Making Purpose More Purposeful: Addressing Definitional, Measurement, and Testing Complexities
Year: 2023
Type: preprint
Abstract: Theoretically, purpose serves as a basic dimension of healthy psychological functioning and an important protective factor from psychopathology. Theory alone, however, is insufficient to answer critical questions about human behavior and functioning; we require empirical evidence that explores the parameters of purpose with respect to measurement, prediction, and modification. Here, we provide empirically supported insights about how purpose operates as a desirable outcome (e.g., marker of well-being), mechanism of action (i.e., direct or indirect cause), and moderator (i.e., catalyst of the benefits or attenuating the costs of other psychological processes). Advancing the study of purpose requires careful consideration of how purpose is conceptualized, manipulated, and measured across the lifespan. Our aim is to help scientists understand, specify, and conduct high-quality studies of purpose in life.
Institutions: George Mason University, George Washington University
Language: English
Subfield: Social Psychology
Field: Psychology
Domain: Social Sciences
Open Access status: green
OpenAlex ID: W4367845349