meaning pt. 1 Flashcards
(39 cards)
What is the meaning of life associated with in terms of happiness?
Meaning is a dimension of eudaimonic happiness; a happy life is a meaningful life.
What does Presence of Meaning (POM) refer to?
The degree to which people experience their lives as comprehensible and significant, with a sense of purpose that transcends daily concerns.
What does Search for Meaning (SFM) refer to?
The active effort to comprehend the meaning, significance, and purpose of one’s life.
What are the four patterns of POM and SFM?
Meaning diffusion – low presence/commitment, low search/exploration
Meaning foreclosure – high presence/commitment, low search/exploration
Meaning moratorium – low presence/commitment, high search/exploration
Meaning achievement – high presence/commitment, high search/exploration
What does it mean when someone is in a transitory state of meaning?
They are moving from one satisfying lifestyle to another or recovering from an existential crisis.
What percentage of people reported having a special purpose or meaning in life across 132 countries?
91% answered affirmatively.
What are the three dimensions of meaning?
Comprehension, Purpose, and Significance.
What is comprehension in the context of life meaning?
Making sense of past, present, and future to form a coherent life story.
What causes distress in traumatic events?
They violate basic assumptions that the world is benevolent, predictable, and meaningful.
How do daily routines relate to meaning?
Momentary experience of meaning is higher during daily routines.
What does a sense of purpose mean?
Feeling that one’s life has an aim and working toward personally valued goals.
What is purpose described as?
A central, self-organizing life aim that stimulates goals and provides meaning.
What do goals provide in terms of life narratives?
A template for creating meaningful stories by connecting events.
What are the value categories under Openness to Change?
Self-direction, Stimulation, and Hedonism.
What are the value categories under Self-Enhancement?
Hedonism, Achievement, and Power.
What are the value categories under Self-Transcendence?
Universalism and Benevolence.
Which values are most important across societies?
Benevolence, Universalism, and Self-direction.
Which values are least important?
Power and Stimulation.
What are the three social functions of values?
Promote cooperation, motivate action (creativity, problem-solving), and legitimize self-orientations.
How do individuals derive self-esteem in different cultures?
Based on values: duty in conservation cultures, benefitting others in self-transcendence cultures, status in self-enhancement cultures.
What is the take-home message about self-evaluation and values?
Self-evaluation is guided by both personal and normative cultural values.
Promote cooperation, motivate action (creativity, problem-solving), and legitimize self-orientations.
Conservation values increased; Openness to change decreased (then rebounded); Self-transcendence decreased by late 2020.
What is significance in the meaning of life?
Feeling worthwhile, believing one’s actions matter, and life is worth living.
How do people reinterpret life events for significance?
By creating narratives where they conformed to personal moral standards.
