Purpose in Life

A Critical Component of Optimal Youth Development

Kendall Cotton Bronk (Autor)

Buch | Softcover

175 Seiten

2016 | Softcover reprint of the original 1st ed. 2014
Springer (Verlag)
978-94-017-7809-1 (ISBN)

Artikel merken

This volume integrates and makes sense of the growing body of theoretical and empirical research conducted on purpose across the lifespan. It opens with a comprehensive yet detailed discussion of the definitions of purpose most commonly used in studies on the topic. In addition to defining the construct, the author also discusses its philosophical roots and distinguishes it from related concepts, including meaning, goals, and ultimate concerns. This volume discusses the disparate perspectives on the construct and addresses the tendency to position purpose in the broader frame of positive psychology. It synthesizes distinct strands of research on purpose across the lifespan, it explores studies on the daily and longer-term experience of a purposeful existence, and it delves deeply into the wide range of measurement tools that have been used to assess the purpose construct. Further, it examines the prevalence and forms of purpose among diverse groups of youth and discusses the developmental trajectory of the construct. Other topics discussed include the central role of purpose in supporting optimal well-being and positive youth development. The book closes with empirically-supported steps adults, educators, and mentors can take to effectively and intentionally foster purpose among young people and makes recommendations for future research on the topic.

Dr. Kendall Cotton Bronk is an educational psychologist interested in positive youth development and the moral growth of young people. For the past 12 years she has investigated these topics through the lens of young people’s life purposes. Her research has explored the relationship between life purposes and healthy growth, ways young people discover life purposes, and the developmental trajectory of youth with strong commitments to various life purposes. A surprising finding emerged from her longitudinal research on the topic; many of the young people with life purposes ended up becoming entrepreneurs. In order to fill a personally meaningful social need, they launched their own businesses. Consequently, Dr. Bronk’s research has more recently focused on how young business leaders develop and on the important role of humility among effective entrepreneurs. In addition to her substantive interests, Dr. Bronk has also helped define and outline the parameters of the exemplar methodology, an approach that allows researchers to gain a view not only of typical and deficient growth, but also of exemplary development, which is critical for a full understanding of human development. Dr. Bronk teaches undergraduate, masters, and doctoral classes on adolescent development, lifespan development, and research methods. After graduating with a B.S. from Northwestern University, Dr. Bronk earned her doctorate from Stanford University.

Foreword; William Damon.- Chapter 1. Introduction and Definition.- Chapter 2. Measuring Purpose.- Chapter 3. The Role of Purpose in Optimal Human Functioning.- Chapter 4. Purpose across the Lifespan.- Chapter 5. Origins and Supports for Purpose.- Chapter 6. Inspiring Types of Purposes in Life.- Chapter 7. The Experience of Purpose among Diverse Groups of Individuals.- Chapter 8. Youth Purpose Exemplars.- Chapter 9. Future Directions for Purpose Research.

Erscheinungsdatum	10.09.2016
Zusatzinfo	1 Illustrations, black and white; X, 175 p. 1 illus.
Verlagsort	Dordrecht
Sprache	englisch
Maße	155 x 235 mm
Themenwelt	Geisteswissenschaften ► Psychologie ► Allgemeine Psychologie
	Geisteswissenschaften ► Psychologie ► Entwicklungspsychologie
	Geisteswissenschaften ► Psychologie ► Humanistische Psychotherapien
	Geisteswissenschaften ► Psychologie ► Pädagogische Psychologie
	Studium ► Querschnittsbereiche ► Prävention / Gesundheitsförderung
	Sozialwissenschaften ► Pädagogik ► Bildungstheorie
	Sozialwissenschaften ► Soziologie
Schlagworte	Adulthood and Life Purpose • Definition of Meaning in Life • Developmental Psychology • Emotional development • Flourishing and Human Development • Measuring Purpose in Life • optimal development • Optimal Human Functioning • positive psychology • positive youth development • Purpose across the Lifespan • Purpose in Life • quality of life • Thriving and Purposes in Life • Types of Purposes in Life
ISBN-10	94-017-7809-4 / 9401778094
ISBN-13	978-94-017-7809-1 / 9789401778091
Zustand	Neuware