Download - 2011 Presentation - Current Research in Existential Psychology

Current Research in Existential PsychologyNick Stauner

Personality Assessment LabUC Riverside

Outline1. Intro to existentialism & existential

psychology2. Relationship of meaning-seeking to

meaning-having3. Theories of sources of meaning

Goals & values

4. Relationship of meaning (and seeking) to goals & values

5. Relationships of meaning & seeking to personality traits

6. Implications for theory and research7. Directions to Nirvana

NauseaSartre (1965). “Existentialism is a Humanism”

“Man is nothing else but what he makes of himself. Such is the first principle of existentialism.”

“Thus, existentialism’s first move is to make every man aware of what he is and to make the full responsibility of his existence rest on him. And when we say that a man is responsible for himself, we do not only mean that he is responsible for his own individuality, but that he is responsible for all men.”

“The existentialists say at once that man is anguish…Of course, there are many people who are not anxious; but we claim that they are hiding their anxiety, that they are fleeing from it.”

The life worth living Socrates (469-399 BCE)

“The unexamined life is not worth living.” Plato

Thought it humanity’s duty to seek knowledge of the good and true.

Believed in objective forms of perfection Kierkegaard (1835)

“The thing is to understand myself, to see what God really wishes me to do: the thing is to find a truth which is true for me, to find the idea for which I can live and die.”

James (1870) “My first act of free will is to believe in free will.”

Existential Psychology Maslow (1943). “A Theory of Human Motivation”

Beyond self-actualization: the desires to know & understand

May (1959). Existential Psychology Frankl (1963). Man’s Search for Meaning

The “will to meaning” is “the primary motivational force”

Klinger (1977). Meaning and Void Yalom (1981). Existential Psychotherapy Baumeister (1991). Meanings of Life Reker (2000). “Theoretical perspective,

dimensions, and measurement of existential meaning” Meaning promotes psychological AND physical wellness,

adaptation Absence relates to neurosis, depression, suicidality,

substance abuse

Presence & search The Meaning in Life Questionnaire (MLQ)

Steger, Frazier, Oishi, & Kaler (2006). Journal of Counseling Psych, 53.

5 statements assessing presence of meaningE.g., “My life has no clear purpose.”

5 statements assessing search for meaningE.g., “I am searching for meaning in my life.”

Steger, Kashdan, Sullivan, & Lorentz (2008) “People lacking meaning search for it.” (r = -.16 to

-.20) Correlation varies across samples from -.01* to -.39 †

Relation moderated by basic motive dispositions(+) More positive r when high: BAS, autonomy, openness, & rumination(- ) More negative r when high: BIS & relatedness*Steger & Kashdan (2007) †Kashdan & Steger (2007)

A closer look Stauner, Stimson, & Boudreaux (2010)

238 undergraduates mean age = 18.8 years 74% female

Table 1. Simple statistics of MLQ subscalesSubscale Mean (7 pt. index) St. Dev. Cronbach’s αPresence 4.80 1.33 .88Search 4.58 1.38 .84 Weak negative correlation (r = -.22, p = .0005)

Table 2. Regression statistics predicting Search from PresenceVariable Estimate SEE β p rIntercept 4.87 .11 .21Presence -.33 .07 -.31 <.0001

-.22Presence² -.16 .04 -.21 <.0001

-.19 Adjusted R = .34. Tolerance = .90. Presence is centered.

The Curve of the Quest

Presence of MeaningFit Method:

Loess Regression

Searc

h f

or

Mean

ing

Figure 1. Quadratic regression of presence of meaning predicting search for meaning

Implications of the curve

1.Those lacking meaning don’t necessarily seek it. Motivation may be suppressed by depression (r =

-.48)1, alienation (r = -.24)2, or cognitive overload due to life problems

Rock-bottom meaning = existential cynicism / apathy / naivety?

2.Those possessing meaning really don’t seek it. Satiety / complacency may diminish motivation

Life satisfaction has divergent relationships with meaning (r = .30 to .56) vs. search (r = -.22 to -.38)1

Daily pleasure decreases daily search for meaning (Kashdan & Steger, 2007)

Sky-high meaning = ego identity foreclosure? Divergent correlations with presence vs. search:2

1. Dogmatism = .43 / -.21 2. Intrinsic Religiosity = .42/ -.17

3. Right-Wing Authoritarianism = .35 / -.14 4. Religious Quest = -.18/ .26

1 Steger et al. (2006) 2 Steger et al. (2008)

Meanings of Life Yalom (1981). Existential Psychotherapy

Death, freedom, isolation, & meaninglessness Frankl (1963). Man’s Search for Meaning

