Observations of personal meaning sources for Israeli age cohorts

Abstract

Using the Sources of Meaning Profile (SOMP), an instrument developed to measure the sources of personal, present meaning in one's life, this descriptive study looks at what 296 Israelis aged 18-91 consider to be the most and least important sources of meaning in their lives. Respondents, irrespective of age, viewed personal relationships, enduring values and ideals and meeting basic needs as being among the most important sources of meaning in their lives. Though the importance of religious activities tended to increase, albeit insignificantly, with age this source of meaning was ranked among the lowest in importance by all age groups. No one age group emerged as deriving significantly more total meaning from the sources examined than did other age groups. The author did not find evidence of the egocentric self-preoccupation, with satisfaction of basic needs, which are the hallmarks of interiority theory. There was evidence of an increasing philosophic and humanistic life orientation in the later years, as manifested in the importance attached to areas of social, cultural and value concerns. Within the constraints of the cross-sectional design, the findings appeared to be consistent with Yalom's (1980) thesis, namely that while some sources of meaning may change over a life span the relation between the strength of life meaning may remain consistent, or stable, regardless of where meaning is embedded.