Perception Of Meaning Research Articles

Managers' perceptions of meaningfulness in the future work

PurposeMeaningfulness at work means experience of work as important, satisfying and valuable. It is a key factor in promoting individual growth, strengthening the belief in one's own abilities and supporting a sense of belonging and commitment to the organization. In this paper, we explore managers' perceptions of meaningful work in the future, focusing on managers' talk about meaningful work and its promotion in their organizations.Design/methodology/approachThe data for the study consists of 25 stories of future working life collected from Finnish managers in spring 2022, using the empathy-based method.FindingsFrom managers' stories of future working life, we identified two overarching perception categories of meaningful work: (1) Perceptions of contexts underlining the experience of meaningfulness: evolving technologies, developing expertise and demands and change in working life values and (2) Perceptions of management practices determining meaningful work: leader-centered, distant and technical management practice versus participatory and interactive management practice.Originality/valueThe research produces a new and detailed understanding of the ways in which managers talk about decreasing and increasing meaningfulness at work and management practices related to it. As the research is qualitative in nature and based on a small dataset, its results cannot be generalized. Instead, it strengthens and sharpens the previous understanding of meaningful work and the future of work.

Mistreated but Still Resilient! Unraveling the Role of Servant Leadership in Mitigating the Adverse Consequences of Care Recipients' Incivility

ABSTRACTIn many countries, social care workers suffer from mistreatment from social care recipients. Such mistreatment poses a significant challenge from the human resource management (HRM) perspective as finding and retaining competent social care workers is a global challenge. However, only a few studies focus on the relationship between such mistreatment and social care workers' job and psychological resources. Drawing on the conservation of resources (COR) theory, our study sheds light on the relationship between social care recipients' incivility and the resilience of social care workers. Specifically, our study examines the mediating role of work meaningfulness on the care recipient incivility–care worker resilience link, and the moderating role of servant leadership on this mediated relationship. To test the proposed moderated mediation model, two studies were conducted in social care organizations in England (n = 248) and Romania (n = 296). Our results revealed that perceived care recipient incivility is indirectly and negatively related to care workers' resilience by undermining their perceptions of work meaningfulness. Moreover, when social care workers work under a servant leader, this indirect relationship becomes weaker. The discussion elaborates on the findings of our model as well as the theoretical and practical implications for the management of human resources in social care organizations.

Beyond the “wow” factor: the analytic importance of boredom in qualitative research

ABSTRACT In this paper, we perceive boredom as a potential resource for creativity in qualitative research. We present three main arguments. First, boredom is often an inevitable stage on the way to research excitement and can even serve as an important clue leading to analytic surprises. Second, there is a methodological need to reflect on boredom in order to understand the researcher’s perception of meaningfulness and meaninglessness. Particularly, we show how the ‘interview society’, characterized by the dominance of the therapeutic discourse, shapes researchers’ expectations regarding what is considered ‘interesting’ or ‘boring.’ Finally, the researcher’s experience of boredom may provide insights into the very phenomenon under investigation. We flesh out these arguments by showing how the researcher’s boredom during interviews reflects the interviewees’ emotional style, expected of (women) managers in the neoliberal culture: emotional restraint and a façade of rationality and objectivity.

Meaning in life of elite athletes: A person-oriented study

People’s subjective sense of meaning in life is a flourishing research topic in psychology but remains underexplored in sport psychology. This study uses a person-oriented method to shed light on meaning in the lives of elite athletes (i.e., latent profile analysis) to identify distinct profiles of sources of meaning in life, and compare the extent to which these profiles differ in relation to athletic identity, life satisfaction, and self-esteem. A sample of 593 Swiss elite athletes (50.4% women, 49.6% men; Mage = 24.78 years, SD = 4.93) participated in the study. The Meaning and Purpose Scales (MAPS) were used to assess athletes’ perceptions of meaningfulness, crisis of meaning, and sources of meaning. Athletes demonstrated higher overall meaningfulness, lower crisis of meaning, and prioritized different sources of meaning compared to the general population. Latent profile analysis revealed three distinct meaning profiles: (1) athletes with multiple meanings (n = 351), (2) athletes with low meaning (n = 126), and (3) faith-based athletes (n = 110). Notably, the athletes in the first and last profile exhibited higher life satisfaction and self-esteem. The identified profiles demonstrate that athletes differ both in the degree and the types of meaning in life. The findings align with studies outside of sport that suggest that meaning in life, in addition to being an end-value in itself, is also related to enhanced life satisfaction and self-esteem. Personalized meaning-focused interventions can be valuable for applied practice with elite athletes.

