Abstract

Purpose measures have grown in both quantity and use over the past several decades. Consequently the study of purpose has become important to critically scrutinize and this project aimed to do so. Chapter 1 clarified and made explicit the philosophical assumptions found within the psychological study of purpose. Chapter 2 explored the subjective state theory of meaning and argued it is unsatisfactory. Chapter 3 explored the desire theory of meaning and argued it is unsatisfactory before offering up a conception of meaning as a certain type of non-instrumentally valuable activity. Chapter 4 analyzed the psychological definition of purpose more closely and argued that purpose has no inherent connection to meaning. Chapter 5 argued for new methods for surveying both meaning and purpose. Chapter 6 was an empirical study which aimed to determine if purpose orientations were correlated to resilience, flourishing, and were passed down from parent to child. Purpose at large correlated to resilience and flourishing, while specific orientations correlated to other orientations and variables in a range of ways. Chapter 7 analyzed the empirical results with a philosophical lens and discussed the fundamental struggles that come with studying normative concepts like meaning and abstract concepts like purpose.

Advisor

Thompson, Claudia

Second Advisor

Thomson, Garrett

Department

Philosophy; Psychology

Disciplines

Clinical Psychology | Developmental Psychology | Development Studies | Personality and Social Contexts | Philosophy of Science | Social Psychology

Keywords

purpose, meaning, purpose orientations, subjective states, goals, flourishing

Publication Date

2024

Degree Granted

Bachelor of Arts

Document Type

Senior Independent Study Thesis

Download

Share

COinS
 

© Copyright 2024 Jack Krupa