The mind’s eye: A photographic method for understanding meaning in people’s lives

Purpose Orientation and Its Protective Effect on Self-Esteem Among Chinese Depressive Patients: A Comparative Study

Purpose

Although previous studies have confirmed that purpose in life may negatively predict depressive symptoms, focusing on the intensity of purpose without focusing on content may ignore significant individual differences. This study explores differences in purpose orientations between depressive patients and healthy population to examine the relationship between the purpose content and self-esteem, one of the symptoms of depression. In addition, the moderating role of purpose orientations in the relationship between depression and self-esteem was analyzed to verify the protective effect of purpose orientation on self-esteem.

Patients and Methods

The study utilized the questionnaire approach. The Purpose Orientation Scale (Self and Forced Rating) and the Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale were administered to the participants. The study recruited 73 depressive patients using convenience sampling. Moreover, using random sampling, 146 participants matched based on depressive patients' demographics were selected as a healthy population in a 1:2 ratio.

Results

The results showed that: 1) depressive patients valued all four types of purpose orientations to a lesser extent compared to healthy population, both depressive patients and healthy population valued family well-being and personal growth to a greater extent than personal well-being and social promotion. 2) Depressive patients reported lower self-esteem than healthy people. 3) All four types of Purpose orientations positively correlated with self-esteem in depressive patients, while only personal well-being positively correlated with self-esteem in healthy population. Family well-being and social promotion moderated the predictive effect of depression on self-esteem.

Conclusion

The above results imply that prosocial purpose orientations may attenuate the harmful effects of depression on self-esteem. Additionally, intervention focusing on enhancing depressive patients' purpose in life (especially prosocial purpose) could be helpful.

The Beyond-Human Natural World: Providing Meaning and Making Meaning

Much academic and media attention has been focused on how nature contributes to psychological health, yet, most of this focus has been on happiness or hedonic well-being. Although numerous writers and researchers have linked connecting with nature as a pathway to meaning in life, an integrated overview has not yet (to our knowledge) been offered. Our manuscript is thus of both theoretical and practical importance with respect to finding meaning in life. In this hybrid commentary/review paper, we examine the link between meaning in life and relating to the beyond-human natural world. Through presenting supportive empirical research and interdisciplinary insights, we make the case that connecting with the natural world provides us with meaning in various ways. We discuss how nature is a common source of meaning in people's lives and how connecting with nature helps to provide meaning by addressing our need to find coherence, significance/mattering, and purpose (the three aspects comprising the tripartite model of meaning life). We also consider how connecting with nature enhances our experiential appreciation for life, a fourth aspect of meaning in life recently proposed. Our discussion then expands to examining nature as a place of attachment. Going beyond how nature provides us with meaning, we consider how engaging in nature-based activities provides an avenue for many people to build meaningful lives. We close by considering how threats to nature are a threat to meaning in life.

Complex Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (CPTSD) as an Independent Diagnosis: Differences in Hedonic and Eudaimonic Well-Being between CPTSD and PTSD

Although many studies have differentiated complex posttraumatic stress disorder (CPTSD) from posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), few studies have explored the differences in positive adaptation between the two. The present study aimed to determine whether there are distinctions between PTSD and CPTSD in hedonic and eudaimonic well-being. The present study used a Chinese young adult sample with childhood adversity experiences (n = 1451), including 508 males and 943 females, with an average age of 20.07 years (SD = 1.39). PTSD and CPTSD symptoms were measured by the International Trauma Questionnaire. Eudaimonic well-being was measured by the Meaning in Life Questionnaire, and hedonic well-being, including life satisfaction and happiness, was assessed by the Satisfaction with Life Scale and the face scale. Analysis of variance showed that the CPTSD group had lower hedonic and eudaimonic well-being than the PTSD group. Moreover, hierarchical regression analysis showed that disturbances in self-organization (DSO) symptoms in CPTSD were negatively associated with hedonic and eudaimonic well-being, while PTSD was positively associated with eudaimonic well-being. These findings indicate that the core symptoms of CPTSD might hinder individuals from living fulfilling lives. The positive association between eudaimonic well-being and PTSD symptoms may be a manifestation of posttraumatic growth. Based on the perspective of positive adaptation, these results provide new evidence of the importance of considering CPTSD as an independent diagnosis and suggest that future well-being interventions should be implemented in people with DSO symptoms.