Consonant and vowel production in children with cochlear implants: acoustic measures and multiple factor analysis

IntroductionThe acoustic limitations of cochlear implants (CIs) can lead to perceptual limitations and consequently to imprecise phonological representations and production difficulties. The aim of the study is to document the phonological and phonetic skills of children with CIs and their typically hearing peers. Phonetically, three types of segments were targeted, each characterized by contrasting acoustic information: nasal/oral vowels, fricative segments, and voiced/voiceless stops.MethodsForty-seven typically hearing children (TH) and 23 children with CIs performed a picture-naming task. Productions were analyzed to obtain phonological measures (percentages of correct phonemes, types of errors), and various acoustic measures were collected to characterize the productions on the three types of segments investigated. Multiple factor analyses were conducted to study productive profiles on the various acoustic measures, and the dimensions were correlated with phonological measures.ResultsThe results showed lower performance in lexical (target word retrieval) and phonological (percentages of correct phonemes) skills among children with CIs (CI group), although with better performances among children exposed to CS. Acoustically, children in the CI group exhibited productions significantly different from those of the TH group in terms of the distinction of fricative consonants, marking nasalization through nasal resonance cues, and in the production of voiceless stops. However, the CI group demonstrated compensatory strategies (lengthening of VOT for voiced stops, marking of nasalization through oropharyngeal configuration cues).ConclusionsThe results indicate that children with CIs are at risk of experiencing difficulties in both phonetic and phonological domains. However, there are opportunities for compensation through the exploitation of acoustic cues better coded by the CI and/or through perceptual means (utilization of visual cues).

Danish citizens' perspectives on the preventive medication recommended after screen-detected cardiovascular disease: A qualitative study.

The rationale for screening for cardiovascular disease (CVD) is debated as a prevention strategy. However, research shows that when preventive medication is initiated after screening for CVD, mortality rates decrease, especially among men. When implementing screening programmes, facilitating citizens' informed decisions and empowering their autonomy in the decision-making process are crucial. We therefore aimed to explore citizens' perspectives on and decisions regarding initiating cardiovascular preventive medication for screen-detected CVD. We employed an exploratory qualitative design using semi-structured interviews to investigate participants' perspectives on and decisions regarding initiating cardiovascular preventive medication for screen-detected CVD. Twelve interviews were conducted and analysed using thematic analysis following Braun and Clarke's six-step approach. We found one overall theme, Being on a continuum between wellness and illness, with two underlying sub-themes. Sub-theme (1) Navigating mixed feelings and pathways reflects participants' perspectives on CVD preventive medication, which were positioned on a continuum with shifting perspectives. The state between wellness and illness was experienced as liminal and characterised by uncertainty and concerns about CVD risk. (2) Navigating medication decisions: a negotiated process. Pivotal medical decisions hinged on trust in authorities or own judgement, influenced by attitudes towards the need for medication, perception of meaningfulness, asymptomatic condition, age, family responsibility and predisposition. Participants' medical decisions were supported and impacted by significant others. We uncovered a continuum of shifting perspectives ranging from feeling improved health to experiencing fear of CVD. For certain citizens, it is like navigating between these contrasting feelings. The perceived necessity and meaningfulness, in particular, shape medical decisions. Providing support for informed decisions is crucial and includes significant others. Shared decision-making with healthcare professionals as facilitators is needed. Future research is warranted to investigate how to embrace the various perspectives on initiating CVD preventive medication in clinical practice.