Sources of meaning: creative, experiential, attitudinal Klinger (1977). Meaning & Void

Incentive -> affect -> value -> goal striving -> progress ≈ meaning

Baumeister (1991). Meanings of Life “Existential Shopping List”: purpose, value, efficacy, &

self-worth Reker & Chamberlain (2000). Exploring

Existential Meaning Cognitive, motivational, & affective components Levels of depth: hedonism, self-actualization, service,

transcendence

Purpose particles Klinger (1977). Meaning & Void

Friends, communicating, understanding, family, faith, education, spouse, leisure, nature, happiness, security, “things in general,” job, responsibility, success, helping, loving, exploring, growth, goals/plans

Reker & Chamberlain (2000). Exploring Existential Meaning“Most common sources of meaning cited in literature”: Relationships, religious/creative/leisure/hedonistic

activities, altruism, growth, meeting needs, financial security, achievement, legacy, values/ideals, traditions/culture, causes, possessions, nature

Purpose particles May (1967). Psychology and the Human Dilemma

Anxiety = “The apprehension cued off by a threat to some value which the individual holds essential to his existence as a self.”

Reker & Chamberlain (2000). Exploring Existential Meaning“Values and beliefs are the bedrock for sources of

meaning.” Schwartz (1992):

“It may be that answering the question of ultimate meaning in life is a

basic human need that finds expression in a set of values. However…people may find meaning through the pursuit of

other types of values.”

Purpose particles Klinger (1998). In The Human Quest for

Meaning“The degree and kind of meaning a person finds in life

derives fromthe emotionally compelling qualities of the person’s goal

pursuits.” Emmons (1999). The Psychology of Ultimate

Concerns“Goals appear to be prime constituents of the meaning-

makingprocess. As motivational constructs, goals are an

important source ofpersonal meaning and provide structure, unity, and

purpose topeople’s lives…Goals are used to construct meaning.”

The structure of goals The Personal Goal Questionnaire*

65 items based on a comprehensive taxonomy of undergrads’ goals

Importance ratings summed into 20 parcel scores by goal theme†

Parcel structure: 3 bipolar factors1. Spirituality vs. Finance

(+) Religious, moral, and community presence goals(- ) Immediate financial goals

2. Intimacy vs. Self-Enablement(+) Romantic, immediate financial, and family-building goals(- ) Self-assertion and negative affect control goals

3. Achievement vs. Enjoyment(+) Academic and long-term financial goals(- ) Friendship and enjoyment-seeking goals

*Howell, Hershey, Markey, & Ozer (2001) †Stauner, Stimson, & Ozer (2009)

The structure of values

The Values Q-Set* 25 items based on value, goal, and meaning measures Sorted by relative importance into 5 groups of 5 each

3 bipolar principal components1. Spirituality vs. Secularism

(+) Religious observation & exploration, helping others, morality

(- ) Financial security, pleasure, careerism, independence, and health

2. Competence vs. Intimacy(+) Creativity, skill, nature, and knowledge & wisdom(- ) Romantic love, family, and raising children

3. Individualism vs. Collectivism(+) Fame or popularity, respect or power, and legacy or

impact(- ) Understanding people, cultural heritage, and friendships

*Stauner, Boudreaux, & Ozer (2010)

Goals, values, & meaning

Stauner & Ozer (2010) 149 undergraduates mean age = 19.3 71%

female

GARGOYLE OF ROCK


female

tongue

axe

Goals, values, & meaning


female Table 3. Correlations of Presence with

Importance Ratings Goal Parcel Meaning r Value item Meaning r

Spirituality vs. Finance .30 Spiritualism vs. Secularism .26

Religious .28 Living in accordance with religion .26

Moral .17 Explore/reinforce religious identity .19

Community presence .13 Helping people .11

Immediate finances -.09 Financial security-.20

Having a pleasurable life-.25

Choosing and pursuing a career .00

Self-assertion -.22 Being or becoming independent-.13

Being healthy and energetic .09

Friendship -.16 Gaining / maintaining friendships-.18

Goals, values, & search Table 4. Correlations of Search with

Importance Ratings Goal Parcel Search r Value item Search rFind direction in life .52 Competence vs. Intimacy

-.17Religious -.18 Experience/appreciate nature -.24Independence .16 Individualism vs. Collectivism .17Interpersonal skills .14 Fame, popularity, & renown

.19Becoming respected &

powerful .18Leaving a legacy/having an

impact .09Gaining or maintaining

friendships .07Understanding cultural

heritage -.10Understanding people &

culture -.17Immediate finance .05 Financial security

.06

Too busy to bother?

