Skip to main content Accessibility help
×
Hostname: page-component-7dd5485656-dk7s8 Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2025-11-01T01:29:27.416Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false

Chapter 3 - Is Purpose Findable?

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  31 October 2025

By
Anthony L. Burrow  and
Marissa A. Rice
Edited by
Patrick Hill  and
Anthony L. Burrow
Patrick Hill
Affiliation:
Washington University, St Louis
Anthony L. Burrow
Affiliation:
Cornell University, New York
Get access

Summary

Recent scholarship on purpose in life has amassed a substantial evidence base for benefits long theorized to be associated with this resource. Yet studies charting these benefits have proliferated unencumbered by comparatively scarce inquiry into how purpose is acquired in the first place.

Deficient insight about how it arises within the lifespan impedes understanding of this concept and leaves space for a colloquial view to flourish that purpose is found – an expression that implies exploration as the driver of purpose acquisition. But is purpose findable? Here, we interrogate empirical support for purpose as a findable resource and consider alternative expressions better aligned with prevailing perspectives on behavioral ecology. Such perspectives leverage multiple levels of analysis and can integrate developmental precursors of purpose, its intentional and iterative cultivation processes, and the ecological embeddedness of purposeful pursuits. We conclude that a more precise description of acquisition processes is needed for rigorous scientific assessment of purpose and designing interventions that effectively promote it.

Keywords

purposehuman developmentecological theorypurpose acquisition

Information

Type
Chapter
Information
Purpose In Life As Ancient but Nascent
Perspectives from Psychology, Philosophy, and Human Development
 , pp. 45 - 64
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Print publication year: 2025