An Examination of Meaningful Experiences During Sport Education

Background: In recent research years, there has been an increasing focus on the meaningfulness of physical education experiences. While it has been suggested that certain curriculum models such as sport education or cooperative learning provide opportunities for meaningful engagement in physical education, to date there has been no empirical study of those claims. Objectives: The purpose of this study was to quantitatively examine students’ perceptions of meaningfulness in two physical education contexts: traditional multi-activity format, and sport education. Methods: Sixty seventh-grade students aged 12 to 14 completed a 20-item survey titled "Meaningful Experiences in Physical Education Survey (MEPES)" prior to and at the completion of one of three sport education seasons. The analysis consisted of independent samples t-test comparisons between the two contexts (previous physical education experiences, and sport education) for each of the five dimensions of meaningfulness. A Pearson correlation was conducted to examine if there were significant relationships between the five dimensions. Results: Results of the independent samples t-test showed that significantly higher levels of meaningfulness were identified from participation in sport education than in previous physical education for four of the five dimensions. Pearson's coefficient results indicated significant positive correlations between all five meaningfulness dimensions. Conclusion: Sport education has structural elements that promote a sense of meaningfulness within physical education.

The Soul of Work: Evaluation of Job Meaningfulness and Accountability in Human-AI Collaboration

Work is an important part of our lives - not only as a way to earn a living but as a crucial source for experiencing meaningfulness. The introduction of autonomous systems (or in the widest sense "artificial intelligence", AI) will fundamentally impact work practices. However, while most existing models of human-AI collaboration focus on performance goals, less is known about their potential influence on job satisfaction. In this paper, we present an online experiment in which we compared the perception of job meaningfulness and accountability in a human-AI collaboration across three interaction paradigms: Supervisory, Advisory, and Interactive. Our results showed that, unlike the common notion of supervisory control, people find their job more satisfying when they directly interact with the AI and are involved and remain accountable for action and decision-making. Introducing AI as a teammate in the interactive paradigm was associated with the highest job meaningfulness.

Meaningfulness experienced in performing domestic labor in Chinese families: a qualitative study from caregivers’ perspectives

The intricately connected interactions among personal choices, traditional cultural ideologies, and modern societal backgrounds have provoked dynamic interpretations and practices in performing domestic labor. The value of domestic labor in terms of macro considerations, such as reproductive value, economic value, and caring value, has been established in scholarly discussions. In China, the emphasis is on the meaningfulness of domestic care for the whole society. However, it remains unclear how family members in contemporary Chinese society understand the meaningfulness of performing domestic labor. This study aims to investigate what kinds of meaning that individuals derive from their day-to-day domestic labor and how the different types of meaningfulness affect their future behaviors in sharing domestic responsibilities. Meaningfulness is a complex notion, but Baumeister’s theory of meaning provides a theoretical framework to understand why humans need meaningfulness in life, the forms that meaningfulness takes, where meaningfulness resides, and how perceptions of meaningfulness are shaped. In total, 48 respondents participated in semi-structured, in-depth interviews concerning their attitudes toward the value of domestic labor. Findings based on in-depth interview data show that the meaningfulness of domestic labor consists of participants realizing their need for belonging, self-efficacy, and a sense of living a good life. These results also suggest that the values of domestic labor illustrated in previous studies, in which domestic labor was conceptualized as reproductive labor, economic activity, and care labor, have little effect on individuals’ lives. Nevertheless, the meaningfulness that individuals experience in daily life continues to motivate their devotion to domestic labor. Finally, the discursive mechanism shaping the meaningfulness of domestic labor is also discussed.

Meta‐identification: Perceptions of others’ group identification shape group life

AbstractIn the present research, we introduce and develop the concept of meta‐identification – perceptions of others’ identification with a group – and examine its capacity to shape group life. Across two cross‐sectional studies and three experiments (Ntotal = 3992), we investigate the relationship between participants’ meta‐identification in an intragroup context and their group meaningfulness, collective self‐efficacy, organisational citizenship behaviour and (perceived and behavioural) performance. Results indicate that perceiving other group members to be highly identified with a group promotes perceptions of group meaningfulness and collective self‐efficacy, promotes organisational citizenship behaviour and enhances perceived, and in some contexts actual, group performance. Furthermore, results show that individuals’ meta‐identification makes a unique contribution to outcomes above and beyond their social identification. We discuss implications for social identity theorising and the role of meta‐identification in supporting meaningful and functional group life.

