Source Of Meaning In Life Research Articles

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.

Factors associated with the level of self-management in elderly patients with chronic diseases: a pathway analysis

BackgroundTo analyze the effects and pathways of factors such as psychological capital, family functioning, and sources of meaning in life on the level of self-management in elderly patients with chronic diseases and to provide a basis for the development of relevant nursing interventions in the future.MethodsConvenience sampling was used to select elderly patients with chronic diseases who underwent medical checkups and consultations at three community hospitals in Jinzhou city from March 2023 to October 2023, and the self-designed General Information Questionnaire (GIS), Psychological Capital of the Elderly Scale (PCE), Family Functioning Index Questionnaire (APGAR), Sources of Meaning of Life Scale for Older Adults(SMSE), and Self-Management Behavior of Chronic Patients Scale (SMCS) were used. SPSS 26.0 was used for data entry, one-way analysis, Pearson correlation analysis, and multiple linear regression were used to analyze the data, and Amos 17.0 was used to construct the structural equation model.ResultsA total of 355 elderly patients with chronic diseases were included, and their self-management score was 74.75 ± 12.93, which was moderate. The results of the influencing factor analysis showed that the influencing factors of the self-management level of elderly chronic disease patients were age, years of illness, psychological capital, family functioning, and sources of meaning in life (p < 0.05). Path analysis revealed that sources of meaning in life were a partial mediator of the relationship between psychological capital and self-management, with an effect value of 0.166 (95% CI: 0.042,0.391), accounting for 37.6% of the total effect; life meaning was a partial mediator of family functioning and self-management level, with an effect value of 0.231 (95% CI: 0.040,0.452), accounting for 54.0% of the total effect. accounting for 54.0% of the total effect.ConclusionThe self-management of elderly patients with chronic diseases is intermediate. Healthcare professionals should actively implement holistic healthcare management measures from the family aspect to help patients understand the meaning of life and improve the level of patients’ psychological capital to improve the self-management level of elderly patients with chronic diseases.

‘I'm a fighter and I do not give up’ – Socially isolated older adults' experiences with meaning in life

Abstract Positively experienced relationships with family, partners and friends are the most important source of meaning in life for older persons. At the same time, Western countries are confronted with a growing number of socially isolated older adults who lack those relationships. This study aims to explore whether and how older adults who live in social isolation experience meaning in life. Data were collected via in-depth, semi-structured interviews with 24 socially isolated older adults, ranging in age from 62 to 94, all living in Rotterdam, The Netherlands. The criterion-based sampling of participants took place in close consultation with social workers of a mentoring project for socially isolated older adults. Follow-up interviews with 22 participants improved the credibility of findings and contributed to the breadth and depth of the researched casuistry. Data were analysed using an analytical framework based on seven needs of meaning identified by Baumeister (purpose, values, efficacy, self-worth) and Derkx (coherence, excitement, connectedness). The study demonstrates that isolated older adults may find anchors for meaning in life, although not all needs for meaning are satisfied, and there can also be tension between different needs. The needs-based model provides concrete distinctions for enabling care-givers to recognise elements of meaning.

Chrześcijański argument „z sensu życia i świata” wobec buddyjskiego poglądu na rzeczywistość

The starting point of the article is the „argument from meaning” used in fundamental theology. The authors referring to it argue that only religion can give meaning to human life and the world. A man who does not want to run away from ultimate questions is faced with an alternative: faith in God or nihilism. Among religions, however, there is one that rejects belief in God and in any transcendence, and yet claims to be a source of meaning in life for its adepts. This religion is Buddhism. In this study, an attempt was made to confront the theological argumentation "from the meaning of life and the world" with the Buddhist worldview. The aim of such a confrontation is to locate potential weak points of this type of argumentation, which can help refine it so that it is also convincing for people outside Western culture.