Klinger (1998). In The Human Quest for Meaning

“[The meaning of life] is not a problem for people who for any other reason find themselves persistently engaged in striving for valued goals. The more introspective among them, especially when someone else raises the issue, may well be inclined to formulate for themselves one or more consistent life purposes, but probably most would not otherwise be bothered.

“On the other hand, when people find themselves spending inordinate amounts of time in activities that they do not value, or find themselves suffering for no immediately evident good purpose, they are likely to raise the question: What for? On anecdotal grounds, it appears that this commonly occurs when people are induced to work largely to avoid punishment rather than for appetitive reasons (as in concentration camps), or when they are working for appetitive goals whose value is extrinsic (as in working largely to earn money)...”

Personality measures

Age-Universal I/E-R (I/E-R; Gorsuch & McPherson, 1989) Intrinsic and extrinsic religiosity

Sub-subscales: Extrinsic social and extrinsic personal

Religious Quest (RQ; Batson & Schoenrade, 1991)

Belief in Afterlife (BA; Osarchuk & Tatz, 1973)

Spiritual Transcendence Scale (STS; Piedmont, 1999) Prayer fulfillment Universality Connectedness

Spiritual Transcendence Index (STI; Seidlitz et al., 2002)

Big Five Inventory (BFI; John, Donahue, & Kentle, 1991)

Satisfaction With Life Scale (SWLS; Diener et al., 1985)

Table 5. Correlations of personality measures with

MLQVariable Measure Presence SearchIntrinsic religiosity I/E-R .30-.03Extrinsic religiosity I/E-R .10 .12

Extrinsic personal I/E-R .22 .05Extrinsic social I/E-R -.10

.16Belief in an afterlife BA .27 .20Religious quest RQ -.01 .30Spiritual transcendence index STI .38-.09Prayer fulfillment STS .34 .06Connectedness STS .29 .32Universality STS .30 .31Extraversion BFI .20-.09Agreeableness BFI .12-.00Conscientiousness BFI .35-.06Neuroticism BFI -.22 .16Openness to experience BFI .17 .13Life satisfaction SWLS .42 -.07

*Correlations significant at p < .01 level bolded. N = 145-149 (BFI / SWLS N = 237)

Predictors of presence

Table 6a. Regression predicting presence from personalityVariable Estimate SEE β p Tolerance rIntercept 2.64 .43 .08 Spiritual trans. (STI) .33 .07 .36 <.0001 .91 .38Life satisfaction .33 .07 .32 <.0001 .96 .42Extrinsic social -.26 .12 -.17 .0242 .94 -.10

Adjusted R = .52Table 6b. Correlations of MLQ-P, SWLS, I/E

Extrinsic social, & STIVariable Presence Life satisfactionExtrinsic socialLife satisfaction .39Extrinsic social -.10 -.04Spiritual trans. (STI) .38 .19 .22

*Correlations significant at p < .025 level bolded. N = 149

Meaning moderators

Presence correlation with friendship goals/values moderated by spiritual connectedness Upper 50% in connectedness: r = -.02 Lower 50% in connectedness: r = -.26 / -.29 Connectedness more significant than goals/values in

regression Value interaction term insignificant Goal parcel insignificant; goal interaction term significant

Correlation w/ religious goals/values moderated by religion Insufficient ns for NHSTs in non-Christian affiliations Participants’ religious affiliations:1. 50% Christian 2. 28% Atheist / agnostic

/ irreligious3. 12% Buddhist 4. 6% Muslim 5.

4% Other

Moderations by religion

Table 7. Presence of meaning correlations by religious affiliation

Variable correlated with presence r (Christians) r (non-Christians)

Spirituality vs. Finance .35 .18Religious goals .30 .16Immediate financial goals -.27 .02

Self-assertion goals -.12 -.31Friendship goals -.06 -.24Spiritualism vs. Secularism .32 .11

Living in accordance with religion .33 .09Explore/reinforce religious identity .14 .13Having a pleasurable life -.37 >* -.03

Gaining and maintaining friendships -.06 -.26Intrinsic religiosity .35 .15Religious quest -.31 <* .21Bolded correlations significant (p < .05) n = 72-75 n =

71-74

Predictors of the search

Table 8a. Correlations of MLQ, BA, and intrinsic religiosity*Variable Presence Search Belief in afterlifeSearch for meaning -.17Belief in an afterlife .27 .20Intrinsic religiosity .30 -.04 .55

Table 8b. Regression predicting search from presence & BAVariable Estimate SEE β p Tolerance rIntercept 3.65 .46 .24 Presence -.33 .08 -.32 .0001 .81 -.17Presence² -.13 .04 -.17 .0019 .83 -.17Belief in an afterlife .36 .12 .23 .0042 .91 .20

