On the psychology of meaning of life 1I am grateful to Prof. Dr. Hans Werner Bierhoff, Prof. Dr. Dieter Frey, and two anonymous referees for their helpful comments on an earlier version of this paper. I would also like to thank Dr. Ann Robertson for her translation.

Abstract

This paper emphasizes the relationship between psychology and the concept of meaning of life. Among others, the following questions are treated: Which main fields exist in psychology concerning the concept of meaning of life? How can meaning of life be defined? How can meaning of life be empirically measured? Which results do studies about meaning of life provide? Which perspectives does the concept of meaning of life provide for psychology? Among other things it is concluded that meaning of life is a multidimensional construct which should be understood individually; that this construct can be assessed empirically; that meaning of life and well-being are correlated positively; that the construct meaning of life will provide many perspectives for psychology.