Global Integrative Meaning as a Mediating Factor in the Relationship between Social Roles and Psychological Distress

Burton, Russell P. D.

doi:10.2307/2676313

Cited by 61 publications

(39 citation statements)

References 11 publications

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“…In contrast to path 2, there is substantial evidence supporting path 3 in Figure 1, that persons with a strong sense of purpose and meaning in life have better mental health, including greater happiness, life satisfaction, self-esteem, positive affect, and lower psychological distress, depression, and negative affect (Burton 1998;Debats 1996;Mascaro and Rosen 2005;Ryff and Keyes 1995;Zika and Chamberlain 1992). To illustrate, Zika and Chamberlain (1992) administered three available scales of purpose and meaning in life to two samples, stayat-home mothers and senior citizens.…”

Section: Purpose and Meaning In Lifementioning

confidence: 96%

Role-Identity Salience, Purpose and Meaning in Life, and Well-Being among Volunteers

2012

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Theoretically, the more important a role-identity is to a person, the more it should provide a sense of purpose and meaning in life. Believing one's life to be purposeful and meaningful should yield greater mental and physical well-being. These hypotheses are tested with respect to the volunteer role, specifically, Mended Hearts visitor, in which former heart patients visit current heart patients and their families in the hospital. Analyses of survey data from Mended Hearts visitors (N = 458) confirm that a sense of meaningful, purposeful life mediates the positive influences of role-identity salience on mental and physical health. The results hint at an unfolding process: the more time spent in volunteer activities, the more important the volunteer identity. The greater the identity importance, the more one perceives one matters to other people, which in turn enhances purpose and meaning. The more life seems purposeful and meaningful, the better one's well-being.

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Section: Purpose and Meaning In Lifementioning

confidence: 96%

Role-Identity Salience, Purpose and Meaning in Life, and Well-Being among Volunteers

2012

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“…Although Burton (1998) only included an assessment of three social roles (employee, spouse, and parent), occupancy of all three roles was linked with the greatest increase in integrative meaning, which was defined as a feeling that one's life had purpose and meaning. Integrative meaning was also identified as a mediator of links between role involvement and psychological distress (Burton, 1998).…”

Section: Positive Outcomes In the Multiple Role Experiencementioning

confidence: 99%

Multiple Roles and Well-being: Sociodemographic and Psychological Moderators

2006

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Research on multiple roles has supported the enhancement hypothesis, but it is unclear if benefits of multiple role involvement exist across all segments of the population. This study was designed to examine whether the role enhancement hypothesis suits both men and women with varied education levels. A further goal was to determine if perceived control moderates associations between multiple role involvement and well-being. This sample included 2,634 individuals from the Midlife in the United States (MIDUS) survey who occupied up to eight roles each. Psychological well-being was measured in six dimensions (autonomy, environmental mastery, personal growth, positive relations with others, purpose in life, and self-acceptance); positive and negative affect were also measured. Results of hierarchical regression analyses supported the role enhancement hypothesis, as greater role involvement was associated with greater well-being; however, the findings suggest that it was only well educated women with multiple roles who showed higher levels of autonomy. Perceived control was also found to moderate some of the obtained linkages.Contemporary women and men are frequently invested in multiple roles. A recent national survey shows that 64% of women and 74% of men aged 25-74 are married, and only 17% do not have children (Marks, Bumpass, & Jun, 2004). In addition, 70% of women and 81.9% of men between the ages of 20 and 64 are in the labor force (Clark & Weismantle, 2003), and over one-half of women with a newborn child were employed in 1995 (U.S. Bureau of the Census, 1998). The role of elder caregiver is also becoming more common, as women and men in the United States can currently expect to spend more years of their life with one or both parents over the age of 65 than with children under the age of 18 (Watkins, Menken, & Bongaarts, 1987).The present study was based on a national sample of American women and men in order to examine the association between multiple roles and six dimensions of psychological well-being. Educational standing was a key variable in the study to clarify how position in the social structure might be central to understanding how multiple roles and well-being are linked. In this investigation we also examined how this association was moderated by perceived control, which has been a focus of inquiry as a moderator of social class influences on health and well-being. Multiple Role TheoriesTwo theories have been proposed to explain the effects of multiple roles on well-being. The role strain perspective, or scarcity hypothesis, proposes that increased numbers of roles lead to overload and strain, which can translate into negative effects on physical and psychological well-being (Goode, 1960;Marks, 1977). Many researchers have failed to find extensive support for this theory (

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“…Durkheimian theory predicts great parenthood advantages based on the notion that parenthood structures people's lives and integrates people into social networks, thereby providing them with meaning and purpose in life (cf. Burton 1998). Further, adult development theory stresses the centrality of parenthood for adult psychosocial development (Erikson 1963).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Childlessness and Psychological Well-Being in Midlife and Old Age: An Examination of Parental Status Effects Across a Range of Outcomes

Hansen¹,

Slagsvold²,

2009

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Global Integrative Meaning as a Mediating Factor in the Relationship between Social Roles and Psychological Distress

Cited by 61 publications

References 11 publications

Role-Identity Salience, Purpose and Meaning in Life, and Well-Being among Volunteers

Role-Identity Salience, Purpose and Meaning in Life, and Well-Being among Volunteers

Multiple Roles and Well-being: Sociodemographic and Psychological Moderators

Childlessness and Psychological Well-Being in Midlife and Old Age: An Examination of Parental Status Effects Across a Range of Outcomes

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