An Evaluation of Bernard Williams’ Necessary Boredom Thesis on Death and Life After Death

The sitcom “The Good Place” tells the story of an imaginary afterlife where everyone in heaven is in an unhappy state (ironically called the “good” place). All the fun things they can do in eternity to the point that everyone gets bored and eventually the meaning in their lives disappears. Seeing death as the source of meaning in life on earth, the solution in this story is to bring death back to heaven. The view that eternity will lead to boredom is based on Bernard Williams’ Necessary Boredom Thesis. Williams argues that when humans do not experience death (immortality), there is a meaning in life that will be lost. The author sees that this view raises questions in two important respects: First, how do believers view the perspective of death as the source of life’s meaning? Second, what is the believer’s perspective on immortality and boredom in the new heaven and new earth—in other words, is immortality something bad and not to be coveted? This paper first examines the philosophical assumptions behind the Necessary Boredom Thesis and shows that compared to the Christian worldview, this thesis does not see human beings holistically, thus making life only partially construed. Secondly, this paper evaluates this thesis with the biblical concept of identity and the new heaven and earth, so that eternity can be interpreted without boredom because we have a relationship with God.

Closing a chapter? A protocol for a longitudinal mixed methods study on retirement from elite sport

Retirement from elite sport represents a major life transition for athletes and requires them to redefine their central life projects, identities, and perhaps even sources of meaning in life. Although an extensive body of literature has identified risk and protective factors in career termination, little is known about the more subjective processes and individual pathways of athletes as they establish their new relationship with work-life and sport. The planned longitudinal mixed methods study follows Swiss elite athletes’ transition with a focus on understanding (1) the relationship between psychological resources, life situations at the end of the sports career, and the retirement process; (2) how athletes’ post-retirement vocational careers interact with their subjective careers and sense of meaningful work; (3) how athletes reconstruct their identities and relationship with sport over time; and (4) how gender shapes athletes’ pathways and reorientation of their life design.Using a person-oriented approach combined with narrative inquiry, we expect to identify specific types and stories which demonstrate individual differences in career and personal development throughout the transitional period, an understanding of which can be targeted towards support programmes for retiring elite athletes. As the study centralises dimensions of positive psychological functioning (meaning and purpose in life/sport/work, resilience, life satisfaction), it complements previous studies focused on psychological distress and provides much needed knowledge that can be used to foster well-being in athletic retirement. Collaborating with the Swiss Olympic Association helps to ensure that the research findings will be disseminated to relevant end-users and used towards developing socially sustainable elite sport for the future generations.

The Role of Religion in the Family Life of People with Disabilities: A Legal and Social Study

The family holds a special place in human life. Given the importance of marriage and family for the welfare of people, the Catholic Church strives to protect these values. The Church’s stance towards people with disabilities is unequivocally protective and inclusive, but it also recognises that the right to marriage and family life is not absolute. Not all people with disabilities are able to start a family or fulfil the obligations of marriage and family life. In canon law, the Church sets forth certain conditions for contracting a valid marriage, taking into account the human resources that make a person capable of such a commitment. This article examines the narratives of people with disabilities who participated in a study on religiosity, faith, and prayer, and how these can provide meaning to disability in the context of marital and family life. The research findings confirm our hypothesis that faith and religious practices provide people with disabilities with a sense of meaning in life and help them stabilise difficult moments and experiences; prayer is a source of peace, patience, and gentleness, and it improves the quality of life of both people with disabilities and their families; faith and religious practices help people with disabilities make sense of everyday difficulties, gain perspective, and overcome their weaknesses or egocentrism; religiousness is a source of meaning in life. Faith and religion play an important role in participants’ efforts to accept their lives, provide care, and show love. Moreover, they have a positive impact on the rehabilitation process.

Sources of meaning in life among older adults during the COVID-19 pandemic: A qualitative study.

This study aims to explore the sources of meaning in life (MIL) and its impact on South Korean older adults during the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. This study had a qualitative descriptive study design. The study participants included 18 older adults. Six focus group interviews were conducted. Data were analysed using content analysis. The subcategories 'Continued learning and growth', 'Self-transcending practices' and 'Efforts to maintain good health' were extracted under the category 'Sources of MIL for older adults'. Similarly, the subcategories 'Tremendous changes brought about by the virus' and 'Varying patterns of adjustment to the pandemic' were extracted under the category 'Changes in the sources of MIL since the COVID-19 outbreak'. Our study provides an in-depth understanding of the changed sources of MIL for older adults during the COVID-19 pandemic. The findings serve as useful guidance for planning interventions for older adults to lead meaningful lives during the COVID-19 pandemic and post-pandemic crises.