Photographic intervention effect on positive and negative affects during COVID-19: Mediating role of future self-continuity

Meaning in Life (MIL) is a protective factor that buffers the impact of COVID-19 epidemic on emotions. Our study aimed to explore whether photographic intervention based on MIL could increase Positive Affect (PA) and mitigate Negative Affect (NA), and whether Future Self-Continuity (FSC) functioned as a mediator between them. In this study, 90 college students were randomly divided into an intervention group or a control group. Participants in the intervention group were asked to take a photo and describe it every 2 days lasting 2 weeks. All the participants in the two groups were measured by the Meaning in Life Questionnaire, Positive and Negative Affect Scale, and Future Self-Continuity Scale before and after the intervention. The results showed that: (1) Before the intervention, there were no significant differences in baseline levels of MIL, PA and NA, and FSC between intervention and control groups. (2) In the intervention group, compared to pre-test, the scores of MIL, PA, and FSC of post-test increased significantly, and the score of NA of post-test decreased significantly. (3) After the intervention, the scores of MIL, PA, and FSC in the intervention group were significantly higher than those in the control group; NA score in the intervention group was significantly lower than that in the control group. (4) In terms of the difference score (post-test minus pre-test), FSC was a mediator between MIL and PA. Our study demonstrated that photographic intervention could effectively improve college students' MIL, PA, and FSC while mitigating NA. Moreover, MIL could significantly enhance PA by the mediating role of FSC.

A relationship that makes life worth-living: levels of value orientation explain differences in meaning and life satisfaction

When people talk about their values they refer to what is meaningful to them. Although meaning is associated with life satisfaction, previous studies report inconsistent results regarding the association of values and well-being. A cross-sectional study (N = 276) addresses the research question, do values influence experiences of meaning and subjective evaluations of life satisfaction? To assess whether providing a definition of “meaningful” is necessary when employing meaning measures, we assigned participants to condition where some provided their definition and others read a definition of “meaningful”. All participants described a recent meaningful experience; they characterized it with sources of meaning; they read descriptions of 10 values and assessed the degree those were relevant to their experience; and they completed meaning and life satisfaction measures. Findings, which were unaffected by reading a definition of “meaningful”, indicated that the most common source of meaning (Family) was associated positively with the value of Tradition and negatively with the value of Universalism. Latent Profile Analysis identified three profiles denoting participants’ level of value orientation, which explained interindividual differences in average levels of meaning and life satisfaction variables. Participants who associated their meaningful experience with the 10 universal values at a high level scored higher in the meaning and life satisfaction measures than those who associated their experience to the 10 universal values at a low level. The present work advances knowledge regarding the relationship between meaning, values and life satisfaction and validates previous studies reporting on meaning as a marker of well-being.

What do people find most meaningful? How representations of the self and the world provide meaning in life

OBJECTIVE

Recent theories propose that global meaning in life (MIL) is based on feelings of coherence, purpose, and existential mattering. MIL has also been linked to mental representations-for example, beliefs, values, attitudes, and identities-that serve as "meaning frameworks" for interpreting the world and oneself. Combining these proposals, we predicted that beliefs, values, attitudes, and identities would foster a sense of MIL to the extent that they provide feelings of coherence, purpose, and existential mattering.

METHOD

Using multilevel path analysis, we tested within-person associations of coherence, purpose, and existential mattering with a sense of MIL across three studies (Study 1:208 US MTurk workers; Study 2:106 UK university students; Study 3:296 from a UK nationally representative Prolific sample). We explored the generality of these associations across mental representation types and individual differences.

