What Predicts Meaning in Life? The Role of Perfectionistic Personality and Self-Compassion

Abstract

Identifying antecedents to meaning in life has been a long-standing interest among researchers. Based on the Self-Determination Theory (SDT), this study examined the independent and additive functions of two individual characteristics (perfectionism, self-compassion) in predicting meaning in life. With 245 diverse community adults, we first tested whether perfectionism dimensions and self-compassion independently predicted meaning in life. Then, the moderating effect of self-compassion in the association between perfectionism and meaning in life was tested. Results found that two dimensions of perfectionism predicted meaning in life, with perfectionistic strivings positively predicting meaning in life whereas perfectionistic concerns negatively predicting meaning in life. Self-compassion also facilitated experiences of meaning in life, indicating that having a healthy attitude toward oneself promotes meaning in life. However, there was no evidence of self-compassion moderating the association between perfectionism and meaning in life. Findings suggest that perfectionistic strivings is adaptive and perfectionistic concerns is maladaptive in experiencing meaning in life, consistent with the literature on perfectionism’s relation to well-being. Self-compassion facilitated meaning in life but infusing self-compassion into interventions to further promote meaning in life among perfectionists may not prove fruitful. Limitations and future directions are discussed.