Meaning in Life and Life Satisfaction among University Students

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.

SOPHOMORE CRISIS AMONG UNIVERSITY STUDENTS IN JAKARTA

The sophomore crisis is one of the five existential crises that can occur in adolescence to young adulthood. This crisis is related to identity issues about the future. This research aims to determine the description of the sophomore crisis among college students in Jakarta. This research is descriptive quantitative research. The sampling technique used is convenience sampling. In this study, there were 51 respondents consisting of 20 males and 31 females who were students with an age range between 18 years and 24 years. Data collection techniques were carried out using measuring instruments compiled by research based on three domains of the Sophomore crisis: commitment to sources of meaning in life, difficulty in choosing a career path, and fear of the need for a safe plan to reach the highest potential. Data analysis in this study used a descriptive statistical approach. The results of this study showed that 27 respondents experienced a sophomore crisis with a high category. Meanwhile, 24 respondents were classified as experiencing a crisis with a low category. This research also showed that male and female respondents have a second-year crisis stage in the same category, which is classified as high. The researcher suggests strengthening the academic guidance process with lecturers, and the department can carry out monitoring activities based on semesters.

Predicting Wellbeing in Retirees During the COVID-19 Pandemic: The Roles of Meaning in Life and Goal Setting

Restrictions introduced during the COVID-19 pandemic disrupted many retirees from being able to pursue their lifestyle retirement goals. This study examined the impact of lifestyle retirement goal disruption during the pandemic, sources of meaning in life, and goal setting behaviors (planfulness) on retiree wellbeing. In this quantitative study, retirees (n = 141) in Victoria, Australia completed an online survey in mid-2021 containing measures of sources of meaning in life, planfulness, and wellbeing. Qualitative data were also collected using a series of open-ended questions regarding the nature of retirement goal disruptions. Findings revealed that greater sources of meaning in life and planfulness significantly predicted greater wellbeing in retirees, as did being in a relationship and living in an urban/city location. Age, gender, and years retired were not associated with wellbeing. Planfulness moderated the association between COVID-19 goal-disruption and wellbeing. Open-ended responses indicated that retirement goals commonly affected by COVID-19 were travel and family-time. The study revealed that older adults were able to adjust during a time of crisis, with sources of meaning in life and planfulness being useful resources for wellbeing. Planfulness was an important buffer for those experiencing goal-disruption due to COVID-19.

The “Search for Meaning” in Therapeutic Recreation

Therapeutic Recreation (TR) has been likened to an existential therapy because it facilitates meaningful outcomes for participants. Logotherapy and Existential Analysis (LTEA) has previously been proposed as a suitable existential approach for TR. However, this proposition has not been examined extensively in TR; consequently, LTEA has not been adopted widely as an in-depth approach to practice. Deductive content analysis (DCA) is a research method that has been recommended for testing a theoretical structure in a new context. A DCA of four of the most recent introductory textbooks in TR was conducted to test the theoretical structure of LTEA within the TR context. Content in the textbooks that related to the theoretical structure—the sources of meaning in life—was extracted and formed into categories and overarching TR concepts. Based on these findings, LTEA aligns with TR and could be a suitable approach to TR practice with the potential of enhancing its therapeutic aims. Recommendations for practice and further research are proposed as a result of this study.

Mediating effects of meaning in life on the relationship between family care, depression, and quality of life in Chinese older adults.

