Making Meaning of the Meaning in Our Lives: Exploratory Study of Relationship Between Adults’ Psychosocial Maturity and Personal Meaning-In-Life

Abstract

This dissertation explores the relationship between (a) the psychosocial maturity of mid-life adults (operationalized through contemporary models of ego development stages), and (b) their personal conceptions and experiences of having meaning in their lives. Surprisingly, hardly any research previously explored how these two universal and essential aspects of the human experience, personal meaning-in-life (MiL) and ego development (ED), relate to each other. Data from this qualitative study strongly suggest that mid-life adults at postconventional stages of ED experience and conceive of MiL in a qualitatively different way than those at earlier stages. More importantly, this different way of experiencing and conceiving of MiL shows patterns inconsistent with the models and measures of MiL that dominate psychological scholarship. The research reveals an additional qualitative form of meaning-in-life that contradicts or transcends the purpose, significance, and coherence subconstructs inherent in contemporary models and measures of MiL. These results not only suggest the need for adjustment to existing MiL models, but also suggest that research, theory, and practice regarding all psychological phenomena should consider the effects of ED diversity. An additional byproduct of this research is helpful insight into the meaning-making of individuals at later stages of the ED spectrum.