Sources of life meaning among South African university students

This study explored the sources of meaning in life among a group of 243 South African university students, using a sequential exploratory mixed methods design. First, data from semi-structured questionnaires (n=40) were subjected to qualitative content analysis; next, from the emerging themes, a quantitative questionnaire was developed and administered to 203 students. Mean scores were computed and compared across gender and cultural groups. Relationships, especially with family, as well as hope, education, achievement and religion were found to be most important sources of meaning, followed by service, creative self-expression, material possessions, hobbies, health and pets. The qualitative analysis revealed that most of these sources were valued more for their perceived instrumental utility than for their intrinsic qualities.     

Structural properties of personal meaning systems: A new approach to measuring meaning of life

This article introduces a new qualitative–quantitative approach to assess meaning of life. The participants described their sources of meaning and how they were interconnected. Four quantitative measures for (1) the accessibility of meaning-related knowledge, the degree of (2) differentiation and (3) elaboration of personal meaning systems, and (4) their coherence were calculated. The sample consisted of 59 theology and science students. The study tested (a) whether the structural properties of personal meaning systems predicted health and well-being, and (b) reflected different degrees of expertise in constructing meaning. Differentiation, elaboration, and coherence measures correlated with health and well-being and predicted life satisfaction. Theology students presented more differentiated, elaborated, and coherent personal meaning systems than science students. Both results indicate that assessing structural properties of personal meaning systems can be a promising new approach to measure meaning of life.     

Sense of meaning and study perseverance and completion: a brief report

The study examines sense of meaning influences on study perseverance and course completion among students within a faculty of management sciences at a South African university (n = 40). Participants were selected for high scores on the Purpose in life (PIL) scale (n = 20; 50%) and contrasting low scores on the same (n = 20; 50%) (age range = 27 to 30 years, females = 73%, majority ethnicity = 70% Sotho speaking). Data were analysed using independent-samples t-test group comparison procedure. The results suggest that a high sense of meaning can explain study perseverance and completion.     

Family as a salient source of meaning in young adulthood

Five studies demonstrated the role of family relationships as an important source of perceived meaning in life. In Study 1 (n?=?50), 68% participants reported that their families were the single most significant contributor to personal meaning. Study 2 (n?=?231) participants ranked family above 12 likely sources of meaning. Studies 3 (n?=?87) and 4 (n?=?130) demonstrated that participants’ reports of their closeness to family (Study 3) and support from family (Study 4) predicted perceived meaning in life, even when controlling for several competing variables. Study 5 (n?=?261) ruled out social desirability as an alternative explanation to the proposed relationship between family and meaning. We conclude that for young adults, family relationships are a primary source of meaning in life and they contribute to their sense of meaning.     

Meaning as perceived and experienced by an African student group

This qualitative study explored what a Batswana group of African students (N?=?73) find most meaningful in their life and why those sources of meaning are important to them. Findings showed that, in line with previous Western studies, the most important source of meaning is relationships, and in particular family which provides support, but is also intrinsically valuable. Relatedness in this African group is also different from Western conceptualisations and previous empirical findings in the sense that horizontal (interpersonal) and vertical (spiritual) relationships are deeply intertwined. Education as a domain of life is also an important source of meaning to this cohort of students. The reported perceived meanings and experienced reasons bring forth a picture that resonates with values and expectations from the specific cultural and life phase contexts in which these African students are embedded. The meaning of these meanings for the enhancement of well-being in students merits exploration.     

Pilgrimage today: the meaning-making potential of ritual

Pilgrimage on the Road to Santiago is flourishing, even in late modern times characterised by detraditionalisation, individualism and pluralism. A large number of these pilgrims is either not explicitly religious at all, or only moderately religious. Why, then, do they submit to this ancient Christian ritual, and what are the psychological consequences? After a short introduction to the study of implicit religiosity and different perspectives on rituals from the past to today, current research on pilgrimage is reviewed and pilgrimage to Santiago is analysed as a personal ritual from a perspective of implicit religiosity. In the psychological theory of implicit religiosity, rituals are identified as one of three universal religious structures (along with myths and experiences of transcending) with strong meaning-making potential. Personal rituals are defined as formalised patterns of action, pointing beyond the actual event to a particular meaning imbued by the actor. Data from 85 pilgrims on the Road to Santiago are presented. Motives for peregrination, base-line sources of meaning, experienced meaningfulness and crises of meaning are reported, as well as changes in sources of meaning, meaningfulness and crises of meaning immediately after the pilgrimage and four months later. The majority of pilgrims (about two third) is motivated by a “need for clarification.” Multidimensional scaling shows that pilgrims either travel for explicitly religious reasons (conviction) or in search of clarification (quest); they either draw motivation from vertical transcendence (religiosity or spirituality) or from apparently purely secular reasons, such as athletic challenge. Religious and spiritual motives are mostly reported by highly religious individuals. A need for clarification is primarily stated by individuals who suffer from a crisis of meaning. Crises of meaning are significantly more frequent among pilgrims before the journey than in the general population. For the entire sample of pilgrims, the meaning-making potential of pilgrimage is supported by the data. Directly after the journey, as well as four months later, pilgrims experience life as significantly more meaningful, and crises of meaning are overcome. Pilgrims also report a strengthened commitment to vertical selftranscendence, horizontal selftranscendence and selfactualisation. These changes occur independently of the motivation for pilgrimage.     