The study explored sources of meaning in older adults and the action path among family care, meaning in life, quality of life, and depression. We investigated 627 older adults using the Sources of Meaning in Life Scale for the Elderly (SMSE), the Family Care Index (APGAR), the Center for Epidemiological Studies Depression Scale-10 (CES-D-10), and the EuroqOL-5 Dimensions (EQ-5D). Scores categorized 454 older adults with good family function, 99 with moderate, and 47 with severe family dysfunction; 110 older adults had depression. The structural equation model showed that family care affected the quality of life and depression by influencing meaning, and depression had a significant negative effect on the quality of life (P < 0.05). The model was a good fit for the data (χ2/df = 3.300, SRMR = 0.0291, GFI = 0.975, IFI = 0.971, TLI = 0.952, CFI = 0.971, RMSEA = 0.062). Meaning in life is an intermediary factor that affects depression and quality of life in older adults. Family care had a significant positive impact on SMSE and a negative influence on depression. The SMSE effectively clarifies the sources of meaning in life and can be used to improve meaning and promote mental health in older adults.

Meaning‐oriented consumption: A systematic review and research agenda

AbstractThe quest for finding meaning in life is central to human existence. Evidence supporting consumption as a source of meaning in life is scant and lies in discrete studies across multiple disciplines. We call consumption that engenders a sense of meaning in life ‘meaning‐oriented consumption’. In this paper we conduct a systematic literature review of 102 papers, using the Scientific procedures and rationales for systematic literature reviews (SPAR‐4‐SLR) (Paul et al. (2021). International Journal of Consumer Studies, 45(4)). We draw on the theory of meaning in life to arrive at a theoretically grounded conceptualization of meaning‐oriented consumption. We discuss the antecedents and consequences of meaning‐oriented consumption, categories and processes that make consumption meaningful. We gather insights into the relationship between hedonic and meaning‐oriented consumption. Finally, we identify knowledge gaps in theory, context, constructs and methodology. This review identifies several consumption contexts and situations that offer potential for marketers to design meaningful offerings.

Life meaning constructed from dignity therapy in traditional Chinese culture: A qualitative analysis of dignity therapy generativity documents.

To examine the thematic features of dignity therapy generativity documents of advanced cancer patients receiving chemotherapy in mainland China from the perspective of meaning-making during dignity therapy. This is a qualitative descriptive study. Content analysis was used to analyze 24 dignity therapy generativity documents derived from a quasi-experimental trial of dignity therapy for advanced cancer patients receiving chemotherapy in a daycare center at a cancer hospital in northern China. Among the 24 advanced cancer patients whose generativity documents were analyzed, 14 were male and ranged in age from 26 to 78years (average=50.3). Two dimensions emerged from the data: (1) the sources of meaning in life, which consisted of social relationships, things and circumstances providing meaning in life, and (2) the ultimate meaning in life, referring to finding one's real self and realizing the purpose in life, including personal life goals, dignity and autonomy, and morality of patients. The multidimensional constructs of meaning in life with distinctive traditional Chinese cultural characteristics could provide insights into dignity-conserving care for advanced cancer patients with Chinese culture and provide evidence for refining the implementation protocol of DT through intentionally addressing the ultimate meaning of patients in the therapeutic session.

The Sources of Meaning in Life Among Educators of Socially Vulnerable Adults

Life work considered as a critical source of meaning in life. This can be particularly true for the educators who choose to work with and teach adults who belong to socially vulnerable groups. To this context, the aim of our study was to investigate the sources of meaning in life of educators of socially vulnerable groups, and the possible relation between the sources they derive meaning from and their decision to work with this specific kind of students. A total of 12 educators were interviewed providing information regarding their experience in working with socially vulnerable groups, their motives considering their professional choice, the way they perceive themselves as teachers of vulnerable adults and the sources of meaning in their lives. Thematic Analysis was used to analyze the data. It was found that the primary sources of meaning in life of the participants are (a) interpersonal and social relations, and (b) personal relationships; moreover, there is a close relation between the participants' sources of meaning in life and their perception about vulnerability.