Algorithmic management of crowdworkers: Implications for workers’ identity, belonging, and meaningfulness of work

Online labor platforms function as meta-organizations, blending elements of an open market and hierarchical structure by algorithmically governing goals and objectives. This study investigates how this algorithmic management approach influences the perceived meaningfulness of work among crowdworkers, with a particular focus on its effects through identity and belonging. Drawing on survey data collected from 1291 crowdworkers, our findings highlight that algorithmic control and algorithmic matching are differently associated with the meaningfulness of work. Algorithmic control, characterized by directive oversight, exhibits a negative association with perceived meaningfulness. In contrast, algorithmic matching, which pairs workers with online tasks, fosters a positive perception of meaningfulness. We demonstrate that these associations are (partially) mediated by identity and belonging mechanisms. Specifically, we demonstrate that crowdworkers tend to self-organize support and social confirmation using online communities, which provides a sense of meaningfulness. This research advances our understanding of the experiences of crowdworkers within online labor platforms, shedding light on the multifaceted implications of algorithmic management. It emphasizes the importance of fostering supportive and communicative environments in work settings characterized by algorithmic governance mechanisms.

The Stigmatization of Arabic Language Radicalism-Terrorism, Religiosity, and Student Learning Motivation

The stigma of Arabic as a radical language affects motivation, leading to disinterest in Arabic. This study aims to find out the relationship between the stigmatization of Arabic radicalism-terrorism and religiosity and the motivation to learn Arabic among students of Muhammadiyah Mataram University (UMMAT). It uses a quantitative approach with a type of correlation. The results of the partial test show that there is no relationship between the stigmatization of Arabic radicalism and terrorism and learning motivation, and there is a positive and significant relationship between religiosity and learning motivation, but both have a significant influence on motivation to learn Arabic. The results of this study provide theoretical implications that the stigmatization of Arabic radicalism and terrorism cannot be a predictor of motivation to learn Arabic. At the same time, religiosity can predict motivation to learn Arabic. As for the practical implications, which is how to motivate students to learn Arabic, it can be used to overcome the stigmatization of radicalism and terrorism in Arabic with meaningful perceptions and by continuously internalizing religiosity.

Unconscious Manipulation of Conceptual Representations with Decoded Neurofeedback Impacts Search Behavior.

The necessity of conscious awareness in human learning has been a long-standing topic in psychology and neuroscience. Previous research on non-conscious associative learning is limited by the low signal-to-noise ratio of the subliminal stimulus, and the evidence remains controversial, including failures to replicate. Using functional MRI decoded neurofeedback, we guided participants from both sexes to generate neural patterns akin to those observed when visually perceiving real-world entities (e.g., dogs). Importantly, participants remained unaware of the actual content represented by these patterns. We utilized an associative DecNef approach to imbue perceptual meaning (e.g., dogs) into Japanese hiragana characters that held no inherent meaning for our participants, bypassing a conscious link between the characters and the dogs concept. Despite their lack of awareness regarding the neurofeedback objective, participants successfully learned to activate the target perceptual representations in the bilateral fusiform. The behavioral significance of our training was evaluated in a visual search task. DecNef and control participants searched for dogs or scissors targets that were pre-cued by the hiragana used during DecNef training or by a control hiragana. The DecNef hiragana did not prime search for its associated target but, strikingly, participants were impaired at searching for the targeted perceptual category. Hence, conscious awareness may function to support higher-order associative learning. Meanwhile, lower-level forms of re-learning, modification, or plasticity in existing neural representations can occur unconsciously, with behavioral consequences outside the original training context. The work also provides an account of DecNef effects in terms of neural representational drift.

Burosumab Improves Patient-Reported Outcomes in Adults With Tumor-Induced Osteomalacia: Mixed-Methods Analysis.

