Meaning in Life: Category Self-Ratings

Summary

An earlier study reported development of a reliable scale for categorizing the content of meaning in one's life. The present study concentrated upon validation of this scale by investigating whether 112 undergraduates would tend to place their own meanings in the same content categories as would an outside rater. A high percentage (75%) of the subjects' ratings did agree with those of the outside rater. Subjects were also asked whether they thought that others knew of their meaning (56% answered affirmatively). A .42 correlation was found between the subjects' rating of their meaning depth and ratings done by an outside rater. Percentage of subjects having no meaning (5%) and the frequency distribution of the meaning categories were similar to the earlier study although the 21% of meanings placed in the Miscellaneous category was much higher.