*Correlations significant at p < .025 level bolded. N = 145-149


Table 9a. Correlations of MLQ & STS-Connectedness*Variable Presence SearchSearch -.17Connectedness .29 .32

Table 9b. Regression predicting search from MLQ-P & STS-CVariable Estimate SEE β p Tolerance rIntercept 2.49 .53 .24 Presence -.35 .08 -.34 <.0001 .82 -.17Presence² -.13 .04 -.17 .0012 .85 -.17Connectedness .72 .15 .35 <.0001 .90 .32



Table 10a. Correlations of MLQ & openness to experience*Variable Presence SearchSearch -.22Openness .17 .14

Table 10b. Regression predicting search from MLQ-P & BFI-OVariable Estimate SEE β p Tolerance rIntercept 3.30 .50 .22 Presence -.37 .07 -.35 <.0001 .87 -.22Presence² -.17 .04 -.22 <.0001 .90 -.19Openness .46 .14 .20 .0016 .97 .14



Table 11a. Correlations of MLQ & neuroticism*Variable Presence SearchSearch -.22Neuroticism -.22 .16

Table 11b. Regression predicting search from MLQ-P & BFI-NVariable Estimate SEE β p Tolerance rIntercept 4.31 .36 .20 Presence -.30 .07 -.29 <.0001 .85 -.22Presence² -.16 .04 -.20 <.0001 .90 -.19Neuroticism .18 .11 .10 .1057 .95 .16



Table 12. Regression predicting search from MLQ, STS, BA, & BFI

Variable Estimate SEE β p Tolerance r

Intercept .60 .77 .16Presence -.43 .08 -.41 <.0001 .76

-.17Presence² -.13 .04 -.17 .0011 .81

-.17Belief in afterlife .30 .12 .19 .0091

.91 .20Connectedness .63 .15 .31 <.0001

.86 .32Openness .33 .16 .14 .0425

.90 .14 Adjusted R = .51

What does it all mean? Supportive evidence for many existential

theories Regarding presence

Levels of meaning (Reker, 2000) The post-religious “value gap” (Baumeister, 1991) Existential threats of death & isolation (Yalom, 1981)

Regarding search Connectedness --(?)--> responsibility ------> “anguish”

(Sartre, 1965) Yalom’s threats of freedom, & meaninglessness

Challenges to others Meaning via goals and values complicated by depth of

meaning “Will to meaning” is not explicitly universal, nor

situational Search ≠ neuroticism

Future Research Validation of Values Q-Set

Open-ended listing approach to values assessment New populations: community, internet, criterion,

experimental? Tests of convergent validity with sources of meaning

measures Tests of predictive validity with goal concordance &

life satisfaction Disentangling life meaningfulness from life

satisfaction Criterion groups

Religious leaders, philosophy faculty, volunteers, activists, elderly

Longitudinal experiments Meaning manipulation: log daily work toward purpose

• Nostalgia, life narratives, uncertainty, cultural worldview defense, PA, etc.?

• Isolation? Freedom? Meaninglessness? Quasi-experiment: new parents-to-be

Credits Dan Ozer The RAs

Tanya Selvam Andrew Stimmler Elizabeth Castaneda Rachel Cheong Christian Lorenzo

My friends and my folks And for you, as promised…

Future Research Validation of Values Q-Set

Open-ended listing approach to values assessment New populations: community, internet, criterion,

experimental? Tests of convergent validity with sources of meaning

measures Tests of predictive validity with goal concordance &

life satisfaction Disentangling life meaningfulness from life

satisfaction Criterion groups

Religious leaders, philosophy faculty, volunteers, activists, elderly

Longitudinal experiments Meaning manipulation: log daily work toward purpose

• Nostalgia, life narratives, uncertainty, cultural worldview defense, PA, etc.?

• Isolation? Freedom? Meaninglessness? Quasi-experiment: new parents-to-be


Stauner & Ozer (2011)Table 5. Regression predicting search from

cognitive traitsVariable Estimate SEE β p

Tolerance rIntercept -1.23 .85 .16 .1494Presence -.32 .08 -.33 .0002 .62

-.17Presence² -.13 .04 -.17 .0012 .75

-.17Belief in afterlife .57 .13 .37 <.0001

.64 .20Connectedness (C) .59 .15 .30 <.0001

.82 .32Openness .41 .15 .19 .0211

.88 .14Religious goals (R) -.43 .12 -.31 .0003

.66 -.18C x R interaction .41 .16 .20 .0093

.89 .08Neuroticism .19 .12 .11 .1180

.87 .20 Adjusted R = .59

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