Inquiry into purpose spans multiple disciplines, perspectives, and centuries. Seemingly inherent in the process of human development is the desire for humans to find a direction for their lives. This chapter provides an introduction to purpose inquiry, underscoring how purpose research shows that the construct can permeate multiple domains of life. We outline some of the frameworks and theoretical traditions that the reader will encounter throughout this volume. Following this section, we discuss three central questions regarding the nature of purpose that have yielded nascent reflections and research directions to this day. We conclude by providing the outline for the upcoming chapters, noting how each provides a valuable and unique piece to the puzzle of purpose.

What it means to flourish and to live well the life that is good for one to live is typically addressed in psychology by formidable research programs on the Big Three constructs of purpose, wisdom, and moral identity. Yet each construct fails to address, and so is unable to resist, what Kekes (1995) calls the permanent adversities of contingency, conflict, and evil. These adversities are inescapable features of human agency that will compromise good lives in pursuit of purpose, wisdom, and character unless the resources of moral wisdom are cultivated. This chapter first discusses why contingency, conflict, and evil are permanent adversities and how they constitute impediments to flourishing. The second part gives an account of moral wisdom and the means at its disposal for controlling permanent adversities. It will be seen that the work of moral wisdom is strongly metacognitive, involving both knowledge (declarative, procedural, and conditional) and regulation (planning, selection, control, monitoring, and evaluation) processes. The remaining sections will take up the implication of moral wisdom for the Big Three constructs of purpose, wisdom, and moral identity, and the theoretical modifications required of them to account for good lives lived well.

Who am I? Where am I going? These are two of the most fundamental questions facing young people during the transition to adulthood. However, these two questions cannot be dissociated: identity resolution is incomplete without a sense of purpose, but finding a purpose in life is difficult without a growing sense of personal identity. Thus, purpose and identity can be seen as dialogic components in the transition to adulthood; they are the two legs young people need to move, in coordination but not necessarily in simultaneity, for personal development and positive life trajectories.

This chapter explores purpose as a resource for identity development in emerging adulthood, and identity achievement as a catalyst for a stronger sense of purpose in life. It is structured in four parts. First, we will introduce the concept of identity exploration and resolution. Second, we will review the literature on purpose in life and its association with well-being and mental health. Third, we will discuss the relationship between identity and purpose, through the lens of commitment, as a bridging element between both constructs. Finally, we close with a conclusion on the need to provide young people with a set of skills and resources to help them navigate the transition to adulthood, understood as the acquisition of a strong identity and sense of purpose.

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.

Part I is an eclectic collection of social work stories from the field. It seeks to show how important stories are, as they fundamentally tell of situated experiences and how these shape our relationships towards others. Part I shows the different ways that stories might be told, and that every story has multiple threads, is told from a particular point of view, and is not always linear and with an ending. In other words, many stories are unfinished and therefore are partial stories. Part I helps us reflect deeply on social work practices that may have the potential to “give life” to others by creating an environment that supports and encourages individuals to-be and to-share aspects of themselves. Additionally, to disclose those thoughts, feelings, and actions that matter to them to significant others, especially in times of change. Part I suggests that an appropriate social work mindset is to try to see the true and the good, the better and the possible in each practice relationship and situation. This is undeniably challenging. More broadly, this part of the book illuminates social work in uncertain, ambiguous, chaotic, disrupted, and volatile times.

In this concluding chapter, we qualitatively analyze the narratives from Part II, with the goal of integrating their perspectives into the vast history of scholarly literature on careers from Part I. We identify seven core themes from the narratives, offering specific quotes to illustrate the themes and connecting them to existing theories. For each theme, we point readers to other resources, including books, articles, and media, that can assist readers with further exploration and reflection.

