Meaning in Life and Volunteerism in Older Adults

✍ Scribed by Nancy E. Sherman; Rebecca Michel; Christopher Rybak; G. Kevin Randall; Jeannette Davidson

• Publisher: American Counseling Association
• Year: 2011
• Tongue: English
• Weight: 140 KB
• Volume: 10
• Category: Article
• ISSN: 1524-6817
• DOI: 10.1002/j.2161-0029.2011.tb00127.x

✦ Synopsis

Researchers explored predictors of meaning in life such as physical and mental health and volunteerism in a representative sample of older adults. Measures included the Geriatric Depression Scale and the Life Regard Index. Implications for counseling older adults are discussed.

A meaningful life is one of relatedness, significance, and fulfillment (Frankl, 1963;Maslow, 1964;Weisskopf-Joelson, 1968). Meaning provides context for life events so that people may develop connections between their experiences (Baumeister, 1991;Klinger, 1998). A consistent, meaningful existence helps humans feel connected and focused. Often, people living a meaningful life maintain coherent and congruent cognitions, affect, self-evaluation, and personal motivations (Van Selm & Dittmann-Kohli, 1998). A key aspect of meaning making is the formulation of goals that are congruent with one's meaning perspective. In that way, meaning serves as a framework to guide habits and behaviors (Hermon & Hazler, 1999). Individuals maintain internal balance when actions are formed based on a meaningful structure. Numerous factors contribute to meaning in life including self-esteem, self-integration, and relating well to one's environment (Battista & Almond, 1973;Scannell, Allen, & Burton, 2002).

Meaning in life has been investigated with individuals across the lifespan. As the population of older adults continues to rise, researchers are giving more attention to the development of personal meaning in later adulthood (Penick & Fallshore, 2005). Previous studies of older adults have found relationships between meaning in life and depression, anxiety, hope,