RESULTS

Participants derived greater MIL most strongly from mental representations that provided sense of purpose, followed by existential mattering. Sense of coherence was less robustly related to MIL across mental representation types and religious orientation.

CONCLUSIONS

Integrating prior theorizing on MIL, we conclude that mental representations function as "meaning frameworks" to the extent that they provide feelings of purpose, mattering, and, sometimes, coherence.

Influence of Life Meaning on Subjective Well-Being of Older People: Serial Multiple Mediation of Exercise Identification and Amount of Exercise

Objective: This study aimed to explore the relationship between life meaning and subjective well-being among older people and the mediating role of subjective exercise identification and objective amount of exercise.

Methods: A total of 352 older respondents completed four questionnaires: the Chinese life meaning scale, the University of Newfoundland Happiness Scale, the physical activity habits questionnaire, and the exercise identification questionnaire designed for this study.

Results: Gender differences existed in the respondents' perception of life meaning, and men had a better perception of life meaning (t = 2.28, SE = 0.63, p < 0.05). There were age differences in the subjective well-being of older people (F = 5.69, partial η² = 0.03, p < 0.01); the subjective well-being of older individuals steadily declines with rising age. Life meaning not only directly affected the subjective well-being of the respondents but also indirectly influenced their subjective well-being through the following three pathways: life meaning → exercise identification → subjective well-being (mediating effect of 22%); life meaning → amount of exercise → subjective well-being (mediating effect of 22%); and life meaning → exercise identification → amount of exercise → subjective well-being (serial multiple mediation effect of 27%).

Conclusion: The more positive the life meaning perception of older people is, the higher their experience of subjective well-being. For older people to sense the meaning of life, we recommend that they realize the importance of physical activities and take the initiative to engage in physical activities to obtain higher subjective well-being.

The effects of an intervention to improve mental health during the COVID-19 quarantine: comparison with a COVID control group, and a pre-COVID intervention group

OBJECTIVE

The COVID-19 pandemic has constituted an unprecedented challenge to society and science and it has provided an unexpected opportunity to explore the effects of a positive intervention in times of adversity and confinement. The goal was to evaluate the effects of a theory driven group intervention to cultivate mental health and flourishing. Design: A pre post design with three groups (151 individuals) was conducted, including an experimental group that received the intervention during the pandemic, a pre-COVID intervention group, and a COVID control group. Main Outcome Measures: Based on Keyes' concept of positive mental health, measures of subjective, psychological and social well-being were obtained, as well as an indicator of psychological distress (GHQ12). Results: Intervention groups showed an increase in well-being and the COVID control group a decrease. Change scores revealed significant differences. Overall percentage of individuals at risk of ill health in baseline was 25.2%, but after the intervention, the COVID control group reached 64.1%. Conclusions: Despite the limitations, the present findings suggest that interventions to sustain and improve mental health in times of crisis and adversity can be an effective approach.

Design and evaluation of a positive intervention to cultivate mental health: preliminary findings

The past two decades have witnessed a proliferation of positive psychological interventions for clinical and non-clinical populations, and recent research, including meta-analyses, is providing evidence of its effectiveness. Most interventions have focused on increasing life satisfaction, positive affect, and psychological well-being. Manualized, multi-component interventions based on a comprehensive theory are scarce. Keyes’ concept of mental health and flourishing (subjective, psychological, and social well-being) is an overarching theoretical framework to guide the design of a multi-component psychological intervention to cultivate well-being and personal development. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to design a theory-driven positive intervention and to pilot test the intervention. The manual presents an 8-week group program that includes homework activities. A sample of 56 young adults completed the intervention. Participants were assessed at base line, after termination, and at a 6-month follow-up session. Standardized instruments were used to assess the dimensions of mental health proposed by Keyes. Pre- and post-test measures of subjective, psychological, and social well-being showed significant differences, as did the total mental health scores. At 6-month follow-up, differences remained in subjective and psychological well-being and in positive mental health, with smaller effect sizes. Limitations of these preliminary findings as well as future lines of research and improvements in this manualized intervention are proposed in the light of current research on positive interventions.