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

Book purchase

Temporarily unavailable

References

Alimujiang, A., Wiensch, A., Boss, J., Fleischer, N. L., Mondul, A. M., McLean, K., Mukherjee, B., & Pearce, C. L. (2019). Association between life purpose and mortality among US adults older than 50 years. JAMA Network Open, 2(5), e194270–e194270. https://doi.org/10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2019.4270CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Arnold, M. E., & Gagnon, R. J. (2019). Illuminating the process of youth development: The mediating effect of thriving on youth development program outcomes. Journal of Human Sciences and Extension. https://doi.org/10.54718/GHUP2927CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Baumeister, R. F., & Masicampo, E. J. (2010). Conscious thought is for facilitating social and cultural interactions: How mental simulations serve the animal–culture interface. Psychological Review, 117(3), 945–971. https://doi.org/10.1037/a0019393CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Boylan, J. M., Tsenkova, V. K., Miyamoto, Y., & Ryff, C. D. (2017). Psychological resources and Glucoregulation in Japanese adults: Findings from MIDJA. Health Psychology, 36(5), 449–457. https://doi.org/10.1037/hea0000455CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Bronfenbrenner, U. (1989). Ecological systems theory. Annals of Child Development, 6, 187–249.Google Scholar
Bronfenbrenner, U., & Ceci, S. J. (1994). Nature-nuture reconceptualized in developmental perspective: A bioecological model. Psychological Review, 101(4), 568.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Bronk, K. C., & Mitchell, C. (2020). Youth purpose: A translational research agenda. In Burrow, A. L. & Hill, P. L. (eds.), The ecology of purposeful living across the lifespan: developmental, educational, and social perspectives (pp. 233–248). Springer International Publishing. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-52078-6_13CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Bronk, K. C., Reichard, R. J., & Qi Li, J. (2023). A co-citation analysis of purpose: Trends and (potential) troubles in the foundation of purpose scholarship. The Journal of Positive Psychology, 18(6), 1012–1026. https://doi.org/10.1080/17439760.2023.2168563CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Bulley, A., Henry, J. D., & Suddendorf, T. (2017). Thinking about threats: Memory and prospection in human threat management. Consciousness and Cognition, 49, 53–69. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.concog.2017.01.005CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Burrow, A. L., Agans, J. P., Jeon, H. J., & Creim, M. (2021). Are all purposes worth having? Integrating content and strength in purpose research. Human Development, 65(2), 100–112. https://doi.org/10.1159/000515176CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Burrow, A. L., & Hill, P. L. (2011). Purpose as a form of identity capital for positive youth adjustment. Developmental Psychology, 47(4), 1196–1206. https://doi.org/10.1037/a0023818CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Burrow, A. L., Hill, P. L., & Sumner, R. (2016). Leveling mountains: Purpose attenuates links between perceptions of effort and steepness. Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, 42(1), 94–103.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Burrow, A. L., O’Dell, A. C., & Hill, P. L. (2010). Profiles of a developmental asset: Youth purpose as a context for hope and well-being. Journal of Youth and Adolescence, 39(11), 1265–1273. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10964-009-9481-1CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Cederström, C., & Spicer, A. (2015). The wellness syndrome. John Wiley & Sons.Google Scholar
Chu, S. T.-W., & Fung, H. H.-L. (2021). Is the search for meaning related to the presence of meaning? Moderators of the longitudinal relationship. Journal of Happiness Studies, 22(1), 127–145. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10902-020-00222-yCrossRefGoogle Scholar
Cohen, R., Bavishi, C., & Rozanski, A. (2016). Purpose in life and its relationship to all-cause mortality and cardiovascular events: A meta-analysis. Psychosomatic Medicine, 78(2), 122–133. https://doi.org/10.1097/PSY.0000000000000274CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Côté, J. (2002). The role of identity capital in the transition to adulthood: The individualization thesis examined. Journal of Youth Studies, 5, 117–134. https://doi.org/10.1080/13676260220134403CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Côté, J. E. (1996). Sociological perspectives on identity formation: The culture–identity link and identity capital. Journal of Adolescence, 19(5), 417–428. https://doi.org/10.1006/jado.1996.0040CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Damon, W., & Malin, H. (2020). The development of purpose: An international perspective. In Jensen, L. A. (ed.), The oxford handbook of moral development (pp. 109–127). Oxford University Press. https://doi.org/10.1093/oxfordhb/9780190676049.013.8Google Scholar
Damon, W., Menon, J., & Bronk, K. C. (2003). The development of purpose during adolescence. Applied Developmental Science, 7(3), 119–128. https://doi.org/10.1207/S1532480XADS0703_2CrossRefGoogle Scholar
du Plessis, E. M. (2021). How to perpetuate problems of the self: Applying Foucault’s concept of problematization to popular self-help books on work and career. Culture and Organization, 27(1), 33–50. https://doi.org/10.1080/14759551.2020.1752691CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Emmons, R. A. (2003). Personal goals, life meaning, and virtue: Wellsprings of a positive life. In Keyes, C. L. M. & Haidt, J. (eds.), Flourishing: Positive psychology and the life well- lived. (pp. 105–128). American Psychological Association. https://doi.org/10.1037/10594-005CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Frankl, V. (1959). Man’s search for meaning: An introduction to logotherapy. Beacon Press.Google Scholar