On a Possible Basis for Metaphysical Self-development in Natural and Artificial Systems

Recent research into the nature of self in artificial and biological systems raises interest in a uniquely determining immutable sense of self, a “metaphysical ‘I’” associated with inviolable personal values and moral convictions that remain constant in the face of environmental change, distinguished from an object “me” that changes with its environment. Complementary research portrays processes associated with self as multimodal routines selectively enacted on the basis of contextual cues informing predictive self or world models, with the notion of the constant, per-vasive and invariant sense of self associated with a multistable attractor set aiming to ensure personal integrity against threat of disintegrative change. This paper proposes that an immutable sense of self emerges as a global attractor which can be described as a project ideal self-situation embodied in frontal medial processes during more or less normal adolescent development, and that thereafter serves to orient agency in the more or less free development of embodied potentials over the life course in effort to realize project conditions, phenomenally identified with the felt pull towards this end as purpose of and source of meaning in life. So oriented, life-long self-development aims to embody solutions to problems at different timescales depending on this embodied purpose, ultimately in the service of evolutionary processes securing organism populations against threats of disintegrative change over timespans far beyond that of the individual. After characterizing the target sense of self, research circling this target is briefly surveyed. Self as global project and developmental neural correlates are proposed. Then, the paper discusses some implications for research in biological and artificial systems. Building from earlier work in cognitive neurorobotics, discussion affirms the value of reinforcement rituals including prayer in metaphysical self-development, considers implications for value alignment and rights associated with free will in the context of artificial intelligence and robot religion, and concludes by emphasizing the importance of self-development toward project ideals as source of meaning in life in the current social-political environment.

Lonely meaning–seekers: The moderating role of search for meaning in the relationship between loneliness and presence of meaning

The aim of the research was to examine the moderating role of search for meaning in the relationship between loneliness and presence of meaning. The authors hypothesized that loneliness would be negatively associated with presence of meaning and that with an increase in search for meaning this relationship would weaken. To test these predictions adults from Poland were invited to participate in three cross-sectional studies: one paper-and-pencil study (Study 1, N = 563) and two online studies (Study 2, N = 306; Study 2, N = 206). In Studies 1 and 2 the moderating effect of search for meaning manifested itself in the case of general loneliness, and in Study 3 in the case of each of the three domains of loneliness (i.e., social, romantic, and family). The studies add to the large body of research on the interpersonal sources of meaning in life and provide preliminary evidence of the moderating role of motivation to seek meaning in the relationship between loneliness and presence of meaning. The results suggest that actively striving to augment one's sense of meaning may prevent the loss of meaning as a result of subjectively perceived social isolation.

The Disorienting Aesthetics of Mashed-Up Anthropocene Environments

This paper describes the disorienting aesthetics of some environments that are characteristic of the Anthropocene. We refer to these environments as ‘mashed-up’ and present three dimensions – phenomenological, epistemological and narrative – of the aesthetic disorientation they can trigger. We then advance the suggestion that a rich, nuanced and meaningful aesthetic experience of mashed-up Anthropocene environments (MAEs) calls for a mode of appreciation grounded on performative practices of aesthetic familiarisation with particular MAEs and entities and processes thereof. Familiarisation with MAEs, we further note, can have disorienting codas of its own. It can reveal and highlight, rather than eliminate or alleviate, the solid strangeness of Earth even in the systemically humanised world of the Anthropocene, and it can expose and tie at least some of our agency, identity and sources of meaning in life to the same unstable evolvability of particular MAEs.

Self-compassion predicts less boredom: The role of meaning in life

Boredom is a prevalent experience linked to negative psychological and societal outcomes. Building on the notion that sources of meaning in life can mitigate boredom, we examined whether self-compassion would be negatively associated with boredom and if the elevated sense of meaning in life that self-compassion offers could explain this negative association. We tested these predictions at the trait and state level using self-report measures with three correlational studies. In Study 1 (N = 49), we tested if trait self-compassion correlated negatively with boredom proneness. In Study 2 (N = 265), we investigated if this relationship was mediated by presence of meaning in life. In Study 3 (N = 191), we tested this mediational model for state experiences of self-compassion, meaning in life, and boredom. Correlational (SPSS) and mediational analyses (AMOS) were used to analyze the data. Consistently, we found negative associations between self-compassion and boredom (Studies 1–3). Further, presence of meaning in life mediated the relationship between self-compassion and boredom (Study 2 and 3). We conclude that self-compassionate individuals are less likely to experience boredom and this is partially explained by greater meaning presence. The findings add to the notion that self-compassion, offering meaning in life, reduces boredom.