Chapter 3 probes the meaning of the word ‘equality’. It outlines a multidimensional, substantive conception of equality, as adopted by the UN Committee for the Rights of Persons with Disabilities. But it notes the Act’s lack of engagement with some aspects of this ideal. The Act’s scope is both more limited and more individualised than this substantive concept might demand. Making sense of what law might intend to contribute to meeting equality ideals is difficult but necessary, as it can provide a benchmark against which to evaluate the law. With this in mind, this chapter proposes five potential objectives, which are guided by the Act’s scope. These range from changing attitudes and shaping perceived social norms through to influencing behaviours or compensating victims of negative treatment. These potential objectives are used as a framework for assessment of law’s contribution throughout the rest of the book.

Development is complex. Individual meaning systems are dynamic, and change can happen at any age. But even change is lawful and is conditioned by one’s history of meaning making. Self-fulfilling processes are part of the nature of adaptation. Those that bring positive expectations to social encounters often have new positive social experiences. As argued in the beginning, meaning lies at the center of a rich life. Those who have a sense of belonging, a sense of purpose, and a coherent, integrated life story have what can be described as meaningful lives.

Chapter 11 looks at how skills and competences necessary for successful language learning can be developed in the language classroom through the use of drama, music and games. Developing an understanding of the culture and literature of countries where the foreign language is spoken and what is appropriate at different ages and stages of learning is also examined in this chapter. The use of music and rhyme helps to embed the foreign language in learners’ minds, promoting pedagogical diversity and consolidating learning, particularly with regards to pronunciation, fluency, listening comprehension, memorisation of vocabulary and grammatical structures, as well as increasing cultural awareness. Drama and games can motivate learners and create a relaxed atmosphere where language skills can develop, thus promoting learner interaction, improving skills and consolidating knowledge.

Should judges and other legal decision-makers follow the literal meaning of applicable legal rules even if there are compelling reasons to do otherwise? The question of the primacy of plain meaning in legal interpretation is one of the oldest and most persistent problems in the philosophy of law. In this chapter, we argue that new arguments are available in this debate, emerging from recent developments in experimental jurisprudence. We posit that legal interpretation is, to some extent, an exercise in coordination: Judges seek to interpret rules in a way that would match interpretations of their peers, of other legal officials, and of society at large. In such a strategic context, the plain meaning of law often constitutes a focal point around which different legal actors can coordinate – allowing them to promote the uniformity and predictability of law and, ultimately, to sustain the rule of law.

Rules are ubiquitous. They figure prominently in all kinds of practical reasoning. Rules are especially important in jurisprudence, occupying a central role in answers to the question of “what is law?” In this chapter, we start by reviewing the evidence showing that both textual and extratextual elements exert influence over rule violation judgments (Section II). Most studies about rules contrast text with an extratextual element identified as the “purpose” or “spirit” of the rule. But what counts as the purpose or the spirit of a rule? Is it the goal intended by the rule maker? Or is purpose necessarily moral? Section III reviews the results of experiments designed to answer these questions. These studies show that the extratextual element that’s relevant for the folk concept of rule is moral in nature. Section IV turns to the different explanations that have been entertained in the literature for the pattern of results described in Sections II and III. Finally, in Section V we discuss some other extratextual elements that have been investigated in the literature. We conclude with a brief discussion of future directions.

In this autobiographical statement, the author conveys several lessons learned over the course of developmental research on social cognition, moral commitment, character, and purpose. The lessons include: (1) always check theoretical claims against real-world observations and intuitions; (2) always start a research program with deep attention to the field’s past achievements, including those made decades ago; (3) employ available insights from humanities domains such as literature, philosophy, and theology; and (4) approach any new research topic with both small-scale idiographic methods in addition to larger-scale nomothetic study methods. The chapter closes with an explanation of the author’s choice to focus on problem-centered research rather than general theory-building, with the hope that studying specific problems would inform theory-building, so that the research benefits would flow both ways, from theory to real-life problems and back again.

In business, meetings often occupy a great deal of time. When run well, they can be productive and improve interpersonal relationships. When run poorly, they can seriously damage productivity and morale. Meetings are not useful if attendees feel they have wasted valuable time in their incredibly busy workday.