Han, H. (2015). Purpose as a moral virtue for flourishing. Journal of Moral Education, 44(3), 291–309. https://doi.org/10.1080/03057240.2015.1040383CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Heintzelman, S. J., & King, L. A. (2014). Life is pretty meaningful. American Psychologist, 69(6), 561–574. https://doi.org/10.1037/a0035049CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Hill, P. L., Allemand, M., & Burrow, A. L. (2018). Considering multiple methods for differentiating conceptually close constructs: Examples from the field of positive psychology. Social and Personality Psychology Compass, 12(11), e12417. https://doi.org/10.1111/spc3.12417CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Hill, P. L., & Burrow, A. L. (2012). Viewing purpose through an Eriksonian lens. Identity: An International Journal of Theory and Research, 12(1), 74–91. https://doi.org/10.1080/15283488.2012.632394CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Hill, P. L., & Burrow, A. L. (2021). Why youth are more purposeful than we think. Child Development Perspectives, 15(4), 281–286. https://doi.org/10.1111/cdep.12432CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Hill, P. L., Edmonds, G. W., & Hampson, S. E. (2019). A purposeful lifestyle is a healthful lifestyle: Linking sense of purpose to self-rated health through multiple health behaviors. Journal of Health Psychology, 24(10), 1392–1400. https://doi.org/10.1177/1359105317708251CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Hill, P. L., Sumner, R., & Burrow, A. L. (2014). Understanding the pathways to purpose: Examining personality and well-being correlates across adulthood. The Journal of Positive Psychology, 9(3), 227–234. https://doi.org/10.1080/17439760.2014.888584CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Hill, P. L., & Turiano, N. A. (2014). Purpose in life as a predictor of mortality across adulthood. Psychological Science, 25(7), 1482–1486. https://doi.org/10.1177/0956797614531799CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Hill, P. L., Turiano, N. A., Mroczek, D. K., & Burrow, A. L. (2016). The value of a purposeful life: Sense of purpose predicts greater income and net worth. Journal of Research in Personality, 65, 38–42. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jrp.2016.07.003CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Hill, P. L., & Weston, S. J. (2019). Evaluating eight-year trajectories for sense of purpose in the health and retirement study. Aging & Mental Health, 23(2), 233–237. https://doi.org/10.1080/13607863.2017.1399344CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Kashdan, T. B., & McKnight, P. E. (2009). Origins of purpose in life: Refining our understanding of a life well-lived. Psychological Topics, 18(2), 303–316.Google Scholar
Kashdan, T. B., Goodman, F. R., McKnight, P. E., Brown, B., & Rum, R. (2024). Purpose in life: A resolution on the definition, conceptual model, and optimal measurement. American Psychologist, 79(6), 838–853.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Kim, E. S., Strecher, V. J., & Ryff, C. D. (2014). Purpose in life and use of preventive health care services. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 111(46), 16331–16336. https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.1414826111CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Kim, E. S., Sun, J. K., Park, N., Kubzansky, L. D., & Peterson, C. (2013). Purpose in life and reduced risk of myocardial infarction among older U.S. adults with coronary heart disease: A two-year follow-up. Journal of Behavioral Medicine, 36(2), 124–133. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10865-012-9406-4CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Kim, E. S., Sun, J. K., Park, N., & Peterson, C. (2013). Purpose in life and reduced incidence of stroke in older adults: “The Health and Retirement Study.” Journal of Psychosomatic Research, 74(5), 427–432. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jpsychores.2013.01.013CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Lerner, R. M. (2006). Developmental science, developmental systems, and contemporary theories of human development. In Lerner, R. M., Damon, W., Lerner, R. M., Damon, W. (eds.), Handbook of child psychology: Theoretical models of human development (pp. 1–17). Hoboken, NJ, US: John Wiley & Sons Inc.Google Scholar
Luchenski, S., Maguire, N., Aldridge, R. W., Hayward, A., Story, A., Perri, P., Withers, J., Clint, S., Fitzpatrick, S., & Hewett, N. (2018). What works in inclusion health: Overview of effective interventions for marginalised and excluded populations. The Lancet, 391(10117), 266–280. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0140-6736(17)31959-1CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Luyckx, K., Goossens, L., Soenens, B., Beyers, W., & Vansteenkiste, M. (2005). Identity statuses based on 4 rather than 2 identity dimensions: Extending and refining Marcia’s paradigm. Journal of Youth and Adolescence, 34, 605–618.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Luyckx, K., Schwartz, S. J., Berzonsky, M. D., Soenens, B., Vansteenkiste, M., Smits, I., & Goossens, L. (2008). Capturing ruminative exploration: Extending the four-dimensional model of identity formation in late adolescence. Journal of Research in Personality, 42(1), 58-82.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
McKnight, P. E., & Kashdan, T. B. (2009). Purpose in life as a system that creates and sustains health and well-being: An integrative, testable theory. Review of General Psychology, 13(3), 242–251. https://doi.org/10.1037/a0017152CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Miloyan, B., & Suddendorf, T. (2015). Feelings of the future. Trends in Cognitive Sciences, 19(4), 196–200. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tics.2015.01.008CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Nakamura, J. S., Chen, Y., VanderWeele, T. J., & Kim, E. S. (2022). What makes life purposeful? Identifying the antecedents of a sense of purpose in life using a lagged exposure-wide approach. SSM - Population Health, 19, 101235. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ssmph.2022.101235CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Negru-Subtirica, O., Pop, E. I., Luyckx, K., Dezutter, J., & Steger, M. F. (2016). The meaningful identity: A longitudinal look at the interplay between identity and meaning in life in adolescence. Developmental Psychology, 52(11), 1926–1936. https://doi.org/10.1037/dev0000176CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Newman, D. B., Nezlek, J. B., & Thrash, T. M. (2018). The dynamics of searching for meaning and presence of meaning in daily life. Journal of Personality, 86(3), 368–379. https://doi.org/10.1111/jopy.12321CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Overton, W. F. (2015). Processes, relations, and relational-developmental-systems. In Overton, W. F., Molenaar, P. C. M., & Lerner, R. M. (eds.), Handbook of child psychology and developmental science: Theory and method (pp. 9–62). Hoboken, NJ, US: John Wiley & Sons Inc.Google Scholar
Pfund, G. N., Hofer, M., Allemand, M., & Hill, P. L. (2022). Being social may be purposeful in older adulthood: A measurement burst design. The American Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry, 30(7), 777–786.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Ratner, K., Burrow, A. L., Burd, K. A., & Hill, P. L. (2019). On the conflation of purpose and meaning in life: A qualitative study of high school and college student conceptions. https://doi.org/10.17605/osf.io/x9q6nCrossRefGoogle Scholar
