. L., Nitschke, J. B., Dolski, I., Jackson, D. C., Dalton, K. M., Mueller, C. J., et al. (2004). Making a life worth living. Psychological Science, 15, 367–373. Zimbardo, P. G., & Boyd, J. N. (1999). Putting time in perspective: A valid, reliable individual-differences metric. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 77, 1271–1288. 228 Steger, Kashdan, Sullivan, et al.
The Meaning in Life Questionnaire: Assessing the presence of and search for meaning in life NJ:Lawrence Erlbaum Search for Meaning in Life 227 rSteger Terrorism in two cultures: Traumatization and existential protective factors following the September 11th attacks and the Madrid train bombings
- M F Steger
- P Frazier
- S Oishi
- M Kaler
Steger, M. F., Frazier, P., Oishi, S., & Kaler, M. (2006). The Meaning in Life Questionnaire: Assessing the presence of and search for meaning in life. Journal of Counseling Psychology, 53, 80–93. NJ:Lawrence Erlbaum Search for Meaning in Life 227 rSteger, M. F., Frazier, P., & Zacchanini, J. L. (in press). Terrorism in two cultures: Traumatization and existential protective factors following the September 11th attacks and the Madrid train bombings. Journal of Trauma and Loss