The Sources of Meaning and Meaning in Life Questionnaire (SoMe): Relations to demographics and well-being

Shortfalls of widely used measures of meaning in life are described. Their use results in biased correlations and restriction of the complexity inherent in experiences of meaning. To qualify results, the Sources of Meaning and Meaning in Life Questionnaire (SoMe) is employed. It offers separate scales to measure a positive and a negative dimension of meaning: meaningfulness–a fundamental sense of meaning and belonging, and crisis of meaning–the evaluation of life as frustratingly empty and lacking meaning. Both intercorrelate moderately (?.38/?.35). Additionally, the SoMe assesses 26 sources of meaning. Based on a representative sample, relationships between meaningfulness, crisis of meaning, and sources of meaning with demographics are reported (Study 1). In Study 2, SoMe scales are correlated with positive (mood, satisfaction with life) and negative (neuroticism, anxiety, depression) indicators of well-being. SEM reveals that meaningfulness predicts positive well-being, but is not predictive of negative well-being. Crisis of meaning is a strong predictor for both positive and negative well-being.     

Psychosocial correlates of hiv-related sexual behavior in an inner city std clinic

Little is known about the relationship between smoking and meaning in life, although the association of meaninglessness with other addictive behaviours has been widely investigated. The aim of this study is to examine whether a relationship exists between meaning in life and intensity of smoking as measured by cigarettes smoked per day. The study population was 3506 current smokers from the Hungarostudy 2002 Hungarian representative cross-sectional survey. Age, educational level, marital status, subjective financial status, household income, coffee consumption, hazardous alcohol use, general well-being, anxiety, and depressive symptomatology were included in the analyses as covariates. On the bivariate level, life meaning was associated with smoking intensity in the total sample and among women (p < 0.001), while for males, only a tendency was found (p = 0.069). In the multivariate analyses, life meaning proved to be a significant negative predictor of smoking intensity for females (p = 0.005) even after controlling for the covariates, whereas in men, meaning in life completely lost its significance (p = 0.852). In the total sample, both meaning in life (p = 0.005) and its interaction with gender (p = 0.024) related to the dependent variable. Further research is needed to confirm these explorative findings concerning the protective role of life meaning against more intense smoking among women.     

大学生生命意义量表的编制

旨在编制适合我国大学生的生命意义量表。通过文献综述、开放式调查、专家咨询等方法形成大学生生命意义量表的初始项目。以陕西省四所大学的591名大学生为被试进行施测,通过项目分析、探索性因素分析和验证性因素分析等,形成最终问卷。结论：大学生生命意义量表由44个题目,七个维度构成。验证性因素分析表明,所提取的7个因素模型拟合较好,量表各维度的信度系数在0．608~0．847之间。生命意义量表与生活取向量表、幸福感指数效标关联效度分别为0．506、0．501,在0．01水平上达到显著。大学生生命意义量表具有较好的信、效度。     

意义治疗的团体辅导对于戒毒者复吸倾向的影响

摘 要: 考察意义治疗的团体辅导对于戒毒者复吸倾向的干预效果。选择生命意义感较低的被试18名进入实验组,并选择与其分数匹配的18名被试组成对照组。后测结果表明,与控制组相比,实验组被试的价值感、效能感、成就感和生命意义感均有显著提升,复吸倾向显著降低。结论: 意义治疗的团体辅导能够显著提高戒毒人员的创造性价值类生命意义源和生命意义感,显著降低其复吸倾向。提升创造价值与对苦难的理解是提高生命意义感的有效途径。     

自我超越生命意义对压力和健康关系的调节作用

研究目的是检验一个新的应激应对资源—自我超越生命意义的健康调节作用。自我超越生命意义的理论基础是东方的佛教哲学和道家哲学。研究的测量工具有：大学校园压力量表,一般健康问卷（GHQ-20）,自尊量表和自我超越生命意义量表。被试为来自北京市三所高校的788名大学生。研究结果为：自我超越生命意义可以调节应激条件下的忧郁情绪、一般健康问题和自尊,但是对于焦虑情绪和自我肯定的调节作用不明显。研究结论是：自我超越生命意义对心理健康的某些方面具有调节作用     

海峡两岸大学生生命意义比较研究——以广州市与台中市为例

该研究以广州市与台中市大学生为被试,抽取500人为预测样本及800人为正式施测样本,通过探索性因素分析和验证性因素分析编制生命意义量表,并通过t检验和潜在剖面分析考察两岸大学生生命意义现况的差异.结果表明：（1）编制的生命意义量表由存在意义、追寻意义、存在盈实、苦难接纳、死亡接纳以及求意义的意志等6个维度组成,具有良好的信度和效度.（2）两岸大学生生命意义总体无显著差异;存在盈实、苦难接受与死亡接纳维度有显著或非常显著的差异.（3）潜在剖面分析结果显示,两岸大学生生命意义类型相似.Wald检验结果表明,对于“死亡接纳”维度,台湾与大陆学生在各潜在类别的均分上存在显著的差异.     