'Meaning in life? Make it as bearable, enjoyable and good as possible!': A qualitative study among community-dwelling aged adults who receive home nursing in the Netherlands

The population of adults ageing in place and using home-care services is growing rapidly worldwide. Meaning in life (MiL) of this group of clients is relevant for healthcare and social workers. MiL is associated with many positive outcomes, but can be challenging for aged persons. Objective of this study was to explore MiL in daily life of community-dwelling aged persons who receive homecare. A hermeneutic phenomenological approach was followed. Three waves of semi-structured interviews took place among 24 clients of a home-care organisation in the Netherlands between November 2015 and July 2018. Photo-elicitation was part of the interview procedure. Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis and dialogues enhanced understanding. Findings show that participants derived meaning from self, others, environment and living. The process of retaining MiL involved maintaining, adapting and discovering. We conclude that community-dwelling aged adults can draw MiL from many sources. Retaining MiL is interwoven in everyday life and requires continuous adaptation to ever-changing life conditions during later life. Although relevant general themes were sketched in this paper, the importance of each, and the connections between them, vary and come to light at the individual level. The themes in this paper and the cases in the appendices provide insights that may help professionals recognise MiL in their work. Besides listening to the stories of aged adults, person-centred interventions should support aged adult's strategy to retain MiL.

Higher Density Environments and the Critical Role of City Streets as Public Open Spaces

This paper explores the relationship between crowding and streets as public open spaces in high-density urban environments from the perspectives of perceived density and human needs, two antecedents to crowdedness. City streets are the places through which various forms of crowding are perceived and experienced. Hence, they can play a role in easing this sense of crowding if corresponding strategies are put in place. The paper argues that practices, such as traffic calming and self-building, can transform the streets to serve as public open space, which increases spaciousness and eases crowding. It also puts forward tactical urbanism as a strategy for city governance to create the right conditions encouraging flourishing civil society initiatives in a dense primary environment that is invigorating and at the same time has a level of crowding perceived as both comfortable and liveable.

The Influence of Life-and-Death Views on the Well-Being of Chinese Tujia Ethnic Adolescents

The purpose of this study was to evaluate how a person's view of life and death might influence various aspects of well-being. Similar studies have been conducted with adolescents in different cultures, but not with Chinese Tujia ethnic adolescents. Tujia adolescents (N = 309) completed the Meaning in Life Questionnaire (MLQ), the Death Attitude Profile (DAP), the Satisfaction with Life Scale (SWLS) and the Happiness Inventory (HI). Results indicated that Chinese Tujia ethnic adolescents maintain a relatively positive life-and-death view and overall well-being. Meaning in life and death attitude both corresponded with overall well-being. A dominance analysis indicated that meaning in life can predict the well-being of a person better than a death attitude. Limitations and future directions are discussed.

Viewing nature scenes reduces the pain of social ostracism

In a series of four studies (Ns = 245, 135, 155, 222), we explored the effects of viewing nature scenes on promoting recovery from ostracism. We first manipulated experiences of ostracism, then randomly assigned participants to view photos of either nature, urban scenes, or neutral objects. Across all four studies, participants who viewed nature photos reported significantly lower levels of state social pain, along with significantly higher levels of affect balance and self-esteem. Moreover, when asked to look back and recall how they felt at the time of being ostracized, participants who viewed nature photos reported significantly higher levels of retrospective satisfaction of basic emotional needs than did participants in control conditions. An internal meta-analysis revealed an effect size of d = 0.58. These studies are the first, to our knowledge, to provide experimental evidence of how exposure to nature can alleviate the pain of social ostracism.

Exploring academics beliefs about the meaning of life to inform mental health clinical practice

The aim of this research was to understand academic's beliefs about the meaning of life to gain knowledge to inform mental health clinical practice and research. Qualitative research was conducted using descriptive text and interviews from a sample of Australian midlife academic staff from one university who described their beliefs about the meaning of life. Their beliefs included that: life is a journey of self-development, is about religious or non-religious beliefs, is about living well, is about family, love and relationships, and is about making a difference. These findings may be used by mental health clinicians to help clients explore their beliefs about the meaning of life. Consumers with depression may suffer from meaninglessness, existential crises, severe depression and risk suicide. Working on understanding their beliefs about the meaning of life may result in better mental health outcomes for these people.

