The experience of meaning in late life: Providing an empirical understanding of an intriguing concept.

Psychiatrist and Holocaust survivor Viktor Frankl described searching for meaning in life as a crucial motivation for surviving. Contemporary psychological research provides increasing evidence that Frankl’s idea was right and that meaning in life is a key factor for human functioning. Especially in advanced age, when adults are confronted with highly demanding life events, meaningfulness in life seems an important protective factor. It is, however, still unclear what this experience exactly constitutes. This lack of conceptual clarity is visible in measurement problems, difficulties to compare findings, and limitations in implementing findings in clinical practice. Scholars should, therefore, work on a comprehensive and validated framework of meaning. A first step towards this integration is recently proposed by introducing a conceptual elaboration of the construct into three dimensions: coherence, purpose, and significance. A robust empirical validation is, however, lacking and the only evidence available is collected in a group of psychology students. The current proposal will, therefore, profoundly test the novel model in a large heterogeneous group of older adults. The use of longitudinal methodology will provide a robust test of the usefulness of this novel conceptual approach. The project will generate fundamental knowledge on the nature of meaning in life which can be used to set up new studies focusing on meaning in life interventions.