Meaning as a coping resource: Experiences of nursing students

This exploratory study examined conceptions of meaning as a coping resource among nursing students. A qualitative approach was used to explore the lived experiences of 13 nursing students (female = 85%; age range = 18–22 years). Four conceptions of meaning emerged from the qualitative analysis, namely occupational stress as an avenue to meaning, compassion satisfaction, relational meaning, and meaning through spirituality. The findings indicate that various conceptions of meaning could assist nursing students in enhancing coping abilities.     

Struggle with ultimate meaning: Nuanced associations with search for meaning,presence of meaning,and mental health

Struggle with ultimate meaning reflects concerns about whether one’s life has a deeper meaning or purpose. We examined whether this construct could be distinguished from presence of meaning in life and search for meaning. In two US samples – a web-based sample (N = 1047) and an undergraduate sample (N = 3978) – confirmatory factor analyses showed that struggle with ultimate meaning loaded on a factor that was distinct from but related to presence (negatively) and search (positively). Moderated regression analyses showed that people with low levels of presence combined with high levels of search for meaning were particularly likely to struggle with ultimate meaning. Additionally, when compared to presence and search, struggle with ultimate meaning related more strongly to depressive symptoms than presence or search. These results suggest that struggle with ultimate meaning represents a distinct component of how people grapple with meaning that has implications for mental health.     

Sense of meaning and academic performance: A brief report

This study examined sense of meaning and academic performance among a sample of South African university students (n = 210, mean age = 19.49, SD = 1.99, female = 54.29%). Data on meaning were collected using the Purpose in Life Test. End of semester marks served as the academic attainment measure. Simple regression analysis with post-hoc independent-samples t-tests revealed that meaning predicts academic performance. No significant differences between genders emerged from the data. Sense of meaning is an important factor in supporting students to enhance their academic performance.     

Meaning in life across the life span: Levels and correlates of meaning in life from emerging adulthood to older adulthood

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.     

Does thinking about the meaning of life make you happy in a religious and globalised world? A 75-nation study

This paper reports on a multilevel study of 75 nations, which tests two hypotheses that arose from considering Tolstoy's experience of thinking about the meaning and purpose of life. The globalisation-as-exacerbator hypothesis predicts that as globalisation increases, the relationship between thinking about the meaning and purpose of life and life satisfaction becomes more negative. The religiosity-as-buffer hypothesis predicts that as religiosity increases, the relationship between thinking about the meaning and purpose of life and life satisfaction becomes more positive. The results presented here support both hypotheses. We also found that it is religious attendance (not religious belief) that functions as a buffer in the relationship between thinking about the meaning and purpose of life and life satisfaction.     

Individual differences in meaning-making: Considering the variety of sources of meaning, their density and diversity

By employing a multi-dimensional inventory of sources of meaning (SoMe), individual differences in meaning-making are analysed. Sources of meaning as well as their density and diversity are related to experienced meaningfulness. It is hypothesised that sources of meaning are not functionally equivalent. Density and diversity are expected to relate positively to experienced meaningfulness. Drawing on a representative sample (N = 603), functional equivalence of sources of meaning is indeed refuted. Generativity is established as the most powerful predictor of meaningfulness. Meaningfulness increases significantly with density and diversity of sources of meaning; the relationship between density and meaningfulness is largely mediated by diversity. Findings indicate that commitment to numerous, diverse, and, especially, selftranscendent sources of meaning enhances the probability of living a meaningful life.     

生命意义心理学理论取向与测量

生命意义的心理学理论与实证研究始于20世纪中期,经由存在主义心理学取向、人格与动机取向,到相对主义观点,再到积极心理学取向,生命意义的心理学研究逐渐摆脱"哲学风格",从而完成了其"心理学化"的历程。20世纪60年代开始,研究者们从生命意义感和生命意义源这两个研究维度出发,陆续开发了大量的测量工具。生命意义感和生命意义源测量的综合化成为近年来测量工具发展的趋势。生命意义的心理学研究在理论视角、测量内容与方法、实践应用等方面有着广阔的发展前景。     

Exploring links between career adaptability,work volition,and well-being among Turkish students

The present study examined how the four components of career adaptability (concern, confidence, control, curiosity; Savickas & Porfeli, 2012) related to life satisfaction and the degree to which life meaning and work volition mediated these relations. In Study 1, scores from the Work Volition Scale–Student Version was validated with a sample of Turkish undergraduate students. In Study 2, with a new sample of Turkish students, all four components of career adaptability were found to significantly correlate with life satisfaction. Structural equation modeling revealed that life meaning and work volition each served as significant mediators between concern, control, and life satisfaction. Additionally, in the full mediation model, none of the adaptability components significantly related to life satisfaction. These findings suggest that concern and control over one's career may link with greater life satisfaction due, in part, to an increased sense of control in career decision making and increased life meaning.