La experiencia de significado en la vida como variable mediadora de la relación entre religiosidad y ajuste psicológico

Este estudio tiene como objetivo someter a prueba la hipótesis de que la relación entre religiosidad y bienestar psicológico puede estar mediada por el grado en que alguien experimenta sentido o propósito en su vida. Se realizó una encuesta en la que participó una muestra de 1553 personas de América Latina (87.6 % mujeres), con un rango de edad entre 18 y 70 años (M = 40.16, DE = 16.02), que respondieron a un cuestionario que incluía medidas de significado en la vida (Purpose in Life Test) y ajuste psicológico (Satisfaction with Life Scale, Subjective Happiness Scale, GHQ-12 y PANAS). Los resultados indicaron que aquellos que se definían como creyentes practicantes presentaban, en general, mayor bienestar, menos síntomas psicológicos y menor afecto negativo que los creyentes no-practicantes, que a su vez reportaron un mejor ajuste en comparación con los no-creyentes. Estas relaciones se encontraban, además, parcial o totalmente mediadas por las puntuaciones en variables referidas a la percepción de significado en la vida, en las que también las personas definidas como creyentes practicantes obtenían los valores más elevados. Como conclusión, la experiencia de sentido y propósito en la vida se revela como un aspecto clave para entender la conexión entre religión y bienestar psicológico.

They're always there for me! Friendship and meaning in young people's lives?

What gives individuals’ lives meaning is one of the bigger questions confronted by community members? Making sense of our lives and determining what it is that provides us with direction, strength, or commitment is no simple task and even more so in western consumerist societies where so many experiences appear accessible. Finding ways to elicit thoughtful responses from research participants, has led to varied approaches to this increasingly rich research area. An encouraging method is to use digital photography to extract information on what it is that captures participants’ ‘mind's eye’ when reflecting on meaning in their lives. In this article, a pilot study using a combination of digital photography and descriptive narratives was established to explore the thoughts of 174 year seven students in a private West Australian school on what provided their lives with meaning both in school and outside of school. The photos and narratives were explored for themes and while many categories were identified, it was apparent that relationships were the strongest source of meaning in their lives.

How does meaning in life predict proactive coping? The self-regulatory mechanism on emotion and cognition

OBJECTIVE

This study examined the effectiveness of a photographic intervention method on meaning in life (MIL) and further investigated the self-regulatory mechanism responsible for the effect of MIL in the promotion of proactive coping.

METHOD

Participants were 145 Chinese adults (M_age  = 27.82; 71.3% female), who were randomly assigned into one of three conditions: An intervention (taking photos and writing expressively), a taking-photos-only control, or an assessment-only control. MIL, positive affect, future temporal focus, and proactive coping were measured before and after the intervention, with follow-up assessments conducted 1 week and 1 month later. Additionally, daily assessments were conducted during the intervention week.

RESULTS

MIL improved daily in the intervention condition, an effect that was also found post-intervention and at follow-up. Significant increases in positive affect, future temporal focus, and proactive coping were also observed after the intervention. Hierarchical linear modeling demonstrated that daily MIL positively predicted daily future temporal focus and positive affect. Furthermore, longitudinal mediation analysis confirmed that future temporal focus and positive affect mediated the relationship between MIL and proactive coping.

CONCLUSIONS

MIL's self-regulatory mechanism is reflected in both cognitive (future temporal focus) and emotional (positive affect) dimensions, which promotes proactive coping with future stressors.

