Origins of Purpose in Life: Refining our Understanding of a Life Well Lived

By T. Kashdan, Patrick E. McKnight. 2009

167 citations recorded by the source corpus.

Purpose can be characterized as a central, self-organizing life aim. Central in that when present, purpose is a predominant theme of a person’s identity. Selforganizing in that it provides a framework for systematic behavior patterns in everyday life. As a life aim, a purpose generates continual goals and targets for efforts to be devoted. A purpose provides a bedrock foundation that allows a person to be more resilient to obstacles, stress, and strain. In this paper, we outline a theoretical model of purpose development. Besides outlining various essential ingredients to creating a purpose in life, we describe three broad pathways. The first process is proactive involving effort over time and only resulting in a purpose after gradual refinement and clarification. The second process is reactive involving a transformative life event where a purpose arises and adds clarity to the person's life. The third process is social learning - involving the formation of purpose through observation, imitation, and modeling. Our aim is to stimulate more research on this higher-level construct in the architecture of personality.

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Citations in the corpus

Adolescent Purpose Development: Exploring Empathy, Discovering Roles, Shifting Priorities, and Creating Pathways (2014, background): “Scholars have identified purpose as a developmental asset (Benson, 1997), a “central, self-organizing life aim” (Kashdan & McKnight, 2009, p. 304), and a goal that gives direction to life (Damon, 2008).”
The relationship between religious orientation and happiness: the mediating role of purpose in life (2014, background): “Purpose in life has been defined as a central, self-organising life aim that provides a person with a framework for pursuing goals (Kashdan & McKnight, 2009).”
How Supportive of Their Specific Purposes Do Youth Believe Their Family and Friends Are? (2013, background): “Purposes are considered life aims that serve as “continual targets for efforts to be devoted” (Kashdan & McKnight, 2009, p. 304).”
Identity and Purpose as Predictors of Subjective Well-Being in Emerging Adulthood (2015, background): “…is not the only route by which an identity or purpose can be cultivated; individuals may commit reactively (often following a major life event), or it may after observing others who have committed to a purpose or identity (similar to the process of social learning; Kashdan & McKnight, 2009).”
A dynamic approach to psychological strength development and intervention (2011, unknown): “Thus, talents (or strengths) are not enough in themselves, they interact with a person's interests and values (Kashdan & McKnight, 2009 ; McKnight & Kashdan, 2009 ).”