Ratner, K., Li, Q., Zhu, G., Estevez, M., & Burrow, A. L. (2023). Daily adolescent purposefulness, daily subjective well-being, and individual differences in autistic traits. Journal of Happiness Studies, 24(3), 967–989. https://doi.org/10.1007r/s10902-023-00625-7Google Scholar
Redshaw, J., & Ganea, P. A. (2022). Thinking about possibilities: Mechanisms, ontogeny, functions and phylogeny. Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences, 377(1866), 20210333. https://doi.org/10.1098/rstb.2021.0333CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Riches, B. R., Benavides, C. M., & Dubon, V. X. (2020). Development of a fostering purpose intervention. Evaluation and Program Planning, 83, 101857. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.evalprogplan.2020.101857CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Ryff, C. D., & Kim, E. S. (2020). Extending research linking purpose in life to health: The challenges of inequality, the potential of the arts, and the imperative of virtue. In Burrow, A. L. & Hill, P. L. (eds.), The ecology of purposeful living across the lifespan (pp. 29–58). Switzerland: Springer International Publishing. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-52078-6_3CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Scales, P. C., Benson, P. L., & Roehlkepartain, E. C. (2011). Adolescent thriving: The role of sparks, relationships, and empowerment. Journal of Youth and Adolescence, 40(3), 263–277. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10964-010-9578-6CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Scheier, M. F., Wrosch, C., Baum, A., Cohen, S., Martire, L. M., Matthews, K. A., Schulz, R., & Zdaniuk, B. (2006). The Life engagement test: Assessing purpose in life. Journal of Behavioral Medicine, 29(3), 291–298. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10865-005-9044-1CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Seligman, M. E. P., & Csikszentmihalyi, M. (2000). Positive psychology: An introduction. American Psychologist, 55(1), 5–14. https://doi.org/10.1037/0003-066X.55.1.5CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Song, J., Kang, S., & Ryff, C. D. (2023). Unpacking psychological vulnerabilities in deaths of despair. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 20(15), Article 15. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph20156480CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Soren, A., & Ryff, C. D. (2023). Meaningful work, well-being, and health: Enacting a Eudaimonia vision. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 20(16), Article 16. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph20166570CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Steger, M. F., & Kashdan, T. B. (2007). Stability and specificity of meaning in life and life satisfaction over one year. Journal of Happiness Studies, 8(2), 161–179. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10902-006-9011-8CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Steger, M., Frazier, P., Oishi, S., & Kaler, M. (2006). The meaning in life questionnaire: Assessing the presence of and search for meaning in life. Journal of Counseling Psychology, 53. https://doi.org/10.1037/0022-0167.53.1.80CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Steptoe, A., & Fancourt, D. (2019). Leading a meaningful life at older ages and its relationship with social engagement, prosperity, health, biology, and time use. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 116(4), 1207–1212. https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.1814723116CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Steptoe, A., & Fancourt, D. (2020). An outcome-wide analysis of bidirectional associations between changes in meaningfulness of life and health, emotional, behavioural, and social factors. Scientific Reports, 10(1), Article 1. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-020-63600-9CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Sumner, R., Burrow, A. L., & Hill, P. L. (2015). Identity and purpose as predictors of subjective well-being in emerging adulthood. Emerging Adulthood, 3(1), 46–54. https://doi.org/10.1177/2167696814532796CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Sutin, A. R., Luchetti, M., Aschwanden, D., Lee, J. H., Sesker, A. A., Stephan, Y., & Terracciano, A. (2022). Sense of purpose in life and concurrent loneliness and risk of incident loneliness: An individual-participant meta-analysis of 135,227 individuals from 36 cohorts. Journal of Affective Disorders, 309, 211–220. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jad.2022.04.084CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Sutin, A. R., Luchetti, M., & Terracciano, A. (2021). Sense of purpose in life and healthier cognitive aging. Trends in Cognitive Sciences, 25(11), 917–919. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tics.2021.08.009CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Sutin, A. R. Dr., Luchetti, M., Aschwanden, D., Stephan, Y., Sesker, A. A., & Terracciano, A. (2023). Sense of meaning and purpose in life and risk of incident dementia: New data and meta-analysis. Archives of Gerontology and Geriatrics, 105, 104847. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.archger.2022.104847CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Szpunar, K. K., Spreng, R. N., & Schacter, D. L. (2014). A taxonomy of prospection: Introducing an organizational framework for future-oriented cognition. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 111(52), 18414–18421.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Tinbergen, N. (1963). On aims and methods of ethology. Zeitschrift für Tierpsychologie, 20, 410–433.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Walton, G. M., & Wilson, T. D. (2018). Wise interventions: Psychological remedies for social and personal problems. Psychological Review, 125(5), 617.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Waytz, A., Hershfield, H. E., & Tamir, D. I. (2015). Mental simulation and meaning in life. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 108(2), 336–355. https://doi.org/10.1037/a0038322CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Yeager, D. S., Henderson, M. D., Paunesku, D., Walton, G. M., D’Mello, S., Spitzer, B. J., & Duckworth, A. L. (2014). Boring but important: A self-transcendent purpose for learning fosters academic self-regulation. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 107(4), 559.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed

