Youth Purpose: A Translational Research Agenda

Exploring the associations between resilience and psychological well-being among South Africans during COVID-19

“…By focusing on positive emotions, maintaining a sense of purpose and meaning, and staying connected to their spirituality and faith, individuals were able to develop resilience and promote their own well-being. Individuals who have a sense of meaning and purpose in life and/or experience peace are more likely to have higher levels of resilience ( Burrow and Patrick, 2020 ; Wilson et al, 2021 ). Findings from this study confirm that those with higher levels of meaning and purpose in their lives show greater resilience.…”

Beyond Finding Purpose: Motivating a Translational Science of Purpose Acquisition

“…Translational science can be recursively thought of as the science of translation—responsive to how the search for basic understandings can be optimally integrated with the search for applied solutions. To be sure, exemplary translational research projects are already underway in the literature on purpose [ 30 , 31 ], showcasing the value of conducting studies with the goal of improving lives. However, these examples are discrete and lack coordinated integration with one another such that learnings in one project have no immediate relevance for the next.…”

“…Likewise, exploring and committing to a sense of where one is heading are believed to represent related but distinct processes that underlie the formation of purpose [ 48 , 49 ]. Both conceptual frameworks [ 50 ] and recent field studies [ 30 , 31 ] affirm that when people are provided with opportunities to consider, practice, and reflect upon purposeful experiences, they exhibit gains in both purpose exploration and commitment. Combined, exploration and commitment processes provide an initial basis for viewing purpose as a sense that is not merely found, but as one that is volitionally cultivated via active engagement in activities afforded by one’s surroundings.…”

“…However, which specific behavioral capacities aid purpose cultivation? Cognitive capacities that enable reflection, memory, sustained attention to ongoing activities, as well as prospection and planning have been implicated in sensing purpose [ 8 , 30 , 51 ]. The ability to perceive one’s life as not simply a moment but as a pathway connecting past activities to future outcomes appears to be important for forming a sense of purpose, as does the ability to be physically active and behave in ways commensurate with available opportunities in one’s environment.…”