TY - JOUR
AU - Burrow, Anthony L.
AB - Although finding a purpose is almost universally accepted as a developmental achievement, relatively little research has sought to understand the potential means by which individuals do so. Using a newly developed measure, the current studies examined the personality and well-being profiles of individuals who reported following any of three different pathways to purpose: (1) proactive engagement, (2) reaction to significant life events, or (3) social learning. Across both emerging adult (n = 179) and adult (n = 307) samples, we demonstrated that individuals along these three pathways differ in theoretically meaningful ways. For instance, proactively engaged individuals report greater agency and openness to experience, while individuals who found a purpose primarily through reactive means are less likely to be exploring their life aims. Engagement with any pathway though coincided with greater well-being, due to the fact that following these paths may lead to a sense of purpose in life.
TI - Understanding the pathways to purpose: Examining personality and well-being correlates across adulthood
JF - The Journal of Positive Psychology
DO - 10.1080/17439760.2014.888584
DA - 2014-05-04
UR - https://www.deepdyve.com/lp/taylor-francis/understanding-the-pathways-to-purpose-examining-personality-and-well-a8ciGyQym6
SP - 227
EP - 234
VL - 9
IS - 3
DP - DeepDyve
ER -