Representations of Hope, Goals, and Meaning From Lay Person’s Perspectives in Two African Contexts

In the rapidly expanding field of positive psychology, a core question is now what the relationships among various positive constructs are and how we can understand this in various contexts. We aimed to explore the possible nomological network linking the constructs hope, goals, and meaning from a bottom-up Africentric perspective in two African contexts (Ghana and South Africa) among samples of 18 emerging adults between the ages of 18 and 25 years in each context. Connotations of hope, goals, and meaning as experienced by participants were thematically analyzed and thereafter conceptually clustered. These clusters formed overlapping nodes indicating the nomological network among constructs. Apart from positive intrapersonal cognitive processes linking the main constructs, the fulfillment of various well-being needs, embedded-ness in horizontal and vertical relationships, intertwined understandings, and links across domains of life came to the fore as nodes linking the constructs hope, goals, and meaning in the current sample. Our findings further illustrated that African-centered perspectives on the interconnectedness of things through spirituality and relationships endorse positive psychology views that emphasize relational dimensions as crucial aspects of cognitive well-being.

Could participant-produced photography augment therapeutic interventions for people with intellectual disabilities? A systematic review of the available evidence

BACKGROUND

People with intellectual disabilities are entitled to equitable access to psychological support. Traditional therapeutic approaches often rely on a person's ability to verbally articulate a description of their life, which can be particularly difficult for emotionally salient information.

METHODS

A systematic literature review was undertaken to determine the evidence base underpinning the use of participant-produced photography within therapeutic settings. Evidence across a range of specialisms was examined in order to extrapolate areas of best practice and make recommendations for its implementation alongside people with intellectual disabilities.

RESULTS

A systematic search of peer-reviewed journals identified 13 relevant documents. Participant-produced photography showed promise, although evidence pertaining specifically to people with intellectual disabilities was sparse ( n = 2).

CONCLUSION

Participant-produced photography within therapeutic settings shows promise for people with intellectual disabilities. Methodological limitations made it difficult to derive firm conclusions regarding the effectiveness of different approaches. Implications for clinical and research practice are discussed.

Meaning in Life: A conceptual model for disaster nursing practice

This study aimed to develop a conceptual model for understanding meaning in life (MIL) using respondents' quotations in the primary qualitative studies. The primary studies were selected from the PsycINFO, PsycARTICLES and CINAHL databases using keywords 'meaning in life', 'meaning of life', 'purpose in life' and 'will to meaning'. Respondents' quotations in the primary studies were analysed interpretatively to identify MIL from the respondents' perspectives. The data were synthesized to integrate findings from 10 selected primary studies. The findings identified (i) six sources of MIL (e.g. having a significant others, having new experiences and performing spiritual activities); (ii) eight components of MIL (e.g. focusing on self, connecting to others, contributing to others and having a sense of direction and purpose); and (iii) the emotional outcomes of having MIL: happiness, satisfaction and joy. Through a discussion of the findings, a conceptual model of MIL emerged.

Meaning in Life and Meaning of Life in Mental Health Care: An Integrative Literature Review

The aim of this integrative literature review was to identify high quality empirical research and theoretical literature on the sources of meaning in life and people's beliefs regarding the meaning of life. This will inform current mental health clinical practice and research by providing a synthesis of empirical and theoretical literature. Failure to address meaninglessness or the existential crisis can lead to psychopathologies such as depression, anxiety, addiction, aggression, hopelessness, apathy, lower levels of well-being, physical illness, and suicide. Integrative literature reviews incorporate empirical research and theoretical literature. The inclusion criteria were primary research and theoretical papers and books by prominent theorists. Thirty-nine items underwent the critical appraisal process. Thirty-two papers or books were included. Overwhelmingly the results revealed that relationships, particularly relationships with family, are cited as the most important source of meaning in people's lives in all cultures and age groups. There was no consensus identified to answer the meaning of life question. These results and future research will allow mental health clinicians to help patients deepen their understanding of themselves, identify where they find meaning and understand their beliefs about meaning of life, contributing to a reduction in symptomatology and meaninglessness, and an increase in happiness, life satisfaction, positive affect, better coping, psychosocial health and well-being, and more meaningfulness in life.