MEANINGFUL LIFE
The Paired Statements for Meaningful Life:
“My life has a clear sense of purpose.
I have a good sense of what makes life meaningful”.
Figure 1. MEANINGFUL LIFE espousers
In broad demographic terms there is over-indexing among AB’s, women and the over 65’s; and under-indexing among DE’s, men and the under 35’s.
Overall, people agreeing that they have a purpose in life and have a good sense of what this means are very different from the majority of people. They have arrived at this point of view though learning from life, being encouraged by obstacles to objectives rather than defeated by them; and have a diligent focus on finishing what they have started in many facets of their lives. Purpose and meaning in life are results not desires. Desire for purpose and meaning is defined by another Attribute, called Searching.
Having a Meaningful Life is not some sort of defining point for them. It is part of a larger complex system that enables these people to be grateful for many facets of their life and the world they live in – even those parts that have seemed, or still seem, not the most pleasant or rewarding. Being aware of the world around them and their own life experiences has led to them to believe they have much to be thankful for – a frame of mind that is unlikely to shift during the course of the rest of their lives.
This is not an airy-fairy 'don't worry, be happy' belief – it is the result of examining a range of facts and coming to a conclusion about ways of perceiving and acting with friends and society at large. They will consciously be aware of why they think and behave as they do – and choose to work from this base rather than shift and change with every passing fad or fanciful bit of popular culture.
Their gratitude, and knowing the reasons for it, presents the rest of the world with a person much more optimistic than most others. Life has a meaning for them, and they believe not only can they persevere through life’s trials, but that the future holds good things for them.
This ability to survive and thrive in a complex and ambiguous world, where facts and beliefs often seem in competition, is just a starting point for creating a meaningful life. It has also created the groundwork for ambition to do more than just survive, but to aim for lasting goals that haven’t yet been achieved. Not just success in short term and often materialist goals, but success in returning value to their families, communities - and to society if possible. Purpose is clear to them, and they know why they choose and behave in the way they do – and they will continue to think and behave as they do until they fulfil their ambition.
With a life full of meaning and purpose and the ability to stick to an ambition-driven objective they know that they must be clear in their reasons for pursuing and achieving the ambition.
This makes them very conscious of the need for clarity and truth in themselves, and trust in others when they are engaged with them. They are the truth tellers, refusing to lie, even to get themselves ‘out of trouble’. They are the most likely to take and stick to ethical choices when confronted with demands to conform to rules and regulations based on falsehoods. Lies destroy meaningful lives. They feel they have worked, and are continuing to work on creating their hard won meaningful lives.
|
For most purposes when planning personal, organizational or societal strategies and campaigns this level of analysis is sufficient – going much deeper than standard demographic and behavioural data. But there is more! |
This overall profile has combined several disparate orientations - the Maslow Groups. These
groups are psychological segments within society and espouse Meaningful Life in slightly, or
in some cases significantly, different ways. When trying to understand any of these groups it
is vital to know how they differ and where the general profile will be sufficient.
Going back to CDSM data shows us the Maslow Group espouser profile of these people:
| Maslow Group | Population (base) % | Attribute % | Index |
| Pioneers | 37.7 | 43.9 | 116 |
| Prospectors | 36.8 | 35.4 | 96 |
| Settlers | 25.5 | 20.7 | 81 |
The Pioneers are the most likely to espouse this Attribute – no surprise to those familiar
with Maslow Groups. So, let’s see how they, and the other Maslow Groups, compare to the big
picture view of Meaningful Life espousers.
Figure 2. Meaningful Life espousers - Pioneers
These Pioneers share three of the top half dozen Attributes with the general profile – Gratitude, Grit and Reason and with even higher indices. But they bring a slightly different set of priorities with their Meaningful Life orientation - less materialistic and more caring and inquisitive than the general profile.
They are 70% more likely than the population as a whole to espouse an activist approach to the environment - believing that each and every one of us, including themselves, can and should make changes in behaviour to save the environment. Their optimism and grit leads them naturally to become involved in support and activism in many environmental and climate change programs and projects.