This chapter explores planning and running successful meetings. It considers the rationale for holding meetings and classifies several meeting types and their level of formality. The discussion then identifies the key roles in planning, preparing, running and recording meetings to ensure productivity and the delivery of outcomes. After the purpose, types, roles and documents of meetings have been outlined, the chapter examines the factors necessary for effective meetings.

The Introduction explains the relevance of a theoretical inquiry into the purpose and function of belligerent reprisals. It highlights several examples in recent practice where the vocabulary of belligerent reprisals has been harnessed by parties to an armed conflict, pointing to the continued relevance of the institution in contemporary warfare. At the same time, it outlines persisting difficulties in the terminology, regulation and governance of reprisals, and shows that they all derive from the failure by international legal theory to give a proper legal vest to the purpose and function of the mechanism. It points to fundamental fallacies both in how the question has been approached, and in how it has been answered. It proposes an alternative to existing accounts and outlines how it will be investigated in the book.

In critiquing Prosperity, Paul Davies raises five objections. These are: (a) inclusion of social objectives in mandatory business purpose statements; (b) the assertion that the envisaged adoption of purpose statements is “embarrassingly simple”; (c) use of the law to shield directors from adverse reactions from their shareholders; (d) the entity and managerial conception of the company; and (e) regulatory or court approval of corporate purposes. These objections are contrary to what Prosperity is advocating – a strengthening not weakening of board accountability to shareholders; a proprietary not entity view in which firm objectives are aligned with, not divergent from, those of shareholders; and freedom of choice and plurality of purposes unconstrained by regulatory, court or government intervention. Davies erroneously believes that Prosperity seeks to promote communal or social objectives. On the contrary, purpose statements assist companies with making their commitments credible.  They are enabling not prescriptive or restrictive. They apply equally to private as well as communal or social objectives and they are potentially as significant in enhancing value for shareholders as other parties. Davies himself sets out how companies can make their purpose statements legally binding in an “embarrassingly simple” way without requiring any change to company law.

To wit, we have three specific goals here. First, we want to review the activities of the three-hatted pollster. We do this to provide greater context for each type of pollster. Some of us are all three; others are some combination of these. Any pollster worth their salt must at least be a data scientist, or they risk losing credibility.

Second, we explore the role of the pollster in society. Ultimately, what is the purpose of the pollster? In our view, pollsters are critically important in any democracy. We believe this is often overlooked due to the ranking frenzy after every electoral cycle. Here, we put the profession into proper perspective.

And third, we discuss the use of non-survey, or alternative data, inputs as proxy measures for public opinion. We provide a framework for pollsters to think through them in a critical manner. Validation is a key concept which we introduce here – one more tool for the data scientist.

The search for purpose and meaning is common to the work of many twentieth-century psychologists. It seems to operate as an overarching motivation or metamotivation for a career rather than as a specific motivation for a transition. Purpose tends to emerge and be discovered, whereas meaning is a constructed system of beliefs that is built over time around the search for purpose. Choices that lead to the discovery and construction of one’s “true nature” or “authentic self” or “essential identity” can give purpose and meaning to one’s life. The search for purpose and meaning in work is discussed in light of the retrospective interviews with twenty-four elite performers in three domains (business, sports, and music) who successfully and repeatedly transitioned to higher positions within their field.

This chapter revisits the Expert Transition Cycle presented in Chapter 3 from the perspective of how identity changes. Five stages of the Expert Transition Cycle operate during transition. Intention orients and clarifies choices and provides drive. Inquiry holds open the transition process with criteria for choice and discrimination based upon intention. Exploration actively investigates the familiar and the new elements of identity, roles, social situations, work opportunities, beliefs, and performance. Commitment narrows and targets the choices made regarding those elements. Integration modifies and adapts the identity to include new elements, knowledge, experience, and beliefs. Each stage of the Expert Transition Cycle is reviewed in light of the operation of the transition experiences, such as cognitive flexibility and purpose. This is discussed in light of the retrospective interviews with twenty-four elite performers in three domains (business, sports, and music) who successfully and repeatedly transitioned to higher positions within their field.