Dimensions of Calling in Work and Life: Meaning in Life As a Mediator

Past research has found that a perceived meaning in life can act as a protective factor against adverse mental health symptomology, while also providing coping resources to buffer against the impact of negative life events. The current research investigated how the impact of self-perceived meaning in life as well as its predictors interact with stressors and worry related to the COVID-19 pandemic. We collected survey based data (n = 260) from Australian participants during the pandemic, measuring their meaning in life, orientation to differing life goals and COVID-19 related stressors via the impact of events scale. We found that meaning in life predicted less stress and worry associated with COVID-19. We also found that intrinsic based aspirations related positively to meaning in life within this context whereas extrinsic based goals related negatively to it, although these aspirations were not significant in reducing the stressors associated with COVID-19. These results reinforce past findings that meaning in life can effectively buffer against the impact of negative life events such as the COVID-19 pandemic. They also suggest that intrinsic based aspirations centred on relationships and self-acceptance may be an important mechanism in how people choose to pursue life meaning during uncertain life events.

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Why Is She So Distressed?

Pediatric Palliative Care ◽

10.1093/med/9780190051853.003.0037 ◽

2020 ◽

pp. 275-284

Author(s):

Daniel Waechter Webb ◽

Megan J. Thorvilson

Keyword(s):

Therapeutic Relationship ◽

Meaning In Life ◽

Child Life ◽

Spiritual Needs ◽

Life Meaning ◽

Spiritual Beliefs ◽

Positive Role ◽

Child Life Specialists ◽

Beliefs And Practices ◽

Difficult Times

Illness often raises many questions related to humanity and life meaning both for children and their families, and many lean on spirituality to sustain them in difficult times. When one’s ability to experience and integrate meaning in life becomes disrupted, patients may experience spiritual distress, which can present in physical, psychological, and social ways. The majority of pediatricians acknowledge a positive role for spirituality in healing, in strengthening the therapeutic relationship, and in providing support for patients/families, yet clinicians often feel ill-equipped to address spirituality with families. However, most parents would prefer to be open about their spiritual beliefs and practices with their medical team. In addition to the clinician, chaplains, child life specialists, social workers, and psychologists can support the evolving spiritual needs of children as they grow and develop.

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Making Sense of Chinese Employees’ Suicidal Ideation: A Psychological Strain—Life Meaning Model

Psychological Reports ◽

10.1177/0033294118811096 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 123 (2) ◽

pp. 201-223 ◽

Cited By ~ 3

Author(s):

Yuxin Liu ◽

Muhammad Usman ◽

Jianwei Zhang ◽

Habib Gul

Keyword(s):

Meaning In Life ◽

Suicide Ideation ◽

Mediation Effect ◽

Life Meaning ◽

Psychological Strain ◽

Future Directions ◽

Making Sense ◽

Professional Employees ◽

Psychological Strains ◽

The Relationship

Using the strain theory of suicide, this study examines how psychological strains influence suicide ideation via the mediating mechanism of the meaning in life. To check the hypothesized model, data were drawn from professional employees ( n=687) across six organizations of various business types to increase the variability of respondent perception and the generalizability of the study findings. The results showed significant correlations among psychological strains, meaning in life, and suicide ideation. Furthermore, this study provides evidence for the mediation effect of meaning in life in the relationship between psychological strain and suicide ideation. Implications and future directions are discussed.

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Measuring Transgender Individuals’ Comfort With Gender Identity and Appearance

Psychology of Women Quarterly ◽

10.1177/0361684312442161 ◽

2012 ◽

Vol 36 (2) ◽

pp. 179-196 ◽

Cited By ~ 66

Author(s):

Holly B. Kozee ◽

Tracy L. Tylka ◽

L. Andrew Bauerband

Keyword(s):

Life Satisfaction ◽

Gender Identity ◽

Meaning In Life ◽

Reliability And Validity ◽

Life Meaning ◽

External Appearance ◽

Two Factors ◽

Transition Study ◽

And Gender ◽

Anxiety Depression

Our study used the construct of congruence to conceptualize the degree to which transgender individuals feel genuine, authentic, and comfortable with their gender identity and external appearance. In Study 1, the Transgender Congruence scale (TCS) was developed, and data from 162 transgender individuals were used to estimate the reliability and validity of its scores. Two factors emerged: Appearance Congruence and Gender Identity Acceptance. TCS total and subscale scores were internally consistent. Supporting its construct validity, TCS scores were (a) positively related to life satisfaction and presence of life meaning; (b) negatively related to anxiety, depression, and body dissatisfaction; and (c) unrelated to social desirability and searching for life’s meaning. TCS scores also garnered incremental validity by predicting life satisfaction, presence of meaning in life, anxiety symptoms, and depressive symptoms above and beyond the number of steps taken to transition. Study 2 confirmed the TCS’s factor structure with a sample of 342 transgender individuals. The final 12-item TCS is a psychometrically sound measure that can facilitate both empirical investigations and clinical applications connected to transgender identity. Additional online materials for this article are available to PWQ subscribers on PWQ’s website at http://pwq.sagepub.com/supplemental .

