Why youth are more purposeful than we think

Abstract

Consider for a moment the extent to which you feel that your life has a purpose, and that your daily activities are valuable and worthwhile. Alternatively, consider having to describe what your purpose actually is, what you have done to make progress toward that purpose, and what difference it has made to the world. While both considerations invite reflection on purpose in life, the former captures sense of purpose-the perceptible feeling that one's life is directed and significant. The latter ascertains both purpose content-the aspirational substance of one's life aims-and purpose articulation-the ability to name and explain one's aims in life. For most people, sense of purpose is likely easier to report than either content or articulation, and this ease of assessment has made it the predominant focus in the literature on purpose over several decades. Yet despite its challenges, researchers who work with youth often have asked participants to articulate their purpose and describe its content.The decision to focus on either sense of purpose or its content and articulation has resulted in significant divergence in research on the prevalence of purpose. Adults typically report moderate to high levels of sense of purpose (e.g., Heintzelman & King, 2014;Ryff, 1989;Scheier et al., 2006). In contrast, studies of adolescents suggest that only about one-fifth of youth have a purpose (Bronk, 2013;Damon, 2008). As such, we are left with a conundrum regarding the appropriate inference to be drawn. One possibility is that the data present a developmental story of purpose, characterized by low prevalence before adulthood followed by a striking upward trajectory that peaks in young to middle adulthood (see e.g., Ryff, 1989;Ryff & Keyes, 1995). The other possibility is that the data yield an apples-to-oranges comparison, wherein studies of adults' sense of purpose focus on the degree to which they sense purpose in their lives, while studies of youth's sense of purpose focus on what respondents' purpose is or whether they can articulate it. In this article, we present the case for the second option, which raises the possibility that youth are more purposeful than research suggests.

Motivational mindsets, mindset churn and academic performance: The role of a goal-setting intervention and purpose in life

“…A quarter of low-impact mindset students did show an increased sense of purpose after participating in the expressive writing exercises of the goal-setting intervention. This finding contributes to the purpose literature where it is important to uncover which pathways help students to find a sense of purpose and direction (Hill & Burrow, 2021). As low-impact mindset students seem to have a higher risk of dropping out, this finding substantiates research noting that the goal-setting intervention is particularly effective for potential struggling students (Morisano et al, 2010;Schippers et al, 2015).…”

Activist purpose orientation: Definition and predictors

“…This question is important in that how one defines their purpose can impact what they choose to do with their life, either through their career, hobbies, or other activities. Knowledge of purpose content thus provides value for how to assist individuals in their purpose development, and which pursuits are more or less purpose-relevant (Hill & Burrow, 2021).…”

Interacting with supportive adults predicts greater same‐day psychosocial functioning among adolescents in a self‐driven learning program

“…A final point to consider when thinking about the link between psychosocial functioning and thriving is that purpose, self-concept clarity, and self-esteem have historically been described as dispositional and trait-like (e.g., Donnellan et al, 2012;Pfund, 2020). However, growing evidence indicates meaningful daily and state-like variation in these constructs (e.g., Hill et al, 2021;Schwartz et al, 2011). These state deviations are not only informative in terms of prediction but, similar to theories of personality change (e.g., Allemand & Flückiger, 2017;Bleidorn et al, 2020Bleidorn et al, , 2021, may reflect evidence of an incremental, additive process that eventually amounts to substantial asset growth over time (Hill et al, 2023).…”