14.3 Purpose and Meaning: A Survey of 17 Countries
14.3 Purpose and Meaning: A Survey of 17 Countries
Elizabeth B. Pearce and Nadine Wood
In this section we will look at survey data to define what purpose and meaning looks like to people from 17 industrialized countries, mostly that are part of the western world such as France, Germany, and the United States, or considered to be westernized, such as Japan, South Korea, and Taiwan.
As you read, consider how two psychologists described meaning in The Journal of Positive Psychology in 2016. They describe these three aspects of meaning (Martela & Steger, 2016):
- Coherence is how events fit together. This is an understanding that things happen in your life for a reason. That doesn’t necessarily mean you can fit new developments into your narrative the moment they happen, but you usually are able to do so afterward, so you have faith that you eventually will.
- Purpose is the existence of goals and aims. This is the belief that you are alive in order to do something. Think of purpose as your personal mission statement, such as “the purpose of my life is to share the secrets to happiness” or “I am here to spread love abundantly.”
- Significance is life’s inherent value. This is the sense that your life matters. If you have high levels of significance, you’re confident that the world would be a tiny bit—or perhaps a lot—poorer if you didn’t exist.
As you read, consider the aspects of coherence, purpose, and significance. See if you recognize how what gives people meaning may reflect one or more of these parts of meaning.
Studying Meaning in 17 Advanced Economies
Nineteen thousand adults from 17 advanced economies, including the United States, were surveyed by Pew Research Center in 2021, about what people value in life, and what gives their lives meaning. What do you think was the number one response across the majority (14) of these publics including the United States? It was “family” (Mitchell, 2021).
So here you are, reading a text about what families need, and specifically the chapter about the need for purpose and meaning in life. It turns out that many people in industrialized countries answer the question about what gives their lives meaning with what we are studying, “family.”
In Focus: Bracelet Full of Meaning
I purchased a Jade bracelet in 2010 while on a Homeland Tour in China with my husband and our two daughters. Overall the bracelet symbolizes the deep connection our family will always have to China. The stone, carved into a circle, conveys the stable and unwavering love I have for our daughters. Over the years, the Jade has become scratched and dull on the outside yet remains smooth and shiny on the inside, which reminds me of the joys and challenges of parenting and being in a relationship. Because I wear this bracelet day and night, I can forget it is there. Then, the stone clangs on the counter or becomes warm in the dishwater, and the sensation alerts me—and reminds me.
Pew Research asked this open-ended question, “We’re interested in