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The Relationship between Presence of Meaning, Search for Meaning, and Subjective Well-Being: A Three-Level Meta-Analysis based on the Meaning in Life Questionnaire

10.31234/osf.io/2xjh7 ◽

2019 ◽

Author(s):

Jian Bin Li ◽

Kai Dou

Keyword(s):

Meaning In Life ◽

Meta Analysis ◽

Well Being ◽

Life Questionnaire ◽

Subjective Well Being ◽

Life Meaning ◽

Search For Meaning ◽

Cross Sectional ◽

Cross Sectional Studies ◽

Meaning In Life Questionnaire

Meaning in life can be understood as how much people experience life meaning, i.e., presence of meaning (POM) and how intensely they seek life meaning, i.e., search for meaning (SFM). Previous research has related POM and SFM to the subjective well-being (SWB) of individuals, but the findings are inconsistent. This meta-analysis investigates the overall relationship between POM/SFM and SWB by examining previous studies that have used Steger et al.’s (2006) Meaning in Life Questionnaire to assess POM and SFM. Results of 148 studies, reporting 726 effect sizes (N=92,169), suggest the effect size for the “POM–SWB” relationship is close to medium (ESz=0.418, p<.001, 95% CI=[0.390,0.446]). The effect is larger in life satisfaction and cross-sectional studies. The effect size for the “SFM–SWB” association is small (ESz=-.121, p<.001, 95% CI=[-0.155,-0.817]), with the effect being larger for negative affect, cross-sectional studies, and older participants. Interestingly, SFM is positively related to SWB for participants from countries with a high collectivism index, suggesting a stronger association for people from such countries. This study shows a robust link between presence of life meaning and greater SWB, and that while searching for life meaning may be adverse to SWB, the effect is small and conditional.

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Action identification and meaning in life in chronic pain

Scandinavian Journal of Pain ◽

10.1016/j.sjpain.2015.04.024 ◽

2015 ◽

Vol 9 (1) ◽

pp. 1-10 ◽

Cited By ~ 5

Author(s):

Helen Richardson ◽

Stephen Morley

Keyword(s):

Chronic Pain ◽

Meaning In Life ◽

Pain Interference ◽

Action Identification ◽

Life Meaning ◽

Behavioural Activity ◽

Chronic Pain Patients ◽

High Level ◽

The Relationship ◽

Pain Patients

AbstractBackground and aimsWe explore the relationship between behaviour and cognition in chronic pain by applying Action Identification Theory (AIT). AIT holds that every action may be construed in several ways. High level construals confer greater meaning than lower level construals. When an action is interrupted a lower level, more concrete identity with reduced meaning is elicited. We hypothesized that interference of activity by chronic pain affects the meaning ascribed to activity and thus a person’s overall sense of meaning in life.MethodsIn Study 1, a measure of Action Identification in Pain (AIP) is developed. In Study 2, the AIP was administered to 47 chronic pain patients who also completed the Meaningful Life Measure and measures of pain interference, depression, acceptance and optimism.ResultsHigh levels of action identification were positively correlated with meaning in life and high levels of interference were negatively correlated with meaning in life. Contrary to expectation interference and action identification were not associated. Further analyses showed that inclusion of depression, acceptance and optimism eliminated the effect of pain interference but only optimism abolished the effect of action identification.ConclusionChronic pain patients holding higher levels of action identification report a greater sense of meaning in life. Meaning in life is also associated with the amount of interference of behavioural activity. The anticipated relationship between action identification and interference was not observed. The present evidence suggests that interference and action identification contribute independently to a person’s sense of meaning in life.

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The personality of meaning in life: Associations between dimensions of life meaning and the Big Five

The Journal of Positive Psychology ◽

10.1080/17439760.2012.736527 ◽

2013 ◽

Vol 8 (1) ◽

pp. 34-43 ◽

Cited By ~ 17

Author(s):

Katie M. Lavigne ◽

Samantha Hofman ◽

Angela J. Ring ◽

Andrew G. Ryder ◽

Todd S. Woodward

Keyword(s):

Big Five ◽

Meaning In Life ◽

Life Meaning

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Contributions to Psychohistory: XXI. Analysis of Conrad's Lord Jim's Life Meaning

Psychological Reports ◽

10.2466/pr0.1993.72.1.31 ◽

1993 ◽

Vol 72 (1) ◽

pp. 31-34 ◽

Cited By ~ 3

Author(s):

Peter Ebersole

Keyword(s):

Meaning In Life ◽

Scoring System ◽

Future Research ◽

Life Meaning ◽

Fictional Character ◽

Different Types ◽

Alternative Conceptualization

Conrad's fictional character Jim's meaning in life is employed as an illustration of the application of DeVogler-Ebersole and Ebersole's scoring system for depth of meaning in life and their method for categorization of different types of meaning in life. Finally, the following issues are briefly covered: future research, an alternative conceptualization of Jim, and the failure of current measures of meaning in life depth to take into consideration the person's behavior.

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