Tumor-induced osteomalacia (TIO) is an ultra-rare disease caused by tumors that secrete fibroblast growth factor 23, leading to chronic hypophosphatemia, poor skeletal health, and impaired physical function. In a phase 2 trial (UX023T-CL201; NCT02304367; n = 14), 48 weeks of burosumab treatment restored phosphate homeostasis, with improvements in skeletal health, functional mobility, and patient-reported pain, fatigue, and health-related quality of life (HRQL) (SF-36 v2). Here, we report an exploratory mixed-methods analysis of change from baseline after 144 weeks of burosumab treatment alongside qualitative data from exit interviews with 8 of 14 trial participants to evaluate meaningful treatment effects from a patient perspective. The interview subset (n = 8) reported pain and fatigue and compromised HRQL at baseline. In the interviews, participants reported that compromised HRQL and pain were the most important aspects of the disease to treat; both were considered more bothersome than fatigue and compromised physical function and activities of daily living. Improvements in pain and fatigue after treatment were reported, some of which achieved statistically and/or clinically meaningful thresholds. Furthermore, improvements in SF-36 v2 scores were most pronounced in the Physical Component Score and its Physical Function and Bodily Pain domains. Overall, the interview subset provided descriptions of symptomatic improvement and its clinical meaningfulness, including physical function, participation in activities of daily living, and mental well-being. Thus, this exploratory mixed-methods analysis provides deeper understanding of patients' perception of clinical meaningfulness beyond that articulated in validated patient-reported outcome instruments. © 2023 The Authors. Journal of Bone and Mineral Research published by Wiley Periodicals LLC on behalf of American Society for Bone and Mineral Research (ASBMR).

Exploring the feminine-masculine dichotomy in Job 1:15-19: A text-art collaboration

This article addresses the problematic nature of the traditional approach to interpreting and translating Job 1:15–19 and the conventional artistic depictions of the four calamities experienced by Job. The traditional view is grounded in an objectivistic perspective on language, which assumes that meaning is founded on historical truth and can only be established through direct correspondence between a sentence and an objective state in the world. However, this approach is problematic when viewed through the lens of experientialist language theory, and its emphasis on representational formats. This article argues that the representational format in the narrative of Job 1:15–19 is characterised by a fixed conceptual element; specifically, the dichotomy between feminine and masculine, which operates as a contested point within the narrative. To establish the boundaries and refine the theoretical principles necessary for elucidating unconscious conceptual image schemas such as feminine-masculine, this article proposes a blended text-art approach as a means of representing the perceptual system that underlies this contested concept. Collaborating with a local artist, Hennie Kruger, the aim of this article is to identify meaningful patterns in the image schema and provide a redescription of experience, by means of a process of perceptual meaning analysis within the context of art, as an ‘essentially contested concept’. This article personifies Sheba as a metonymy for the voiceless sufferer – the widow and orphan – as well as fire from God out of heaven, mantic wisdom, and wind-all in the feminine gender. By rendering abstract concepts more immediate and accessible, the image schema of feminine-masculine is made more tangible. While the image schema of feminine-masculine is inherently schematic, and therefore, more abstract in nature, the combination and flow of the four paintings embody the concordant nature of an image schema, with individual mental images elucidating the details of the schema. Ultimately, the paradox evident in each scene serves to illustrate the disruption of the divine order within the feminine-masculine image schema.Contribution: This article contributes to the understanding and translation of the calamities described in Job 1 in the Hebrew Bible.

Nature, stability and determinants of multi-target commitment profiles: a longitudinal person-centered approach

ABSTRACT Adopting a longitudinal person-centred perspective, we examined the profiles of employee commitments to the organization, supervisor, occupation, work team, and family in a diversified sample of employees (N = 1459) surveyed three times at one-month intervals during the COVID-19 pandemic. In line with recent developments in research on commitment towards multiple targets, these profiles were estimated while considering employees’ global levels of commitment to their work life (across targets) as well as the specific nature of their commitment to each target. Our results revealed six distinct commitment profiles differing quantitatively and qualitatively from one another and defined by employees’ global and target-specific levels of commitment. These profiles were replicated across the three measurement points. Profile membership was moderately to highly stable over time but also demonstrated some malleability. Lastly, we found that employees’ levels of basic psychological need satisfaction at work and perception of work meaningfulness predicted membership into more favourable commitment profiles.