Accessibility standard: WCAG 2.2 AAA

Why this information is here

This section outlines the accessibility features of this content - including support for screen readers, full keyboard navigation and high-contrast display options. This may not be relevant for you.

Accessibility Information

The PDF of this book complies with version 2.2 of the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG), offering more comprehensive accessibility measures for a broad range of users and attains the highest (AAA) level of WCAG compliance, optimising the user experience by meeting the most extensive accessibility guidelines.

Content Navigation

Table of contents navigation
Allows you to navigate directly to chapters, sections, or non‐text items through a linked table of contents, reducing the need for extensive scrolling.
Index navigation
Provides an interactive index, letting you go straight to where a term or subject appears in the text without manual searching.

Reading Order & Textual Equivalents

Single logical reading order
You will encounter all content (including footnotes, captions, etc.) in a clear, sequential flow, making it easier to follow with assistive tools like screen readers.
Short alternative textual descriptions
You get concise descriptions (for images, charts, or media clips), ensuring you do not miss crucial information when visual or audio elements are not accessible.
Full alternative textual descriptions
You get more than just short alt text: you have comprehensive text equivalents, transcripts, captions, or audio descriptions for substantial non‐text content, which is especially helpful for complex visuals or multimedia.
Visualised data also available as non-graphical data
You can access graphs or charts in a text or tabular format, so you are not excluded if you cannot process visual displays.

Visual Accessibility

Use of colour is not sole means of conveying information
You will still understand key ideas or prompts without relying solely on colour, which is especially helpful if you have colour vision deficiencies.
Use of high contrast between text and background colour
You benefit from high‐contrast text, which improves legibility if you have low vision or if you are reading in less‐than‐ideal lighting conditions.

Save book to Kindle

To save this book to your Kindle, first ensure no-reply@cambridge.org is added to your Approved Personal Document E-mail List under your Personal Document Settings on the Manage Your Content and Devices page of your Amazon account. Then enter the ‘name’ part of your Kindle email address below. Find out more about saving to your Kindle.

Note you can select to save to either the @free.kindle.com or @kindle.com variations. ‘@free.kindle.com’ emails are free but can only be saved to your device when it is connected to wi-fi. ‘@kindle.com’ emails can be delivered even when you are not connected to wi-fi, but note that service fees apply.

Find out more about the Kindle Personal Document Service.

Available formats
×

Save book to Dropbox

To save content items to your account, please confirm that you agree to abide by our usage policies. If this is the first time you use this feature, you will be asked to authorise Cambridge Core to connect with your account. Find out more about saving content to Dropbox.

Available formats
×

Save book to Google Drive

To save content items to your account, please confirm that you agree to abide by our usage policies. If this is the first time you use this feature, you will be asked to authorise Cambridge Core to connect with your account. Find out more about saving content to Google Drive.

Available formats
×