They will tend to find it easy to change their behaviours in terms of consumption – to downshift in their lifestyles; or to postpone the acquisition of next generation versions of replacements to a range of lifestyle products; or to postpone the disposal of current, but the not latest version, products, i.e. being green, not just thinking green.
Their concerns will be moving with the times – yet will maintain their core awareness. They love learning about anything new – labelling themselves "life-long learners". These Pioneers will be on the leading edge of many movements that are driven by ambitions to make a lasting difference. They are likely to provide the emotional and rational heart of the organizations and causes they form or join. Always open to new ideas, they provide the 'heart and soul' to many learning organizations - from key members in agile start-ups to mavericks in more established organizations.
In brief, their version of Meaningful life is rooted in having a purpose that is based on a positive and fact-based view of life and their drive to immerse themselves in life while finding ways to learn new things every day.
Figure 3. Meaningful Life espousers - Prospectors
As with the general Meaningful Life profile, the Prospector top half dozen Attributes include Grit, Gratitude and Optimism – a potent mixture of emotion and conscientiousness with a can-do attitude. These Prospectors will want to be inspired far beyond acquiring the latest objectives of value that drive many of their peers – but, like them, they still want the approval of others and are likely to be conflicted between creating lasting value and buying the most image driven objects for their homes. They are much more materialistic than the Pioneers, and finding ways to enhance their self-image is a way of creating a meaningful life. A 'life well live' might be a more informative way to describe what they mean when they talk about a meaningful life.
So what about the Settlers?
Figure 4. Meaningful Life espousers - Settlers
Grit is the only attribute the Settlers share with the general profile. On this Attribute,
all the Maslow Groups espousing Meaningful Life agree; a dedication to finishing what they have
started – to battle against the odds in many cases. The data shows that both Pioneers and
Prospectors have a clear sense of purpose – but that they don’t agree about what makes it meaningful
(Pioneers want to create a better world, and the Prospectors want to create a better 'me'). The
Settlers have a completely different version of a Meaningful Life.
A meaningful life of purpose is less about changing the world or themselves, and more about finding ways to become comfortable in an essentially hostile world. These Settlers will put a limited amount of energy into versions of 'righting wrongs' and offer passive support for others who want to create more rules to ensure their safety – but only to the extent that it stays within their comfort zone. They are the classic 'passive-aggressives' in any group that espouses Meaningful Life. Wanting others to follow rules and be punished if they break them, they are not likely to want to put a lot of effort into pursuing others' behaviours or altering their own behaviours. To the comfort seeking Settlers, commitment can lead to a failure, and failure can lead to a loss of face. A loss of face could lead to loss of meaning and purpose. Finding safety in their 'small world' and staving off the immense complex world that confronts them gives their life meaning beyond just surviving.
In a meaningful life there are rights and obligations that act as barriers against unpleasantness. Wanting little, expecting little, in a shifting and ambiguous world they will spend time and effort to create a small zone of comfort. This is what gives a meaningful experience by making life the way it 'should be' in a typical Settler fashion.
|
Conclusion A 'meaningful life' has been the subject of discussion for centuries and in the last 40-50 years has become the driving force for many people, supported by self-help services, media commentary and a whole host of organizations exploiting the concept. People often assume that their version of a meaningful life is same for others as it is for them. Many become confused when they find that others do not hold the same point of view as they do, leading to clashes because of lack of clarity about the definition of meaningful life. A general profile of the espousers of the Meaningful Life Attribute can provide a robust insight into this values-system’s orientations. Maslow Groups provide a top line that corrals many factors within Values Space - a short cut to very complex interactions between Attributes. To those already familiar with the Maslow Groups, the differences and similarities will look familiar and reinforce perceptions of them. Basically Pioneers, Prospectors and Settlers consistently respond to the statements comprising this Attribute in a manner that chimes with their overall orientation to the world. |