Conceptual semantics of the adjective ленивый and stereotypical image of a lazy person (according to the National Corpus of the Russian Language)

The purpose of the article is to reconstruct the stereotypical image of a lazy person on the basis of a linguo-cognitive analysis of different contextual meanings of the adjective ленивый. Research objectives: to present a typology of contexts for the use of the adjective and the corresponding contextual meanings of the word ленивый, as well as to determine the parameters by which different contextual meanings of a polysemic word can be differentiated. The relevance of the chosen topic is determined by the methodological guidelines of modern cognitive linguistics, which continues the study of verbalized concepts that demonstrate the relationship between language, human thinking and culture. After analyzing the nature of conceptualizations, we identified three subjects and took into account their cognitive activity: the first subject is an outside observer, and the perceptual meanings of the adjective lazy reflect the results of contemplative-sensory knowledge by native speakers of the appearance and behavior of a lazy person, the second subject is the subject-bearer of the state, in the contextual meanings of the adjective, the description and evaluation of the internal state experienced by him is conceptualized; the third subject is the subject of active rational cognition, its conclusions are conceptualized in the inferential meanings of the adjective ленивый. In accordance with the parameter the nature of conceptualization, we differentiated the contextual meanings of the adjective ленивый and proposed our own typology of contexts. The conducted linguocognitive analysis allows reconstructing a holistic stereotypical image of a lazy person. Our reconstruction is based both on the results of contemplative-sensory cognition and on the inferential conclusions of native speakers.

Multisensory integration in the mammalian brain: diversity and flexibility in health and disease.

Multisensory integration (MSI) occurs in a variety of brain areas, spanning cortical and subcortical regions. In traditional studies on sensory processing, the sensory cortices have been considered for processing sensory information in a modality-specific manner. The sensory cortices, however, send the information to other cortical and subcortical areas, including the higher association cortices and the other sensory cortices, where the multiple modality inputs converge and integrate to generate a meaningful percept. This integration process is neither simple nor fixed because these brain areas interact with each other via complicated circuits, which can be modulated by numerous internal and external conditions. As a result, dynamic MSI makes multisensory decisions flexible and adaptive in behaving animals. Impairments in MSI occur in many psychiatric disorders, which may result in an altered perception of the multisensory stimuli and an abnormal reaction to them. This review discusses the diversity and flexibility of MSI in mammals, including humans, primates and rodents, as well as the brain areas involved. It further explains how such flexibility influences perceptual experiences in behaving animals in both health and disease. This article is part of the theme issue 'Decision and control processes in multisensory perception'.

Communicating the Big Picture With Employees: The Impacts of CEO Vision Communication on Employee Engagement

Communicating an organizational vision with employees can be critical to help employees internalize the vision, which might in turn increase their willingness to get engaged with the work and subsequently achieve higher goals. The aim of this study is to examine whether and how CEO vision communication could influence employee engagement. This study also proposed employees’ perceptions of work meaningfulness and organizational identification as the potential underlying mechanism that mediates the relationship between CEO vision communication and employee engagement. An online survey was conducted with employees across various industries in the U.S.

A corpus-based approach to define Turkish soundscapes attributes

Considering the challenges of translating soundscape attributes, this study aims to identify soundscape attributes in Turkish. To conduct this study, an online questionnaire with two parts was prepared and sent to 200 native Turkish bilingual speakers from all around Turkey. In the first part, the participants were asked to translate the eight soundscape attributes in ISO 12913-2:2018 from English to Turkish. In addition to direct translations, the participants were asked to describe the acoustic environment they were present in with five perceptual adjectives in their own words. The adjectives from direct translations and the open-ended question were combined to form a pool of 196 adjectives. Through a two-step elimination process by six soundscape experts, a total of 80 attributes were obtained. Twenty-four binaural sound recordings, using a 3Dio binaural microphone and Zoom H4N recorder, were collected from indoor and outdoor public spaces with different functions (e.g., concert hall, masjid, design studio, cafe). Each participant was asked to listen to six 30s-long sound recordings one at a time and rate the 80 attributes on a five-point scale for each recording individually. The results show that the opposite adjectives with similar perceptual meanings were placed together in two main clusters.