Feelings and Emotions in Youth’s Purpose

Abstract

This article summarizes research that aimed to identify and analyze the Organizing Models of Thought - with its affective and cognitive dimensions - underlying the purpose of young Brazilians, and identifies possible relationships between values, feelings, emotions and purpose of 200 Brazilian High School students. Upon analyzing all the protocols, seven different ways of organizing thoughts were found when answering an open-ended questionnaire about purpose in life. It was observed that emotions and feelings play an important role in the construction of purpose for young people, exerting influence in organizing their thoughts and subsidizing their decisions, plans and justification for the actions.